A Christian Testimony

My hope is that those that read my testimony may be filled with God's Love and know that there is ALWAYS a plan and purpose for each of our lives. God has placed us here for a reason.

"For I know the plans I have for you, "declares the Lord," plans to prosper you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

         The following testimony is about the life of Allison Speck; recovering anorexic, bulimic, laxative/diuretic abuser, exercise fanatic, and more to becoming the first female strength and conditioning coach at two Div. I universities, registered dietitian, certified fitness specialist, and now business owner and national speaker on fighting the war on eating disorders!

        My illness of (OCD) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, in many forms, began many years ago, but became detrimental to my health beginning in the 9th grade. Take a look at many of our magazine covers. Advertisements with quick weight loss gimmicks always catch one’s eye. As an impressionable teenager, like most at that age, I began being obsessed with losing weight. I did not care how, but I wanted to lose it and to lose it FAST! I was an extremely active teenager involved in sports and extracurricular activities! Therefore, I have never had a weight problem.

        I first began taking SlimFast, hot SlimFast at that, for lunch in the 9th grade. My entire high school years were plagued with dieting! Dieting! And Dieting!! Why all of a sudden? It was like a light switch that just turned on. Through the early years, I had lost so much weight that I stopped menstruating. Two years came and went before I finally had to begin taking birth control pills (BCP) to regulate it. These tiny pills gave me the small dose of estrogen that my body desperately needed. My life was soon turned upside down as only a teenager can imagine. I had lost so much weight that my mother contemplated sending me off to an eating disorder center. She is such an amazing woman! She knew that if she took me out of the things that I so enjoyed, I would surely perish. I was involved in many extracurricular activities at school. I truly loved them! Throughout high school, I had to quit many of my activities, one by one, due to my illness. The track team first and then I was eventually “grounded”, no pun intended, from the cheerleading squad. I was allowed to cheer, but there was no stunting or tumbling for me. I was even put on restriction from the gym. Did that ever really stop me? I cannot tell you how many times I was caught exercising in my room after my parents went to bed. I was truly “nuts” in my opinion. I was also having horrific nightmares of which I died and nobody came to the funeral, but my mom and dad. Now if that’s not
low self-esteem, I don’t know what is! Suicidal? Well, of course! Throughout high school, my mother had my teachers watch me. Was I eating? Binging? The works!

        This all had gone on for years! College, of course, relapse!! To make a long story short, I lost my brother to cancer mid-way through my sophomore year of college. I was actually studying dietetics and nutrition at the University of Southern Mississippi where I later changed to exercise physiology to complete my first Bachelor of Science degree. It is a little hard to learn chemistry and deal with his chemo treatments at the same time. I could, however, learn the muscles and mechanisms of the human body a lot easier. My brother was hospitalized at St. Jude Hospital in Memphis, TN where he later passed on November 23, 1996. This was obviously was a very difficult time for my family, to say the least!

        Through all of this, I went on to obtain a Master of Science degree in sport administration the following year also from the University of Southern Mississippi. This gave me the wonderful opportunity to become the women’s soccer strength and conditioning coach. Six days after I graduated with my Masters degree, I then had the wonderful opportunity to become the first female strength and conditioning coach at the University of Central Florida. I was there about eight months when I had another opportunity to leave for the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) where, again, I became the first female strength and conditioning coach. This last transfer enabled me to go back to school for my first and foremost desire – my dietetics and nutrition degree. I graduated in May of 2002 with a second Bachelor of Science degree. I was then accepted to Tulane University’s dietetic internship. I finished in February of 2003 on my brother’s birthday! I am now a proud owner and operator of Allison Walker – Personalized Wellness. I have combined all of my education, personal and professional experiences into educating all ages on “building health from within”. My past experiences have left me with numerous permanent health problems. I now speak openly about them. No one should have to physically or mentally go through what I went through as a child and/or as an adult.

        I know that God’s purpose for my life allowed me to go through the many trials, but those same trials made me the woman I am today. I am a strong woman that absolutely loves the body that God has given me. I look back at the hurtful things that were said and done to my body by me. I know it must of truly hurt God when I spoke so derogatory about His wonderful creation. Today, I am proud of my body and all of its curves. I teach and preach that our bodies are not ours, but of God’s. They are our temples and we should treat them with the utmost respect. We cannot completely fulfill God’s plans for us if we do not strive for a healthy balance in our lives.

        May God bless you and keep you! If you would like additional details on my testimony or perhaps need a motivational speaker for the topic at hand, please fill free to e-mail me at .

 [to top of page] 
 [back to homepage]