Editor's note: Carlos Solis is one of seven CNN viewers selected to train for and compete alongside Dr. Sanjay Gupta in the Nautica Malibu Triathlon in September.  Carlos is a middle-school teacher in Ontario, California, and is also a Type-2 diabetic.

It’s the first week of August, and I’m already back in the classroom preparing for the students who will be walking through my door on Monday.

I have to say one of the highlights of my week was when one of my colleagues didn’t recognize me and thought I was a new staff member because I had lost so much weight!

This year I wanted to do a room theme for my sixth-graders, but couldn’t come up with anything. Then it hit me: why not go “sports”? Since athletic fitness is my passion as I prepare for the Nautica Malibu Triathlon, it seemed like a good idea to carry that enthusiasm into my classroom.

Then the self-doubt came. I started to talk myself out of it, saying things like, “Me? I’m not in perfect shape yet; I still have weight to lose, and I’ll never be in Ironman shape. Will anyone take me seriously?”
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