Beating the Odds

Brace yourselves - I'm about to get a little personal. In January of 2011, I decided to make some changes that have forever altered my life in great ways. I now weigh 70 pounds less than I did at that point. But I love a good story, so let's start back at the beginning of it...

Growing up, both of my parents worked full-time, which was awesome in a lot of ways because it meant we had the money for different experiences. I've been to Disneyworld three times, we took a grand tour out to Yellowstone and Glacier Nat'l Parks when I was seventeen, etc. However, having both mom and dad working kinda sucked in some ways, too. I almost never got to come home from school and sit down with my mom with a snack and talk about life. My dad rarely had the time to offer homework help (which I didn't usually need, but still).

One of the ways that this situation impacted my life was in my eating habits. We ate out a lot, and when I was younger it was often the McDonald's/Burger King kind of fare. I watched my dad enjoy his burgers and fries, and quickly followed suit. My mom, though, has always been self-conscious about her weight and it's affected how she views herself. In the last couple years she has lost a significant amount of it, but when I was a child I watched her yo-yo diet and obsess over the number on the scale. I developed a taste for large amounts of unhealthy food, but I also learned to loathe myself with every caloric splurge.

Please, don't take this as me blaming my parents for my unhealthy habits; once I became a teenager I was old enough to know better, but I chose not to change. In fact, food became a sort of rebellion for me during those years. When my mom would poke at my stomach and teasingly tell me I needed to watch my figure, I'd sneak downstairs at midnight for a Pop-Tart or a bowl of ice cream. When I got my driver's license, my best friend and I would often sneak out for “fourthmeal” at Taco Bell at one in the morning. Food became a refuge, a friend who could always make me feel better when I was down about something. I developed a really awful habit of eating emotionally instead of turning to my Father or my family when I needed to be uplifted.

Then I met my (now) husband. I was inspired by how he had lost over a hundred pounds with just diet and exercise, and I was flattered that he seemed interested in me despite my weight. After dating and spending time together, I got to know the wonderful man of God that he is, and I fell in love. In July of 2008 he proposed, and I could not have been happier. We settled on an April wedding, but I was still in college and that meant a lot of stressful planning during the school year. By our wedding date, I had gained another 40 pounds, and over the first year of marriage I added another 20. In December 2010, I was fat, unhealthy, and unhappy, and I weighed a whopping 280 pounds.

Then, as New Year's Eve approached, I decided I'd had enough. I had done a lot of reading about smart ways to lose weight and get healthy, and I felt prepared to tackle the challenge of changing my life. I started working out a few times a week, and I began to calorie cycle (a detailed explanation of that will come at a later time). In two months I lost nearly 20 pounds, and I found a strength and vigor that I didn't know I possessed. I fought a long, hard battle with emotional eating, but eventually beat it by finding replacements for the comfort of food (such as time in prayer, knitting, or taking a walk). Even more than the weight loss, that's my proudest accomplishment.

Anyway, fast forward to March of 2012, and I now weigh 210 pounds. I still have a long way to go to hit my goal of 150 (and a toned, ab-licious 150 at that!), but slowly and surely I'm getting there. I could have crash dieted and worked out like a fiend for 6 months, but the journey of learning to live healthy has been more beneficial than I can say. I now eat and work out like someone thin and fit; I just have to wait for my body to catch up, and that's okay.

I could not have made this journey with any sort of success without the love of my Savior. In those early days when I battled depression without my usual snack-cake comforts, there were dark moments. Moments I don't want to ever live through again. I nearly spiraled out of control on a few occasions, but the grace of God brought me back every time. I've also been able to rely on my dear husband, as well as fantastic friends and family who've been nothing but supportive.

On that note, here's my most recent before-and-during photo. God bless, friends.