103 lbs down and so close to goal! With pics :)

In January of 2010, at 260 lbs, I took the first step towards being a healthier me. My close friend asked me to be in her wedding, and I came to the realization that I would have to see a lot of people that I hadn’t seen in years, and I really didn’t want them to see me the way I looked. I had tried dieting many times before, but I gave up the fight before I had really seen any results. I started working out at home and doing the South Beach Diet and lost about 30 pounds in 3 months, just in time for her wedding. After the wedding I continued to be quite healthy, but all that came to a sudden halt when I was diagnosed with a blood clot in my leg. When I found out I had a blood disorder, working out kind of took the back burner as I wallowed in my sorrows for a bit.

I gained a few pounds back while not working out, but in July I decided to join the gym next to my work. I was sick of being unhealthy and I wanted to nip my health problems in the bud and prevent anymore bad things from happening to me. I started to love the gym, and an outgoing trainer there made it a point to talk to me every day. Finally I realized that I needed some help because all I really knew how to do was the elliptical! After using my first free session with her, I bought a 4 pack package and started meeting with her every time I seemed to hit a plateau (about every 2-3 months). With her help every now and then and with my sheer determination, the weight just kept coming off pretty steadily.

At the end of last year I was diagnosed with food allergies and I had to make an already restrictive diet even more so. It was a really hard change for me, not eating at restaurants or even fast food. But I really think I owe my food allergies to me being able to lose so much of the weight this year (I hate saying that, but it’s true, haha). I also had to have a kidney surgery in January but continued to push through all of the things that were happening to me to be a healthier person.

The point of this isn’t to tell you guys my life story. I just want people out there with recurring health problems, or those that have over 100 pounds to lose, to really believe that it CAN happen. Push through whatever is happening to you, because it feels so good in the end when you see what you’ve accomplished. I’ve lost 103 lbs and I’ve only got 17 more to go 

If I can give any advice to anyone it would be:
*To vary your work outs, don’t do the same thing every day for weeks on end…it won’t work. If you hit a plateau, get a new routine!
*Say no to fast food and most prepared foods. Make your own meals, it’s just better for you and you know it.
*Don’t worry about what your skin will look like after you’re done, you’d much rather be skinny than overweight. (this was, and still is, a very hard one for me)
*Allow yourself to snack. Dark chocolate is good for happiness 
*Deprivation is not the key, you’ll eventually crack anyway.


Me on my 22nd birthday, just before I started to lose weight.


Me at the wedding I was so worried about.


Midway through a 13 mile hike It's my new favorite thing to do now that I've lost weight!


About to go out for the night. I wore this dress in my senior year of high school!