My clothing fit poorly, and I was starting to feel more comfortable shopping at plus size stores because the size 16′s at the regular stores were a bit snug.  I was finding myself out of breath walking up just a few flights of stairs, and the attached-arm desks at school seemed to be shrinking at a rapid pace.  I couldn’t remember the last time I had eaten a fruit or vegetable. 

Bottom line, he was right.  I was unhealthy, and I couldn’t blame him for not being attracted to me, since I wasn’t attracted to myself either.  I choked down my embarrassment, and signed up for a yoga class that began that night.

I set myself to a strict diet and exercise regimine, and did my best to stick to it.  In just a few weeks, I was down to 190, and starting to feel more comfortable in my own skin.  Then, what could have been a set back turned out to be a cosmic gift.  I had constant stomach pains for 3 weeks, went to the hospital 3 times, had 3 different doctor’s appointments, and finally found out that I had chronic appendicitis.

Following surgery, I felt better than I had in years.  I had so much energy, and I felt like I could do anything.  I started walking the dogs an extra hour each day, and I was feeling fantastic.  In May, my boyfriend proposed, and we were married a month ago.  In case you’re curious, I weighed 175 pounds when I walked down the aisle, and I was incredibly proud of myself for how far I had come.

Along the way, I became much less rigid about what I ate, and focused more on the way I ate.  By putting certain foods in the “forbidden” category, I had found myself dreaming about those foods, and I didn’t always have enough will power to stop myself from going on pasta or cheese binges.  Then I would spend days feeling guilty about it.  Uncool.  It was certainly not a way that I could have lived for the rest of my life.

Now, I work to make sure that I eat the healthy basics of fruit, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, skim milk and a yogurt every day, and stay away from processed foods.  If there is something I want, I try to figure out a way to make it from scratch.  But there is nothing that is off limits….except for things that are loaded with chemicals, like low fat cookies, or fat free chips!  Knowing that if I want cookies, I can just bake some, and truly let myself enjoy them makes me alot more relaxed about said cookies.

I’ve still got about 30 lbs left to lose, but I’m happy to do so at a healthy, happy pace.

I’m no longer so focused on food, and that leaves a lot of time to enjoy life!