New On MFP :)

lilibean01

It was about 2 years ago that I started my fitness journey. After having my 2nd son, I had terrible sciatica and could not walk, sit, or stand without intense pain. I knew that I had to take the weight off after I got stuck on the floor one day, debilitated by the pain. I started out by using the stationary bike for 10 minutes, then started walking, then eventually I began running again.

This April I completed my first 1/2 marathon and I'm signed up to do my first full marathon in October! I never would have imagined that I'd be in such great shape again. To date I have lost and kept off 37 lbs. and gained a lot of lean muscle -- went from a size 18 to a 12! I still have 45 lbs. to lose to be at my goal weight, and I'm finding the food tracker on MFP to already be an immense help. I had stalled on my progress and was looking for the additional tools to help me stay on track. Looks like I found it!

I won't be pursuing weight loss during my training for the marathon, though, because I've learned that you cannot successfully train for that amount of intense running if you short your body the calories it needs to run long distances. So for the meantime I'd be happy to maintain my weight or lose 5 or so lbs. during training. It's after the marathon that I'll look to really shed some weight.

Looks like a good, supportive community on here, and I'm glad to be a part of it.