Kristy Brock Lost 93 Pounds after She was Diagnosed with Celiac Disease, and Started Running

Kristy Brock remembers the day she saw the scale hit 300 pounds. “I felt like I had hit bottom,” she admitted. “I had no where to look but up, and I came to a place where I realized I had to surrender. I let go of the food issues. I wanted to be an example of self-control, love and life, not loss of control and laziness.”

Kristy Brock used a combination of “real food” and running to lose an amazing 93 pounds.

More from Kristy  –

Tell me when your weight struggles began. Weight has been a personal struggle for me for as long as I can remember. I joined “Diet Workshop” in 4th grade and went from 90 pounds to 70. In high school I struggled with anorexia and bulimia. After high school I married someone who struggled with drug addiction, and I dealt with the stress of that by seeking comfort in food. I also had three children and gained weight with each of them.

What habits specifically led you to gain weight? I didn’t have any control over portion size, or what I was eating. I ate foods that tasted good and made me feel good. I felt like the food controlled me. I ate when I was bored, when I was tired, when I was stressed

What caused you to realize you needed to change? When the scale hit 300 pounds, it scared me. I had little to no energy, and had four active kids (two of whom are on the autism spectrum) to take care of. I started to feel like the “fat mom”, and was embarrassed for my kids. I kept thinking of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape and how they felt about their obese mom.

I hated the feeling of being out of control, and one day felt I needed to get my life together.

I remember spraining my ankle the winter before I started my life-changing journey. I had only fallen down one stair, but sustained a severe injury, and had to stay off my feet for weeks. I hated feeling debilitated and I knew that the only reason my injury was so severe was because I weighed so much.

How did you lose the weight? I started by eating healthier and exercising. At first all I could do was the Wii fit game where you walk around the island. One day I was out for a walk and decided to try running. I had run as a teenager and remembered that I enjoyed it. I started with a two mile loop in my neighborhood. I would walk the first bit, then pick a mailbox to run to. I would run to it, and then need to walk for a while to catch my breath. Then I would pick another mailbox. I kept doing this two mile loop several times a week.

With every step, I made a new resolution. I would NEVER, ever let this happen again.

That winter, I stopped running as much and gained back 25 pounds. I stopped paying attention to what I was eating. I got lazy. But, I had registered for a half-marathon in the spring, and decided I still needed to do it. It was incredibly difficult and took me almost four hours. By the end of that four hours I had decided I was going to run one half marathon every month for the rest of that year. I got home, recovered, and drew up my plan.

During this time I decided to adopt a vegan lifestyle and I was diagnosed with Celiac disease, which meant I had to switch to a gluten free diet. This prompted a total lifestyle change. I spent my winter training for my first full marathon which I completed April 6th, 2024. 

Did you have any “ah ha” moments along the way? I remember the first day I wanted to go for a run when I was stressed instead of wanting to eat. That was huge and I kept thinking, “Wow. I’ve changed. My first gut reaction to stress has become where are my running shoes instead of where are the donuts.

Biggest struggle in your journey? Biggest struggle that first year was getting a grip and maintaining momentum. I think being diagnosed with Celiac disease helped my progress. When you eat gluten free and vegan, you eliminate a lot of the temptation around you. Donuts at work? Not even possible for me to eat, so I don’t.

Biggest triumphs? Going from not being able to run between two mailboxes to running a marathon. Definitely the thing I’m most proud of. Also, fitting into a size 12 jean consistently! Going from a 3XL size 24 to a Medium/Large size 12 is an amazing feeling.

Advice you’d give to other people struggling to lose weight? Don’t give up, but go easy on yourself. You overate a little today? Ok, no big deal. Forgive yourself, allow yourself a off day, then pick up and get back at it. Get out and exercise. Don’t be embarrassed by how you may look while trying to jog around the block. Just keep at it.

Love yourself every step of the way for what you can do. I used to look at my legs and see the cellulite and fat, then I had to tell myself- these legs have carried me over more than 1000 miles of running. These legs are strong and I am grateful for what they can do.