Cathy lost 78 pounds

Update 2016 – Cathy is still going strong!

“Hello! It’s me again with an update on my fitness journey. I have gone through a lot of changes in the past year regarding how I view my body, fitness and re-vamping my fit goals. I am extremely happy to say that I have maintained my success for another year on this fit life journey. I have mastered things I never thought were possible. I have become very serious about strength training, increasing flexibility and calisthenics. I never thought I would ever lift my own body weight, but now it is a daily part of my life and I am excited about the possibilities. I also stepped out of my ‘comfort zone’ and taught my first hip-hop fitness class this year. Now I am teaching on a regular basis and it is so rewarding to see people realize that fitness can be fun as well as effective. I am including a few pics of what I have been up to. I wanted you guys to know that your site is a constant source of inspiration and motivation. Please don’t ever stop showing us all that there is no such thing as impossible.”

Jan 2015 – Weight Loss Story of the Day: Cathy is a survivor who’s lost 78 pounds. This proud mother and grandmother faced cancer, bad eating habits, inactivity and a number of surgeries, but none of that stopped her. She worked to create a better lifestyle and be the best, healthiest person she could be.  Here is what she shared with us about her weight loss journey…

Hello! My name is Cathy. I turned 40 years old on Jan 4th.  I’m 5 ft, 7 1/2 inches tall and I now weigh in at 165 pounds. However, 363 days ago I was 39 and I weighed 243 pounds. I have struggled with my weight since a diagnosis of thyroid cancer in 2006. Unhealthy eating, yo-yo dieting and inactivity played a huge role as well. I have 6 children and yep, I’m a grandma to 5 beautiful grand children. I also have a wonderful husband of 15 years who deserves the best me I can give them. What I also finally realized is that I deserve the best me I could be as well.

In December 2013, I had a very complicated surgery which took over a month to heal, while lying in bed recovering at 243 pounds I vowed I would give myself a fighting chance. Once I was cleared by my doctor I began walking and doing a pilates disc at home. I also cleaned up my food intake; I cut out all drinks except my morning coffee and water. I began to push protein, veggies and cut carbs low.

When I lost the first 25-30 pounds and was able to actually get through my advanced pilates disc with no sweat, so I began to push harder. I started running up to two miles a night and incorporated weight training into the mix. I must say the running and the weight training changed my life!  The weight training began to create lean muscle and the weight began to just drop off. I had to add more protein and I gained weight on the scale because of the muscle increase, but the change in my body amazed me. The running helped me decide to stop smoking after being a smoker for 20 years; I wanted to change my lifestyle, not just my size.

I went from a size 18/20 pants and a 2X shirt size to a 9/10 pant and a small/extra small shirt size. I just recently had another complicated abdominal surgery which had me down for 3 weeks. It has been difficult lying around recovering but I credit my healthy lifestyle as the reason I have maintained my size and I am out running and feeling fabulous at forty!