(Tolucan Times, August 6, 2000)

It was a twist of fate for Juanita Ortega when she found out in April that she had won six weeks at CASTALDI’S KILLER BOOT CAMP in Burbank. The following letter sums up how Juanita landed in BOOT CAMP and her experience so far.
“Since 1990, I’ve suffered from an eating disorder called bulimia and I was “once upon a time” a thin girl. Then, after my grandmother died, I all but gave up on life. I began to cope with my loss by filling the empty feeling with food. I didn’t eat because I was hungry. Then, as things got worse for me with family, school, boys (you know the typical adolescent stuff), my weight went up and down. At one point I weighed 95 pounds. With one tragedy after another, I again filled my emptiness with food. I was not losing weight, I was losing “myself” and that little girl inside me who used to make me smile when things got tough.

No matter how hard I tried to get rid of the fat, nothing I did worked. When I moved here from San Diego, I had finally had enough. I had left behind my boyfriend, my family, my friends, and I was having difficulty finding a job. I could not fit into any of my clothes. I went from a size 5 to a size 20, from 95 pounds to 220 pounds. I could not handle this any more. I wanted to end my life.

Things only seemed like they were getting worse, until I came across an article in The Tolucan Times about a fitness program called ‘Castaldi’s Killer Boot Camp’. It told the story about a woman named Margie Hammer and included her ‘before’ and ‘after’ pictures. At first, I thought this was just like all the other diets I had tried and failed. The article came with an offer to enter a contest for a free Boot Camp by writing a letter on why you should be chosen to win it. I put the article aside and forgot about it. Then one day, I was so depressed I decided to write my letter to this person who called herself the Master Chief. I wrote about my weight problem and how people would look at me and make fun of me because I was fat. I poured my heart into this letter because I knew I would never send it. I didn’t want someone else coming into my world and hurting me again. My pain up until this point had been enough. This letter was intended for my eyes only, and to help inspire me to do something with my fat self. Well, one day my mother asked if there was anything to mail. I told her to mail some letters on the counter. What I didn’t realize is that one of those letters was the letter to Castaldi’s Killer Boot Camp. By the time I realized the letter had been mailed I couldn’t do anything about it.

My grandmother always told me that things happen for a reason and nothing we can do will prevent God’s will. Well, she was right. A few weeks later, one of my co-workers came to me and told me that I was in the newspaper. I just laughed. I thought she was kidding. It turned out I had won the contest. I had won the six weeks of Castaldi’s Killer Boot Camp! I couldn’t believe I had won. I had never won anything before this. Not only that, the article asked that I call the Boot Camp because my letter didn’t include my address or telephone number!

Well, Master Chief Tina Castaldi and I finally met. She was so great and such a pure soul, I knew God wanted us to meet and He had sent me the answer to my prayers. Tina weighed me in, ‘enlisted’ me, and on that Monday, May 1, 2000, I started my first day of Boot Camp. Boy, I never thought I’d make it through the first week, but with all the positive and sincere energy that came from Tina Castaldi and the rest of the campers, I knew that I had found my sanctuary. I am working hard and I have become determined and dedicated to a strong and tight body!

I signed up for the next camp and this time I was the one who helped those who thought they couldn’t make it. I believed in them just as others had believed in me. I learned at Boot Camp anybody can lose weight as long as they eat right, exercise and most importantly believe in themselves. And believe me, you’ll definitely hear the Master Chief order you to ‘Run’ or ‘Drop’ and give me ‘20’!
I am glad I had the chance to go to Boot Camp and to regain the confidence I had lost. I have the integrity, the power and the drive to be all that I can be. I have gone from a size 20 to a size 16, from 220 pounds to 200. And most importantly, I learned that loving myself will not be defined by a number of a scale. Because loving comes from within. With my new determination and with the encouragement of my next Boot Camps, I will reach my goal of 115 pounds by the time the holidays come around.”
- Juanita Ortega

Juanita says she has acquired mental confidence, as well as physical satisfaction. She explained that her energy level is up, her attitude is more positive and she has gained the courage to deal with life’s everyday stresses.