My story 1 year later....

I started using MFP in April 2012 when a couple of my coworkers told me about it. I reached my goal weight this week, so I figured it was time to tell my story.

I remember always being the chubby girl in school. I remember when a friend asked me what my fat roll was (I was around 8 probably) I told her it was extra skin. Like I was really going to tell her it was fat?! I had to come up with something. I was never obese but I was always the chubby girl.

At 19 I gave birth to my oldest son and became a single mom. I was a mess. During my pregnancy I gained 60 pounds. When my son was born and his father left, I did not have the time or money to take care of myself the way I should. I slipped into a depression. My mental state was really bad for a long time. I was nowhere near the best mom in the world. I would "self medicate" with alcohol and some drugs. I looked for acceptance from men and thus had some terrible abusive relationships. When I hit rock bottom, I found myself addicted to anything that would take the sadness and anger away and I was anorexic. I was eating 1 meal a day and that meal was the same portion that I was feeding my 4 year old son (we would split a can of spaghettios). I survived off of coffee and cigarettes mostly.

On Christmas night of 2007, I sat alone in my apartment and cried. How did I let myself get to this point and why did I hate myself so much? That was the night I decided I was done living that way. Over the next year, I quit my job as a bartender, stopped smoking, stopped drinking, stopped doing drugs, went back to school, moved far away from the poisonous people and got my life together. Of course, I gained some weight but I was not worried about that. I needed to get better so I could be the mom my son deserved.

I met the man that would become my husband in 2008. At the end of 2008, tragedy struck my family. The kind that you see on 20/20 or some show like that. I was determined to make it through without falling apart. And I did! I decided that if I could make it through something that terrible, I could try to go on a date. So, my husband and I went on our first date. It was amazing!

We got married and and our son was born. This pregnancy, I gained 50 pounds. Apparently I am not the kind of girl that can have a baby and 2 weeks later throw on her pre-pregnancy jeans. Try a couple years later. My weight went down and then up and then down and then up again for a while after our son was born.

Thats when my coworkers told me about MFP. That was a year ago. Here are my results:

SW: 174.4
SBMI: 27.4
CW: 140.2
CBMI: 21.9

Before:


trying to hide behind my kids


trying to hide again, but look at my face!


at a wedding... I HATED my arms!


After:
same outfit as the first picture:


change in my face (holding my precious new nephew so Im cheesin big here)


from a size 12-14 to a size 6:


hot new dress:


look at my baby muscles!



My accomplishments:

I lost 34 pounds and 4 pant sizes
I can run! My first 10K is tomorrow!
I have confidence in myself that I never thought I would have. Not only do I know that I can do anything I want to do but I love me and who I am!
I AM PROUD OF MYSELF!!!

My new goals:

Tone, tone, tone!
Run a half marathon (registered for one in February 2014!)

MFP is awesome! Thank you all!