In October of 2014, I hit rock bottom with my weight. I’d been overweight for all of my adult life, and I weighed in at my highest weight of 328.4 lbs. I felt horrible, and I knew I was not being a good role model for my daughters, so I made up my mind that I was going to do whatever it took to get the extra weight off, all 150 lbs of it.
I’d tried every diet known to man in the past, and while some worked for a while, the weight always came back, plus more. So I started out just trying to lose weight on my own by watching what I ate. In 4 months, I only managed to lose 14 lbs. In February of 2015, I discovered the Trim Healthy Mama eating plan and figured it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try. This literally saved my life. The weight began to effortlessly drop, and by July, I had lost an additional 56.8 lbs!
I began to worry about loose skin issues, and after a good friend recommended that I start lifting, I joined a gym. This was the second best decision I ever made. I began to lift heavy in the gym 6 days a week. My weight loss drastically slowed, but the inches began falling off as I lost fat and added muscle. My focus has switched from being skinny to being strong, as I have fallen in love with the sport of powerlifting, even competed in my first powerlifting meet in September 2015, and set a new state record for my weight class by deadlifting 280 lbs.
I have now gone from 328.4 lbs to 243.8 lbs, losing 84.6 lbs and 92.25 inches. I have gone from a size 24/26 pants to a 16, and from a snug 3X shirt to a L. However, I have gained more than I have lost. I now have high self confidence, positive body image, great health, and tons of energy for the first time in my life.
I haven’t reached my goal, but I have confidence that I will get there. Slow progress is still progress, and I am never going back to the girl I used to be. She’s gone forever. I hope to be at my goal by this time next year. I hope to inspire others to start turning their dreams into reality. If I can do this, anyone can!
