Carolyn
Channell
“A switch flipped in my mind. I stopped making excuses and started looking for possibilities.”
Age: 45
Height: 5'8"
Heaviest Weight: 267
Current Weight: 151
My Journey:
Dear Tosca,
I think my story is like that of a lot of women these days. I poured everything I had into the lives of the people I loved and never took the time to get to know who I was or what I needed. As a result, by the time I was in my early 40s, my health was suffering.
At 42, my blood pressure was so high the doctor thought I had had a cardiac event, or at least was at risk for a stroke. I started on blood pressure medication and began watching my sodium intake. The stress and depression were really taking a toll on my total health and wellbeing.
By age 43, I had ballooned to 267 pounds. I no longer recognized the face I saw in the mirror each morning and wondered where I had gone. I could barely walk. The weight was difficult for my knees, ankles and feet. I had developed severe plantar fasciitis. I was becoming increasingly immobile. I realized that if something did not change I was digging myself an early grave. A switch flipped in my mind. I stopped making excuses and started looking for possibilities.
One day, I was scanning the magazine rack at a pharmacy and saw a copy of Clean Eating magazine. I knew nothing of you or the Eat-Clean lifestyle; I was simply looking for low-sodium, flavor-filled recipes. Inside I saw an ad for The Eat-Clean Diet® Recharged! For Christmas, I asked for that book and The Eat-Clean Diet® Cookbook as well. On January 1, 2010 I officially started learning about the Eat-Clean lifestyle.
I also picked up Oxygen magazine and started using some of the workouts in the gym. Once I saw that you had not started your fitness career until the age of 40, I started to feel like there might be some hope for me to transform my life.
Through Eating Clean, my appearance changed daily. My skin was clearer, my eyes were brighter, my hair was shinier and the inches just started melting away. I felt and looked smaller every morning when I got out of bed. It was simply an amazing experience.
I started running in October of 2010. Since then I have run three half-marathons and just finished my first full marathon. I went from being the girl who couldn't walk a mile without being in pain to running 26.2 miles! It still amazes me. (Watch Carolyn talk about how the Eat-Clean Diet® changed her life.)
Currently, I teach yoga three days a week and am studying to be a personal trainer. I love lifting weights and encouraging other women to join me in the weight room. I'm like a full-time evangelist for the Eat-Clean movement. I have bought copies of The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged! for friends who couldn't afford it and given the cookbooks as gifts to family and friends. I am so blessed to have had the opportunity to transform my life through health and fitness, and I want to share that message with as many people as I possibly can in my lifetime.
Carolyn Channell
Upland, IN