Roughly 16 months and 113 pounds ago, Kimberly Flowers struggled to get out of chairs, to walk up the stairs. On July 4, she’ll participate for the first time in The Atlanta-Journal Constitution Peachtree Road Race.
Flowers has been an accountant at Howard Brothers in Duluth for the past 17 years. But she was fighting an internal war: She weighed 307 pounds. For the second consecutive year, her doctor advised her to take action. Flowers had knee problems and a diabetic family history. Moving around had become a chore. The doctor said if circumstances didn’t change, Flowers should consider bariatric surgery.
“I turned that notion down flat,” she said. “I absolutely didn’t want bariatric surgery, but it got me moving.”
Flowers, who lives in Duluth, decided to regain control of her life again, starting her mission a month following that meeting. After extensive research, she sought out Mike Hardy, owner of Medical Fitness and Wellness Group in Johns Creek, in February 2016. As her trainer and nutritionist, Hardy played an integral part in Flowers’ life-altering year from the day she met him.
“I have not looked back from that point,” Flowers said. “He’s critical to my support system. He’s extremely knowledgeable. He worked diligently to correct my posture, balance. I was losing my balance consistently. We’ve seen, even in the first month, significant change.”
Hardy corrected her posture and balance before diving deep into personal training. He put her on a nutrition plan that stabilized her blood sugar and energized her metabolism. She was walking trails by April. She set an “aggressive” goal to lose 50 pounds by her 50th birthday in July, and she reached that mark a week early.
Flowers braved the cold in her first 5K in November: the Glow Out the Dark 5K in Gainesville, a run supporting SAFFT, which helps foster children, their families and caregivers, according to its website.
Since then, she’s done six additional races. Tracy Hawkins is Flowers’ teaching leader at her Bible study group. Hawkins is a frequent AJC Peachtree Road Race runner, and suggested if Flowers ever reached the condition, she should join.
Flowers ramped up her 5K times. She did her first 10K in September, which made her realize doing the AJC Peachtree Road Race was realistic.
“I’m thankful they chose me in the lottery,” she said. “I’m thankful I can participate this year for the first time. I’m really looking forward to the buzz of all the people being there. It’s going to be crazy.”
Fellow Bible study member and walking partner Heni Jordan will join Flowers in the AJC Peachtree Road Race. Jordan and Flowers have been friends for 20 years. When Flowers mentioned doing the race, Jordan was quick to say she wanted to join her.
“During each race that we’ve done together … she’s a cheerleader,” Flowers said. “She does that for me every step of the way. … When I talked about the Peachtree, she said let’s do it together. She walks, lives and breathes encouragement.”
At one point, Flowers was losing around 10 pounds per month. When in January she had lost 100 pounds, a friend treated her to a “once in a lifetime” trip to Costa Rica.
Flowers has lost 113 pounds and 104.75 inches. She’s in the last phase of her process, about 44 pounds to go. There’s been plateaus, with the most recent one coming in the past two and a half months. But the inches are declining, and Flowers said the weight is starting to move.
Her largest obstacle has been going from no activity to maintaining an exercising schedule.
“Putting exercise on your daily belt,” Flowers said. “Getting to the point where you crave it. I believe I’ve gotten to that that point, but you just have to keep doing it and putting it high on the priority list. Part of my mantra has been ‘reach higher.’”
She exercises four or five times a week, and her body now notifies her if she goes to long without exercise. She said the process has completely changed her outlook and provides a “whole different concept” from her past life. She thanked her parents, Hardy and others for their role in her journey. Religion, especially, has been her motivation’s foundation.
“It is the most important role in this,” she said. “The strength that it takes to change everything about how I eat and move can’t be done by me alone. God was the charging force of everything I did. He took every step with me on the trails, with me every bite I took. I couldn’t have done this without him guiding me.
“… Thankful doesn’t begin to describe how I feel being able to participate in this year’s AJC Peachtree Road Race. My participation marks a milestone along my path. I am changed forever because of the journey of health and fitness God has put me on over the last thirteen months. I will never live the way I did before, but I will not forget it. I am truly blessed indeed.”
