A long, hard, wonderful process! 215lbs- 130lbs- 160lbs with muscle!

You never truly understand the magnitude of your weightloss until you achieve it. You hear countless people complain about being unsuccessful, starting and stopping, and simply lacking the motivation or drive to reach their goals. I truly believe that unless you have that moment where you look in the mirror and know that becoming healthy is not an option but a necessity, you will be successful. Excuses go out the window, and that's what happened for me. The picture on the left isn't even my heaviest. I stopped wanting to be photographed around 215lbs and rarely had more than a face picture. I gained the bulk of my weight in high school eating fast food and binging at parties and get togethers. By college I really began to feel the hurt of my lack of confidence and comfort in my own skin. I spent countless hours trying to make my hair and makeup perfect, because I never felt my body could win someone over. I started making small changes after I got an upcoming job at a children's camp for the summer. It hit me I'd have to be in a bathing suit, and my anxiety sky rocketed. I figured what better start then now. I set out some realistic goals and started slow with portion controlling, cutting out junk, and exercising. I lost about 25lbs that Summer and I didn't stop there. I fell in love with fitness! I began kickboxing, outdoor bootcamp, yoga, and HiiT. I began eating clean 90% of the time, but not allowing food to restrict my enjoyment of life, friends, and family. The hardest struggle was achieving this balance, as there was always fear of slipping back into my old ways. The biggest accomplishment though was learning to love my body, imperfections and all. Accepting your shape, size and limitations is the most important thing. I learned to strive for being the best me possible, not the image of someone else. I finally felt like my outsides matched my insides. I went down to 130lbs, but have since gained 30lbs of MUSCLE! I now rest around 155-160lbs. I've accepted that pounds are not the end all be all of weightloss. It's about so much more. It's an emotional journey that is so hard and so very, very worth it.