From Sedentary Liftestyle to running 5 miles a day

my_cleanfit_journey

Hi everyone! I just wanted to share a bit of my struggle & journey so far as well as my success in hopes that those struggling can see that it IS possible!

A little back story about me- Growing up I never had any weight issues as far as being overweight. in fact there were times in my life I was under weight. After the birth of my 2nd child ( I'm a mom of 4) I found it very hard to lose the weight I had gained. Mostly because I never worked out a day in my life & never watched what I ate. I did end up losing some of course but always had those lingering pounds left and a stretched stomach to boot. When my 2nd child was 2 years old my mom passed away suddenly & everything seemed to spiral from there. I was the one that found my mom, which was & still is a very difficult thing to get out of your mind as you can imagine. My mom was truly the best person I will ever have the honor of knowing & my best friend. Her passing sent me into a great depression that left me feeling alone. Even though I had a great husband & kids, not having my mom left me with a broken heart. I stopped going out & would only venture out if I really had to. I became a recluse who turned to food to try to cope with all my sadness & grief. That in turn paved the way for me to gain weight & being sedentary helped keep those pounds. I was the type who every now and then would say I really need to lose weight, would start working out for a little while but I would always stop & never follow through. I bought an elliptical that turned into a laundry hanging device.

Flash forward to 11 months ago, I had talked my hubs into purchasing a treadmill which for awhile at that point had been sitting not being used just like my old elliptical. I can't really tell you the one light bulb moment that went off inside me but something just clicked. I decided to start taking walks around the block which I did 3 x wk. Then I became more venturous and tried walking/running, which eventually led to running with no walking & now I'm running 5 miles a day 5 x week.
After 3+ months I started incorporating healthy foods into my diet and added strength training into my workouts. Slowly but surely the weight started to come off. Today I have lost 40 lbs (some before coming onto here), have gone from being in plus sized clothing to regular I've dropped 3 pant/shirt sizes and a lot of inches. I'm coming up on my 1 year mark May 15th of the day I started that changed my life for the better. I still have a long ways to go before I'm at my healthy weight/BMI but I've gained my life back with confidence, strength & happiness. My story goes out to all those who are having a difficult time. For those who aren't seeing changes yet. For those who think they can't do this. I want you to know that you can if your consistent no matter what & you believe!

Penthesilea514

Congratulations- way to go!

mrcs_jolly

Good job!!!

1234usmc

That is awesome. Wtg!

socajam

Your mother is smiling at you and saying well done. You look fabulous. Can I have those thighs, they look well toned. Keep up the good work and thanks for writing.

Like you, I will start off well, then halfway through, I just start to slack off. This time I told myself that I will have to exercise for 100 days whether its walking, doing some weights or a DVD, I must do something every day.

Yesterday I never exercised into the morning and was determined not to go to sleep without doing something, so last night at 10:00 p.m. I did 45 minutes of weight training, something I would have put off until the next day. I a m hoping to keep this mindset because as you know it is extremely hard when the devil is a slim person, but would do anything in his/her power to stop you from achieving your goal.

AidaF430

You look fantastic! What a great story. Thanks for sharing!

CrabNebula

my_cleanfit_journey

Thanks so much everyone! @socajam I hear you. It's tough sometimes to fit it all in to everyday life. Sounds like you have a very positive outlook & believing in yourself is key to success! One thing that's really helped me make sure I don't miss my morning workout ( because I hate working out at the end of the day) is to put my workout clothes on first thing when I wake up. Your already in your workout clothes so there's really no excuse to not follow through. I do have days that are good & not so good though like everyone else. It's tough & still a daily struggle. If you'd like to have some more fit friends please feel free to send me a request. My food diary is always open to friends whether it's a good day or bad. Gotta keep accountable!:)

socajam

Thanks and FR send, because I want those thighs or should I say thighs like those.

Right now, my thighs are my worst nightmare. Planning on doing C25K when Spring get the balls to kick Winter to the curb, not sure why Winter is hanging around. Next week should be nice, so I will start C25K on Tuesdays/Thursdays/Saturdays - really looking forward to it

I use to run a long time ago, but stopped, just loved the feeling you get afterwards.

Djproulx

That's getting it done. Congrats. I see a runner when I look at your current picture.

And since you work out in the morning, this may help next time the alarm goes off a bit too early:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SuPLxQD4akQ

bijouchocolat

What an accomplishment!!! You are a great inspiration and yes I know your mom is very very proud of her daughter!

my_cleanfit_journey

Wow!! I love that!! @Djproulx that's awesome! I've never seen that before so thank you for sharing! Thank you so much for your sweet words @bijouchocolat

Djproulx

Favorite line from the video: "Luck is the last dying wish of those who think that winning can happen by accident. Sweat, on the other hand, is for those who know its a choice."

amyn73

Awesome!!