Getting Back On Track

Hello Everyone!!!

Truth be told, I've been on the site for a years but never used the community feature until now. My story is probably the same story as many on the site. Over the past few years I progressively gained weight to the tune of over 50lbs. I gained the first 20 lbs over a 5 - 7 year period which is not bad but still not healthy. The last 25 lbs came rapidly within the last year or so due to life changes, harmones, & the magic that tends to happen to nearly all women in our 40's. I guess you could say it was the perfect storm.

Believe it or not, I've always been extremely physically active. Even with the first 20 lbs, I still managed to run 2 to 5 miles on a daily basis at least 4 to 5 times per week. But it became extremely frustrating because I could see the scale slightly rising at the end of that first 5 to 7 year period and I was becoming fatigued quicker than usual. Plus, I noticed my eating habits becoming less healthy & more "deliciously gratifying" as I ventured more into high carbs & sweets little by little. Who was this woman I was slowly becoming as I begain to include more desserts with my meals???????

Fast forwarding through the turmoil,life is now more enjoyable again. My stress factor has been significantly reduced, I'm getting the proper amount of sleep, I have healthy eating habits again, & my daily water intake is a gallon a day or pretty close to it. I've modified my exercise to a "walk-run combo" of 4 miles a day at least 5 days a week to conserve my energy and I strength train using light weights 4 times per week vs rigorous heavy weights. This is working & I feel great!!! :- I think my biggest problem was I tried to maintain an extreme workout routine I was able to handle for years but when my body tried to transition into a more relaxed workout, I saw this as failure. Although my routine is still roughly 90 mins per day, I don't feel wiped out after Day 2 of my routine. I had to accept I could no longer run 3 - 5 miles per day & lift heavy weights too. Once there was no more stress, I was able to modify my old routine & my body is responding better than I could 've imagined. Thank God!!!