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Introduction Text Update: After a 100+ weight loss 3 yrs. ago, maintaining for years, but not reaching goal weight, I got injured (around the same time I turned 40...) I got injured, then depressed and have gained about 50 lbs. back. I am on a mission to lose that weight, at the same time LOVING THE BODY I AM IN NOW, and continuing on my journey. I want to be back in Onederland! Do you think it's impossible to reach your goals? Do you know the two words that make up impossible are? I'M POSSIBLE. I am living proof. When I weighed over 300 lbs., I wanted to change, so I started off slowly with Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home program for exercise and used SparkPeople to track my food intake. The combination of seeing what I was putting into my body and starting to move caused a catalyst effect. I started to eat healthier, trying to incorporate less processed foods and eating within my healthy calorie range. I started walking. When I first started I couldn't even walk a half mile. But I continued. I walked one mile, two miles, then three miles and up. I started getting stronger and now I even RUN. If you told me three years ago that not only would I be walking and running miles, I would be teaching Walk Live classes as a certified Leslie Sansone Walk Leader, I would have told you to GET OUT. But it's true. I am now a fitness instructor, living my dream of helping others realize their full potential and strength. Two years ago I wouldn't have thought about running a 5k. I would only run if being chased. In 2010 I ran five 5K's and in 2011 I have run an 8k and a 10k. I just finished my first 15K and in 2013 I ran my first half marathon, and then another half, and then trained for and ran my first full marathon! I went from a couch potato to a certified RUNNER. So it is ALL POSSIBLE. If I can do it, you can do it, too! I want to encourage, inspire and motivate people to have fun and that walking is for all ages and sizes! This year is my year to reach my goal weight, a total loss of 120 lbs. I want to become the person that God has always intended me to be. To carry that weight has been a heavy burden. I will live lighter, as if I am already that weight. And while I'm doing it I will honor God and teach my daughters the meaning of grace, forgiveness, healing and self worth. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9 My back-story: I have always struggled with my weight. Since the third grade to present day, I have gone up and down with my weight. I have always comforted myself with food. Food was my friend. In high school I became anorexic and bulimic to get thin. I have been called names. I have endured being picked last for games and eating lunch alone in the school cafeteria. I have starved myself. I haven't felt full enough. I have felt too full. I have lost weight. I have gained more. I started my journey to health when my husband and I wanted to start a family At my highest I weighed over 300 lbs. I wanted to change. I started off slowly with Leslie Sansone's Walk at Home program. When I first started I couldn't even walk a half mile. But I continued. I started getting stronger and lost about 20 lbs. Then I found out that I was pregnant with our first child. After that, I changed even more. I carefully picked my foods, avoiding anything unhealthy since I was eating for two. I didn't want my pregnancy to be an excuse for gorging myself. It's funny (not really), I couldn't (at that time) do that for MYSELF, but it took another life within me to Spark me. I joined a wellness center and started taking their prenatal swimming and yoga classes. I continued to walk with Leslie. As a result, I had a healthy pregnancy, despite being overweight. I did gain 40 lbs., but lost that soon after having Lucy. When I got pregnant with my second child, Kai, I was advised by my midwives to only gain 15-20 lbs. I was told by my dietitian that this would be difficult, as my body would want to gain the same, if not more, weight that I gained with my first pregnancy. I again took classes at my health club and walked with Leslie (I was now up to 5 miles!) Through hard work and exercise I only gained 20lbs. I discovered the importance of strength training, and credit my low weight gain to that combined with prenatal yoga. Now I have lost that baby weight and want to start losing the weight I still have. With two children to care for, I have even more incentive to be healthy. It's not only for me, but for them, too. I want to be there to play, to run, swing. Past that, I want to be there when they grow up. I want to be their role model. And I need to lead by example. I do not want them to face the same problems I did growing up. I want their lives to be easier than mine was, and paved with good examples. So far I have lost 100 lbs. Without God I would not have achieved ANY of this. 0, nada. I was overweight all my life, tried it ALL. Until I let God take the controls I was helpless. Now I have HOPE. My long term goal is to get down to 178, which I feel is a healthy weight for me. Then at that point I will reassess my goals. We will see what God has in store for me. With the help of the Lord, I will become the person I was meant to be. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "A rock pile ceases being a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral." ~ Unknown Author SYMBOLISM OF THE LOTUS FLOWER The lotus flower starts as a small flower down at the bottom of a pond in the mud and muck. It slowly grows up towards the waters surface continually moving towards the light. Once it come to the surface of the water the lotus flower begins to blossom and turn into a beautiful flower. Spiritually the lotus flower has become a symbol for awakening to the spiritual reality of life. The lotus represents life. As the lotus flower grows up from the mud into a object of great beauty people also grow and change into something more beautiful. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I said the path is too steep. JESUS SAID I WILL NOT LET YOUR FEET SLIP. I said the road is dark. JESUS SAID I AM YOUR LIGHT. I said I don't know the direction. JESUS SAID I AM THE WAY. I said I am weak and tired. JESUS SAID I WILL CARRY YOU. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "A strong spirit can take whatever blows temptation delivers. A strong spirit stays on its life path without wavering. But a wounded spirit can get derailed by temptation, and may sometimes take years to get back on track. If you get off track for one day or one year, remember you are STRONG on the INSIDE and you will GET BACK!: ~ Leslie Sansone ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded. ~ 2 Chronicles 15:7 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. ~ Ephesians 2:10, NLT ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Dear GOD: I want to thank You for what you have already done. I am not going to wait until I see results or receive rewards. I am not going to wait until I feel better or things look better. I'm not going to wait until people say they are sorry or until they stop hurting and talking about me. I am not going to wait until the pain in my body disappears. I am not going to wait until my financial situation improves. I am not going to wait until the children are back and asleep in their beds. I am not going to wait until I get promoted at work or until I get a new job. I am not going to wait until I understand every experience in my life that has caused me pain or grief. I am not going to wait until the journey gets easier or the challenges are removed. I am thanking you right now. I am thanking you because I am alive. I am thanking you because I made it through the days of difficulties. I am thanking you because I have walked around the obstacles. I am thanking you because I have the ability and the opportunity to do more and do better. I'm thanking you because FATHER, YOU haven't given up on me. God is good, all the time. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I can do everything through him who gives me strength. ~ 1 Philippians 4:13 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ - I will quit living as if the purpose of life is to arrive safely at death. - I will quit focusing on self-preservation and be willing to take risks. - I will quit trying to be who I'm not and start being myself. - I will quit holding out or holding back. - I will quit running away. - I will burn sinful bridges and blaze new trails. - I will not let what's wrong with me keep me from worshipping what's right with God. - I will go after the dream He's given me that's "God-sized" enough to fail without Him. - I will stop complaining and find creative ways to become part of the solution. - I will step out of my comfort zone and value every experience -- even the difficult ones. - I will worry less about what people think and more about what God thinks. - I will follow Him wherever He leads me. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There's really no such thing as impossible for you, because all things are possible with God. There's no mountain too high, no valley too deep, no trial too wide to stand in His way. He's with you, for you, working on your behalf today. And many who care are praying with you and standing beside you- until we see the impossible come true. With God all things are possible. Matthew 19:26 --Holley Gerth ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Expecting anything outside the will of God to satisfy us is idolatry. Nutrition, which is food's intended purpose, means consuming proper portions of healthy choices that enable our bodies to function properly. Idolatry, in the case of food, means the consumption of ill-sized portions and unhealthy choices because we feel like we deserve it or need it to feel better. We aren't to flee food. We need food. But we are to flee the control food can have over our lives". ~ Lysa Terkeurst - Made to Crave ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "In this very moment I'm king, In this very moment I slay, Goliath with a sling, This very moment I bring Put it on everything, that I will retire with the ring, And I will retire with the crown, Yes! No I'm not lucky I'm blessed, Yes!" ~ Nicki Minaj "Moment for Life" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "GOD'S GOT THIS!" "Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step." ~Martin Luther King Jr. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "Running makes the girl inside you come out & play. Running makes you better....running makes you unstoppable. Lets face it: running makes you the super-duper ninja bomb-tastic superhero you were meant to be. Running makes you all that. And more." ~ Girls on the Run "Run. Not because you have to. Or because you're being chased. Or because someone told you to. Just because." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ You are doing God's work. You are doing it wonderfully well. He is blessing you, and He will bless you, --even--no, -especially--when your days and your nights may be most challenging. Like the woman who anonymously, meekly, perhaps even with hesitation and some embarrassment, fought her way through the crowd just to touch the hem of the Master's garment, so Christ will say to the women who worry and wonder and weep over their responsibility as mothers, `Daughter, be of good comfort; thy faith hath made thee whole.' And it will make your children whole as well. Jeffrey R. Holland God expects you to have enough faith and determination and enough trust in Him to keep moving, keep living, keep rejoicing. In fact, He expects you not simply to face the future (that sounds pretty grim and stoic); He expects you to embrace and shape the future--to love it and rejoice in it and delight in your opportunities. God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can't if you don't pray, and He can't if you don't dream. In short, He can't if you don't believe. Jeffrey R. Holland If for a while the harder you try, the harder it gets, take heart. So it has been with the best people who ever lived. (The Inconvenient Messiah, BYU Speeches, Feb 15, 1982) Jeffrey R. Holland Don't you quit. You keep walking, you keep trying, there is help and happiness ahead. Some blessings come soon. Some come late. Some don't come until heaven. But for those who embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ, they come. It will be alright in the end. Trust God and believe in Good Things to Come. Jeffrey R. Holland ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ First it begins inside your heart. Something moves. Then opens. Then frees itself. And now you feel a rhythm breaking its long silence. THIS is going to be good.

Lose a Total of 120 lbs. - almost halfway there! - 5% 283 - DONE! -10% 268 - DONE! -15% 253 - DONE! -20% 238 - -25% 223 - -30% 208 - -35% 193 - -40% 179 (-45% 163) (-50% 149) - 10lbs 288- DONE! - 20lbs 278 - DONE! - 30lbs 268 - DONE! - 40lbs 258 - DONE! - 45lbs 253 - DONE! - 50lbs 248 - - 60lbs 238 - - 70lbs 228 - - 75lbs 223 - - 80lbs 218 - - 90lbs 208 - - 100lbs 198 - - 110lbs 188 - -113lbs - lower life ins - 120lbs 178 OTHER GOALS: Run a 5k - DONE! Run an 8K - DONE! Run a 10K - DONE! Run a 15K - DONE! Run the Disney half! DONE! Run a marathon! DONE! Lose 100 lbs. - DONE! Be a WalkLeader - DONE! Be Driver's License wt BMI = healthy Size 10 jeans Knock 'em dead @ reunion -DONE! Be a healthy Mom - DONE! Be an Inspiration - DONE! Running Coach - DONE!

* Cardio 3x per wk. * ST 2 - 3x per wk. * Yoga 3x per wk. * 10,000 steps per day My plan: Monday- Strength Training Tuesday- Walk/Run Wednesday- Strength Training Thursday- Run/Walk Friday- Strength Training Saturday- Long Run Sunday- Rest Day/Yoga ("ST" = strength training) Get up from desk 3x per day & walk for 10 min.

FUN GOALS: MAINTAINED 100 LB. WT. LOSS FOR 3 YRS! (INJURY =60 LB. GAIN) Current Weight: 250 (January 2021) GOAL: LOSE 60 LBS.: -10 lbs.: 240 ANNIVERSARY -20 lbs.: 230 EASTER -30 lbs. 220 LABOR DAY -40 lbs.: 210 KAI BIRTHDAY -50 lbs.: 200 MEMORIAL DAY -60 lbs.: 190 HORRORFEST! TOTAL OF 120 LBS.!

COUCH TO 5K (C25K) (Graduated 8/18/10) GATEWAY TO 8K (Graduated 4/10/11) BRIDGE TO 10K (Graduated 8/3/11) RAN FIRST HALF MARATHON AND MARATHON IN 2013! PRS: 5K: 33:30 10K: 1:13:44 Half: 2:45:44 Marathon: 6:27:44

Add a Link ~ Kathy ~ "Keep Flying. Keep Trying." - Lucy, my daughter
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