Kari Goodman - A Winning Loser: Day 496 - Wowzer Wednesday

Today I want you to meet Krystal! She has an amazing story and an even cuter little girl! Enjoy her story!

Hi there! So I was asked to share about my weight loss story…here it goes…

My name is Krystal. I am a 28 yr old single mother. I juggle work, school and taking care of an almost 4 year old daughter. I have been pretty heavy my whole life. As I child, I stayed active in sports but it didn’t help that I wasn’t eating the way I should properly be eating. When I started working as a teenager, I spent most of my money on going out, partying and eating. I drank often and developed an addiction to food, especially a sugar addiction. When I was stressed, bored, lonely, tired, happy, etc…everything was an excuse to eat.

At the age of 22, I ended up getting pregnant. Boy did I have cravings. I was really broke, barely able to pay rent so whatever money I could scrounge up, I would go to the dollar store and buy processed crap to eat. I would hit up the dollar menu and McDonalds, oh and my fav…taco bell. I would be physically sick from heartburn and indigestion and yet I didn’t care. Addiction took over. I wasn’t thinking at the time that what I was eating, my baby was eating. I ended up putting on A LOT of weight. After I had my daughter, my highest weight was 264. I just could not believe that I let myself go so bad. I was depressed. Something had to change. I could NOT be that mother that sits around and sets a bad example for their child. I had to do something.

I started with a gym membership. I really didn’t know what I was doing but I started with some cardio machines. I was too intimidated to hit the weights. I felt like everyone was staring at me wondering what this fat girl was doing there. I focused on my eating. Started cutting out fast foods, sodas, junk. I hated water but would force myself to drink it. I started seeing the pounds melt off. It felt good. I was talked into going to a Zumba class, it was awesome! I learned to enjoy working out. When it was nice out, I would start jogging. I have now done two 5ks. Who would have thought?! About a year and a half ago I joined Instagram and met up with an amazing group of people who had the same struggles as me. They were so motivating to me. I had heard about BeachBody and was skeptical at first seeing as the programs and Shakeology cost more than what I could afford. I decided that my health was worth it and that it didn’t help to try. I could always cancel if I needed to. I started with T25 and fell in love!!! I would get up at 4:30 every morning and workout before work. Shaun T whooped my butt but I LOVED it. So much that I did the program twice. I became stronger. I felt amazing. The Shakeology helped cure my cravings and gave me the energy I needed to get through it. I was seeing a huge difference on the inside and outside. I even canceled my gym membership because home workouts were so much better for my schedule and I wasn’t spending as much money over all. Next stop was Insanity! Was I crazy?! Maybe a little. LOVE IT!!!! Since the start of my journey, I was down 60 lbs. I was only 3 weeks away from finishing my program and then ended up in a car accident. I was out of commission for a month. I let myself slip and the bad habits came back. As soon as I was able to workout again, I decided to start back over from the beginning. It just wouldn’t have felt right if I didn’t. I am proud of myself for how far I have come. I am about 45 lbs down at the moment. I have had ups and downs on my journey. It is still an everyday battle for me, 4 years later. My food addiction is still there but I never give up and never stop trying. My daughter sees my healthy habits and picks them up. She enjoys working out with me on the weekends. I can’t wait until its summer time again and we can get outside more and be active together, try things we haven’t done before.

If I could give beginners, or anyone some advice, it’s NEVER give up. Know that you are worth it! Find something you enjoy doing and just get moving!!! It always helps to have support and motivation! Please visit my page and message me anytime. I love helping others reach their goals www.facebook.com/OperationFitMom

I LOVE her story. What an Overcomer!!! I encourage you to visit her Facebook page for even more motivation. Thank you Krystal for sharing your story with us today!