My Journey

Hello Everyone~
First off let me start off by saying how excited I am for this collective blog! I'm already learning a lot from my co-writers, so thank you girls. Because all of our stories are somewhat different, I'll start off with a little background as to how I got where I am today.

I've always struggled with my weight and had body image issues. Ever since I can remember I'd been heavier than most of my friends. Eventually I came to terms with the fact that I was "big-boned" and would always be. Throughout middle school, high school and most of college I was silently becoming the fat girl that no one noticed.

In the middle of my sophomore year I met Brian, the man who would come to be my fiance. We clicked instantly, and I was ecstatic that I met someone who was willing to see past my outer shell and focus on my inner beauty. Early on in our relationship, the "courting" phase, Brian was constantly taking me out to dinner dates which added extra pounds. We then moved into the "comfort" stage where I didn't have to worry so much about my looks because I knew he already loved me. [Later I would realize I needed to get healthy for many more reasons than vanity.]
In the first year and a half of our relationship I gained another 15 pounds, which brought me to 220. Even though the numbers were staggering, I still didn't feel the need to change.

Then Brian's sister Cat asked me to be the maid of honor in her wedding. When dress shopping, I was mortified that I needed to try on a size 20 dress. SIZE 20?!?? How could I possibly feel beautiful in a size 20 dress?? I wanted to make Cat proud standing next to her on her big day, I wanted to make Brian proud that I was his girlfriend, but mostly I wanted to feel beautiful. Little did I know that I never truly felt that before in my life...

Along with Brian's sister-in-law Kelly (who was Cat's matron of honor and also felt chubby next to the other skinny bridesmaids)and my friend Jess (who joined a bit later; she was always unhappy with her weight)I joined L.A. Weight Loss in March 2007 weighing 223 pounds. In January 2008 I met my goal weight of 150 pounds. In 10 short months I managed to lose 73 pounds and keep it off since finishing. [I ended up wearing a size 10 bridesmaid's dress to Cat's wedding!]

It's strange because most days, I still feel like the fattest girl in the room. I think changing my outer appearance was the easy part---the hardest part is getting my inner appearance to catch up. I'm sure it will with time.

In my next post I hope to talk about where I am with my weight today and what I want to accomplish in the near future.

Until then...
*sara

Here are some before/after pics of me and my friend Jess (who has lost a ton of weight thanks to L.A.). Hopefully you can see the difference!