Taryn Buckley
Taryn Buckley, 28, Gainesville, FL, Outreach Coordinator for the Florida Caribbean AIDS Education & Training Center, married with one son
Tell about your transformation over the past couple of years: I was an active kid. Played competitive travel soccer from 3rd-12th grade and loved it. I could have played in college, but really wanted freedom to do my own thing. So I came to UF for academics and REALLY let myself go. My freshman 15 was a Freshman 50. It didn’t stop there. Every year, I gained a little more weight until I hit 280. I then did one of those stupid weight loss clinics and lost about 97 pounds in 6 months. Biggest mistake of my life. My metabolism has changed so much. I developed new food allergies, suffer from debilitating stomach ulcers and I think those shots I was getting has something to do with a new testosterone increase in my body. I gained the weight back slowly, and then got pregnant with my first child and found it hard to get back down. By the end of 2012 I was back up to 293.
In 2013, I was lucky to get selected by Giggle Magazine as one of six contestants in the Big Weight Loss Challenge. Part of this amazing opportunity was 16 weeks of free personal training sessions with Dan Griffin at SweatLife Fitness. He brought back that competitive athlete spirit that I thought I had lost forever. I now eat clean (80% of the time), exercise five to six days a week and have found my new passion: RUNNING distance races!
Taryn crossing the runDisney Princess Half Marathon finish line.
Fitzness.com
What inspired your decision to get fit and lose weight? My son. He needs his mom to be around as long as possible, and needs her to be happy while she’s around! I also want to have more kids, but want to get down to a healthy weight before I start that journey. My next goal is to have a fit, healthy pregnancy.
How much have you lost? I’m down 63 pounds since January 2013.
How did you take up running? I actually LOATHED running, but it was one of those personal “markers” for me that I knew if I could complete a half marathon, I knew I had finally “made it” to a healthy lifestyle. I was determined to achieve that fitness goal.
Taryn and Fitz at the runDisney Enchanted 10K
How many and what kind of races have you completed so far? I’ve completed four half marathons. One of them was the Glass Slipper Challenge (19.3 miles, 10k on Saturday followed by the half marathon on Sunday) and that was a great endurance test. Crossing that finish line was priceless. I have six half marathons on deck, all culminating with my race in Disneyland, California in August for my runDisney Coast to Coast medal!
Which race was your favorite? The runDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon. I mean, where else can you finish a race and then eat/drink around the world until the wee hours of the morning? Combining a running event with my favorite Disney event basically ensures I’m there!
What else do you do for fitness? I love to cross train. I mix it up every week. Usually Tues/Thurs/Sat are my running days so the other days are fair game for group fitness classes like Zumba, Body Pump, Yoga and Spinning. You can’t get bored if you always mix it up!
How do your present eating habits compare to your old? I’m better! Being good 80% of the time is hard, but do-able. It’s easy to not eat crappy, just don’t buy it. I easily give in to temptations like cookies and brownies, so I simply don’t buy those items and bring them in my house. I’ll devour them – in one sitting. I do have a “Treat yo’self Saturday” rule, where if I was a good girl for the week, I’m allowed to have a crazy (don’t count my calories or tell my trainer) day.
Taryn’s son Xavier loves to run, just like Mommy.
Fitzness
Describe the old, unfit Taryn: Tired, embarrassed, ashamed.
Describe the new fit you: Happy. Proud. Motivating.
Favorite training song: “Let it Go” from Frozen. Reminds me of my three year-old singing and always brings a smile to my face, and what a good message for when you feel like quitting! “It’s funny how some distance makes everything seem small and the fears that once controlled me, can’t get to me at all!” (gives me goosebumps every time I hear that line during a long run!)
Favorite healthy food: Quinoa Meatballs which are ground beef, corn, onion, peppers and cooked quinoa all rolled into a ball. Put in oven at 350 for 35 minutes… delish and filling.
Favorite unhealthy food: Brownies.. Cookies… sugar is basically my devil.
How do you include your family in your new fit lifestyle? We train together! My son LOVES to run the warm up and cool down with us. He rocks out in the stroller to my playlist the rest of the run.
Advice for others hoping to lose a major amount of weight? Make a vision board. Write out your goals and have those reminders staring you in the face daily. You’ll inevitably fall off the wagon (time, money, family obligations, health) and that’s fine… just get back to the drawing board and start up again. Also, use one day a week to plan. Plan your weekly menu and exercises. It’s easier to follow a plan than it is to make it up as you go. Also, the earlier you can exercise the better. Sometimes our days are too busy and the last thing we want to do is to go to the gym at 6:30pm. Get it over with in the morning… and it’ll help you make healthier choices throughout the day!
What’s next for you? I’ve got these pesky 25 pounds to lose and then onto a healthy, fit pregnancy! Oh… and six half marathons and probably one full marathon before January 2015. 🙂
