Imagine the typical grandma, baking cookies, knitting sweaters, and looking after their grandkids. But this isn't all grandmas. Some break the mold.
53-year-old Christie Woodard is set to run 50 half-marathons across the country after losing 130lbs, as reported by People. While she described herself as having "a normal, healthy weight" up until her 30s, she described feeling "like I gained 80 lbs overnight" after entering perimenopause and quitting smoking.
Woodard described feeling helpless, as all the treatments didn't work for her. "As my weight continued to climb, I tried everything... commercial programs, intermittent fasting and every fad diet you can imagine. I would come home excited about some new plan, start strong and lose a few pounds, and then... the weight would come back, usually with a little extra", she said.
Woodard felt like things were going out of control, even if she understood the benefits of calorie counting and exercise. She lamented that she once "got stuck in a hotel bathtub, which was incredibly humiliating".
But this super grandma found a solution that worked for her: gastric bypass surgery. After hearing about it online, she worked through the options and decided with a doctor that it would be the best option for her. And it was! She has lost 130lbs after going under the knife in 2022.
Videos by Wide Open Country
The Super Grandma Got Interested in Running After Her Surgery
After losing all that weight, the super grandma decided that the best way to keep fit was to get into a sport of some kind. She decided that running was the way to go. She had previous experience in running, but described her attempt at a half-marathon pre-surgery as "ugly", with her taking three and a half hours to finish,
Woodard recalled her first half-marathon after her surgery. She said, "I remember feeling like I was flying... after losing more than 100lbs., the effort of running felt completely different."
And now, the super grandma has decided that she is going to run marathons in all 50 states. She described feeling inspired after seeing another runner wearing a tank top that read "50 States Half Marathon Club".
We are so proud of you, super grandma! Keep up the great work!
