Getting My Ass in Gear - I have an intimidating dress to get into

[epaleocookbooks]

Before I tell you about why I'm here, let me start by telling you a little about myself.

I guess I should actually start by introducing myself.

"Hi, I'm Kim Gray. And you are....?"

Ok, introductions are out of the way; back to what I was saying. My journey to total awesomeness has been a long one. Back in 2008, I had my daughter. It was not a pretty pregnancy. I gained like 70 pounds. It was gross. After delivery came the post-partum and another 15 pounds. With that came the self loathing. By 01/01/09 I was 5'5" and 265 lbs, class II morbidly obese. I told you it was gross.

That was the turning point for me. I set my sights on losing weight, eating better and getting in shape. By this point, my husband had gotten into lifting weights to gain weight, a hobby which later lead to competitive powerlifting, so he offered to become my personal trainer. He bought me a power rack and showed me correct lifting form. Then he made a workout schedule for me and made sure I stuck to it.

I bought the Biggest Loser 30-day Jumpstart book to reset my food habits. Then I started researching nutrition. I really went "all or nothing" with it. By that summer, I'd lost about 30 pounds. I found an ad in the local paper for a weightloss challenge in my area, and I signed up. It was a 12 week challenge and by the end of it, I'd lost another 25 lbs, but still came in 2nd place. I lost to a woman named Mary who was 65, but a total beast! To this day, she ranks in the top 5 most dedicated people I've ever met.

After that was over, I signed up for another 12-week challenge. During that one, I came out of the gates all guns blazing and left the competition in the dust, until I plateaued halfway through. I tried everything. I upped my exercise. I cut my calories. I tried to destress, but week after week, I came in with the same numbers. My coach was baffled. My husband was baffled. I was baffled. By the end, I'd only lost 15 lbs and came in 2nd again.

I decided to take a break from the challenges. My husband needed to cut weight for a powerlifting meet, so he got into paleo dieting and dropped 20lbs in a 3 weeks, so I gave that a shot. Still nothing, and I began to lose focus on my diet and workout regimens. As time went on however, I started to notice a change in my mental state. I was losing my mental acuity, my reflexes were slowing, and I was getting short of temper and stressed out. When you stay at home all day with a 3 year old, you can't afford to be short-tempered and anxious, so I went to see a doctor. Turns out, I have hypothyroidism, a condition that I've apparently had since high school, but which was made worse during pregnancy and continued to worsen over time. That was the cause of my weight plateauing.

I started taking my thyroid meds and eventually things started to get back on track. I regained my motivation to eat right and now I'm trying to get back into exercising. In recent months, I've started back on the paleo diet and even started a website to recommend the best paleo cookbooks for others like me who love to cook. (Paleo can be a bit boring if you're not creative with it), and I also started a 365 Paleo Recipe Project on my blog, which is helping to keep me motivated. I went from a 265lb size 22 to a 170lb size 12, but there's still more to go.

My goal now is to learn to run. I moved from Houston, Tx to a tiny town in Illinois about 6 weeks ago, and until I find a gym or a set of free weights, I'll be relying on body weight exercises and outdoor cardio. I'm not a cardio fan, so this will be a challenge, but it's one I'm looking forward to. My sister is getting married June 2nd, and the bridesmaid's dress that I have to get into is not only short, but strapless, so it will require an all-around toning up and trimming down!

[ChelseaHasHope]

I love/hate running but doing it in a rad and beautiful place really helps! You go girl!

[Pat G]

Hey, thanks for letting us in on so much of what makes you tick and where you want to go.

Its awesome that you want to spread the goodness of delicious food, even better that its delicious Paleo food!

Have you decided on the type of running you want to do? I'm all for Sprint training personally. or will you be wanting to do long slow jogs through the wilderness.

[epaleocookbooks]

At this point, I'd settle for any kind of running. I'm just horrible at it. I can powerwalk (that's right, powerwalk. Like the old ladies at the mall) 6 miles, but the second I pick up the pace to something somewhat resembling a run, it's like my body thinks it's dieing. Instantly my knees and/or shins hurt, I get winded. I power through it until I just can't make it another step, and when I keel over... I can still see my house. lol It's pretty bad. I started a running regimen last summer and built up to like 1/2 a mile, but running in Houston in 110 degree weather with 90% humidity just isn't fun. I figure now that I live in a cooler part of the country, it's time to try it again. As for terrain or method, I haven't given it much thought. I live in a small town in the midwest, so I'd probably be running at the park (with a stroller) or down country roads. There's a 5k at the annual homestead festival in September that I'd like to be able to do.

[IfItPlugsIn]

Check out Couch to 5K. It lets you work your way up to a 5K, and alternates walking and running to get you started.

[Pat G]

At this point, I'd settle for any kind of running. I'm just horrible at it. I can powerwalk (that's right, powerwalk. Like the old ladies at the mall) 6 miles, but the second I pick up the pace to something somewhat resembling a run, it's like my body thinks it's dieing. Instantly my knees and/or shins hurt, I get winded. I power through it until I just can't make it another step, and when I keel over... I can still see my house.

Check out Couch to 5K. It lets you work your way up to a 5K, and alternates walking and running to get you started.

Whats your running style like? Have a look at the scouts forums for ideas on different running styles, an apparent more efficient way to run is using a midfoot strike rather than heel first like a lot of people do... Considering that If your body isn't used to an exercise, break it in slowly as per the advice IfItPlugsIn gave *lol at the name btw*