I Lost Weight: Suzi Walthall Swapped Alcohol For Activity And Lost 250 Pounds

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Name: Suzi Walthall
Age: 42
Height: 5'8"
Before Weight: 430 pounds

How I Gained It: Growing up, I had always been somewhat larger than my classmates, but I was very active. I rode my bike all over my university twin cities, walked and every summer I could be found swimming laps at my local pool. It was not until the age of 16 when I started to drink alcohol and eat more that I started to gain weight. Up until I was 38 years old, I binged on alcohol and food and I stopped being physically active. I attribute most of this to emotional issues of being bullied throughout school. The alcohol and food were my way to numb the pain. By 2005, when I saw a psychiatrist who had a digital scale that went up to 500 pounds, I weighed in around 460 pounds. I remembered just how close to 500 pounds that was, thinking if I were to even try to do anything about it, it would take a lifetime. By 2008, over time I got down to 430 pounds, but not purposely. I imagine it could have been mainly water weight.

Breaking Point: At the start of 2008, my mother would often say to me, "When it gets warmer, you and I are going to start to go on walks, even if it is just to the corner and back." I would laugh off the idea, because at that point, the thought of exercise was out of the question. It wasn't until June 14 that same year that something within me snapped. I said to myself, "I am not having anymore of this. This time, I will lose the weight, and it will be successful." So that day, I did only what I knew I could do: I walked, and barely even that.

How I Lost It: That first day I walked, I could only go for a few blocks: 0.4 miles. But I knew if I stuck to it daily and added distance, I would be a success. Each day, I ventured out further until by my sixth week, I was walking two miles, twice a day. I had to put out of my mind the thought that people passing by in cars would yell obscenities while I walked. I cringed every time a car passed, but no one ever made fun of me during the whole time. In the meantime, I also radically changed my eating habits. I stopped eating at buffets and fast food places and prepared my own healthy meals.

On July 31, I had to put those same worries of ridicule out of my mind when I joined my first gym, just a mile away. At that gym, I started on Nautilus machines, building strength throughout my body. In February of 2009, I hired my first personal trainer who trained me to do traditional weight lifting, but it was not until August of that same year when my cardiovascular fitness was ramped up even more. I hired another trainer who had me doing cardio kickboxing with him as well as high-intensity interval training, core and stability work and at other times, very heavy strength training.

The weight was shedding off of me and I was becoming stronger. I had him for exactly a year and then went on to have an abdominoplasty where excess skin in the abdominal region is removed. I also had hernia repair, so I had to take it easy for over a month. I found it hard to sit still during recovery, but I did and once I eased myself back into physical activity, my recovery went even more smoothly.

That fall, I enrolled at my local college in the kinesiology program. It was my goal to learn more about the body's response to exercise. I am now preparing for my fourth semester, with three very successful ones behind me. In May, I passed the National Strength and Conditioning Association exam for certified personal training. I have a few classes to pick up before graduating and then hope to continue at a four-year university.

If anyone would have told me just over four years ago that I would be certified to train others to become fit or even be fit myself, I would have laughed. It blows my mind when I think of all the physical activity I am now capable of that I was not even before I gained the weight. I can now run, my swimming is better and I have no problem taking 40-mile trips on my bike. Riding against the wind and up hills is no longer a problem. I also have a love for kettlebell exercises. Whereas overindulgence of alcohol used to be my passion, my passion now is staying active. A lot of people who are not even as bad off as I once was often tell me they just cannot do what I have done, and I remind them of where I once was and how I pulled myself together. As a result of my own transformation, I am finding that my friends are becoming more active. While it feels great to be fit, it also feels very rewarding to motivate and inspire others.

After Weight: 180 pounds

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Comments

[lentz464]

01:51 PM on 12/17/2012

Good for you !!!.. Keep on keeping on !!!

[brutony]

01:01 PM on 12/17/2012

Id SOOO hit that!

[Still kickin]

12:31 PM on 12/17/2012

wow. just WOW!

[migdawn]

09:00 AM on 12/15/2012

How awesome is she!!! And to do all of this, the good old fashioned way. No cutting of her insides or re routing of them... what a wonderful thing. A true inspiration to alot of people out there. I only hope plenty of people see this and say, Yes yes i can do this also in my own way, how great!!!

[Jay and Dale]

11:56 AM on 02/07/2013

What you do think its easy going through gastric bypass, because its far far from it. Its hell in a handbasket so unless you have gone through it shut the hell up cause you don't know what you are talking about. gastric bypass is a helping tool you still have to do all the same things that this person did. People like you make it look like oh yeah just get the operation and just sit back and like magic the weight comes off anyone that thinks or says anything like that is just plain stupid. Because for some people its the only way to go because of health reasons. This lady has some sever self esteem problems. I used to be 525lbs and I never let other people dictate my life.

[migdawn]

05:32 PM on 02/07/2013

To Jay and Dale very nice of you .... I never said gastric bypass was easy to go thru. As a matter of fact, I have an aunt going thru alot of complications right now because of that god awful operation. Geez. I was giving this woman a huge compliment on how she changed her life around. And your going to attack me why??? Because you didnt do it the same way? Because your jealous that you didnt do it thesame way? Well what ever your issues are, that doesnt give you the right to send me the nasty nasty mail that you sent, I do wish you nothing but success in your ongoing voyage to a healthier lifestyle .....goodluck... :)

[dakotacabn]

11:32 AM on 10/01/2012

WOW ! You all look awesome.

[SMBreezy]

03:25 PM on 09/14/2012

very very inspirational! Thank you for sharing!

[bleuwolf13]

08:05 AM on 08/10/2012

thanks for sharing, you're an inspiration to me.......

[donnarlc]

05:17 PM on 07/19/2012

WOW! This is crazy, I was just poking around on the internet looking for motivational stories to show to a co-worker and came across this. I mentioned that the picture looked like a woman who was working out at Charter yesterday while I was working out. After reading the comments and seeing Suzi say she was in the news-gazette I realized you live in my town - ha so it probably was you. haha awesome story and congrats on the weight loss!!!

[Suzi Rees]

06:59 PM on 07/19/2012

You are right! It is me! :) Thanks!

[joyceann01]

08:05 AM on 07/30/2012

Go Suzi!! You have truly inspired me! Think I'll dust off the incline machine and use it! Thanks again Suzi!

[migdawn]

05:41 PM on 02/07/2013

You are such an inspiraton, to so many of us thank you!! It makes getting up and getting out there everyday easier on the body, mind, and soul!! thanks again!! :)

[Traylee OCinneide]

06:56 PM on 07/10/2012

Amazing!! I love to hear these success stories. Some many people don't realize how hard it has to be to lose this kind of weight.

[vagnar]

05:43 PM on 07/09/2012

I wouldn't even recognize that it was the same person?...

[Suzi Rees]

09:40 PM on 07/11/2012

Well, it is. :) Too many people who have witnessed the "me" before and the "me" after in my community as well as outside....also, I had two stories done by my local paper in 2009, The News Gazette. :)

[vagnar]

12:04 PM on 07/12/2012

yes I didnt mean to doubt it, it was more perhaps an complimant.

[vagnar]

12:05 PM on 07/12/2012

you look pretty, (giggle)...

come and hug...

[LeahFaith]

04:24 AM on 07/02/2012

I'm so happy for this lady! for everyone out there who thinks they can't loose the weight, this women is model for how they can succeed. Congratulations Suzi.

[Unca Allen]

01:55 AM on 07/02/2012

This story is news because in reality, only one in ten thousand has the will and drive to do it. When I met my girlfriend, she weighed about 170 lbs. In the ten years I've known her, she has worked out at a gym 3 days a week, walks so many steps every day, and eats like a small rabbit. She constantly weighs and measures. Today, she weighs a svelte 170 lbs.

[awilson70]

10:06 PM on 07/01/2012

Yeah! Congrats Suzi! You look great and I'm sure you feel great too. You inspire many others to follow in your footsteps :o)

[sweetpatriot]

08:59 PM on 07/01/2012

She look healthy and pretty.Good for her.Loosing weight is amazing.

[Frederick Flintstone]

08:48 PM on 07/01/2012

HalleluYah! HATS OF TO YOU AND DON'T GO FINDIN THOSE LOST POUNDS LET THEM STAY LOST.