I'm starting at an all time high of 380 pounds and I'm motivated to drop the pounds and be able to run again.

I've stuggled with my weight all of my life. In my 30's I took up running and that, coupled with watching the carbs and working out, brought my weight down to 220 pounds and I felt fantastic. I am 6'3 and muscular under the flab, so 220 is not a bad weight for me.

I had a car accident and sustained knee and ankle injuries that prevented me from running for ...

I'm starting at an all time high of 380 pounds and I'm motivated to drop the pounds and be able to run again.

I've stuggled with my weight all of my life. In my 30's I took up running and that, coupled with watching the carbs and working out, brought my weight down to 220 pounds and I felt fantastic. I am 6'3 and muscular under the flab, so 220 is not a bad weight for me.

I had a car accident and sustained knee and ankle injuries that prevented me from running for quite awhile. I got depressed and put the weight back on.

I've started food and exercise programs since but did not stay with it long enough to get my weight back to a healthy level or to run any significant distance.

A few weeks ago, I ran into an old friend and co-worker and was shocked to see this formally obese, middle aged gal not only thin but exuding health, vitality and positive energy.

I had to ask what she did and she gave me a run-down of the Paleo approach. Not only she she drop 105 pounds, but she is healed from various auto-immune dysfunctions and a lifelong skin problem.

I looked up the Paleo diet online that night and researched it for about a week before deciding to try it. I began one week ago and a desire to journal and track my progress led me here to SP.

Currently, we don't own a scale so I won't know exactly how much I've lost until I visit my doctor in about 2 weeks, but I feel better already. I also recorded my starting measurements.

I am on five different medications and have very high blood pressure that is not responding well to medications. Losing weight and exercise are the only way to deal with this.

I invested in a home blood pressure monitor and I've made a commitment to daily blood pressure checks which I will record here.

Recently, we became the guardians of our 8-year old grand daughter. I also provide childcare for a 20-month old grand child 3 to 4 days a week. Trying to keep up with the kids forces me to confront how out-of-shape I've become on a daily basis and should prove to be a good motivator for staying on track.

For exercise, I've started with simple yoga stretching and brief walks. I plan to work up to running again and of course, I'll add strength training into the mix at some point.

I've also struggled with insomnia since I was a kid. Studies have shown that people with insomnia tend to have higher blood pressure so it's another factor in my high bp that I want to work on.

I'm glad that I found SP. This is a huge site and I am not the most computer-saavy person so it may take me awhile to figure it out. I think journaling/blogging can contribute a lot to ones success.

I love reading and writing so I will probably end up subscribing to way too many SP blogs and will undoubtably be a prolific writer myself. My plan is to post to my blog daily, even if I can only manage a paragraph or two.

Thank you for reading my spark page and best wishes on your fitness journey.

Read More About AMAZONRUNNER (Updated March 9)

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