“Getting To Know You…”

After my influx of new followers, I feel like I owe you all a little back story about me. You can find most of this in the My story section of my blog, and for before and after pictures, just go here. But I want to get to know you all, so here’s a little about me.

I started losing weight in June of 2005. When I gained the courage to finally step on a scale, it said I weighed 295 pounds. My initial goal was to lose 100 lbs. I didn’t know if I could ever get there, but I wanted to.

At my heaviest I wore a size 22/24. Shirts were mostly size XL with some 2XL’s thrown in there. I was unhappy with my life and how I looked.

I can clearly remember the day that kicked off my weight loss; I was eating a juicy cheeseburger and fries at work, and my former co-worker Tim walked in and said, “Why are you eating that crap?” It was like a slap in the face. I don’t think I had an answer for him, but I do know that at that specific moment I set in motion changes for my life that I still follow today.

As of October 3, 2011 I have lost half of my starting weight. I have lost 147.5 pounds. The same number that I currently weigh. I went from a size 22/24 to a size 8, in somethings I am even a size 6! I used to wear 2xl shirts, now I wear a XS or S shirt. I never thought I could get to this point. But here I am! And what a ride it has been!

Everyday, people ask me how I did it. How did I lose such a significant amount of weight? They hold their breath, waiting for me to spill a secret about a special drug or a new surgery. But I didn’t do any of those things. It is simple: to lose weight you have to eat less and move more. It isn’t easy, but its so worth it.

The first month that I started eating less I had a wicked heartburn. I took tums every night. Now my stomach has shrunk, and I don’t produce as much stomach acid, so no more heartburn!

Recently, I told my mom that I had an epiphany: for me, food isn’t “fun” anymore, its just fuel. When I say “fun” I mean, I don’t get all excited to eat cookies and ice cream and treats, or go eat at a specific restaurant to eat a “bad” food. Food is there to fuel my body so that I can run a half-marathon. Its there to keep me going, not make me happy!

I hope this helps someone!

Have a great day friends!