Total loss 45 pounds. Half way mark. pics and story included =)

Aloha, this is my half way journey to weightloss and how I got here. I am 5 feet 9 inches, 23 years old and started my journey last September.






I never thought I would be at the point where I could share on this blog section. But tonight while procrastinating from my Masters thesis proposal.. I found these pictures from the beginning of my recent life transition and journey to find a better me.

I am a stress eater. And I am always under stress, especially going through my undergraduate education through graduation in May 2014. My weakness is milk chocolate and salty foods like top ramen (and I mean like two servings for lunch and then again for dinner). After that, the summer brought travels, good food and grad parties with no desire to be exercising unless it was hiking (once a week adventures). I regrouped, started my Masters and continued to gain weight. It wasn't until my best friend told be how I should lose weight. That shocked me...but I think I needed a verbal shock to wake me up. We have been friends a very long time and it was not offensive, it was a matter of fact and he was worried about my health. I would get sick at least once a month and my snoring had become loud enough to wake me up at night once in a while.

I tried my own program which worked for a little, but the holidays hit and I went full force on the gorging. November through December and hit a high of 234 pounds. YEESH! I think I got a sign that it was time to lose the weight because I got 2 strains of the flu and then the stomach flu within the month of Janurary. (DISCLAIMER: this was not planned nor would I suggest to ANYBODY to purposefully get sick to lose weight. This was just situational). Regardless, of feeling awful and almost needing to go to the emergency, I recovered and lost 15 pounds, mostly water weight.

I had already decided that JAN 1, I was going to commit to Jenny Craig full force. It was my first time on the program but my sister and mom both used the program successfully. Mainly it was so helpful for portion control and knowing what and when to eat depending on my activity level. I learned my body is sensitive to sodium and I needed to be drinking way more water and took out alot of sodium from my diet. Jenny Craig with supplemental chocolate neccessities (a handful of hershey drops here and there) was how I really started to shed weight.

I am a very active person, exercising at least 3 times a week, plus walking to and from my car for school which totals about 2 miles each day. I just finished a competitive paddling season and just hit a record low of 186.6. I still have another 40ish pounds to go depending on how my body continues to shape and build muscle and lose fat.

My moral of the story is that it is a personal journey of bettering yourself. Weight loss is about finding a better you along the way. You will change mentally, emotionally, and physically. I found reading theraputic (Eat, Pray, Love was my first read during weightloss). I didn't share with anyone but my family, my Jenny Craig coach, and my MFP community, that I was trying to lose weight. I notice now that I focus better, have my quirky fun energetic self back and have found a new confidence in my body and what it can do without some of the weight restraints. It is a learning process. Do not forget where you grew from and stay humble!

Although its not a happy ever after and the journey continues, I did find love along the way and my boyfreind continues to support me in how I am continuing my self journey as I try to remain independent and yet a supportive girlfriend. I hope to post again here when I reach my goal mark.

Feel free to read my whole story and my food diary on my profile. Open to questions or any advice. I'm still on this journey with all my MFP family.

Mahalo for reading
Frankie (feel free to add or message me)