There is not a specific number that I am shooting for – I’ll stop when I’m healthy.
Kelly Therieau isn’t striving to reach a magical number on the scale, she just wants to be a better, healthier version of herself. After losing 113 pounds, she’s well on her way. Today, Kelly opens up about the “light bulb” moment that created clarity for her “cold turkey” weight loss, and the way she’s using her journey to help others.
At almost 300 pounds, Kelly knew she was headed into dangerous territory. When diabetes, liver issues and heart distress made her a weekly visitor to her doctor’s office, she felt her health spiraling further out of control. Her doctor confirmed this when he sat her down and told her if she didn’t make a huge lifestyle change, she wouldn’t live to see 40. She was only 36.
She had often joked that she was still carrying 19 years worth of baby fat, but sitting in the car after that appointment, she remembers having a, “huge meltdown.” At that moment she knew it was time for the jokes and excuses to end. A lifetime of bad eating habits and inactivity had taken their toll.
I remember thinking if I don’t change, I’ll miss my 3 daughters future weddings and I’ll miss holding my future grandchildren. I made my decision that day that I was going change my life. My children and future grandchildren saved my life.
For Kelly, it was important to point out that she lost weight, “the old fashioned way, with hard work and healthy food.” She’s currently on a modified vegan diet where she eats wild caught fish but avoids all other meats. The rest of her diet consists of plant based foods, whole grains, beans and nuts. She also cut out dairy, which she calls a “huge adjustment” for someone who loves food smothered in cheese.
In the beginning, Kelly’s exercise goals consisted of simply trying to walk for 20 minutes at a time without stopping. Now, she’s running 5-6 days per week and has incorporated weight training into her regimen. She recently competed in a half marathon where her only goal was to cross the finish line. In two hours and nine minutes, she did it!
Kelly proved she can help herself, now she wants to help others.
After embracing her own journey, and producing stunning results, Kelly wants to help others. “I have been studying all last year to become a personal trainer so I can help people just like me,” she said. “My goal is to save lives. People think they need to go to a doctor to help them become healthy but in reality all they need to do is eat clean and move more.”
Kelly also has a Facebook page where she talks about her own struggles and triumphs, and encourages others to get up, get out and move!
Kelly believes that self empowerment is the key. Ultimately, she says, people have to love themselves enough to put in the hard work. In the beginning, she says it’s okay to lose weight for others, the way she started, but eventually, “you will begin to realize that YOU ARE WORTH IT and start doing all that hard work for yourself!”
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