From Sedentary Liftestyle to running 5 miles a day

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!