So, this fit bitch...

Day 26: What excites you most about reaching your UGW?

Lots of answers to this. Bullet points!

• Reaching my goal. Being able to say “I did it, I reached the point I said I would”. Everyone likes an accomplishment, and I’d say a grand total loss of 190lbs fits the bill. It is crazy that I will have lost more than HALF of my former self.
• Being DONE losing weight. Holy smokes, I am SO ready to move into maintenance. I know what I need to do, I feel mentally prepared to do it and have about another 40/45lbs before that point. I am so ready to be done with the loss part of it.
• Being a success story. Being “after”. Showing other morbidly obese (or just kinda chubby) people that you absolutely CAN do it, without surgery, without special diets or anything.
• A world of adorable clothing. It’s shallow as all get out, but I don’t care. I love clothing and with each smaller size, more and more becomes available to me. It’s AWESOME.
• My reward. It changes, I either want a big side tattoo or vacation. Or maybe another cat. It’ll be something awesome, that’s for sure.

I can’t wait until I can celebrate hitting my target weight, but until then, here’s to us losers - cheers!

Day 21: What are your clothing sizes?

STARTING SIZES!

JEANS: US 28/UK 30

DRESS: US 26/UK 28

SHIRT/TOPS: 3XL

T-SHIRT: 3XL

SHOE: 10W

CURRENT SIZES!

JEANS: US 12/UK 14

DRESS: US 10/UK 12

SHIRT/TOPS: L

T-SHIRT: M

SHOE: 10M

If you read this, you better be shopping for me now. I’m only kind of kidding.

For an added bonus and embarrassment, here is a pair of my current bathing suit bottoms on top of my old bathing suit bottoms.

Day 20: You Favorite Diet.

The one that works. Which one is that? One you can have for the rest of your life. I’ve heard of all kinds of crash diets that will make you lose 5 POUNDS IN A WEEK.

Will they? Probably. But it’s all water weight. All those diets are designed to do is de-bloat you, no real weight is coming off. So when you go back to eating how you did, you “gain” it back.

View your diet as the literal definition: “food or feed habitually eaten”. You want to feel good and look good? Eat foods that are designed to do that for you, and eat them more often than junk. You’ll feel it and your body will react positively.

Day 16: When did you first decide to lose weight?

A lot of people who have been overweight for a significant amount of time talk about how they have struggled with losing weight since, well, for as long as they have been fat. Every diet has failed them. They’re stuck this way.

I, however, never tried to lose weight. I ate what I wanted, whatever I wanted, when I wanted it. I did not workout or exercise at all. It had never occurred to me just how big and unhealthy I was. I never felt really big, so I didn’t see the problem.

I don’t know whether it was seeing candid (ie: mega unflattering) photos of me or hearing from family say they were concerned for my health that pushed me into it, perhaps a combination of both. But I woke up one day in July of 2010 and thought, enough is enough.

I started by throwing out every unhealthy food option in my apartment. I went on the search for a stationary bicycle and bought wii fit (which I was embarrassingly too heavy for, the weight limit on the plus version is 330lbs, I was at 348.5, ugh).

I remembered hearing “it takes 3 weeks to form a habit” and knew I had to make exercise a habit. So? I worked out every. single. day. for at least 30 minutes. I did not count calories at this point, just chose healthy options and in smaller amounts. I lost 15lbs the first month and that was the push I needed to keep going.

It clearly has been a long journey, I had expected that - I had a lot to lose. There is no quick fix though. When people ask me for help to lose weight, the first thing I tell them is this is a lifelong commitment. You can’t lose weight then go back to your old habits, you’ll just end up at the same place.

Ultimately, no one is stuck being fat. You just have to be ready to change, completely. When you want to, you’ll know. You can wish for it until you’re blue in the face, but you won’t get there unless you work for it.

Day 5: Why do you really want to lose this weight?

• To be healthy. I want to be in shape, I want to treat the body I was given with the respect it deserves. I want it for as long as I possibly can have it.
• To be brave. I have always been a happy, confident person, but I held back. I held back on trying new things, meeting new people or challenging myself. As I have shed this weight, I realize more and more, every day, just how capable I am of so many things. I am more outgoing, more curious and more willing to try anything that is thrown my way - I don’t want to lose that characteristic.
• To have a dream wardrobe. Shallow as fuck, but true. Plus size just wasn’t cuttin’ it. I LOVE clothes. And let me tell you, it feels incredible to go into any store and find things in your size. This had never been the case for me until recently and it is still novel to me. From time to time, I’ll walk into a store just to try on things, because I can. If you have never been plus size, you take this completely for granted.
• To be a badass. To date, I have completed a 5k and 10k, and am looking to do a 10-miler and half marathon in the spring. I’ve rode over 20 miles at a time on my bike. I’ve hiked for entire days and then some. In addition to this, I would love to take on rock-climbing, boxing, kayaking and triathlon…ing? I had no idea I had this in me, but I love it. I love being an athlete. 
• To be in control of me.