My 60 Pound Journey (Pic Heavy)

I'm a 25 year old visual artist, photographer, singer and musician.

I have also been overweight my whole life. I am an emotional eater and I used to mask the stress in my life with food. I gained 90 pounds from age 15 to age 20. I went from 160 pounds at age 15 to almost 250 pounds at age 20. I lost 30 pounds in high school but I did not understand the proper way to do it so I gained it all back.

This is me in highschool:





Fast forward to when I was 19 years old...

My skin is now covered in stretch marks due to the fast weight gain..Size 36 waist jeans in some stores would not go past my knees when I was at my highest weight.. I was miserable.








My 20th birthday (April 2008 - 247lbs):



After breaking up with my high school boyfriend I lost 48 pounds. I weighed 199 pounds at my lowest then and I felt good about myself but I did not lose it properly and I was still wearing size large and size 14...

Myself at age 21 and around 199 pounds (2009)



I then gained back 45 pounds over a couple years due to an abusive boyfriend of 4 years and other factors causing me to be depressed and turning to comfort foods. I wore size large-xl tops, and size 14-16 stretchy pants at my highest weight.. I would turn to food and then feel depressed about eating so much so I would eat more. I was an emotional wreck. I used to easily eat 4 mcdoubles in a night after having three large meals earlier that day. I was suffering from knee pain, asthma, fatigue.. etc.

In November 2011 at the age of 23 I hopped on a scale one evening after getting the courage, just to see if I still weighed what I used to after losing the 48 pounds a few years back. I realized as I saw the scale creep up to 244 pounds something had to change.

November 2011 (244 pounds):



Once January 14th/ 2012 came along I started dieting at 232 pounds.




I joined MFP march 1st 2012 weighing in at 219. I would count calories very strictly, and work out on my Tony Little Gazelle between 1-2 hours a day, every day until the weight melted off. I broke up with my abusive boyfriend in may of 2012. By June 2012 I had reached about 185 pounds.

I started seeing a guy in August of 2012 and my weight went up to 196 pounds... I went through another nasty breakup last Christmas of 2012 and stopped eating for three days and ended up going down to 184 pounds. After getting past this breakup my weight went back up to 196 pounds.

January 2013 (196-200 pounds):



Fast forward a few months:

Currently I am with the most wonderful man I could ask for. We have been together since Feb. 2013. I started dieting with him when I stepped on the scale and saw my weight still at 196 pounds. We joined a gym together and workout 3-5X a week. My first goal weight is to be at 177 pounds and then I am going to reassess and maybe try to reach 165-170 pounds. That is at least 70 pounds from my heaviest weight ever and the smallest I have been since I was 16 years old!!! This may still seem heavy to some people but I am almost 5'8" tall and very shapely with thick legs and hips and a large chest. I am an hourglass/slightly pear shaped!

Here is a photo from April 2013 weighing 196 pounds:



And FINALLY, some RECENT pictures of me at currently 187 pounds!!!!! (60 pounds from my highest weight ever):



College grad!!!







Now I am currently completing c25k!! I can finally run! I am the smallest I have been in a very long time! This is honestly one of the greatest feelings.

Feel free to add me if you managed to read all of this :flowerforyou: