Brenda Turnbaugh

September 16, 2008, I found out that Iwas morbidly obese. I started out at 12 pounds at birth, and have lived my whole life chubby...fat...even obese, but “MORBIDLY” obese??? That is a tough thing to hear.After school, I started working as a CNA, and in 1994, on the job, I herniated 3 disks in my lower back. Within 3 months, I had 2 surgeries, and gained another 50 lbs. After a year and a half of PT 3x's a week, and sticking to a VERY STRICT weigh loss plan, I got down to 150lbs(size 12). Unfortunately, I thought that meant I was DONE! I started gaining right away, and was back up to about 190 within a few months. Then came the 3rd surgery, which included a 3 level spinal fusion. Here came the rest of the weight. My top weight was 263. I decided that now was not only my time to lose weight, but my time to truly get healthy for the first time in my life!In March 2009 I heard talk of a 5k called Bridge the Gap, and decided THAT would be my motivation for the next 2 months. On that beautiful Saturday morning in May, I ran my first 5k in just over 38 minutes! I was SO proud of myself! I stood at that finish line and cried like a baby. That feeling was SO AWESOME, that I could not contain my emotions. I was HOOKED! I ran several other 5k's and even one 10k in 2009, and in January 2010, I decided to sign up to train for the BTG Half-marathon. I finished in 2:13:13, and felt GREAT! Then the Illinois Marathon in Champaign-Urbana on April 30, 2011 called to me. I trained hard and I ran my first marathon in 4:50:31! So, to sum up my last three years, I have went from a disabled, obese 37 year old couch potato who felt 80, to a fit 40year old marathon runner, who most days feels better than she did at 20 years old! AND is in better shape than I ever have been in my life. I have lost and kept off 100lbs+, have not had a cigarette in nearly 3 years, and I did it by eating healthy and clean, and exercising. I FINALLY realized that I AM WORTH IT!