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Three years ago today I came home from Rehab.
I suffered a spinal cord injury at age 30, due to genetics and being significantly overweight. I had emergency surgery: laminectomy, discectomy at L4/L5, and decompression of the spinal cord. I was left with cauda equina syndrome, temporarily paralyzed from the waist down and had to live at a rehab hospital to learn to…
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Wheelchair to running coach. In 28 months. 100lbs lost.
I write this post on the eve of my first official day as a group exercise instructor at the YMCA. My new program starts tomorrow, a class for beginner runners called "Moving with Joy." Hi, my name is Joy and I'm a 33 year old, 5'8" mom of three girls, ages 3, 5, and 7. Just over two years ago I weighed 270 pounds and was…
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Interviewed for Redbook Magazine for MFP Success!!!
http://www.redbookmag.com/health-wellness/advice/weight-loss-success-tips?click=main_sr#slide-8 That's not me in the picture, that's just a stock photo...but still, pretty awesome to be "published"!!!!!! The only thing is I wish they had mentioned how much exercise played a role for me in losing and now maintaining for a…
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Paralysis-->Losing 100 pounds --> Marathon!!! (pics)
Less than three years ago, this was me: December 2010. 270+ pounds. Mom of three kids ages 4 and under. Age 30. Height 5'8" Six months after this photo was taken, in June 2011, I had a herniated disc rupture into my spine, due to being significantly overweight. I had emergency surgery: laminectomy, discectomy and…
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From 270+lbs to 167. ONE YEAR of maintenence TODAY!!
Today is the one year anniversary of having lost over 100 pounds. It took me about 11 months to lose the weight. At the beginning, summer 2011, I started at 270+lbs. During that first year while I was losing, I used MFP religiously, and exercised daily. I logged every food, every drink without missing anything, for 11…
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620 days on MFP + First HALF MARATHON race!!! (pics)
Today was my 620th consecutive day logging into MFP. In the past 620 days I have: Progressed from a wheelchair to walking to running. Logged over 440 hours of exercise. Run over 1500 miles. Lost over 100 pounds. Gone from 270lbs to ~165-167lbs. Dropped from a size 24 dress to a size 8/10. Learned that anything is possible.…
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Wheelchair to 1/2 marathon PLUS 1 year of weight lifting
So these past 21 months have been crazy. I've posted here before that I had a spinal cord injury in June 2011 (http://www.joyzyblog.com/my-story/) and was in a wheelchair, and then decided to get healthy to prevent reinjury. Over the next 11 months I lost 100 pounds. Now I run a LOT (30-40 miles a week depending on what…
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Hey RUNNERS! Races/events you're aiming for this spring?
So far I've just got a 5k in March and another 5k in April. I did a bunch of 5k races in 2012 so I really want to move on to something farther. Looking for a good 10k or a 5 or 10 miler. Not quite sold on the half marathon idea for myself yet. :-) What are you guys up to?
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DUDE check out my PANTS! (picture - size 24 to M)
Old pants on the bottom. Size 24. New pants on top. Size M.
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Excess Skin Post! (3 pregnancies + losing 100 lbs) pics
Having three babies in the last 6 years, then a horrible spinal injury, and then losing 100 pounds, people ask me about excess skin all the time. Surprisingly (to me) its my most asked question after "how did you do it." ( http://www.joyzyblog.com/my-story/ ) Well here it is. These photos are from the past 20 months. I…
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Jan 2012 vs Jan 2013 (side-by-side comparison pics)
I started exercising and MFP in August 2011 at 270 pounds. I reduced my calories to about 1500-1600/day, and started walking daily for exercise. (5'8", 32 years old, mom of three kids, ages 2, 4, &6) Five months later, by January 2012 I was down to 212 pounds. I remember that number because I joined the 2012 "Resolution…
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HOW I found the time. And YOU can too.
I get a LOT of people on MFP and on my blog, asking "How do you find the time to exercise? I'm so busy I don't have time." Here's the answer. You MAKE the time. You MAKE yourself a priority. BE selfish about this. It's your health, it's your life. It is important. Do you spend ANY time watching TV? Take that thirty minutes…
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Together we've lost 166 lbs. BFFs. Lots of pics!!
Hey MFP world! My name is Joy and I started out in August 2011 at 5'8" and 270lbs. I now weigh 165.6lbs. Let me introduce you to my bestie Heather (mfp username hg5159). She started in November 2011 at 5'7" and 222lbs. She now weighs 159.8lbs. In less than 15 months, we've shed a total of 166.6 pounds. :happy: And we're…
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18 months ago today I was paralyzed. ---Pics.---
Today is a big day for me. It was 18 months ago today, June 11, 2011, that I was rushed to the ER in an ambulance because I had lost all feeling below the waist. I was transferred to a bigger city hospital where I had emergency spinal surgery - laminectomy, discectomy, and decompression of my spinal cord. Diagnosis was…
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460 days on MFP - 109 pounds gone! Pics
************************* Edited to add: I'm 32 years old and I have three daughters, ages 2, 4, and 6. My 6 year old just saw this post and said, "Mom, you used to be really fat. Now you're almost skinny. Like a stick." I take ANY opportunity that they bring up something like this to teach them something. So we had a nice…
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Calling all current and aspiring RUNNERS!
I'm looking to add some running friends to my MFP list. I started out with a spinal cord injury in June 2011 and I was in a wheelchair. I never wanted to run a day in my life until I was in a rehab hospital stuck in that chair, doing hours of grueling physical therapy every day. My recovery over the past year has lead me…
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40.1% of my body weight - GONE. From 270 to 161. Pics
I know I JUST posted the other day about my crazy pants comparison but today I hit a HUGE milestone. In August 2011 when I started, I was 5'8" and 270 pounds. When I stepped onto the scale today, I saw this. That's 40.1% of my body weight - GONE.
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NSV: Lifting Heavy = New haircut. (Pics!) (106lbs lost)
Background: 5'8", 32 years old, mom of three kids ages 2, 4, &6. I started cardio in August 2011 at 270lbs. Lost ~75 pounds. Added in strength training in February 2012. Lost another ~30lbs. Hit my current weight of 164lbs, total lost = 106lbs. Looking to change things up, I started lifting heavy one month ago, at the very…
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PCOS ladies- it is possible. 106 lost in a year w/NO meds
Last August I weighed 270lbs. Now I weigh 164. The short version: I stopped eating so much crap and started moving more. I've posted here before to give people some inspiration since I used to love looking at these forums when I started what seemed to me to be an insurmountable goal. Seeing other people have success made…
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Another milestone-finally in the NORMAL BMI range! 106 lost
BMI from 41 (270lbs at 5'8") to 24.9 (164lbs) Eta: I'm 32 and have three kids, ages 2, 4, & 6. (this first picture is just for fun. haha) 40 weeks with baby #3 - exactly 2 years ago Then..... 270lbs: And now..... 164lbs (This morning): Answers to questions people ask: :-) How I did it: Eat less, move more. Sweat every day.…
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ONE YEAR on MFP - My year in NUMBERS and pics :-)
Today is day 365 of my logging into MFP. It's been a WILD year! Thanks to all my MFP friends for the encouragement and ideas over the past year. I never could have pictured myself at this place a year ago. Here's my past year in numbers: Time spent exercising during the past 365 days: 453 hours, 46 minutes, 53 seconds.…
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Size 24 to Size 10 in 11 months (270 to 168lbs)
Today I FINALLY zipped up the size 10 jeans I had waiting in my "someday maybe" drawer. The smallest size I ever remember wearing was a size 14, in 8th grade, at age 14. So I pulled out the one old pair of size 24 pants that I saved. These were SUPER TIGHT last summer. ETA: I'm 5'8", 32 years old, mom of three kids age 6…
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6 months in. 74lbs lost. 38lbs to go. Before and During p
Using MFP to watch what I eat, and exercising 1-2 hours daily has done the trick for me. I started slowly with just walking, and now I'm running and lifting weights, and doing a core strengthening program. I just signed up for my first 5k, it's in May! I'm 5'8". I have three kids ages 5 and under, so it's been a ton of…
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270-170lbs in under a year. Pics from my dream vacation
We just took a vacation that even a year ago I could never have imagined. We drove from PA to Montana and then backpacked for miles and miles. I felt strong, fast, and healthy. What a truly wonderful feeling. BEFORE: August 2011, 270lbs, size 24. AFTER: August 2012, 170lbs, size 10. Hiking in the Badlands, South Dakota…
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From wheelchair to running...65lbs lost and 47lbs to go...(P
In June 2011 I sustained a spinal cord injury, due to a severely herniated disc, that left me temporarily paralyzed fro the waist down. I spent the month of June living in the hospital learning to walk again as I very slowly regained sensation in my legs and feet. The doctor said I had a few risk factors that contributed…
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ALMOST there! ~90lbs lost in about 10 months.
Before, this was 270-something lbs. The second shot is from today at the gym. 174.8!! I'm 5'8". I'm 31 years old and Mom of three kids, ages 6, 3, and 1. Current routine: I run 6-7 days/week, and lift weights 2-3x/week. Eat less crap, drink more water. Current goal: 145-160lbs, resting at whichever number I feel strong,…
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99lbs lost - Featured in the YMCA staff newsletter - Pic!
Here's a post from 5 weeks ago with my story. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/621423-almost-there-90lbs-lost-in-about-10-months My local YMCA has been an integral part of my weight loss. Our family membership has been used to the max. I'm there2 hours a day, 5-6 days a week running and lifting and my three kids…
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12weeks strength training, 17lbs lost (85 overall)
262lbs in August 2011. 6 months of cardio plus calorie tracking on MFP lead me to... 195lbs in February 2012. Added in strength training 3-4x/week in addition to daily cardio which has brought me to... 178lbs in April 2012. It's been 12 weeks of doing total body strength training plus daily cardio (mostly running at this…
