Guest Profile
Steve Kumerow
Steve Kumerow, a southern California native, who now lives in Utah shares priceless wisdom from his journey with losing weight and gaining freedom.
From Steve:
I grew up with the ignorance of the power of myself. I didn’t understand that I have the ability to create my life to be whatever I want it to be. I was taught that life just happens. I relied on hoping things or people would intervene and make things better, and until that happens, just ignore the negative things. I didn’t understand the power within me to create the life that I actually wanted.
Because of this, I never really learned who I was, or what I wanted out of life. This led to me not making decisions to empower my life, but to take the path of least resistance and ignore the negative things since I couldn’t affect them anyway. I used food to replace the power that I did not feel I had. Food was the way I showed myself love. The more the better. Quantity over quality. I now realize that I had developed a food addiction.
This chain of thinking and lack of decision-making eventually caused me to blow up to 650+ lbs, depressed, scared, hopeless, and almost immobile. At my worst, I was unconscious in the hospital for a day and a half. My family had to process the fact that they may have lost me. I now realized that I needed to make changes, if I did not want to die. I needed to change everything about myself that was destructive. This meant that I had to unlearn everything so that I can learn who I really am, not who I was programmed to be. The first step was to get out of the danger zone.
My first action was having gastric bypass surgery. Ironically I had the surgery two years ago on my birthday. This was my rebirth. I had this surgery not to fix all of my problems, but to get things started. After dropping some weight, I was no longer on the verge of death. I could now bring my focus to healing. I needed to get rid of everything in my life that was destructive. My relationship with food, my lifestyle, my self-deprecating attitude, my spirituality, my habits, and even my job.
I started reading, moving, learning, and taking time to learn who I am. I found an amazing therapist who helped me to heal my mind and soul. I found a great reiki healer who helped me align my spiritual health with my physical health. I have a new appreciation for life and the importance of getting happiness from things that strengthen your mind, body, and spirit. I have taken my life back and have learned to enjoy every minute of it.
You have the power to make changes and be happy. Life doesn’t just happen to you, you choose your path. You have the ability to be just as talented, successful, and healthy as anyone else. It’s all in the small choices you make every day. It’s in the quiet conversations you have with yourself. It’s all of the seemingly insignificant positive things that you do that add up.
When I was sick, I felt like no one could understand where I was mentally and physically. The goal that I am currently working toward is to help people who feel like I did before. To be a guide and inspire others from the things I have experienced. I have lost 400 lbs so far and am on my way to relearning who I am. I have found a love for learning, hiking, nature, and having amazing experiences with my family and friends. This has been a beautifully crazy journey of rising from the ashes.
