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Name: Katey Dyck
Age: 32
Height: 5'8"
Before Weight: 243 pounds
How I Gained It: From puberty through my first pregnancy, I weighed around 170 to 180 pounds. I never exercised, I never played a sport. I chose not to participate in physical exertion. I yo-yo dieted, but I never really applied myself.
Then, when I got pregnant with my daughter, I threw all caution to the wind and ate everything in sight. I had gained 60 pounds by the time she arrived on the scene and breastfeeding didn't take it off. I reached 243 pounds and was stuck there, mired in misery and drowning in my own flesh.
Breaking Point: After my son was born, I finally found my motivation. After decades of dieting in pursuit of the pretty, I finally realized that chasing superficial appearances wasn't going to cut it. I needed a motivation that was eternal, that came from my soul and wouldn't disappear when things felt especially hard. It arrived in the form of fear for my life. Two of my friends posted on Facebook about morbidly obese loved ones who had died in their early 30s, one of a heart attack and one from complications of diabetes. The fear of dying and leaving my children without a mother was the motivation that I needed.
How I Lost It: I started slowly. I cut sugar and gluten out of my diet, and I started walking and riding a stationary bike. With these changes, I was able to lose the first 60 pounds. Unfortunately, after losing 60 pounds, I plateaued and had to kick it up several notches. I bought the Insanity workout videos and started tracking calories. I wrote down every morsel and sip, and I pushed myself to achieve legitimate fitness for the first time in my life. I sweated my way through two rounds of Insanity and ate a whole lot less than I ever had before. Finally, I found my fit self.
Now, I am more disciplined than I ever cared to be. I'm in the beginning stages of a whole new chapter: Healthy and Strong ... Forever. It took me a year to lose 100 pounds, and I've maintained that for almost five months now. What I didn't realize when I was in the weight loss stage was that food regulation and consistent exercise isn't something that I can ever quit. The hard work has to continue for the rest of my life. Bummer, huh? It's worth it, though! I love my size four jeans. I love being able to close the trunk of my minivan without putting down the groceries. I love the stress release of my daily workouts. I love going for a run with my daughter, raising her to believe that fit girls rock our socks.
Reaching my goal of losing 100 pounds inspired me to start my blog. I get very excited by the idea of sharing my story and inspiring other people to discover their fit selves. I write a lot about my journey in the hopes of encouraging people because, dammit, if I can do it, anyone can do it.
Oh, and I don't hide from my husband's place of work anymore. I'm married to a personal trainer (who isn't allowed to even watch me work out!), and I hid from his gym for years. I was too embarrassed to show my face when I was wearing a size 24.
After Weight: 142 pounds
The Huffington Post publishes photographs as they are submitted to us by our readers.
After photo by Kathryn Raines of Plate 3 Photography
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