Have You Accomplished The Impossible?

79 Responses to Have You Accomplished The Impossible?

1. Lorie says:

   July 14, 2010 at 1:34 pm

   I lost 105 lbs and am at a healthy weight for the first time in probably 25 years. I achieved Lifetime Membership with Weight Watchers 2 weeks ago. I NEVER thought I would get there!
2. Ali says:

   July 14, 2010 at 1:43 pm

   I never thought in a million years I would sign up and complete a marathon. I haven’t worked out in years and it was a shock to me and my family/friends when I told them the news. I found a training plan online and slowly worked to build my miles up.

   I can now say I successfully completed a marathon!! I loved every minute of the marathon day. I can not wait to sign up for my next one.

   Thanks for the chance to win
3. Stephanie says:

   July 14, 2010 at 2:00 pm

   After being overweight my entire life, I started to change my life around when I moved to Phx, AZ after college. I went from 260 lbs with knee problems, acid reflux, back pain and just all around unhappiness to about 210 lbs and in the in best shape of my life. I went from never exercising in my life and not being able to fun like 10 feet without gasping for air to running a sub 3 hour half marathon. I know that’s not fast, but I was still 210 lbs and I ran the whole thing. Big accomplishment for me. I’ve since let ‘fad’ dieting muddle things up and am trying to get back there.
4. Shannon says:

   July 14, 2010 at 2:05 pm

   After a childhood spent timing my doctor’s appointments so that I could get a note excusing me from running the dreaded “mile,” I finally ran a mile. On my own. Because I wanted to. Then I ran 2, then 5, then 9 miles. The 9-miler on a treadmill made me cry – I couldn’t believe I really did it! Then the 10 mile race. Then the HALF MARATHON! Now I’m training for my 3rd half, and my 8 year old (and, heck, 23 year old) self wouldn’t even know me :)
5. Nikki Moon says:

   July 14, 2010 at 3:07 pm

   Two years ago I had just delivered my 6th child at the age of 31 years old. My mother was just 6 months out from a near death experience and major brain surgery. I was in survival mode just trying to take care of my Mom and my large family. My body could not keep up with the demands of my stressful life. I had health problems that I used as a excuse for years to keep myself from exercising. I have had 2 major hip surgeries in my teen years which made walking long distances painful for my joints. I had limited time and money but I knew I had to find a way to change my life.
   I began to follow weight loss blogs as inspiration. I also started to limit sugar and fat then began to walk my neighborhood. That first one mile walk was hard but I promised myself I would walk 3 times a week. As the weeks passed my endurance became better I would go further and faster. I was able to lose 75 pounds just walking the neighborhood and being aware of my calories. In January of 2010 I joined a boot camp program after a 3 month stall in weight loss. The boot camp is very intense and I even cried the first week. I thought I just couldn’t do it but I didn’t quit and kept going back. Here I am 6 months later. I have lost over 100 pounds. I am stronger than I have ever been in my life. I am taking kickboxing along with my boot camp class and walk/run 3-5 miles 3 times a week usually I am pulling my youngest 2 boys in the wagon. I am hoping to reach my weight goal within this year. I am learning to like new foods. I am living without soda and don’t miss it one bit! I am far tougher than I ever believed possible. I could use the excuse that I am too busy with 6 kids to take care of myself but I know that is nothing but an excuse. I know if I can make this lifestyle change anyone who wants it bad enough can. I have learned that I can only depend on myself to make me healthy and happy. I am not taking away from the family but am giving my children a priceless gift of a healthy active Mom!
6. Debbie says:

   July 14, 2010 at 3:19 pm

   Roni, I have been following you for some time and you are a very inspiring lady. You are truthful, inspiring, supportive and just plain fun! Keep up the good work!

   4 years ago I started having chest pains…scary chest pains. Then I started having difficulties with shortness of breath and my energy was going down the drain. Finally after a few trips to the doctor and then the heart specialist it was discovered that I had a 90% blockage in the main artery to my heart. I ended up getting a stent and then told I had to lose weight, eat healthy, exercise and take meds for high blood pressure and high cholesterol (both being hereditary)
   The interesting part was that I had been anorexic about 15 years before and stress brought on the weight gain and stress that led to the heart issues. I made a complete turn around with everything but have had no luck in the weight loss department. I eat extremely healthy ( the odd cheat here and there) , I do close to an hour a day on my treadmill and have learned to love me. I might be overweight but I am doing the best I can do and never go backwards…only forwards. I have been Blessed with a second chance and I plan on living it to the fullest. One of my own private celebrations was when I was finally able to walk a 5K on my treadmill…woo hoo!!! I celebrated!
   Thank you for the chance to share…you are a wonderful example to all of us. Keep up the good work!
7. Christine says:

   July 14, 2010 at 3:39 pm

   In 2001 I went to Japan for the second time. I went with a group of international exchange students from my college, and we stayed with a friend who was from Japan. We represented the USA (me), Japan (Ayako), France, The Netherlands, South Korea, and the Ivory Coast. Our wonderful hostess asked us all to pick out one thing we wanted to do while we were in Japan. France picked karaoke, The Netherlands picked visiting a famous temple. I chose something totally nuts: I wanted to climb Mount Fuji.

   At that point I was 220 pounds (at 5’2) and hardly in any athletic condition to be tackling a real mountain. Furthermore, I grew up in Illinois had had never even seen a real mountain first-hand, much less attempted to walk up one. Yet, I said, “I want to climb Mount Fuji,” so off we went on a bus trip to the mountain.

   Mount Fuji is not just a mountain. It’s a volcano. There’s not much difference, except perhaps for the landscape and footing. While a real mountain has dirt, evergreen needles, rocks and tree roots (vegetation) to give you a pretty landscape and the all-important foothold, Mount Fuji does not. It’s comprised of palm-sized lava rock, which is sharp as hell if you fall on them. It’s very loose, like gravel. You take one big step and slide 2/3 of the way backwards. You take another step and slide backwards yet again. Climbing Mount Fuji is literally like climbing uphill while constantly sliding downhill.

   We started out climb at 4:30 p.m., and we climbed until we reached the top at sunRISE, which was about 6 a.m. That’s 14+ hours of nonstop climbing upwards! The goal is to reach the top of the mountain at sunrise in order to epitomize the spiritual journey needed to reach the top. Well, I hadn’t really signed up for that, but we were stuck on a tour of Japanese-only speakers, and I didn’t speak a single bit of Japanese, so I didn’t really know. In fact, the entire trip was a calamity of errors. For instance:

   * We started the climb in July, and it was 110 degrees F where we began. Thinking that the trip would be warm, I embarked wearing only shorts, a t-shirt, a pair of gym shoes, and a pair of socks. But I planned ahead (I thought)!! I packed an extra pair of socks. JUST IN CASE. I’m such a dumbshit. At 12,000 feet, it was less than 30 degrees at the top of the mountain, complete with snow and sleeting rainstorm. Did I mention that I wore gym shoes? Not hiking boots (with crampons) appropriate for climbing in loose gravel?

   * I brought one bottle of water. ONE. BOTTLE. Because I thought it would be a short jaunt to the top.

   * I brought one package of salty crackers. One package. Because I thought it would be a quick trip to the top. That same package of crackers literally EXPLODED in my backpack on the way up, from the altitude. Did I mention that it took 14 hours just to reach the top?

   We started about one-third of the way up the mountain, and I knew instantly that I was in trouble. For starters, I was getting passed by 60 year old Japanese men fully decked out in hiking gear. They scoffed at my t-shirt and shorts. I scoffed at their jackets and trekking poles. Let’s guess who was doing the laughing three hours later!

   I felt the hiking burn about 2 hours into the trip. I thought I would need to quit right then and there. But I looked up and the top didn’t look so far away, so I thought, “Gee, how bad can it be?” Then it turned black as night out there. They do not have lights illuminating the walkway. (The professional hikers had the foresight to bring headlights. I did not.) There were no bathrooms — well, none that were free, anyway. I peed crouched down along the path when I had thirty seconds between groups passing me.

   The second sign that I was in way over my head: They sold oxygen along the way. Real oxygen. Soon I found out why: my international group of friends began puking like crazy. The altitude got to them. Slowly they started dropping off, deciding to go back rather than go forwards. I kept plugging along. It wasn’t a conscious decision; I was in a total exhausted haze. I was alone, in a foreign country, without water or food, 100 pounds too heavy for the trip, but I wasn’t going to stop now, not nine hours into the hike!

   My legs found a rhythm and I completely blanked everything out. Every inch of my body hurt. I ached. I was mentally done. I was ill-prepared. I was freezing. I used the extra pair of socks as mittens on my hands. Some 70 year old hiker took pity on me and gave me an extra sweatshirt. I don’t even remember the transaction now, or if I paid him for the sweater. I cried at least a third of the way up to the top. I told myself a million times, “I can’t do this. I’m too fat. I’m too out of shape. What the hell was I thinking? Stop now! ” but I kept talking to myself while walking in that mind-numbing motion forwards. Upwards. I didn’t stop.

   At the top, the climb turned more treacherous. Instead of loose gravel, it became large boulders that you needed to climb hand-over-hand. It was sleeting and my extra sock-gloves were soaked. I had icicles on my eyelashes, and my eyes kept literally freezing shut. I was wet and freezing. I couldn’t stop shivering. But I didn’t stop moving. I followed professional climbers that used rock-climbing gear, carribeaners, crampons, and climbing picks to reach the top, but I didn’t have any of that stuff: only my hands and feet. I cried the whole way.

   Then I reached the top. My friend told me that I would reach the top and see the crater of the volcano. The sunrise would occur in front of me, and it would be magical, like a movie. That image kept me moving during the climb, but it didn’t really work out that way in reality. I only knew I reached the top because there was a warming hut (free!) at the top. The sleeting storm got worse. It was hazy and dark. There was no sunrise. There was no crater. There was nothing but freezing rain and a poorly lit fire.

   I cried for a solid hour. I couldn’t believe I did it. I couldn’t believe I reached the top. Never in my wildest dreams could I have dreamt that I would achieve something so huge. I climbed 12,388 feet to the top of Mount Fuji.

   With an amazing amount of non-ceremony, I stood up from my seat and started sliding my way down the gravel, down the hill. Trumpets did not blare. I didn’t get a handshake from the Prime Minister congratulating me on my challenge. I didn’t even have a single friend with whom I could celebrate. I reached the top, I was exhausted, I started going back down. Going down was remarkably fast due to the gravel. I fell a thousand times, backwards, onto my hands and butt. My hands were raw and bloody from landing on the sharp lava rock. I cried on the way down too. When I met my friends at the bottom of the mountain, I had little to say, and little emotion left in me. I was drained in every way possible. I found my way to the charter bus and watched the scenery pass me by as we drove back to Kyoto. I may have dozed a little, but mostly I was just numb. It took me weeks to process what had just happened to me.

   That was the trip where I conquered the impossible.
8. Tara says:

   July 14, 2010 at 4:25 pm

   I’ve gone from 328 lbs to 167 lbs over the last 19-ish months. I’ve run two 5K’s when I used to think the only way I’d run is if I was being chased. I regularily ride my bike all weekend long instead of taking my car everywhere and I’ve become obsessed with yoga.

   More importantly, I have successfully taken my life back. I’m no longer miserable or unhappy because I realized that it’s a choice. You can choose to be happy or sad but you have to live with whatever choice you make and I realized that I’d rather be happy. The only thing holding me back was ME!

   The thing that I”ve accomplished that I never thought I could was that I am actually proud of myself. I’m bursting with pride actually, something I never, ever said before.
9. Cynthia (It All Changes) says:

   July 14, 2010 at 4:27 pm

   I was the fat kid in school who always had to walk the mile. I had to even take breaks. I started running and completed a few 5K’s. But then I had a severe back injury. I had 2 discs removed and fused. I was told I would never run again…ever! Or I would have to have more surgery.

   But my PT was diligent and I completed a 10K the day before Easter. I constantly baffle my doctors and PT with what I can do. I’m a miracle.
10. Ruth says:

    July 14, 2010 at 4:37 pm

    I have been struggling with my weight for the past 3 years since I began working from home. I started on Weight Watchers on 3/29/10 and have lost a total of 50 pounds since the end of March! I have 41.4 more pounds to go until I reach my goal, and I feel fabulous! Can’t believe I’m no longer the fat girl in the room!
11. Talysa says:

    July 14, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    I bought into the mentality (and lie) that I could never weigh…nor should I expect to…what I did before having 3 kids. So I have lived the last 10 years of my life accepting that. Yo-yoing…losing…gaining…only to tell myself that the expectation to lose was unrealistic to begin with. Which ultimately sabotaged me.

    Now I am 34 and have lost almost 30 pounds since January and just made Lifetime in May. I could have stopped there…accepted that achievement and told myself (once again) that I would never hit that “magic number” in my head (the number you remember on the scale when you felt good about your body and comfortable with how you looked) from pre children.Now granted my body does not look like it did when I was 18 (like it or not 3 kids does take its toll)…BUT I kept going even after reaching goal weight and I am now 5 pounds away from that magic number!!!!

    Plus during all this losing exercise has become a part of what I do. It’s that simple. Kinda like brushing my teeth. I feel gross if I don’t do SOMETHING. No matter how small I sneak something in. If traveling I hit the gym in the Hotel. If it’s hot out I do a DVD or play Wii with my kiddos. The main thing is that I MOVE!
    And I have become so much more in tune with my body…I have started to realize that it is capable of so much more than I think. I feel so much stronger now.

    And the icing on the cake is that my children are learning how to make healthy choices too. No more sodas..no more white bread or pastas..no more fried foods. It feels wonderful!
12. seattlerunnergirl says:

    July 14, 2010 at 5:41 pm

    I used to say “I don’t run unless someone is chasing me with a gun…” until I ran a 5K. In September I’ll run a 10K, and 2011 – a half marathon.

    I used to think losing 150 pounds was impossible…until I lost 80 pounds. Now I know I can do anything.

    I used to think I wasn’t enough, just being me. Now I know I am enough, I am loved, and I am loveable. And I was the only one who could teach me that lesson.

    LOVE reading all these awesome stories!
13. Pubsgal says:

    July 14, 2010 at 7:22 pm

    Holy wow, Roni! 61 (so far) amazing stories. This is fantastic!!!

    My “impossible journey” started two years ago. I’d just turned 40 that year, and I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. (Talk about a midlife crisis!) I was morbidly obese as well; I’d done the diet thing in my 20s and pretty much gave up taking care of myself in my 30s. I never saw fitness as something to be enjoyed. But after my diagnosis, something inside just snapped: I had to get myself as physically healthy as possible. I “fed” myself weight loss and fitness blogs, especially of those who had accomplished the seeming impossible. I worked hard on improving my eating habits and on getting into the habit of 30 minutes of exercise a day. I started training to run a 5K; I hadn’t run since high school, and I always thought runners were “those crazy fitness nuts.”

    I’m not “done” yet, by any means, but I’ve lost over 70 pounds, joined a gym, have completed at least 1 race per quarter since that first 5K (including two sprint triathlons and a 10K), and my health numbers are good. I feel so much more energetic and alive than I did in my 30s, and even much of my 20s. I never expected my 40s to be so amazing! I learned that it’s never too late to change.
14. Emily says:

    July 14, 2010 at 10:28 pm

    I, a bookworm/geek/non-athlete (I was told), have completed 5 5Ks and a 5 1/2 mile mud run!
15. Kelly says:

    July 15, 2010 at 12:35 am

    I moved into a position in my career that had never been held by someone with my background (I am a therapist and I work in an educational setting). A lot of people doubted I was qualified and it took quite a bit of hard work and perseverance to convince them. I feel like a trail blazer! It isn’t specifically fitness related but I feel that without my weight loss and fitness accomplishments I would never have had the confidence (or stamina!) to do this professionally.
16. Michelle says:

    July 15, 2010 at 1:04 am

    I always daydreamed about losing weight and how thin I could potentially be, but I don’t think I ever dreamed I would be back in single-digit sized clothes for the first time since 8th grade. I’m now wearing a size 8 in just about everything, plus I’m ten years older, two inches taller, the same weight, and noticeably leaner!
17. Jenn (GH) says:

    July 15, 2010 at 1:05 am

    My friend used to do figure competitions and for years I read her blog from the sidelines feeling like I could NEVER do that. Then one day I decided I wanted to do it too. I wrote out a plan, mostly stuck to it, and then stepped on stage in one of those goofy bikinis!
18. Kathy G. says:

    July 15, 2010 at 10:23 am

    I lost 120 lbs. and have maintained that loss for the past 2 years. I never in my wildest dream thought that I would get to my goal weight, but here I am, at 54 years old, the fittest I have ever been. I joined a gym 2 years ago and have added yoga and pilates to my fitness plan. My neice told me I am “ripped.” I had to ask her what that meant–wow! It’s a daily struggle to keep the course, as I have serious food issues and always will, but I vow I will hang on–it is so worth it–more than I can say.
19. Carrie says:

    July 15, 2010 at 10:43 am

    This year I have accomplished my dreams. I started working hard on nutrition and fitness in January. As of June 1st I have lost a total for 34 pounds, 12 inches off my waist, lost 30 pounds of fat and am unstoppable. Never in my dreams did I think I could reach my current weight of 130 pounds, and keep it off.

    To keep having the impossible come true, I have signed up for a 1/2 marathon in November. I have never been a runner and completed my first 5 miler two weekends ago. This is when I made the decision to sign up for the half.

    After reaching my weight loss goal of a once thought impossible number, I know now I can achieve ANYTHING. There is NO impossible for me. I deserve and KNOW I can do anything I put and set my mind to!! Heres to another once thought impossible goal being achieved in November.
20. Shannon H. says:

    July 15, 2010 at 11:13 am

    Wow! Reading all of these stories and accomplishments just gives me the chills!

    I thought losing “THE” weight was impossible. I felt so lucky for all of the other things in my life that I let my weight and my health be the crutch of “inaccomplishment.” Thanks to Roni’s Weigh and BlogToLose I accomplished what seemed unattainable–I lost 50 pounds over one year and have maintained it for about two months.

    More than anything, the accomplishment to me is all of the time I have won back–all of the time I spent “planning” for the next diet, workout, exercise routine, and beating myself up in my head for what I ate, how I looked, or comparing my body to others. I have all of that time back now to just be happy and healthy…and to train for my first MARATHON–the next thing in my life that seems so unattainable at the moment (as I sit here with pneumonia and a knee injury with only two months of training left. Eeek). All of these powerful women show me that anything is possible! :-)
21. keyalus says:

    July 15, 2010 at 3:12 pm

    The impossible journey began in October after the birth of my son. I gained 80 pounds during pregnancy. Not because of any problems, but because I had been dieting for so long and simply went crazy when I got pregnant LOL.

    My journey was to get to pre-pregnancy weight by my son’s first birthday. Not quite there yet, and not sure I will quite make it. However, I’ve lost 60 pounds already which is a feat considering I only have about 5 hours a week to exercise – not the 10+ I had before baby.

    I’m still plugging away here, but my impossible dream will soon become reality!
22. Kristin says:

    July 15, 2010 at 6:46 pm

    I accomplished the “impossible” when I ran my first marathon last year at the age of 44. Never in my life would I have expected to run a marathon. Not when I was in junior high, grimly running a mile for the P.E. physical fitness tests. Not when I was in high school and college, running 2-3 miles for exercise but not loving it at all. Certainly not when I was in my 30′s, very heavy (yes, obese)…I was an active walker even then but fully believed that I would never run again (I planned to lose weight but running was not on the radar at all). Not even after I unexpectedly became a runner at 40+, having lost 150 pounds or so, and began running numerous 5K, 10K, and half marathons. I said many times, I love half marathons (true) but I will never, ever run a full! But I kept running longer and longer distances and before I knew it, I had signed up for CIM last fall (3:59:40). I did another one in June, and have one on the schedule for late September. (But I still love half marathons!)
23. mary says:

    July 15, 2010 at 6:49 pm

    I too, enjoy the fact that you are doing this randomly….no pressure, just the joy of sharing and reading and being inspired!

    One of the best moments in my life (and there has been a plethora of ”ah-ha” moments in the last year) happened with my 2 year old son. All three of my children are in a jiu-jitsu class taught at a playplace. It centers around having fun while learning. My two older ones are officially in the class while my son usually just plays and participates when he wants to (yeah, my trainer is cool like that!). Anyway, the play place is called Pump It Up and its the blow up indoor play area….so the kids run around and slide and race and jump etc….anyway, my son looked at me and in his little 2 year old voice and stilted language said “Mom, c’mon”, “ahh-play uh me?”.

    You know what?

    I DID.
24. Thea @ I'm a Drama Mama says:

    July 15, 2010 at 11:29 pm

    Aw, man! Too bad this contest was a little too early for me to announce that I completed my first triathlon on July 25th! : )
25. roni says:

    July 15, 2010 at 11:31 pm

    You have 24 more hours! :)
26. Joanie says:

    July 16, 2010 at 12:37 am

    The first time I decided to lost weight was about 5 months before our wedding and as much as I said it was about me making a lifestyle I realized that as amazing as it was to lose 30 pounds and feel great on our wedding days I had not really made the changes I needed to to make a lasting effect on my life. So two years after our wedding after gaining all the weight back plus 6 pounds I decided to make a change and as daunting sometimes as it has felt to try to lose 80 pounds the rewards have been so amazing. I like many people who have commented have made being active a real part of my life whether biking to work or running at park or Zumba or playing soccer with my husband. And I am so lucky to have the an fantastic support system that has helped me a long the way. I started slowly with most things thinking only I can only do it “this much” because I am so out of shape, but with a little positive self talk and adding things at a pace I felt comfortable I have progressed quite a lot.

    At the beginning I thought how will I do this? How can I make this happen? It is not always an easy journey but one that is very rewarding and by taking it one step at a time I am more then have way to my goal and it feels wonderful.
27. Felecia says:

    July 20, 2010 at 12:57 pm

    Simple,

    I learned to love myself, even with a little flab and a little self esteem issues.. I never thought I could just be happy with my body and my looks.. but, I did it! :)

    Like I said, Simple.
28. LG says:

    July 21, 2010 at 11:20 am

    I wonder when this draw will take place!???
29. roni says:

    July 22, 2010 at 8:39 am

    I drew and have a winner. Will be announcing shortly. My vacation through me off.