Amy Gambler

How old are you?

47

Where do you live?

Reading, PA, USA

What is your history with sports and athletics?

I have never really been an athlete. I played soccer as a middle/high school student. I threw the javelin, shot put, and discus in high school. I was on the swim team for two seasons as a youngster. I took gymnastics lessons as a youngster. During my senior year of high school, I was struggling with some stressful situations and started eating to numb that pain. That is when I stopped moving my body. I steadily gained weight, reaching my highest in 2002 at 311 lbs.

I was never really a natural athlete. I always did okay but always had to push myself. I recently had an underwater swim evaluation done to see what I needed to do to fix my swim stroke. The coach said to me “Wow, if all my swimmers had an ounce of your work ethic and commitment.” I pretty much was swimming all wrong but I was going at it with gusto!

What do you enjoy most about being an athlete?

I enjoy being able to move. I didn’t move for so long so now to be able to run, swim, bike, and walk are wonderful and I very much enjoy all these activities. We go for hikes and sometimes I can talk my hubby into renting a kayak. I still don’t really have a lot of athletic ability but I work hard, push myself and set goals for myself to achieve. I had weight loss surgery in 2002 and lost 110 lbs, but I never fixed the mental side of weight so I ended up gaining about 80 lbs of that back. In my mid 30’s I started with walking, then I joined a gym and found water aerobics. One day I was looking over at the lap lanes watching people go back and forth and remembered that I had been on a swim team many moons ago. The one day, while virtually nobody else was at the pool, I sneaked over to the lap lane to see if I could swim. I swam a few laps and then went home to take a nap! I started to see the benefit of moving my body and started with tiny steps. Had a few bumps along the way (neck surgery) and a couple of periods of deep depression. In 2017, I had a major cancer scare that scared me into facing my weight issues. More on that later!

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Have you experienced any challenges or obstacles?

Being 311 lbs is a huge obstacle. My body hurt all the time, I physically couldn’t do much. I honestly felt like my body was so broken and messed up that I would never be able to be better. I fought these thoughts and feelings for decades. I also have major eating issues: carb addiction, binge eating, extreme overeating. I was stuck in a continual cycle of self-sabotage that I just couldn’t break free from. Again, I felt like I was doomed to just be this way. I have since been working with a food coach and she has taught me much about that mental side of eating and weight.

My other major obstacle is finances. I seem to want the athletic life that I can’t afford! That gets me frustrated sometimes.

My family (husband and sons) are very supportive of me. I seriously have the best husband on the planet!

I did hire a coach to train me for my first triathlon and he taught me much! Since then, I have been on my own. Covid certainly derailed many of my plans as both my races were cancelled this year. Had a momentary blip of depression about that and finally got my behind moving forward again! My biggest weakness is strength training/conditioning. I feel like I never have a good plan for that.

What is your “Why?”

My why…I come from severe childhood trauma – much abuse within my biological family was taken from my parents at age 4, in foster homes for several years. I was eventually adopted at age 8. Went through a name change as a 7-year-old, identity was lost from the trauma. I had packaged up my trauma into a nice little box and shoved it in the back of my closet for decades. I worked so hard to not be what I had come from that I had spent almost no time in figuring out who I was. In fact, as a child, my adoptive parents were told that my chance of having a ‘normal’ functioning adult life was very low. They said I would probably be heavily medicated and possibly institutionalized because of all the trauma I had suffered. My parents never accepted that diagnosis for me. They did their best to help me be a success in life. In my mid 30’s, I ended up in intensive therapy and things started to slowly change for me. In 2017, I had a cancer scare that really woke me up. I had to have a hysterectomy because I was having all sorts of health issues. My dr sat me down and told me that I needed to get my weight issues under control because if I didn’t, the food, weight, and eating was going to kill me. I came home, cried for 3 days, but knew this dr was absolutely right! I started out slowly, trying to figure out what to do to tackle the weight. The more I dug, read, and tried to understand, the deeper I got into a radical type of eating. I’ve gone through many different types of eating plans but finally have landed the plane on a lean protein, low carb, lots of veggies plan. That seems to be the magic combo for my body because I am about 58 lbs from my goal weight. My why is because I have to. I have to continue to overcome trauma, heal, and push myself to be stronger. I continually work at being kind to myself yet push myself to grow into what I am meant to be in this life. Still trying to carve out what I am meant to be doing – maybe a new career. I am feeling led to pursue something to give back.

What’s next?

To date, I have completed 2 sprint triathlons and lots of shorter runs (5K and 8K runs). I am currently doing a lot of road cycling and recently started taking classes on track cycling. That’s a whole new world! Talk about fear – 1 bike, no brakes, no gears, and driving up concrete walls – but I am loving it as much as I fear it! Career-wise – I am still trying to figure out what I am to be doing. I spent over 20 years in the world of finance, got out of that 5 years ago. I currently homeschool my 2 teenage boys, work part-time and love to exercise.

My bestie and I started a support group at our church for women who have been through sexual trauma. She and I can both speak to the struggles involved with this. I am feeling led to do something related to this. Continually working on my own healing in this area (and other areas of trauma) while seeking God’s will for my life.

Any fun facts about yourself?

I am super quirky! I love Christian hard rock/heavy metal but at the same time love Broadway musicals! I have a purple belt in Tai Kwon Do. I have a crazy sense of adventure. If I had my own way, we’d be living in our trailer, traveling the country and seeing the world. I am discovering that I am a true wild spirit. I love the outdoors, like to play in rain puddles, walk on the beach and study history. I love all things British – I even drive an amazingly cute Mini named Phoebe! I love French Bulldogs (any smooshy faced dog) and would have an entire pack of them if my hubby would let me! I am a total sucker for underdog movies and books. I am also a voracious reader and obsessed with documentaries! I can also be super impulsive like when I decided I was done with hair and shaved my head. Totally loved and rocked that look for almost 2 years. Having a shaved head sure comes in handy for triathlons! Just a hint to other ladies struggling with long hair – just buzz it off!

Do you have any advice for someone interested in getting started?

Just take one step at a time. It doesn’t matter how big or small your body is, you can move. The more you do, the better and easier it gets. Fear is something we allow to keep us stuck! It must be faced and embraced to overcome it. Ask questions, you won’t learn anything unless you ask. Celebrate the scale victories as the weight comes off, but you need to embrace the many, many non-scale victories. People who have never struggled with weight don’t get how amazing it is to discover bones in your body. I love my collar bones, ankle bones and my bony knees! They were hidden for far too many years!

This next statement is me in the nutshell and I mean it with all my heart – if anyone ever needs someone to chat with about getting started, I am the one! I will gladly walk alongside anyone who needs help, even if it’s just a buddy who will listen. I will cheer you on as you train and accomplish. I can encourage you to set goals and achieve those goals! Like I said earlier, I am always fighting for the underdog because I am one!

Any other comments you’d like to share?

Thank you for this opportunity. I appreciate the chance to share a bit of my story.