My Story: Part 2

First, please read PART ONE of MY STORY if you do not know it already.

October 2008: 225 lbs
August 2009: 186 lbs
TOTAL LOST: 39 lbs
TOTAL TIME: 10 months
[FYI: I'm 5'8".]
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In October of 2010, I completed my first marathon with B in Grand Rapids, MI.  I closed off that post with: "Now, I just need to decide on what I am going to do next..."  So, what did I do next?

I "took a break" from running since I needed to "rest".  Plus, I had not lost a pound since August 2009 even after I had trained for, but not limited to, two half and one full marathons.  So, why should I bother running anymore?

Lots of other crazy things happened between October 2010 and March 2011...  I interviewed for a job.  I began writing a dissertation.  I defended a dissertation.  I moved across the country.  Overall, I packed a ridiculous amount of things into a short period of time.  And...  I neglected my health, which led me to gain 14 lbs in 5 months.

I pretty much stopped running from October of 2010 to  November 2011, but that new running phase did not last long.  In December 2011, I began to realize that I had regained far more weight than I realized (back at 218 lbs).  On January 1, I began working out and changing my life (again); note, I started that day since it was a Sunday not because it was January 1st.  I started out with Tae Bo, FitDeck, Couch 2 5k, stationary biking, and lots of dog walking.  I also began buying organic groceries from a crop share in town toward the end of the month, and I began drinking a lot of water.  It was successful, and I lost 8 lbs in January!

Shortly after January 2012 began, I found out about a Biggest Loser contest at work that started on February 1st.  My friend Q contacted me, and I joined her team.  We started with two but grew to four.  We have a nutritionist and a trainer working with us as a team and individually.  The contest runs until August 1st, and you can even win some rewards!  The rewards include a team reward for the most percentage of weight lost and three individual options (most percentage weight or fat lost and most improved VO2 max).  I love healthy competition!  Will I win?!  I do not know.  Will I try to win?!  You bet!  [Minus 10 lbs (4.75%) for the contest as of February 23rd.]

So...  How does someone that ran a marathon in October of 2010 go from 186 lbs back up to 218 lbs (+32 lbs) by the time January 2012 comes around?!  I am sure I could come up with a list of "reasons" for you all.  However, I'll spare us all the torture in honor of this season's Biggest Loser competition where the theme is "No Excuses".  And what am I going to do about it?!

WORK. LIKE. MAD.

I am going to start living my motto again: BECAUSE I CAN!  I started using that when I started training for my marathon.  The point was that I should change my life and be healthy because I can do that.  That is something tangible that I could do.  Why should not I be doing that when I could be?!

The posts that follow this one will include all things fitness!  I will share my "Biggest Loser" journey with you.  I will tell you about my highs and lows.  I will share thoughts on exercise, food, written articles, sources of motivation, etc.  I invite you to comment on these posts.  I hope that you can encourage and educate one another, as well.

Most importantly, I hope that these posts will help motivate others to change their lives (or continue to!).  Maybe, it is not weight loss for you.  Maybe, it is something else.  The point is...

YOU CAN CHANGE IF YOU WANT IT BAD ENOUGH!