Wednesday, January 4, 2012 at 6:04AM | Amy C Late-blooming Athlete: Alexis Duncan Reconnects to Herself Through Snowboarding After Weight Loss Surgery
Late-blooming athlete Alexis Duncan snowboarding
Let’s ring in the new year with a late-blooming athlete story, shall we? Today’s story seems perfect for the new year. It’s about new beginnings. And being brave and committed to our goals.
On the surface it might look like a story about weight loss. And it is. Sort of. But it’s so much more. Alexis is wise. And brave. And she’s gone through a lot in the short time she’s been an adult.
What she shares with us is not only about the difficult decision to have weight loss surgery, but about her commitment to change. About how she found a way—a really fun way I should add—to sustain her weight loss and reconnect with herself again. To the woman she always knew she was, but had hidden away behind her weight.
Today she is vibrant and full of energy. I was lucky enough to get to talk with her on the phone and as her story unfolded, the passion and excitement in her voice began to rise as she got closer and closer to the part of the story when she takes up a new sport and falls in love with it. So I am beyond pleased that she agreed to write a guest post and share her story with you guys today.
Because change is possible. Living the life you’ve dreamed of is within reach. It’s not easy. And it’s full of challenges, but it’s also deeply satisfying and empowering. And Alexis is living proof. So I’ll let her take it from here.
late-blooming athlete: alexis duncan
Alexis todayI’ve never really considered myself an athlete and still have a hard time considering myself a fully fledged one. However, I’m certainly an aspiring one.
Although to some, I may seem young, I have experienced a lot of things that many don’t endure at a young age and it has only been in the last couple of years that I feel I’ve truly started living and figuring out who I am.
I had always been on the “heavier” side of what was considered normal for a girl/teenager/woman’s body. In high school, I was involved with dance team and that kept my activity level higher than normal and kept my weight in check somewhat. We practiced three days a week for about two hours each day. I enjoyed those practices because I loved to dance and to me it never felt like “working out.” It was always fun.
But without that “team” structure during my high school years, I would not have had the self discipline to be that active and my weight struggles would probably have started earlier than they did.
gaining weight
Alexis pre-surgeryWhen I went off to college, I had to adjust to a completely new lifestyle. Being away from home for the first time, making new friends, and adjusting to classes and my new life, any sort of activity fell far down on my priority list. And so the freshman 15… or 50 in my case, appeared.
I spent those four years unhappy with not only my body, but also with the way I looked and felt physically.
It affected my lifestyle, personality and quite frankly, my self-worth. In my senior year of college, I tried various diets and took advantage of a new recreation center that the university opened to jumpstart getting some activity into my life again. Over the course of three months, I lost about 25 pounds, but after that, I fell off track.
That pattern of getting motivated and doing something about it and then falling off track continued after graduation. And it got much worse once I joined the “real world.”
Between graduation in 2003 and early 2009, there was one life adjustment after another that resulted in a 100-pound weight gain over the course of six years.
In those six years, I had five different jobs (mainly within the same company), got married, my grandmother, who raised me, passed away, I separated from my then husband, reconciled with him (and ultimately divorced in late 2011), and finally in February 2009, my mother passed away while waiting for a liver transplant after falling ill about eight months prior.
I didn’t know how to adjust to everything that was going on in my life and the last thing that was on my mind was taking care of me. I felt so lost in life and felt like I had lost who I was as a person.
hitting rock bottom
Looking back, I spent the better part of six years depressed and too ashamed to admit it. I like to think of myself as an upbeat and happy person who, no matter what life throws at me, knows I won’t be given anything I can’t handle. But people that are truly happy, not only with life, but with themselves as well, do not become 305 pounds.
When my mother passed away, I hit rock bottom. I knew I had to regain control of what I could actually control in my life and put myself first. I had spent most of my entire life putting everyone else ahead of my own needs because I thought that’s what I needed to do to make them, and myself happy. I love doing things for others and it brings me great joy to do so, but I now understand that I can’t make anyone happy unless I’m truly happy with myself.
In the 10 years since I graduated from high school, I gave up physical activity, and have tried pretty much every diet out there. I knew I needed to find something that would bring some control into my life. I escaped the painful things going on in my life through the comfort of f food.
I was in control and successful in so many other areas of my life, but food controlled me. Over the years, I’d looked into weight loss surgery, but felt it was the easy way out. When I was faced with 305 pounds on the scale after my mother had passed away at the age of 51, I decided to look into surgery options again.
After much research and prayer, I decided to have adjustable gastric band surgery and on May 29, 2009 my new life began.
a fresh outlook on life
Alexis one year post-surgeryThe two and a half years since the surgery have been far from “the easy way out.” The gastric band has simply been a tool to control the amount of food I take in. It does not control what I decide to fuel my body with and it certainly does not get me going on whatever activity I choose to be doing. Those are all things that I have to be accountable for.
I very quickly learned that the lifestyle change in terms of food was only one part of the equation. Working out was also a huge part.
About six weeks after surgery, I was cleared to start working out. Some friends attended a local gym and worked out mid-day so I figured that would be a great way to get going. For the first six months after surgery, I worked out almost entirely at the gym. No trainers, no classes, just me and the treadmill, elliptical, stair stepper or whatever I felt up to that day. I was losing weight, feeling great mentally and slowly starting to feel better about my body.
Although my gym workouts were effective at first, I soon found myself getting bored and not as excited about working out. Both my workouts and the gym itself were starting to feel stale.
playing outside
Alexis falling in love with snowboardingIn early 2010, I started to workout a couple of times a week by running outside. Although I wasn’t the best and couldn’t go far, it felt fantastic to be outside. It made my workouts not feel like work at all.
No matter what the weather, just being able to see and hear new things each time I was out kept me motivated. Running in the springtime eventually led me to very beginner hikes during the summer.
But the time of year I absolutely love is winter.
I decided that I needed to marry my newfound love of being outside with my love of winter. I’d gone skiing one or two times a year up until I left for college and remembered how fun it was. I decided that I wanted to be back up on the mountain again, but this time to try something new.
I never set out with the intention of snowboarding as a way to be active. I just saw it as something new and exciting that I could try out that I wouldn’t have thought about attempting when I was 305 pounds.
first powder
First day on the slopesOn December 7th 2010, I took my first snowboarding lesson at Crystal Mountain, WA. I knew from the moment I strapped that rental board onto my feet that I was in love. Despite falling down more times than I could count and barely being able to move the next day, I had more fun that day than I had in longer than I could remember.
Within two weeks, I had my own gear. By the end of the season, I had 25 riding days under my belt. Now, into my second season, I have a season pass and will ride at any opportunity I can get.
I’m fortunate enough to live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest where there is an abundance of outdoor activities to choose from. I take joy in being outside doing the smallest thing such as taking my dog to the park and watching him enjoy all that nature has to offer. Even in the midst of my quads being on fire mid-run down a hill, I find such amazing peace and happiness being outside and being active.
finding gratitude and a new sense of self
Alexis hiking with her dog TuckerAnd being active outside reinforces for me that there is an amazing world out there and I’m just a small part of it. I am so lucky and thankful to be able to experience what our world has to offer. I haven’t stepped foot inside a gym in over a year and I’m okay with that. I’ve gained more insight into who I am and what I want out of life in the time that I’ve been able to be outdoors and just clear my head.
Losing 115 pounds over the past two years has given me the confidence to get out there and to try things that I might never have done before. Besides the snowboarding, I enjoy bike riding, hiking, longboarding, taking long walks with my dog and even went jet skiing this summer (and I’m scared of water!).
With the lost weight, I’ve gained back so much more: confidence, self-respect, control, happiness, integrity. When it comes down to it, I got my life back.
bonus questions
This is Amy again. I’m always curious about what motivates and inspires others, so when I get these late-blooming athlete stories, I have three questions I always ask. Here is what Alexis had to say:
What motivates you?
Alexis playing outsideThinking of that 305 pound woman and how sad she was with herself and the lifestyle she was living is what motivates me.
I speak about myself like that because I feel like I was leading another life. I finally feel like I am becoming the person that I always knew I was. In my core, I’ve always been kind and generally upbeat, but I’m becoming someone who puts themselves first, not to be selfish, but to be selfless. I’ve found that happiness starts with me. No one else or nothing else can make me happy. You have to take care of you first.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by people who have overcome adversity in their life and have learned to roll with the punches and don’t let themselves become “victims” in life.
There are so many people out there that have had things happen to them (injuries, sickness, etc.) that are so much worse than what’s gone on in my life and they’ve taken that and it’s driven them to make themselves better. I admire that. It not only inspires me to be better physically, but mentally to just be a good person as well.
What’s Next?
Rippin' it up at Crystal MountainQuite honestly, over the past few years, I’ve learned to not really plan my life too far ahead because you never really know what could happen and those plans that you thought you wanted may not pan out.
For now, I just plan to continue to do things that make me happy and healthy. I most certainly plan to continue snowboarding and I hope that I’m able to do so until I no longer can. I want to continue to push myself and become the best that I possibly can be at the sport while still having fun. I’d also love to get more into hiking in the summer to keep me conditioned for the winter.
And finally, I just want to continue to be aware of how I’m treating my body, checking in with myself and ensure that I am, in fact, taking care of myself and if I happened to lose another 20 pounds or so in the process that would be great.
You can connect with Alexis on facebook or read more about her weight loss journey on her blog.
welcome
If you’re new here, welcome. You guys are awesome.
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Reader Comments (3)
I think Alexis is so brave to be interviewed and have her story posted here when most people would say the surgery is the easy way out (and possibly ridicule her for it). Only we (meaning ourselves) can know our bodies and what is best for them. I think that it is awesome that the surgery has opened up new doors and that she is discovering a new life filled with activity and richness in outdoor experiences. What is even more beautiful, is the story of how a woman grew. She saw a problem in her life, and she did something about it, and changed the trajectory of it! Bravo, Alexis!
I agree with Anna, it's great to read these stories about people really taking hold of their lives and changing for the better. It's such a hard thing to do, to really look yourself over and acknowledge what you need to do. One of my really close friends whom I've known since I was 12, has lost 140 lbs over the past 4 years and has struggled with his weight going up and down nearly his whole life. He recently moved to Denver, CO and is at his lowest weight to date. What's better, he's about to go snowboarding for the first time in almost a decade! My hat goes off to Alexis and everyone who has seen adversity in their lives and had the courage to overcome it.
Anna & John - Thanks so much for stopping by offering support and encouragement. It's much appreciated.