Introduction

In October of 2010, I was miserable. I stepped on the scale and weighed 273 lbs. This was only a symptom of deeper problems. My husband had been laid off of work for two years, I hated who I was, I was depressed and not sleeping well, and food was the only comfort.  I ridiculed myself daily and I was at war with my body.  

I couldn’t believe I had “let myself” get to that weight. I saw a doctor and was originally prescribed Adipex. I quickly dropped 25 lbs and taught myself about portion control by tracking my calories. I started to speak to myself as I would speak to a friend. I stopped seeing the doctor after she suggested a radical diet. Over the next year, I steadily dropped another 15 lbs by calorie counting alone. But I wasn’t watching the types of foods I was putting into my body.

In September 2011, I became a (mostly) vegetarian after many years of consideration. I feel so much better when I don’t eat meat, and my rosacea cleared up. I still have so much fun searching for recipes and creating my own dishes.

In April 2012, I took some time off from focusing on my weight loss to quit smoking. In the summer of 2012, I joined a gym and started training for a 5k. I never thought of myself as a runner, but here I am, running at least once a week now that the 5k is over and done.  I go to the gym three to five times weekly, and I recently added in strength training.

The difference you can see is that I’ve lost 55 lbs. I still have about 45 lbs to my personal “goal.” What you may be able to see is that I am more confident and I smile more. What you can’t see is that my whole outlook on life is different. My marriage is better. I’m a better vet tech. I’m a better pet-mom. Everything in my life, I do a little (or a lot) better. The difference that you can’t see is that I speak kindly to myself every day. I thank my body. I poke my muscles that I never knew I could have. I accidently took a picture of my thighs at the gym, and while I was browsing through my phone later, I had no idea they were mine until I saw the shoes. I am continually amazed by what my body can do and will do.