My So Called Grown Up Life

My AHA moment had been building for a couple years. When it finally hit me, it was May 2011 and I was in beautiful Rivera de Maya for our (belated) Honeymoon from our September wedding. I realized in the pictures of me in the ocean and by the pool (still wearing a bikini) that I looked awful. I had often been able to convince myself (fully dressed) that I still looked good (for my weight). But it really didn’t hit me until we went to take a bike tour of the resort, signed in and then found out it was an hour long tour — that was my AHA moment. I backed out (knowing I’d never make it) and felt so embarrassed. We went and hung out by the pool and I realized I was no longer the athlete I had been in high school. I was so, so far from it.

I enjoyed the rest of our trip but knew things needed to change. I had one friend who not only inspired me by her own weight loss journey but she completely believed in me… even when I didn’t believe in myself. She kept telling me, I could do it. When I said I didn’t have the willpower, she told me I did. I’ll forever owe her for inspiring me to win my life back from obesity.

On June 1 (2011) I started what I like to call a “lifestyle change”, you might as well call it a system shock. I started counting calories and exercising (walking on the treadmill) every day. In that first month, I would set my treadmill to burn 300 calories in 30 minutes. In that first month, I couldn’t keep up. Slowly I started hitting the 300 calories in 30 minutes, then I’d hit it in 28 mins, then 27 and it kept going. I was getting stronger and losing weight every week.

Eventually I started adding in arm weights, crunches and more. By the end of October, I went out running with a friend and ran a 5K (it was hard but I made it through)! Soon after that I started running 4 miles everyday on the treadmill. I couldn’t believe what my body could do.

By Christmas I didn’t even recognize myself. I had lost 83lbs. My goal had been to lose 90lbs and be a size 10 again. I was now a size 8 and decided that was enough for me, I was exhausted from weight loss. It was not an easy journey and the attention it attracted had been hard on me. Just so you know: It was worth every bit of the hard work.

Maintenance had been my biggest fear so in the first two months of maintenance, I lost another pound each month – bringing my total weight lost to 85 pounds! I had a new life. In March 2012 we went to Florida and the Bahamas on vacation. This vacation was so different from my honeymoon less than a year before. I actually liked the pictures of myself and felt GREAT in my bikini. I had worked hard for it (who cares about those stretch marks!).

At that point I was running a couple miles 5-6 times a week and continuing to eat healthy. When I returned I started preparing for my first 5K race, a local small race. I won my age group with an 8:45/average pace. I was hooked. Shortly after I started increasing my miles and signed up for a half marathon (in September!).

Now I’m running anywhere from 20-40 miles a week (or more!). I can go for my morning 6 mile run and then go hike with friends too… I’ve come so far from that girl on my honeymoon. It’s amazing to look in the mirror after avoiding mirrors for so long.

All it took was one friend believing in me, to finally make me believe in myself. I’m here to say: If I can do it, so can YOU! All you have to do is start.

To read more about my journey, visit my blog!

A couple of my favorite quotes:

“The hardest step for a runner is the first step out the door.”

“No matter how slow you go, you’re lapping everyone on the couch.”

“She believed she could so she did.”

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Tags: 5K, athlete, diet, exercise, fitness, fitness aha, goals, half marathon, healthy, healthy eating, healthy living, running, weight loss, workout