Seven years ago Christian never could have imagined that he would soon run a marathon or be seen by those around him as a motivated athlete. The road to becoming a fit, healthier version of himself was not always easy – but Christian succeeded and tells us here how he reinvented himself.
“I feel much better in my body now.”
I was a chubby kid, and over the years, I just kept putting on weight. In 2015 I got on the scale and had hit 180 kg. My son was four years old at the time. He was actually the one who inspired me. I didn’t want him to be ashamed of me. Plus, I wanted to be a good role model.
“I was out of breath after climbing just three stairs.”
When I decided to lose weight, I started with walks that gradually got longer and faster. That’s how I eventually started running. I liked this kind of exercise and the positive effect on my health so much that I focused more and more on jogging and regularly set my goals higher:
“Getting in shape is not a goal – it’s an attitude.”
When I decided to lose weight, I started with walks that gradually got longer and faster. That’s how I eventually started running. I liked this kind of exercise so much and the positive effect on my health that I focused more and more on jogging and regularly set my goals higher:
- In 2016 I finally managed to run 10 km at once.
- One year later I was celebrating my first half marathon.
- With an ambitious training plan I made another dream come true in September 2019: I ran the BMW Berlin-Marathon.
“Nothing changes until you change yourself. Then suddenly everything changes.”
A lot depends on your environment when you decide to lose weight. I was lucky that my lifestyle change was welcomed with enthusiasm. Some people may have secretly thought that I couldn’t really change. But I am proving to these people that change is possible and worth the effort. Exercise is not a necessary evil anymore – I love to work out and it is contagious. Many of my friends and colleagues started running too and come to me for advice.
“Anyone can achieve great things if they believe in themselves and don’t give up!”
Running changed my life. Today – after losing 80 kg around my middle – I work out every day and alternate between strength and endurance training. Instructions and tips from blog posts combined with workouts and training plans in the adidas Training app and adidas Running app helped me stick with it and stay motivated.
Seeing and feeling the progress in my daily life is an incredible feeling that I wouldn’t want to give up. In this process, I also learned that you can’t only listen to your ambition. You also have to pay attention to your body. All of my motivation and enthusiasm led me to an overuse injury, which forced me to skip a planned marathon in 2018. It was a small setback that taught me to always listen to my body and never give up.
I lost the first 75 kg between the spring of 2015 and the summer of 2016. After that, I plateaued until the spring of 2020. That was followed by a phase of weight gain to 125 kilograms until just before Christmas of 2020. I had fallen victim to the famous yo-yo effect, triggered by a stress-related burnout. I had gained another 20 kilos. I was able to climb out of this hole by spring 2021, shedding not just the 20 kgs from 2020 but an additional 5 kilos. I had lost a total of 80 kilos, bringing me down to my magic number: 100 kilograms.
Now I weigh 100 kg and feel much healthier and more confident. I would never have managed it if I hadn’t been persistent and disciplined.
If you are at the beginning of changing your life like I did, start slowly, and don’t get discouraged! “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” The first step is always the hardest, but it’s also the most important. Only those who dare to take this first step will reach the finish line.
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