My name is Lisa and I'm 43 years old. On my 40th birthday, I weighed 300+ pounds. I don't know how much exactly because I was afraid to get on the scale. I finally did in July 2008 and I weighed 300 pounds. I'd already been "dieting" a few weeks so I'm thinking I lost a couple of pounds by then. How much I don't know.
This is the 3rd time I've lost weight. I'm determined to keep it off this time. Scared really. I don't want to be that big again. So I haven't been dieting to lose the weight. I made lifestyle changes this time. Changes that I think I can continue for the rest of my life. I'm going to make it a priority anyway.
The first change I made was to get active. I started bike commuting to work. It was so hard in the beginning but evenutally got easier. I love bike commuting. I find it exhilerating. Like being a kid again. Luckily, I live in Southern California and the weather is great all year. But I ride if it's 100 degrees or 30 degrees. I ride when the Santa Anas are blowing and when it's raining. Like I quoted on my road ID - No Excuses! Just Do It! My goal is to ride more miles than I drive and to hit at least 5,000 miles per year. This year, I should hit 5,500 miles riding.
Once I was down to 220ish pounds, I decided to start running (January 2009). And I haven't looked back since. I now weigh 149 pounds and I've run 8 1/2 marathon, 5 marathons, 2 50Ks, and one 12HR. I'm currently training for first 100 miler. My main goals with running are to have fun, travel, and run with friends so I plan to do a half marathon or marathon in every state. I'm excited to see where running will take me.
I also have a quote by George Elliott on my Road ID - "It's never too late to be what you might have been". I may have taken me a while, but I am proud to say that I am a cylist and I am a runner. I'm also a photographer, aunt, math geek, and much more. But those are stories for another day.
Thanks for reading,
Lisa
