Transformation Diary (Pics)

Thank you so much everyone!

Reading your replies made my week

Are your eyes blue or brown? In the photos the before pics they are blue and the after is brown... Did you get brown contacts?

Haha, yeah. I had blue contacts!

After a year of wearing them best friend (and now boyfriend) convinced me to trash them and embrace the color I was born with.

I don't know if it's worth mentioning but... When I was heavier, I had such low self-confidence about my image. Everything from my hair, my eyes, my pale-skin... I went so far as to bleach my hair half blonde/half brown (was going for Christina Perri... looked like Cruella Deville), wore contacts, and tried fake-bake tanning garbage. And as for the weight? I wore big clothes to try to "hide" under.

Losing the weight, and seeing what I looked like towards my goal-weight, really helped me to embrace my "natural" look. Down to my dark hair, pale-skin, and dark eyes.

My boyfriend really helped me along my journey to see that as well... I was so stubborn about it.

You are my new thinspo! Wanna share your secrets? ;_;

Trust me, I've regained some of the pudge But... Happy to report I am gaining muscle and strength, too. Training 3-4x a week is paying off.


But for my first shot at losing the weight...

I had small goals. Real expectations. No crash-dieting.
I adopted the Paleo-diet: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/10/04/the-beginners-guide-to-the-paleo-diet/
Did about two rounds of the program "Insanity" before I started mountain climbing and jogging regularly.
Drinking a gallon (yes, a GALLON of water) per day -- periodically throughout the day. Not in one sitting - you can die from water poisoning.
I gave up soda, fast-food, bread, most grains... Made subtle changes SLOWLY at a time. Not all at once.

When I got ill and lost those 20lbs... It sucked. My skin got droopy from rapid weight-loss, I had no lean muscle mass, and was in a genuine starvation mode. Doctors resorted to a liquid diet (Boost) since my body rejected everything else.

Right now I am addicted to weight-lifting and will be starting X-Fit soon. I am still 30-35lbslbs heavier than goal-weight because I gained from being able to eat solids again. My appetite is also in crave-galore right now because my body missed eating. But it's exciting to see my body transforming and getting stronger with each session. The fat is being stubborn (as expected from a metabolic damage)... But am just seeing my body starting to sculpt in places like my back, arms, legs, thighs, butt, and shoulders... Weight-lifting has definitely been the most beneficial by far, and appears to burn more calories even after you stop weight-training than cardio alone according to my HRM.

I've also taking some natural supplements that some may not agree with me on... Such as the 2 tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar/ 1 tsp cayenne pepper / 1 tablespoon of ginger / 8oz of water mix. It the most disgusting mix ever. But it helped me with food digestion after meals and has reported (but unproven) benefits. Most beneficial if you drink before meals. Like I said... Not proven. Do your own research on that one and check with your physician -- it may affect glucose levels and certain medications-- which is important for diabetics to be aware of.

Congratulations!! You do not even look like the same person. BEAUTIFUL!!! Also, I loved that you showed the time frame on your pictures. Helps everyone see there is no quick fix and it does not happen overnight. It's hard work and takes time. YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!

Yes, yes, yes,. I want to promote to everyone it doesn't happen overnight. It's a long journey. I'm human, and I screw up more often than I'd like to admit... Key? Never give up. Easier said than done when you are doing all the right things and the scale is at a halt or even goes backwards.

Can't tell you how many times I wanted to go hulk-smash on it