Kara Richardson Whitely realized she needed to live her life right now and not wait until she reached her ideal. She hiked Mt. Kilimanjaro three times, weighing as much as 300 lbs. when she made the trek.
She lost more than 120 lbs. and made the first trip up the mountain to celebrate. She gained back half that weight during her pregnancy. Her second attempt up the mountain was unsuccessful; she hadn't addressed the reasons for her overeating and it got in her way.
For the third climb, she accepted herself as is. Strength and stamina training at 300 lbs., she pushed past the emotions and made it up the mountain. She was physically active, which really helped her reach her goal.
Kara has three pieces of advice for listeners:
- Love yourself where you are. Stop hating your body.
- Don't look at yourself as a before-and-after photo. Build strength so you can do the things you love.
- Bet on yourself. Push for your own success.
Author and motivational speaker, Kara Richardson Whitely, delivers brave, honest, and empowering messages. Kara hiked Mount Kilimanjaro three times while weighing as much as 300 pounds. Her book Fat Woman on the Mountain published by Whitely in 2010 and the follow-up Gorge was published by Seal Press in Spring 2015. It has been called one of “Five Fabulous, Possibly Life-Changing Books” by Redbook magazine. Kara is a recent winner of an Independent Press Award. She just returned from speaking at Google in the Bay Area and the WOW expo north of Boston.