jayelle
New member
In 2008/2009 my mother took a photo of myself and some friends. I was shocked to see how much weight I had put on! I had been depressed and was eating fast food several times a week, sometimes twice a day. After seeing that photo, I vowed to lose the weight. It wasn't easy though. I had many ups and downs. Sometimes I would lose 5 lbs only to gain it back. I can't tell you how much I did the yo-yo thing!
By 2012 I had lost 40 lbs. The weight loss was slow, and most of that time was spent in the 180s (I was 220 lbs when I started). By the time 2012 hit, I was convinced I would never be thin. Then...in August 2012 I got sick. The illness lasted for 3 weeks before my doctors figured out that I was allergic to gluten. Immediately I cut out any and all wheat products from my diet and felt better right away. As an added bonus, the rest of the weight melted off during the next year.
Throughout this past year I have found myself constantly running to the thrift stores to buy new clothes. At 220 lbs I was about an 18 in jeans (don't know for sure because I wore elastic waistbands). When I was 180 lbs I was a size 14. Now, a year later, I'm 130 lbs and a size 1!!!
View attachment 21490
The picture there is very important to me. The part with the red shirt was the photo that pushed me to lose the weight. The other one is from recently when I went to the store and found I was a size 1. It's amazing the difference 90 lbs makes!
I came to this site because I want to help others with their weight loss goals. I lost the weight by eating healthy whole foods and staying away from prepackaged processed foods. Cutting out gluten helped tremendously as well! Now, I do eat junk food but only a few times a month...if that. Although, I do drink a lot of soda from time to time. Point is, I had a clean diet for most of my weight loss. I truly believe that the fad diets are more damaging than anything else and they don't help you to keep the weight off because they're not meant to be long term diets. What is needed, truly needed, are lifestyle changes with what you eat and your activity. It's difficult at first and I always suggest moderation in everything. That includes dietary changes. The thing is, these changes are sustainable after you lose the weight and can help you keep it off. Plus, healthy food does taste good and there are plenty of recipes that prove that. It's not as hard as one thinks. Heck, it takes as much time to cook a healthy dinner as it does to cook an unhealthy one. lol
Anyway, that's all for another discussion.
*hugs*
Jayelle
By 2012 I had lost 40 lbs. The weight loss was slow, and most of that time was spent in the 180s (I was 220 lbs when I started). By the time 2012 hit, I was convinced I would never be thin. Then...in August 2012 I got sick. The illness lasted for 3 weeks before my doctors figured out that I was allergic to gluten. Immediately I cut out any and all wheat products from my diet and felt better right away. As an added bonus, the rest of the weight melted off during the next year.
Throughout this past year I have found myself constantly running to the thrift stores to buy new clothes. At 220 lbs I was about an 18 in jeans (don't know for sure because I wore elastic waistbands). When I was 180 lbs I was a size 14. Now, a year later, I'm 130 lbs and a size 1!!!
View attachment 21490
The picture there is very important to me. The part with the red shirt was the photo that pushed me to lose the weight. The other one is from recently when I went to the store and found I was a size 1. It's amazing the difference 90 lbs makes!
I came to this site because I want to help others with their weight loss goals. I lost the weight by eating healthy whole foods and staying away from prepackaged processed foods. Cutting out gluten helped tremendously as well! Now, I do eat junk food but only a few times a month...if that. Although, I do drink a lot of soda from time to time. Point is, I had a clean diet for most of my weight loss. I truly believe that the fad diets are more damaging than anything else and they don't help you to keep the weight off because they're not meant to be long term diets. What is needed, truly needed, are lifestyle changes with what you eat and your activity. It's difficult at first and I always suggest moderation in everything. That includes dietary changes. The thing is, these changes are sustainable after you lose the weight and can help you keep it off. Plus, healthy food does taste good and there are plenty of recipes that prove that. It's not as hard as one thinks. Heck, it takes as much time to cook a healthy dinner as it does to cook an unhealthy one. lol
Anyway, that's all for another discussion.
*hugs*
Jayelle
