How My Breakup Motivated Me to Get Fit and Strong

Before: 320

After: 197

The Lifestyle
Between 2012 and 2013, my dad, grandma, and grandpa passed away. Obviously, this was a huge stress on my family, and I took on more responsibility than I had my whole life.

Whenever I was sad or overwhelmed, which was a lot that year, I would eat way beyond the point of feeling full. I did it to make myself feel better; it was totally a coping mechanism. Eating fatty, delicious foods made me happy, and I didn't care about the consequences.

Before my family went through that tragic time, I weighed somewhere around 270 pounds. That was probably a result of not working out and eating fast food or dorm food, like macaroni and cheese and pizza. It didn't help that my boyfriend of three years also loved to eat.  Our relationship to each other was about as unhealthy as our relationship with food. We relied on each other for everything and didn't really have our own social groups or lives. Since I ate to deal with the loss of so many of my family members and dated someone who never saw a problem with that, I put on 50 pounds over six months.

Around the time of my grandma's death, I also found out that my boyfriend had cheated on me. I realized that way too much of my life depended on him. I looked at myself in the mirror and was upset that I was overweight, alone, and so unhappy with myself.  I thought, "Okay, if I don't love myself right now, how am I going to find a guy who will?" At the time, I weighed 320 pounds.

The Change
I randomly came across an ad for a place called Title Boxing Club. At that point, I was angry; I was so mad about all of the stuff life had thrown at me that seeing people in the advertisement taking their aggression out on those punching bags looked really freaking good—so I signed up.

Though I thought it looked like it was something I could do, when I got there I felt like a big loser. The trainers were so welcoming, but I couldn't do one sit-up or pushup. It took everything in me to finish that first class—but I did it!

 

A photo posted by Kaity Krontz (@kaity_krontz) on Jan 29, 2015 at 4:20pm PST

RELATED: How Often You Should Switch Up Your Workout to Keep Losing Weight

For the first couple of months it was terrible—but in the best way possible. The classes really kicked my ass.

Within the first month of working out so hard, I realized that my diet needed to change, too. I would get to class and feel sleepy from eating nachos or a cheeseburger for lunch. I told myself, "Girlfriend; you've got to get it together."

So I threw out everything in my fridge and went to the grocery store. I picked up all fresh, healthy produce and protein that I could cook with—no more macaroni or pizza. I also bought a grill to begin cooking my meals on. I literally grilled everything: fish, veggies, and even fruit. That's kind of how I learned to love cooking. After eating better, I had so much more energy to work out. I began to see my food as fuel, and it didn't hold me back anymore.

After two months of eating right and working out four to five days a week, I saw my body change dramatically. I wasn't just losing weight; I was gaining muscle. The coolest thing was realizing that my hard work could change my body. One day, I was sitting at work and I put my hand down on my thigh and felt my quads where my leg used to be soft and squishy. It was amazing.

 

2 miles in the books for the first time since high school!

A photo posted by Kaity Krontz (@kaity_krontz) on Nov 4, 2014 at 6:06pm PST

RELATED: You've Been Counting Calories Wrong Your Whole Life

I kept up the hard work by trying new classes and continuing to eat right. A little over a year after I'd started my journey, I'd lost 123 pounds. Now, I weigh 197 pounds. It's been the absolute best year of my life.

I was so sad about my breakup for a long time, but when I look back, it's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I would have never put my butt in gear to work out if we had we stayed together. Now, though I've definitely been approached, I don't have time for guys. I'm too busy doing the things I love. 

The Reward
I've become so much more independent by focusing on myself and my health. I would have never been okay enjoying a meal (that I cooked) by myself before. Now, I do it all the time. It's also great to know that I can do things like boxing, yoga, and running—things I never would have thought I could do. It's so satisfying. Now that I've accomplished so much through fitness, I want to become a trainer and help others.

 

A photo posted by Kaity Krontz (@kaity_krontz) on Mar 12, 2015 at 8:42am PDT

RELATED: 5 Super Easy Dinners That’ll Help You Lose 5 Pounds

Kaity's Tips
Invest in yourself. Since I started spending my money on workout classes, I've felt so much better than when I bought clothes or went out to eat. Buying all of those classes isn't cheap, but it's kept me motivated to work out and try new things.

Don't get discouraged. When I couldn’t do a single pushup, I felt really horrible about my fitness level. However, I used that as motivation to get stronger and improve rather than doubt myself.

Don't be scared of the gym! When I started working out, I thought that people would think that I shouldn't be there, but that never happened. Trainers and others at the gym were always encouraging and helpful. Some even told me that I inspired them to work harder.  

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