5 years ago I was morbidly obese, with a BMI of 52 and a bodyfat percentage of 56%. I had moderate hypertension, foot pain, joint pain, pre-diabetes and sleep apnea. My self esteem was in the crapper, and I had absolutely no faith that I would ever lose weight and be able to keep it off.
The Roux-en-Y gastric bypass was the tool I needed to be able to make friends with my body, and to see it as my partner and companion rather than an enemy I was pitted against in bloodthirsty battle. As the weight came off, my pain began to diminish. By the time I had lost 100 pounds, most of my health issues were resolving, and my self-image was beginning to heal as well.
The final piece of the puzzle was striving for fitness. I lost 130 pounds and maintained it for 9 months before even considering learning to run. I fell into it because I was out of work and needed a daily goal to keep me going and to boost my self-esteem, which was taking a serious hit from all the rejection out there in the job market. 2008-2009 was awful for a lot of people, and it was a struggle to keep me and the kids afloat, but it did give me the gift of learning to run.
Runningplanet.com had a simple 8 week walk/run plan which I printed out. It was very satisfying to check off every day's workout, though I will admit that I used a lot of ibuprofen to get through the muscle soreness! My body was thinner, but still out of shape, and telling my muscles to get to work aroused a humongous bodywide protest march! Still, I kept at it, and by the end of 8 weeks was able to run for 2 whole miles without stopping. I was hooked!
The last 30 pounds just seemed to fall away as I continued to slowly add mileage. I LOVE tracking my miles, people! In 2009, I ran about 500 miles. In 2010, it was 2,320. In 2011, I ran 2,803.11 miles.
Here I am right before the Foot Traffic Flat Marathon on July 4, 2011:
Today, my BMI is 25. My bodyfat percentage is 16%. Last year my triglycerides were so low that the lab had to triple-check it! Sure, I have leftover skin from the massive weight loss (do you SEE the skin of my arm, thigh and midsection flapping in the breeze in the above photo??), BUT I also have the defined legs, arms and abs that running has given me.
Sometimes I find myself spiraling out of control with my eating. When that happens, I start to keep my food journal again. It helps me gain perspective on my intake. I weigh myself every week and adjust my intake according to the scale. I was a size 26, and now I'm a size 4. I am a healthy, physically fit woman. I am so grateful for the changes I have made in my life. I love that I am going to live longer and be with my kids because my heart doesn't have to work so hard. I love running. And I love *me.*
Peace-out, friends.
