With New Years on its way we're all putting
together a list of resolutions we hope to keep. With weight loss nearing the
top for most of us, I want to bring you the inspiring story of my Sister in Law
and friend- Aubry Dunn, and how she went from 250 pounds to 176.
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Before: August 2011 After: July 2012
Aubry Dunn, 25 year old stay at home mom, has
always been athletic. As a child she participated in t-ball and soccer- which
she continued throughout high school. She also participated in softball, weight
lifting class, and horseback riding. She loves to run, hike, and go biking. A
person might ask how someone so active could become overweight. Aubry's weight
gain came solely from having children, and she found her breaking point during
her 2nd pregnancy, however, since the children are all close in age it made it
difficult to begin serious workout routines.
What really motivated Aubry was her health. She
says she likes being healthy, and after being on medication for asthma, acid re-flux and almost being put on high blood pressure medication, it made her put
her foot down and make big changes. Now she just takes vitamins. Her asthma was
worse when she was heavier, but now she seldom uses her inhaler, keeping it
mostly for emergencies. Aubry also says she wants to be healthy for her kids-
"Later in life, I want to be one of those Grandmas that runs
marathons," She said.
One month after her last baby was born, Aubry
began working out. She started on a treadmill, lifting free weights, and using
Bob Harper DVD's. That's when she found Insanity. Aubry, being determined to
lose weight, decided to try it.
When Aubry started Insanity she would do it four
times a week. After two weeks she added a day and two weeks after that she
began working out six days a week. She did not always work out consecutive days
in a row, but if she at least did six days, she felt good. After six months she
began adding more days to her routine. "It [the weight] was coming off
fast, but in my head it didn't seem like it was coming off fast
enough," She said. Aubry began over working herself; doing Insanity eight,
even ten days in a row and multiple times a day. Desperate to lose the rest of
the weight, she couldn't think about anything else.
After a few months of doing Insanity six or more
days in a row, she missed her period. Because she knew she couldn't be
pregnant, it worried her, making her realize that she was working out too
much. She decided to take a week off and begin working out in a healthy way.
"You need breaks," She said- "they're important." After her
week off, she resumed Insanity at five days a week and then progressed to six.
Aubry said she felt fine as long as she took a day off since she still remained
active even without Insanity; going on bike rides and walks with the kids. She
says that a good friend and owner of the gym she works out at, Andrea Cordle of
Cor24 Fitness, told her she was doing too much. Her husband Jeremy, 28, said
the same thing.
For Aubry, the most difficult part of weight loss
was the mental, as well as emotional aspects of it. Going on, she says that
there were days she cried through entire workouts and others where she did a
second work out because she was so proud of herself and she had fun. Continuing
on, Aubry says there were days she wondered if her goal was even realistic and
that her husband Jeremy said, "There's only one way to find out." Now
there are more fun days than bad, however, a new mind set about herself is
something she is still trying to tackle. "Fat is still fresh in my mind-
between stretch marks, C-section scars, and cellulite it's hard to feel
sexy." She adds, "I'm getting better slowly but surely." Aubry
says she feels empowered and that she does feel sexy working out because she
can, "kick butt."
A support system is very important, especially
one that takes it seriously. Aubry says the best thing for her was prayers and
work out buddies. "Getting in shape is not an easy thing to
do," She says, "and it never gets easy- you just get better."
When asked if there was a key person in that support system, Aubry
talks about various people. Her kids cheered her on as well as reminded her to
work out if she hadn't yet. Her husband was also helpful, making sure she had
time to go to the gym by taking care of the children. "He's very proud of
me," said Aubry. She mainly kept to herself and seldom talked about her
weight with anyone because she felt like a burden, however, if there was anyone
Aubry did talk to, it was Andrea Cordle.
"Very inspiring," She said. "She gave me great tips-
still does." Aubry states that Andrea, having been on her own weight loss
journey, was easy to talk to and is also who turned her onto My Fitness Pal- an
app used to track calorie intake and record exercise. "I didn't want to
have a 'food diary'", she said, "but with my smart phone I could use
the app anywhere I went." Aubry used MyFitness Pal regularly for about 8
months and feels that it has helped her be more cautious about what she ate
because she didn't want to track it and potentially exceed her calorie goal.
"You have to be honest with yourself." She says that MyFitness Pal
keeps you accountable to friends you assign, alerting them if you don't log in
for a few days. The app not only allows you to track calorie intake, but exercise
as well. This helped Aubry see how much it took to burn off certain foods. She
found that the more processed a food was, the less she could eat of it because
of the amount of calories it contained and she decided to cut processed food
out of her diet. Instead, she would add extra fruit or vegetables to every meal
she ate, helping her stay below her calorie goal and still feel satisfied.
When
asked about weighing and measuring, Aubry said she found it best to choose one
day and stick with it. She chose Saturday and measured and weighed herself
first thing in the morning before she ate. She said, "It bugged me a
bunch, but weight isn't the most accurate way to gauge your health." Aubry
found it helpful to calculate her BMI (Body Mass Index) and realized she was
most comfortable and healthy at 155, so she made it her goal weight.
Difficult at the start, Aubry says before she
made progress she could barely do any of the Insanity moves. Now, she can do
them all. Aubry goes on to say it used to be hard to keep up with her kids, or
do things she enjoyed like horseback riding, and now she plays more often and
can easily ride horse back again. She also says she is not exhausted or
depressed.
Besides weight loss, Aubry feels her biggest
reward is her overall health. When she had visited her doctor after losing 65
pounds, she said he was shocked. "I love the 'WOW factor'", she says,
"That’s all anyone says if they haven't seen me for a while- 'WOW!'"
Having gone from a size 18 to a size 12, she also feels more confident. Aubry's
advice to people struggling with weight, or on their own weight loss journey,
is to take their goals seriously and strive to achieve them every day.
"You have to change something about yourself," she said, "1 year
from now you're either going to be the same or different and that's up to only
you." She also advises to have a support system to encourage you on your
journey. "If I can do it, anyone can do it." She said, "It's not
the lame cliché, it's the truth!"
Aubry has come a long way on her weight loss
journey but when she reaches her goal she says she won't stop there. She
strives to always be healthy for her kids, and hopes to instill healthy living
in them. When asked about other goals she says, "There will always be new
goals; running marathons, beating my times in those marathons- all sorts of
stuff to do." Aubry again touches on self-image and hopes to soon overcome
the somewhat negative outlook she has on her body. "I need to work on not
underestimating myself," she says, "I'm always surprising myself with
how much I can do- like I think I can't do it- but I can."
It's taken Aubry one year to get this far and she
hopes to reach her goal weight of 155 before summer. "It feels like it
took a long time;" she says about losing weight, "It's like a kid
waiting to go to Disney Land- to them it seems to take forever."
Making New Years Resolutions is one thing, and keeping them is yet another, but don't be intimidated by adding weight loss to your list. If there is anything to take away from this incredible story of determination to losing weight and being healthy, it's that it is possible!
Today: December 28th, 2012
Thanks for reading! Happy New Year!
Disclaimer: Always talk to your doctor before beginning any new exercise routines or making serious changes to your diet. This story is true and accurate to how it was told to me by Aubry Dunn.
