I was always an overweight kid but at the beginning of 2009, I was the biggest I had ever been. I maxed out at 210 and really didn't think my weight was as bad as it was. Until one day I saw a full picture of myself and realized I was obese. That was the motivation I needed to get active. I began by just using the elliptical because that was the only machine I had available to me. I successfully lost 80 pounds through that and diet. I managed to keep the weight off despite two pregnancies close together. (In fact I lost ALL my weight with both within a month through hard work and dedication). Last Summer, I really got into running and I still am a runner first and foremost. I saw an article in December that said how a lot of runners are not at their max potential because they don't weight lift. I also learned about all the benefits that I was missing out on by not lifting. So I finally joined a gym and have been lifting ever since.