One year, two totally different women

I want to tell you a story about the girl in the picture below:



This girl is 26 years old.
She has a husband who has battled cancer (he actually started chemo 2 days after their wedding) and an 8 year old son who struggles with ADD and some sensory processing issues. Both are a bit on the chunky side. She’s been through quite a lot in her young life, dealing with everything from severe abuse to serious mental health issues that have, on more than one occasion, resulted in hospitalization. She was diagnosed with clinical depression at age 11 and, later on, was diagnosed as bi-polar.
Life hasn’t been easy for this girl, and it’s taken its toll. She’s been obese for about 6 years now. She’s tired all of the time. Her feet are always swollen and her joints ache. She’s depressed.
She has 56% Body Fat and wears 24W pants, XXL shirts, and 20W dresses.
This girl feels closer to 62 than 26.

So the girl goes to the doctor to see about her depression meds and the doctor recommends, in addition to a different medication, adding some exercise to her day to help release some endorphins.
This girl hates exercise – she is, after all, quite heavy and her knees and feet and ankles and basically her entire body hurt when she tries to be active.
But then she thinks – if I have to be active to be healthier emotionally, why not go all out and get healthy physically too?
So she does.

She dumps the junk from her house. She stocks up on fresh fruits and veggies, lean proteins, healthy fats, whole grains, and other nutritious foods. She stops chugging lemonade and starts drinking water instead.
And she gets her body moving.

At first, it’s tough. She’s in such terrible shape that all she can manage is a walk around her neighborhood and, quite honestly, the junk food was a bit of an addiction. It’s hard to give up, but when she’s tempted, she reminds herself of this:



So she makes the right choices, whether she feels like it or not.
Gradually, things get easier. She starts learning (and, surprisingly, enjoying) new recipes and finds ways to cook old favorites to make them healthier. She increases her endurance and speed when walking. She adds some new exercises.
And her body starts to change.
At first, it’s not that noticeable. The girl is quite tall, you see, which means it takes a bit more for weight gain or loss to show. Still, things do start changing.
Her feet stop swelling. Her double chin starts shrinking. She notices that it’s more comfortable to fit into the auditorium seats at church. There’s a bit more room between her belly and the steering wheel. It’s easier to tie her shoes.
The girl is consistent and more changes happen. Collarbones appear. She gets out of the Plus Sized section at the store. She doesn’t struggle as much to keep up during fitness classes. She has more energy.

She keeps going, keeps focusing on getting healthy, getting fit, and setting a good example for her family.

A year later, the girl I introduced you to at the beginning of this story is gone. A new girl has replaced her. This is the girl I want to tell you about now:



This girl is 27 years old. Like the girl mentioned earlier, she has a husband who, thank God, is still cancer-free, and a now-9 year old son who still struggles with ADD and some other issues. The hubby and son are still a bit chubby, but they are a lot more active now.

This girl, like the one in the beginning of the story, has gone through abuse and mental health challenges and all sorts of other things that she decided she wouldn’t let hurt her anymore.
She decided that she was going to take control and get healthy. She doesn't use her past as an excuse for bad choices and doesn't let her obstacles daunt her - she overcomes them, one step at a time.

This girl loves exercise. She loves eating healthy foods and making healthy meals for family and friends. She is fit and healthy and (usually) has tons of energy. She’s still bi-polar, but her symptoms are about a million times better than they’ve ever been before.
She has 23% Body Fat, wears Size 10 pants, Small (and even occasional Extra Small) shirts, and that dress she’s wearing in the above picture? It’s a Size 6.

So who is that girl, anyway? It’s me!

Today marks ONE YEAR since I made the decision to change the way I live my life, to replace my unhealthy habits (laziness and gluttony) with regular exercise and proper nutrition (in healthy portions). I passed my weight loss goal of 100 pounds about a month and a half ago and, as of today, I have shed 105 pounds and 86 inches from all over my body.

In turn, I have also gained some things: good health, confidence, and the knowledge that I am setting a positive example for my family and friends.

I’m working on maintenance now – I really don’t want to lose any more weight, so I really am trying to eat every last one of my allowed calories and it is quite tough sometimes, but I’m slowly getting the hang of it. I’m also working on continuing to be fit and active – I am adding more strength training in, even though I don’t like it, because it’s good for me.