"When I was running, my kids couldn't see me getting out my aggression"
And Jen Farias ran. A lot. She ran off 35 pounds to be exact after her husband decided he didn't want to be married anymore, leaving her a single mom of two. Sometimes we look at losing weight as a means to fit into a pair of jeans we covet, or a hope to look good at an event. Jen took a different approach:
"I wasn't thinking about it "diet-wise" but more as a stress release, something that I could control when my life was spiraling out of it".
Unfortunately, while tackling running she was neglecting her eating habits. "I was wasting away, and within three months I went from 152 pounds to 117! I'm 5'4'', and it really wasn't pretty-all skin, no muscle tone." At that point, I started to incorporate weight training and making small changes into my diet. The first step was becoming more conscious of what nutrients were entering her body. An admitted sugar lover, she didn't completely eliminate it but simply looked for alternatives, like creating her sweet, yet healthy, home made granola. "It still has that bit of chocolate I crave, but is oil free and sweetened with orange juice". She also makes sure to include a "real" treat once or twice a week as well. "If I want a piece of cake on a special occasion, I don't say no, but it's certainly not every day".
This year she was blindsided with more stress when her son was diagnosed with kidney failure. "Fortunately we came out of it ok, but for the rest of his life he will have severe dietary restrictions. This meant a change as a family. Out went the salt, all together. Things we take for granted like packaged foods, no more."
All of these diet and exercise changes had some unplanned side effects however. "All of a sudden I would be working out, and people would be staring. I was in the middle of a divorce, in a small town, and I could just imagine..well wouldn't you know, they started coming up to me and asking me what I was training for! Then asking me-ME-for exercise tips!" Jen started helping friends achieve their health goals, and is currently working towards her next goal-her fitness training certification!
Next up: Jen shares her top three get fit tips and her home made granola recipe.
That’s really great to hear, losing so much of weight in such a short span of time is not an easy task to accomplish. It’s good she was very sportive, and enjoyed what she did. Nice article, it’s really inspiring.
Posted by: Account Deleted | 02/04/2011 at 11:38 PM