sv/ progress pics for 111 lbs lost / my story

Well, here is my story so far.

When I was in 8th grade I weighed in at 180 lbs. I'm 5'5”. I graduated from High School at 230 lbs. Here is a pic of my face senior year. [img]weight.http://i39.tinypic.com/ezkg1k.jpg[/img][img]I had half-assed tried diets my entire life and, at that time I was convinced they did not work. Still I was going to try anyway. It started out innocent enough. I was counting calories and losing weight, but as the weight came off, I began to crave faster and more weight loss. I began eating under 600 calories a day and when I would finally snap because I was so hungry, I would eat everything in the house. Then I would proceed to make myself throw up. I began throwing up every day, and by the end it was 4-5 times a day. I was also doing heavy cardio for 2-3 hours 6 days a week. I lost 110 lbs. This was my progress. http://tinypic.com/r/5zhzxd/5 At the end I was down to 160. I had to be hospitalized because I hurt my body so much with my eating disorder that I got gallstones. One of these stones was so large it impacted and clogged up my system, causing me to go septic. I nearly died. I was in the hospital for 4-5 days, after having emergency surgery to remove my gallbladder. I was diagnosed with anorexia, bulimia, binge eating disorder and body dysmorphia. (At the time I was so crazy that when I looked in the mirror I still saw the fat me. I still looked HUGE in my own eyes. ) I'm a single mom and I could not bare the thought of dying because of an eating disorder and leaving my daughter with nobody. When I was out of the hospital I was afraid to diet in any way shape or form, because I was afraid I would become obsessed and relapse. So what did I do? I went back to eating like I had been at 270 lbs. I gained back 100 lbs in one year. I hit 260 for the second time. I was so depressed. I thought I would never be able to get back to 160's let alone my goal weight of 130. After a lot of therapy and self-searching, I began to change my lifestyle the healthy way. It took a little longer this time, but as of today I weighed in at 159 lbs, and I have not relapsed into my ED once. Here is my progress from 256 to 160. http://tinypic.com/r/2pzdutu/5 Not only did I make it back to 160, but I made it one pound further than that, and have now landed myself in uncharted territory. I am so excited to see what another day will bring me. It's also nice knowing that my daughter will have a healthy mom who will be around for a long time to come. http://tinypic.com/r/fk1ydc/5 Here is a side by side comparison of me at 160, having lost it through an ED (left) and me at 159 now (right). Not sure if you guys can tell a difference, but I feel like I look healthier/slimmer now than I did then. http://tinypic.com/r/2q2fxub/5 Here is my new face. (you can compare it to the very first link in the post. ) http://tinypic.com/r/ka2rdi/5 I would like to encourage those who are fighting the battle of the bulge to not give up. Make sure to stay healthy. And as to the 29 lbs I have yet to lose, “Watch your back, you're next!”[/img]