My alarm goes off at 4 am. I get up. Make my PROGENEX shake downstairs while I wait for my Beagle and Welsh Terrier to eat. I log on facebook. While sipping my protein shake, I checked Amanda’s profile and I see a common very repetitive status update on her profile: “AT GOLD’S GYM RUNNING AND WORKING OUT”.I rub my eyes and tell myself to go get it done at crossfit. If Amanda is out there improving herself with more obstacles than me, then I have no excuses. Motivation is everywhere. Let’s do this..
Amanda at 322 lbs. February 2011
Take a good look at that picture, because a week later Amanda started her journey. A journey away from her old self. A journey of never coming back. She left for good a week after that picture and never returned….never returned to her old self. All it took Amanda was a little scare from life, and before LIFE started to pin her against the ropes , she PUNCHED LIFE IN THE FACE.
This is Amanda on Nov 2011. Proudly showing her well deserved 1/2 Marathon medal. Look at the previous picture, and compare it with this one. Just 9 months appart, and over 100 lbs later. All done with effort and dedication. A lot of hard work hours, a lot of early morning work outs. A lot of sacrifice, but her effort has been rewarded, more and more every day. Not once has she said that exercising is not her thing, she knows better. She’s doing this for life.
As I talked to Amanda on the phone I can read her excitement on her tone of voice, I can read how free she feels. I can read how much she wants to share her story with others. Share her story with others that just like her have battled weight issues all their life, and tell them all you need to do is just start and get going, yes it can be done and do it NOW because tomorrow may be too late, because sometimes LIFE doesn’t give you a second chance.
“I struggled since age 11. I tried diets, weight watchers, counting calories, counting points, but it never worked because it has to be a lifestyle change. You can’t count points and calories the rest of your life. This time is different. I changed my lifestyle”.
Amanda mentions clearly how one of the first steps was to remove the neagtive influences on her life, which reminds me of a previous post that I wrote:
http://punchlifeintheface.tumblr.com/post/15565595139/keep-moving-forward-and-dont-look-to-the-sides
“At the beggining I was so scared of failing, so I didn’t tell people of my goals. If I failed, I didn’t want anyone to know. It is so hard because when you are starting you worry about the perception that others have on you. I wanted a very positive environment, so I removed people from my life that didn’t believe in me. Today I actually like the challenges from others, but there is a big difference between people that challenge me, and people that are just negative”. Amanda said.
When I asked her what has been a key component of her success, Amanda was quick to tell me that signing up for events and letting her closest friends know was extremely important. She mentions how once you have signed up for a 5 K race, or later on bigger and more challenging events forced her to train.
As I talk to her on the phone and ask her which moment in particular brings her the most emotional memories ? She is quick to tell me : ” When I lost 100 lbs, the kids at the school I teach surprised me with a very emotional celebration. They were wearing crows and had signs celebrating with me my 100 lbs lost”. I can tell Amanda figting those tears as she tells me taht on the phone, and with a very good reason. The road has not been easy, but she has done it.
The following story is by contributor Jason Morrison who is good friends with Amanda. I have met Amanda a couple of times, and her presence at most 5K, 10K, and 1/2 marathons is quite impressive. It is also very motivating to turn my cell phone on and notice her status on facebook on how she is at the gym working out bright and early.
by Jason Morrison: ( http://ourtimetochange.tumblr.com/ ) regarding Amanda:
Throughout my journey, I have heard countless times “Well, it is easier for guys to lose weight than women.” While I don’t argue that point too much, I also think it is important to point out that if you give it 110%, regardless of gender, you will certainly overcome and achieve. Even if it seems like the mountain in front of you is too big to climb, it really isn’t. Such as the example of Amanda, who made the decision last year to punch life in the face. And man, what a major punch it was.
Faced with health issues, Amanda decided she had enough and that she absolutely had to make a change to save her life. She knew several things had to change in order to make all of this happen. First, she needed to change what she was eating. Second, she knew that she also had to exercise. Lastly, and arguably most important, she needed accountability. Lining all three of those up, the planets seemed to have aligned for Amanda, as she has seen some amazing results and finished her 2011 doing things she never thought would have been possible before.
It is often times easy to look at a before and after photo, pat someone on the back, congratulate them on doing so well, but at the same often overlooking the obvious: “the middle”. The middle is the toughest and where the road gets rocky. That is where the change happens. That is where you have to decide that no matter how hard life punches, you will keep punching back. Here is how Amanda did that in her own words.
Last December, I got a bad case of bronchitis and went to the doctor. They checked my blood pressure and it was sky high….which led to chest x-rays and an EKG—which scared me half-to-death. The EKG showed everything was fine, but they wanted me to monitor my blood pressure for 2 weeks and come back the beginning of January. So, every day at school—the nurse checked my blood pressure. It was elevated once and normal the rest of the time. So—I cancelled the January appointment. Originally, the scare made me want to get out and exercise and work on my eating habits, but when my blood pressure was normal- I put it off. Putting it off is the WORSE thing you can do. So, fast forward to February 20th—I got on the scale and weighed a whopping 322.6 pounds! I had a long chat with myself (yes—I talk to myself) and decided that I was going to do something. I downloaded the My Fitness Pal app on my phone, put in my information and it told me how many calories I could have in one day—to lose 2-3 pounds a week. February 21st I jumped in with both feet—literally. I used that day off from school (President’s Day) to get myself together. I decided I would walk every day for an hour. I would simply HAVE to make the time. I texted Blake Fox, told him my decision and asked him to hold me accountable. Best decision I ever made. If you do not tell anyone, you are much more likely to give up. :)
It has not been easy, but I have the most supportive friends and family that a person can possibly have. I continued the calorie-counting and walking through the month of March. In April, the Fox family and I started Biggest Loser 30 Day Jump Start. It is an eating plan/workout schedule, complete with recipes. This is absolutely a great way to start healthy eating, if you need something structured to start you off. It tells you exactly what to eat for the 30 days. During the first week of the eating plan, I lost 11.8 pounds! On April 3, I started the Couch to 5k plan—and signed up for my first 5k on June 4. If you do the Couch to 5k plan, I strongly recommend signing up for a 5k at the beginning so you have a goal. So many people begin the plan and never finish it. After finishing the 30 day plan, it was tough. I felt like I was learning to ride a bike with no training wheels. So, basically, I picked out my favorite meals from the plan and continued to eat the way it taught us. It is still how I eat today, most of the time. I follow the guidelines and add in some of my own recipes.
Amanda with two of her biggest fans and motivators: Blake and Sabrina Fox.
On June 4, 2011, I ran my first 5k. Sabrina Fox ran it with me, at my pace. I told her to not let me walk—at all. I finished in 43:52. It was a very emotional (inwardly) experience for me. For someone who has been overweight her whole life, never been athletic, never ran before April—it was an unbelievable experience. Immediately after, I wondered what my next goal should be. I’ve always been very goal-oriented…just never for self-improvement. (Always career-related, but never physical goals for myself.) A month later, I ran in the Peachtree Road Race. At the Peachtree Expo, I signed up for my first half-marathon-Rock and Roll Half-Marathon in Savannah (November 5, 2011). I thought I had lost my mind. I had second, third and fourth thoughts about it.
From July-November, I completed Hal Higdon’s training plan for half-marathon (novice version). I LOVED having an exact plan of what to do every day, checking it off the list one day at a time. During this time, I bought my first house and was able to begin running in a new “hood.” I reached the point where I was addicted to running. If it rained on my running days, I ran in the rain—until I heard thunder or saw lightning. I completed the Savannah half-marathon in 2:38:56. My original goal was 2:45—although I really had no idea how I’d do. It was hands-down one of the best experiences of my life. Currently, I am training again—the Red Nose Half-Marathon in Columbus, GA is on Jan. 7th. My hope is to survive the cold….and then begin training for the Atlanta Publix Half on March 18th—and CONQUER THE HILLS!!
I have lost 109.6 pounds, and my journey is nowhere near over. 2011 has been, without a doubt, the best year of my life SO FAR. I cannot wait to see what 2012 has in store for me! So, take it from someone who never believed in herself (as far as health goes), you can absolutely accomplish anything you set your mind to! Share with your friends and family. Ask your support system to hold you accountable. Care about yourself enough to make a change. You will never regret it! If you have someone in your life that could stand to make some changes, just be there for them. It’s all about timing. I did things like Weight Watchers and would lose and gain back the weight. I was not ready for the work it has taken me until February 21, 2011. Just be supportive and ready for the day they come to you, ready to make the necessary changes to become healthy.
The best part about her story is that it is not over. In 2011 she decided she had enough and was going to punch life in the face. Be ready 2012, because she is punching even harder this year.
