Rena started training October 12th, 2006. Her goals were to increase endurance, lose weight, learn portion control and make the lifestyle change that needed to happen to start her journey. She started at 300+ pounds.
Her program consisted of training 1-2 times a week plus cardio 3-4 days a week for 30 min. Her meals were a combination of her own creation ( Rena is a GREAT cook!) and meals from Fresh Dining.
In JUST 2 months, Rena lost 24 pounds and about 9 inches and 5% bodyfat.
In 4 months, Rena had lost 57 pounds, 16.5 inches and 6% bodyfat.
At the 9th month mark, Rena had lost 69 pounds, 18 inches and 8% bodyfat.
To date: Rena has lost 76 pounds, 27 inches and 15% bodyfat.
“I am very happy! Life has changed–things don’t look the same anymore. I don’t look at food the same way. I don’t eat the same way. My relationship with food is now very different. I never wanted to exercise or worry about portion control and now I actually miss it when I don’t exercise!
I am 3 sizes smaller than I was last year. When I go shopping, it’s nice to be able to buy clothes I didn’t have the option to before. What progress is to me is also that my knees don’t hurt anymore. Walks that used to be challenging are now leisure walks. I don’t run away from hills! I just completed a 1/2 marathon and I even wanted to jog!
Even though at this time the road is shorter to where I want to be, I feel that the next stages are the more challenging ones. I knew I’d make great progress in a year, but I have had to make adjustments that I didn’t realize would be life altering. When I started, I couldn’t anticipate all the things I would need and want to change. However, I am ready to take on this next stage and want to change my mental relationship with the holidays and family gatherings. Last year when we started, I did exceptionally well with treating the holiday as a DAY not a MONTH! The next day I didn’t make the same choices because I am now more conscious about how and what I am choosing. And WHY. I care about how my body feels. I feel sick when I eat too much of the foods I know do not serve me.
Everyday I put one foot in front of the other and do not let speed bumps or challenges deter me. I used to choose fast food, now I choose subway instead. I look for a place to grab a salad if I do not have a lot of time. But when I can , I choose to cook my food and buy fresh veggies and meat. I know that’s a key to my long term success.“
Rena Drake, 11-7-07
Good luck with the battle of the bulge. It’s nice to know I’m not alone here. It sounds like you’re on the right track and I find that to be very inspiring. I’ve enjoyed reading your blog and look forward to reading more.~ DietGirl22 ~
Wow. Not very many people I run across can actually state that they’ve lost that much on a diet, or that they have stayed on a diet for that long. Great Job! It’s nice to find people out there that are committed to their health and changing their life.