Gained a year, Lost 80 pounds...

Last April, at my heaviest, I weighed in at 211 pounds. I developed emotional eating habits while in college, when I was stressed out and I ate when I was feeling sad and down about my mother being sick with cancer. Instead of the freshman 15, I put on the 30 pounds. While taking some time away from college, I saw that not only was this an opportunity to figure out what I wanted to do career wise, but also get my body into good shape. I joined a small healthclub, and started dieting. Since April 2010, I have lost about 80 pounds. This has been the most rewarding experience of my life. I feel SOOO much better about myself, I have gained so much self-confidence and I love being active. I remember when I was so proud of myself for being able to "jog" (at 5.5 miles per hour) on the treadmill for 5 minutes. It's amazing what perseverence and hardwork can do. I never thought I'd live to see the day when I would thoroughly enjoy running, and go out on 2 hour running excursions. I find myself struggling to lose these last 5 pounds or so, especially now that it's summer time and theres lots of yummy food around! I want to reach my goal weight before I return back to school in August. I approach college with much hesitation. I'm afraid of the stress and workload, afraid that I won't make friends, and afraid that I'll gain weight back. I just have to make sure to fit in workouts during the week, and eat consciously in order to maintain my weight. I thought I would be fat forever. Like I said, it's been the most rewarding experience of my life. It's done so much for me, not only physically but mentally as well. Sometimes it's awkward when I say "hi" to people I went to highschool with, and you can tell they're confused when they think they don't know you. When I say, "its me, Jill, remember?" and you see then that they recognize the face, and they say "I didn't even recognize you, you realize just how big of a change you've made for yourself. Its been a long, sometimes frustrating adventure, but I wouldn't change it for anything now that I'm nearing the end. All it takes is patience, perseverence, and a little will-power. The main thing I'm struggling with is what I like to refer to as my "cheesesteak" or a stomach that I'm left with. The weight that i carried in my stomach then lost has left me with an ugly stomach, and quite a few stretch marks. While I'm super self-conscious about it and sometimes despise it too, it reminds me of the weight I've lost, and the new person I've become.