110lbs down 20 months

I_am_nk

I wanted to share this to MFP forums since MFP has been a cornerstone in my success.
I had become more and more depressed my last 2 years of college. After graduation I had an incredibly difficult time the first year with my job search, things were looking grim and I fell into a deep depression. January 2014 came and like everyone else I was determined to make a change. I no longer wanted the depression, anxiety, and bad thoughts to have control over my life. This year was going to be different, I was going to make the change to positive thoughts and being the best version of myself I could be.

That was the start of my long journey and I had no idea how difficult it would be. Just a few months in my relationship of 5+ years had rapidly deteriorated into a negative aspect of my life. Over time people change, the person I wanted to be was just not compatible with the person my SO had become. It upsets me to this day. I didn't want to slide back into old habits so I kept up with my goals and tried to remain positive.

A few months later a mentor and neighbor of mine, the man who may have been the most responsible for me earning my degree passed from brain cancer. I decided to return to school and finish two Associate's Degrees. During this time a long time professor of mine encouraged me to apply to graduate school for Demography. I set up a meeting with the head of the Department and a professor of mine and felt we had a great meeting and I was excited to apply. They also connected me with a few students in the program that I could talk to and get an idea of how things would be. January of this year comes around and I had filled out approximately 100 applications and 1 grad school application. As it would turn out I would be rejected from grad school. But I didn't just give up. I emailed the faculty supervisor of the grad program and pleaded my case. Twice. No response. I stuck to my plan and focused on my goals and never missed a day of calorie counts and workouts.

Most recently the family dog, Tucker, passed away at only 6 years old from lymphoma. It was a very difficult time for me and my family but I stayed determined not to let myself slip back and lose all the progress I felt Ive made. I am still determined to improve my grad school resume and reapply for the Demography program as currently I am about to finish my third Associate's Degree in addition to my Bachelor's. I have also begun working with a career counselor and to date have filled out ~120 applications on USA jobs and ~2 dozen private companies. To fill my time I also love to read and read about 3 books a month, currently I am finishing my last two Malcolm Gladwell books. Currently I am working full time as an electrician and going to school, working with my professor on my grad resume, and my career counselor on my professional life. It has been difficult to keep from sliding back into the depressive person I once was. I have to remind myself to stay positive and think about how far I have come, and who I want to be.

my reddit post

queenliz99

Hard work is what it takes and amazing transformation!! Good for you!! Thanks for sharing

deluxmary2000

Congrats - you look great! Things will work out with your career. You seem determined and intelligent - just keep going.

ajgordo150

Congratulations and keep trying

woznube7

@I_am_nk, You have moved mountains and you just have to keep on climbing. Fantastic job. Be proud of yourself!

jeanniebeanie59

Wow!! you should be so proud of yourself ... a big inspiration to me this morning!!

Nettabee

You've done an amazing job despite all that you've been through. You should be so proud and definitely keep pushing for your goals!

MissFlawed

Keep on going, you are a true inspiration!! (And a true hottie if I may say so)

NextPage

Well done - you have a great mind set and a solid support system. The world is yours!

austinsneeze

Holy crap you look awesome

shrinkingletters

Holy crap! You killed it!

Neshmi

Pretty serious amount of dedication right there. Awesome transformation.

Any grad program, or company for that matter, will be lucky to get you.

ToshaLyn

You are a complete inspiration. Congrats on all of your success.

believeinme0430

You are a true inspiration. Keep moving forward you have soo many great things to come

alltheweigh170

What an accomplishment! Wish you the best with your plans.

youmeandthesea

Congrats on your success! Amazing transformation!

cmsu64113

Insane! Great job man!!!

karyabc

OMG I can't begin to tell you how much I can relate to your post , I'm so glad you are staying strong ! You are the definition of awesome \O/ #bravo

LisaPrust

OH MY GOSH !!! Awesome job! You should be so proud of your self--the hard work, the determination not to give in to despair even tho you have been so tempted! Your story is a beautiful inspiration! Thanks for sharing with us!

tgiggles

Omg I can so relate, except I am not looking this good...yet. my dad passed away from brain cancer, I graduated with my MBA with a concentration in health care administration... since May I have applied to at least 150 jobs but I've only been getting good calls back for sales jobs... my husband is the only one working and he is working towards his bachelor's in accounting right now.... life is so stressful, but I've learned to pray let Go and Let God... sounds cliché I know but that's what I'm doing and working on my physical self. Great post and thank you!

soldiergrl_101

I_am_nk wrote: »

I wanted to share this to MFP forums since MFP has been a cornerstone in my success.
I had become more and more depressed my last 2 years of college. After graduation I had an incredibly difficult time the first year with my job search, things were looking grim and I fell into a deep depression. January 2014 came and like everyone else I was determined to make a change. I no longer wanted the depression, anxiety, and bad thoughts to have control over my life. This year was going to be different, I was going to make the change to positive thoughts and being the best version of myself I could be.

That was the start of my long journey and I had no idea how difficult it would be. Just a few months in my relationship of 5+ years had rapidly deteriorated into a negative aspect of my life. Over time people change, the person I wanted to be was just not compatible with the person my SO had become. It upsets me to this day. I didn't want to slide back into old habits so I kept up with my goals and tried to remain positive.

A few months later a mentor and neighbor of mine, the man who may have been the most responsible for me earning my degree passed from brain cancer. I decided to return to school and finish two Associate's Degrees. During this time a long time professor of mine encouraged me to apply to graduate school for Demography. I set up a meeting with the head of the Department and a professor of mine and felt we had a great meeting and I was excited to apply. They also connected me with a few students in the program that I could talk to and get an idea of how things would be. January of this year comes around and I had filled out approximately 100 applications and 1 grad school application. As it would turn out I would be rejected from grad school. But I didn't just give up. I emailed the faculty supervisor of the grad program and pleaded my case. Twice. No response. I stuck to my plan and focused on my goals and never missed a day of calorie counts and workouts.

Most recently the family dog, Tucker, passed away at only 6 years old from lymphoma. It was a very difficult time for me and my family but I stayed determined not to let myself slip back and lose all the progress I felt Ive made. I am still determined to improve my grad school resume and reapply for the Demography program as currently I am about to finish my third Associate's Degree in addition to my Bachelor's. I have also begun working with a career counselor and to date have filled out ~120 applications on USA jobs and ~2 dozen private companies. To fill my time I also love to read and read about 3 books a month, currently I am finishing my last two Malcolm Gladwell books. Currently I am working full time as an electrician and going to school, working with my professor on my grad resume, and my career counselor on my professional life. It has been difficult to keep from sliding back into the depressive person I once was. I have to remind myself to stay positive and think about how far I have come, and who I want to be.

my reddit post

Hello cutie, you were cute either way but now dam! haha

ishepelska

Where is the jaw-dropping emoticon?

Your story is very inspiring. Wishing you luck

I_am_nk

Thanks for all your replies!

chesnity3

Great job!