Waving goodbye to 100 pounds
Carol Fitzgerald Tyler of Apple Valley is writing a book, tentatively titled “Transformation: Shedding My Skin,” chronicling her journey from about 250 pounds to her present weight of 145 pounds. Photo by Rick Orndorf
Apple Valley woman writing book to chronicle weight-loss success story
by Andrew Miller
Thisweek Newspapers
Carol Fitzgerald Tyler vividly remembers the day she resolved to slim down.
Fitzgerald Tyler, whose weight had peaked at around 250 pounds, was walking back from dinner at a restaurant with a friend in May 2006 when she tripped and fell in the middle of an intersection.
Between the two of them, they couldn’t lift her up off the ground.
“I decided enough was enough,” said Fitzgerald Tyler, 48, of Apple Valley. “It was one of those ‘aha’ moments.”
Committed to losing the weight and keeping it off, Fitzgerald Tyler dropped more than 100 pounds the old-fashioned way – eating less and getting plenty of exercise, including regular participation in marathons and half-marathons.
She’s now writing a book, tentatively titled “Transformation: Shedding My Skin,” chronicling her weight-loss story.
“I feel like I’ve been called to share this story to inspire others,” she said. “My message is: No matter where you’re at in life, you can do this.”
Fitzgerald Tyler’s weight-loss journey had its ups and downs. Her first serious attempt to lose weight was in 2001, a low point in her life – she was obese, had just lost her job, and had been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia.
She knew it was time for a change.
“I just remember being unhappy and uncomfortable,” said Fitzgerald Tyler, who at the time described herself as “a member in good standing of the couch potato tribe.”
“My joints hurt all the time, and I was eating everything that wasn’t nailed down,” she added. “I was feeling pretty sorry for myself.”
After cheering on a friend participating in the annual Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth, she decided to try walking in a marathon herself.
Because she was so out of shape, her training was slow-going at first.
The first day, she and her husband walked out of their garage and to the end of the driveway. That was the extent of it.
The next day, the couple walked halfway down the block.
Each day, she went a little farther, and in January 2002 she completed the Team Diabetes Disney World Half Marathon, raising about $4,000 for diabetes research in the process.
It was a good start, but her habit of yo-yo dieting saw her lose 50 pounds, then gain it back just as quickly. It took the embarrassing “intersection incident” in 2006, in which she and a friend’s combined strength couldn’t lift her off the ground, to get her to commit.
All told, Fitzgerald Tyler has walked or jogged in seven half-marathons and three full marathons. She walked in the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer 3-Day this summer, and plans to participate in three marathon-type events this fall.
On average, she exercises four times a week, doing weights, treadmill and the elliptical trainer.
It’s clear what her weight-loss “secret” is.
“There’s no secret. It’s hard work and discipline,” said the 1979 graduate of Burnsville High School. “It’s the old-fashioned way – don’t eat so much and move your butt once in a while.”
She maintains a blog, http://11carpediem.blogspot.com, where she gives updates on her weight-loss progress and exercise regimen.
“I get notes (on the blog) all the time from people who say, ‘You inspired me to lose X pounds,’ ” she said. “If I can inspire one person to do a 5K, I’m thrilled.”
Andrew Miller is at andrew.miller@ecm-inc.com.
WAY TO GO CAROL! Thanks for the inspiration and for the fundraising you do in tandem with your own health goals! RIGHT ON!!!!