Name: Karen Bruynell
Age: 55
Occupation: Administrative Director
Hometown: Weymouth, Massachusetts

Start Weight: Nearly 300 pounds
End Weight: 147 pounds
Time Running: 2 years

In early 2017, I was 53 years old and almost 300 pounds—a lot of sitting at work and at home, and a lack of knowledge about living healthy led to that. But I knew I wanted more out of life.

It wasn’t until my son asked me about my soda habit that I realized I had a problem. He noticed how much soda I drank and heard how unhealthy it was. To drive the point home, he actually did a research paper for a college course about the ill effects of diet soda.

According to my son: “In my college report, I broke down every single ingredient of Diet Coke and all the negative health effects each ingredient has. Almost every single ingredient has one negative health effect, and I realized how much my mom was consuming daily. So to try to make my mom take a healthier step, I tried to get her to quit drinking Diet Coke.”

He was right, of course. I was getting on airplanes and hiding the buckle to my seatbelt under my sweatshirt because I couldn’t buckle it—and I didn’t want to face the shame in asking for a seatbelt extender. I was standing up on train rides because sitting between two people meant the flab on my legs and butt extended onto those next to me. I needed to get healthy.

Naturally, I started with cutting out all soda in March 2017. It was a small goal, but those really worked for me. If I was going to make a lifestyle change instead of just a diet, I needed to embrace it. This was how I did it.

I implemented a new goal every two weeks. First I gave up soda. Then I walked up seven flights of stairs at work at least once a day—I thought I was going to die the first time I tried that. These turned into walking at least three times a week and only going for one helping of food instead of two.

While the weight was starting to come off, my metabolism was extremely slow, so I sought help at the . There I learned I was a candidate for a . I went into this process thinking this surgery was the way to get the weight off easy, but that’s not what I found.

I did my research and quickly learned from the MGH Weight Center and Facebook bariatric groups that surgery would not fix my weight in the long term if I didn’t change my nutrition and exercise routines; it was on me to make those changes. I decided to go for it in October 2017.

The procedure went so well that I actually asked my surgeon if she really did the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. I had minimal pain, didn’t get sick with anything I ate, and really had to mindfully follow the program so I wouldn’t backslide.

[Discover how to run 10, 50, or even 100 pounds off with .]

To do this, I’d have to continue to live a better life. That’s why in January 2018, I got the Couch to 5K app. I was down to 218 pounds, and I trained for a little over a month until I completed my first 5k with my daughter that February. From there, I’ve just kept going, moving on to 10Ks and even my first half marathon this past November.

At the end of 2019, I hit 147 pounds, and I feel amazing. Down so much weight, I go to the gym and take classes without huffing and puffing. I even have my first marathon on the horizon as a charity runner on behalf of the at the Boston Marathon. I’m so excited.

This wouldn’t even have been possible three years ago. Now, I’m able to check things off my bucket list. For my 55th birthday, I’m planning to jump out of a plane, which I couldn’t do at 53. I can buckle in on planes. I can buy size 6 and 8 clothing instead of 22 or 24. Every finish line—whether I’m running, losing weight, or achieving my personal small goals—helps me be who I want to be and do the things I want to do.

I’m a big believer that if you really want something, you’ll go after it and figure how to fit it into your life, no matter how busy you are. On top of my full-time job and marathon training, I see my aging parents and stepmom almost daily. My 84-year-old dad with Alzheimers is living in one facility, my 76-year-old step-mom who is dealing with the side effects of a severe stroke in September is living in another facility, and my 82-year-old mom lives with me.

The point is, if you want to change your life, all you just have to make time. It won’t be easy, but it’ll be more than worth it.

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