Finally Arrived! 240 to 158!

I’ve been waiting a long time to be able to finally share my final success story. I started this process almost 6 years ago after spending quite some time at my highest weight of 240 pounds. Mine is a common story – I had spent most of my life at least overweight, if not obese. Although I was active, I had terrible eating habits and poor self-control. I seldom considered what I was putting into my body and felt out of control.

My weight didn’t bother me too much until I got into my late teens/early twenties. It was then that I began to feel that my weight was holding me back from truly experiencing my life to the fullest. I wanted to go on dates, go out dancing, etc. and feel good about myself while doing so. Additionally, I was experiencing awful cystic acne and had severe shoulder and back pain related to my large chest size. Shortly after I turned 21, I started weight watchers. I loved the program and quickly lost about 40 pounds.

After the initial success, I stalled out right under 200 pounds. I had gained confidence and although I still hadn’t reached a healthy weight, I was feeling great and having fun being a normal 20-something. I maintained in the 190’s for about 18 months until I found the Paleo lifestyle and MyFitnessPal. After starting paleo and tracking diligently, I got down into the 170’s over the course of the next year.

It was then that I met my current boyfriend and lost a lot of my momentum (at no fault of his). I was happy and in love! The dieting suddenly didn’t seem so important and I found it was a lot harder to stick to strict eating habits while having to consider another person. Dieting while single is the deluxe life! I was lucky that I didn’t put too much weight back on, but I did find myself rebounding up to 185.

Around October of this year I finally decided I was ready to finish up the journey I had started what seemed like a lifetime ago. Even though I was incredibly confident, secure, and happy in my skin at 185, I had the lingering feeling that I hadn’t accomplished what I had set out to do. I wanted to prove to myself that I could meet my goal. I wanted to get on the scale at the doctor and not have to worry – I finally wanted to have a healthy BMI. I lost the final 25 pounds by incorporating consistent exercise, including heavy lifting, and keeping a steady deficit.

I finally reached my initial goal weight of 160 right in time for my first trip to Europe; 7 beautiful days traveling around Ireland. It was such a relief not to worry about how I would look in photos or candids and to feel totally at ease.

Over the course of this process, my size has dropped from an 18 to a 10, 2xl to L/M, I have completed several 10+ mile hikes, cleared my skin, and all but eliminated the breast related back pain. I am planning to eat at maintenance and start working on recomp through the summer as we love to be outside hiking, kayaking, swimming, etc. and I have found that I don’t have the same endurance at a strict deficit to be able to easily complete the really strenuous activities. Once fall hits, I will be working to lose another 10 pounds. I am so excited to see how I can change my body in the coming months!