Fit to the FINISH! (guest post)

MizFit is truly one of the stars of the blogging world, even if she is too modest to admit it. Every time I read her blog I am inspired to stay on track with my strength training and be a better person. Honestly.

I am so honored to share a tiny bit of my 150 pound weight loss experience on her blog today because like MizFit, I believe that when we share our struggles and our victories with each other, we become stronger people.

I gained over 100 pounds between year one and year four of my marriage. The first 50 were just from eating too much and being sedentary, and the other 75 were from a pregnancy. There I was, 25 years old and morbidly obese. It wasn’t a good place to be either physically or emotionally.

I struggled with morbid obesity for 10 years, finally hitting my highest recorded weight of 305 pounds. Although I had a great life externally, internally I struggled with feelings of inadequacy, failure, and frustration with myself. I tried every diet that came along – except for ones that were absolutely ridiculous or recommended using supplements. Nothing worked for long.

Finally, after the birth of my third child, I got to the point where I realized it was now or never for me. I did not want to leave my children early because of my food choices. I was tired of feeling exhausted, and I had the sense that the time was now.

I started on a 14 month journey that saw me go from a size 28 to a size 6 or 8. I moved from sitting on the couch as much as possible to running a 5K. But best of all, I was finally able to be present in a new and vital way to my family. And I did it on my own, without joining a group or eating weird food. Just healthy eating, reasonable exercise, and a commitment to dealing with the emotions I had surrounding food. This is what my book 150 Pounds Gone Forever is about – getting in control of your weight for life.

It has been 14 years since I got to my healthy weight and during that time I’ve had four more kids and experienced a lot of life’s challenges.

I encourage you to never give up on yourself and your goals. Whether you are striving to reach a healthy weight, want to compete in an upcoming event, or just be able to climb the stairs without getting out of breath, take that first step today. You never know where you will be 14 months or 14 years later.

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