Katie Bolden, born and raised in Chicago, finally got her dream of having children after losing half her body weight. She says she and her husband had been trying to conceive for two years with no success, but everything changed once Katie lost all the weight. They conceived their first child after Katie lost 80 pounds, and the second one after she’d lost 150 pounds.
“They are the best things that have come from my journey, and I’m just so proud to be their mother. They’re both miracle babies,” she said. Katie said she’s dealt with weight issues most of her life and often got criticized for it growing up. She’s also had to deal with a few health scares, which prompted her to begin her health journey.
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A health scare for Katie
She started having arm and chest pains in her early 20s, and doctors diagnosed her with angina. They warned her that if she didn’t lose weight, she would likely have a heart attack in the near future. She had also been diagnosed with PCOS and optic neuritis, a vision disorder often associated with MS. Unfortunately, she also began experiencing other strange symptoms of MS, such as mobility and neurological issues.
Doctors haven’t been able to diagnose her, though, because they need evidence of two episodes of disease activity in the central nervous system. So far, they’ve only been able to find one area of damage. On top of all that, Katie had been battling depression and anxiety disorders for quite some time. After the MS scare, she felt like it had been a wake-up call and a sign to start living her life the way she really wanted to.
Fearing that one day in the future she might become disabled, Katie decided to start making big changes.
Taken from her website:
“MS is an unpredictable disease that I may or may not get diagnosed with. People who live with it won’t know what will be the actual outcome for them, but who knows what can be. After many health scares, I knew that I desperately needed to make a change in my life for various personal reasons and to finally do something in my life that makes me feel accomplished… I decided it was time to make a change for my health. One thing led to another, and here I am today, this fitness-loving health nut who loves all things health and fitness!”
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Katie took a complicated and unfortunate situation and turned it into something beautiful. She took charge of her life and health, deciding once and for all to become the best version of herself. She wasn’t going to let any diagnosis stop her from achieving her goals. After moving to Hawaii for a few years in her mid-20s, she fell in love with exercising and staying active.
“I mean, how could you live in a place like Hawaii and not be active?! I did everything from swimming laps in the ocean to hiking some of the most beautiful and difficult trails that led to some of the most beautiful places, including the infamous ‘Stairway to Heaven’ hike. It was one of the scariest, hardest, yet rewarding endeavors I put my body through besides giving birth! Being active makes me love life that much more! It’s also where I started running, and I must say that I terribly miss running on the beach in warm weather.”
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Fitness became Katie’s passion.
She has come a long way from the beginning of her journey, where just walking down the street or up the stairs gave her great difficulty. Now, she is a certified nutrition coach and an internationally published fitness blogger. She even competed in a bodybuilding competition! She says that running, weightlifting, and bodybuilding are some of her favorite types of workouts.
In order to lose weight, Katie said she “started eating smaller meals, and started eating a lot healthier.” She didn’t restrict her diet, though, choosing to include all foods in her meal plan. However, she limited junk foods and ate mostly healthy. She also got a lot of at-home workout ideas from Youtube, perfect for a busy mom. She said she worked out 4-5 days per week, even on the hard days when she wasn’t feeling it.
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“You need to build the discipline to rely on discipline more than motivation,” she said. “You’re gonna lose motivation. There’s gonna be days that you don’t want to do anything, and I have plenty of those days. But, that’s when discipline steps in and says ‘Hey, you gotta get this done. Just do it!’”
Her advice for anyone wanting to start their fitness journey is: “Don’t wait for a Monday. Don’t wait for next month, don’t wait for next year. Do it now! You’ll thank yourself.”
Katie’s inspiring story is a wonderful reminder that we can all do anything we set our minds to. Moms, college students, full-time employees, and everyone in between can commit to a healthy lifestyle. We all have the ability to get in the best shape of our lives and reach our goals as long as we stay consistent.
Remember, anything worth having takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but that’s part of the journey. If it came easily, it wouldn’t feel as good once you achieve what you set out to do, anyway.
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