Sally, The Incredible Shrinking Woman! Before & After

If you didn't know.... I used to be a "big girl," "woman of size," or kindly just "curvy." Over the last 18+ months I have completely changed my relationship to my body, health, and exercise.  I love bumping into people who haven't seen me in a while, whether it's been months or even just weeks, good friends or acquaintances. Their reactions are variations on the theme "OMG! You look amazing!" Some co-workers at the old day job who got to watch my entire transformation slowly unfold came to refer to me as "the incredible shrinking woman." It's this progress that encouraged me to take on the challenge of climbing Mt. Rainier for charity when the opportunity presented itself. (Update: Fundraising deadline extended & donations accepted until 9/1/14)

Corduroy slacks bought at my heaviest in Fall 2012

I started 2013 at 187lbs desperately trying to still fit into my size 16 clothes, so I made a New Years Resolution to take back my body & health. My joints ached and I was too fatigued to walk the grocery store aisles or even stand at my kitchen sink long enough to do the dishes. I used to play rec softball for fitness but the creeping pain over the last couple years led to a decline in activity which in turn led to weight gain. My walk had become a waddle as my knees and hips weakened by Chronic Lyme Disease (an autoimmune disorder) struggled to carry my weight. In the fall of 2012 the pain became so prominent that I took to hobbling around with a cane for a few weeks before starting physical therapy. The next natural step was to join the gym and to build upon the little progress I had made. Around the same time I began to see a Naturopathic Lyme Disease Specialist and Shaman Dr. Marty Ross who started me on an intense course of antibiotics to fight the infection that had burrowed its way into my cells and tissues causing a litany of debilitating physical and neurological problems. I was on up to 3 antibiotics at a time along with a handful of other meds for 10 months. Eventually, symptom free, I have been off all meds for 8 months and managing my health through exercise, a low gluten low dairy diet, and spiritual wholeness.

I told my trainers "I don't care about skinny. I want to be strong." Surely, a smaller waistline would come as a by product, but I knew that the real key to my recovery was rebuilding the muscle tone that had been depleted by the Lymes. I began running regularly and lyfting weights. I love to see & feel how my body has changed. My butt is round, not square, round! And no more saddle bags! No more back fat! I had racks, RACKS, of back fat! My arms are almost unfamiliar, like a baby doll whose chubby arms were popped out of the socket & replaced by slender svelte ones. My legs have always been unimpressive but now for the 1st time in my life dare I say my legs are sexy? I find myself flexing in the mirror and I laugh because I used to find this behavior incredibly douchey. Now its so validating to see how new muscles are showing up that I have never seen on my body before.

OK. So here's the before & after pic, same clothes. I almost cropped my head out because I am so embarrassed at how awful I looked.  The day I snapped this shot, I glanced at myself in the mirror and felt so disgusted by what I saw that I knew I had to take a picture to document how I looked/felt at my worst. To date I have lost 50lbs and can fit a size 6. (Thank God for hand-me-downs!) I haven't taken measurements in 2 months, but at that time I had lost 6.25 inches off my waist and 6.5 off my hips.

January 2013

Today July 23rd 2014

Fashion duct tape makes lugging bricks glamorous!! 

In June, Josh (new Lyft-driving BF highlighted in previous post) posed a Spartan sit-up challenge to me, 30 sit-ups daily for 30 days, which I think shaved off some more belly circumference. Josh has been a super helpful & empowering presence in these last few months of training before my climb and I am so grateful he has come into my life when he has. When other people were telling me they didn't approve of me hiking by myself, Josh said "there's an app for that" and introduced me to Bugle which alerts an emergency contact if you don't return  as scheduled. When I needed to up the weight in my training backpack on the cheap, Josh showed me a GORUCK Challenge trick of wrapping up fireplace bricks.  He empowered & motivated me to keep going on our 36 mile 2 day journey around Crater Lake while honoring & respecting my spiritual practice. Josh also has a thing for obstacle courses, so this last weekend together we ran the Warrior Dash, cheering each other on over slippery walls and out of muddy trenches. I almost can't believe how lucky I am to have this amazing person loving me, challenging me, and helping Lyft me to the summit.

All hosed off & sporting victory swag!

(UPDATE: FUNDRAISING DEADLINE EXTENDED PAST THE SUMMIT DATE. IT"S NOT TOO LATE TO DONATE!!) ONLY $4,200 REMAINING!! Please SHARE this blog so that I may reach a maximum potential for donors in my final crunch!! All donations are tax deductible and go to support Camp Korey, a summer camp for kids with serious life altering medical conditions. Every kid deserves to go to camp, especially kids facing challenges to which most kids (even adults) cannot relate. At Camp Korey kids don't have to worry about being different or if an activity is safe for their particular needs; they can just get on with being a kid and having fun. Camp Korey is offered completely free so families facing medical bills have one less cost to worry about while giving their kids a wholly fulfilling childhood. Please help me in reaching my fund raising goal by donating &/or sharing this opportunity to give.