I wanted to share my story...hope it helps someone

Hello Fitness Pals! I've never really had a serious conversation with anyone about my weight. After joinging MFP I updated my profile with the following story, finally sharing my "secret" about my extra weight. I decided to post it here with an update. I hope my story helps encourage someone else!

Here's my story -

One day I looked up and I didn't like the way I looked. It was that simple. I spent my whole life being "skinny" and once I hit college I realized I gradually began to gain weight. It was ok because as the world said, "it looks good on you." The problem was it didn't feel good and I no longer felt the way I felt about myself. I kept gaining weight because I had no self-control and no desire to gain any. The more weight I gained, the more I said, "Oh, I need to lose weight." The problem is I never felt inspired enough to do something about it. I knew it was a problem, but it was one I had no desire to fix. I liked eating what I wanted and I still "felt" like I was skinny.

As the number on the scale kept going up, my self-esteem kept going down. It was an inner secret that I didn't share with the world. I hated going shopping because clothes did not look good on me. I couldn't fit in the cute mini-skirts and other things that I had grown accustomed to. I realized I was wearing jeans, t-shirts, and tennis shoes every day! I was once the girl who NEVER wore tennis shoes; I always wore skirts, heels, dresses, and sandals, but these aren't things that look good on girls my size. So I covered my shame by dressing down and not brining attention to myself.

Last year I decided to make a change. I wanted something healthy with no pills or surgeries; I wanted to do it the right way. Although I wanted to; it was just too hard to get started, where would I begin? Do I do Weight Watchers? How much will it cost? Will I have time for a gym membership? Will this work? Is this healthy? Is it worth the effort?

On 1/31/2012 I was introduced to MyFitnessPal and it has transformed my life. I knew that you lose weight by eating fewer calories; however, I never desired to eat fewer calories. Since using MyFitnessPal the weight has literally fallen off. I feel better than I have felt in a long time! I am making healthier decisions. I am controlling my portions and my calories. I am taking accountability for my choices and I am reaping the benefits. MyFitnessPal has changed my life. It is the only thing that has inspired to actually "do something" about wanting to lose weight. I have never tried to lose weight before and MyFitnessPal has truly made this process seamless. I am so thankful and I would recommend this to anyone! 11 lbs. down - 49 more to go!

Updated today - 7/1/12

I lost 21 pounds in a little less than 3 months. I was looking great and feeling great. I was proud of my achievments and felt I could "treat" myself a bit. I stopped using MFP around my birthday in May. I turned 30 and my daughter turned 5. We both had parties, celebrations, and lots of trips out ot eat! After that I just never really started back. In about 2 months I re-gained about 15 pounds! I'm feeling tired and I know it is related to my weight gain. I realized a few things that I wanted to share. I feel better when I am losing weight. I also feel better about myself when I am losing weight. I have more energy when I control what I eat. MFP does work when you use it. Even when you hit your goal weight you should use this to maintain it so that you don't gain the weight back! I now have 52 pounds to lose instead of the 39 pounds I would have had in May. I am thankful that I gained the weight back (I know that sounds crazy) but it showed me I can't do this alone and I have to remain dedicated. I made a goal to lose 10 lbs this month. I was losing 2 lbs a weeks just using MFP with no exercise. I have committed to using MFP and exercising this month to meet my goal. I will check back in on 8/1 to let you guys know how I did!

Thank you for reading and I hope that it helped someone. If not it helped me getting it off my chest!