I am so freaking proud of myself!!

mclainj2

Seven years ago my mom paid for all of her children and grandchildren to go on a family vacation. It should have been the vacation of a lifetime - there was hiking, rafting, sleeping under the stars at night, and wonderful gourmet meals cooked for us every breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

But I was too heavy to do most of the activities. Of course I ate. And ate. But no hiking for me. And very little rafting - I was too embarrassed to put on a swimsuit. I stayed in camp with Mom (who was 80+ years old) and read, or did crossword puzzles.

Five years ago I decided to reclaim my life and lost 75 pounds. In early May of 2025, I took the same vacation with my husband. And I hiked and hiked. I rafted - and slept naked under the stars, because I love my new body.

Keeping the weight off has not been easy. My job is very stressful, and I am a stress eater. But memories of early May will keep me on track. I will admit that I gained 3 pounds during the vacation (those gourmet meals, you know), but have already gotten rid of 2 of them. Life is so much better in a size 8.

cath8canary

I'm proud of you too, and most of all I'm sharing your joy of that awesome healthy feeling. It sounds like you've recaptured what a vacation can be. How awesome that you made that experience possible for yourself and your husband!

springlering62

I absolutely love this. Go, you!!

mrosbach

This is a wonderful story of self-love! If you ever find yourself in a slump and need more motivation, I recommend googling Dr. Daniel Amen's One Page Miracle! It's a free .pdf document that helps you simplify and concisely write out your "why" for wanting to be healthy — it's been a life-changing tool for thousands of people, including me! All the best to you. :)

nanbaker7496

Great job! Congratulations!

IMClll

Awesome! Liberating im Sure! Congrats!

Katsember

Well done @mclainj2! Thank you for sharing! Curious, what is your job? As for stress eating, a trick for that (since you seem to know yourself) is to trade it for something healthy. A walk, a chat with a friend, or if you simply MUST eat, just choose something healthy instead. In the end, I think your motivation to feel better will win out.

Ilovecookies2001

I love this. I love that you love your new body enough to sleep naked under the stars. I want to feel that way again. Thanks for the inspiration.

USMC_MTBr

Nicely done! Way to reclaim your life!

I traded stress eating for stress exercise…even if it's just a walk, getting outside and touching grass has an amazing effect on our overall mental/physical health!

atehara708

Great story! Motivating for sure!

DiscusTank5

Well done!!!

gracehardingx

Good for you! In this world, we often are criticized for wanting to be thin, or enjoying being thin, or "glamorizing" being thin, but I love what you said here about being able to love your body and be confident and agile in your physicality. Very cool! Proud of you, internet stranger. :)

Vikera

This is so lovely! I agree with you. When you love the body you FOUGHT for, even little set backs won't phase you. You know now that you are capable of amazing things!

agzr

So awesome!!