71 lbs lighter with pics

I've struggle with my weight for the past 16 years. I've been over 200 lbs for most of that time and have yo-yo dieted for years. I finally got to the point that I got sick and tired of being fat. I was tired of making excuses and feeling tired and miserable.

I made a choice to change my life in June 2011. My all time high weight was 252 lbs. The first picture here shows me (on the right in black) at that weight in June 2011. This was at my step-daughters baby shower. It was during the summer and outside and extremely hot. I squeeze my fat into some hot spandex "slimming" leggings and tank top underneath my 2X sized dress. I was so miserable and hated going to social functions because I was so fat. I didn't want to see people this way, especially old friends who knew me when I was thin.



Here's some more fat pictures of me.





It's taken a long time and I'm still not to goal. However, with persistence and never giving up, as of today I'm down 71 lbs. I feel so much better about myself. I went to my step-daughters second baby shower and received so many compliments. The ex-wife even said I looked great and her husband said he didn't even recognize me at first.

Here's two recent photos at my current weight.





The moral of the story is, first, you have to be ready to change. It isn't a quick fix and it's a lifestyle change. Today, I make smarter choices. I don't eat fast food every night, but if I do eat out, I choose a grilled chicken sandwich without mayo, vs. the quarter pounder and fries. Second moral is to never give up. My favorite quote is from Dory the Fish from Finding Nemo "just keep swimming." If you give up, you'll never get to where you're going.

Last, it is true that nothing tastes as good as being thin feels. I am getting attention again, which is a nice feeling after being "invisible" for many years.

Hope this inspires you to "just keep swimming."

Love, Lisa