Tips from a Girl 150lbs Later

150lbs?? That's a lot right? Looking back now 9 years later, it doesn't seem possible that I was ever carrying the weight of another human being on top of what I am now.

I am 29 yo, and 9 years ago I stepped on a scale with horror at what I saw. 288lbs.

As a woman at 5'6", that's twice what I should weigh and it shouldn't have been that big of a surprise so much that I did weigh that much... I was in a size 22 pants and it hurt to tie my shoes.

I was at the top of my weight mountain that I had started building from a very early age. Looking back now, I remember the embarrassment I felt as as a kindergartner stepping off the scale at the Pediatrician's office as they told my mother I was obese, as the scale read 100lbs.

Never growing up was I the athletic kid, the skinny kid, or the cute popular girl. Nope... I was the chubby, poor kid, with Walmart pants and Goodwill shoes.

My parents did the best they could for myself and my siblings as we grew up, but our diet was majorly based off of red meats and carbs. We drank a lot of soda because it was a cheap treat and as a kid, we all loved sweets.

Well the day that I stepped on that scale and it read to me 288lb, those digits burned into my mind. I remember crying and feeling helpless.

But then, I got mad. Mad at myself for not having more control. Mad at my parents for not giving me the right tools to have a healthy outline to follow that would have kept me from getting to this point. Mad, furious, and fed up.

I started my weight loss journey that day, fueled by fury. I was determined to watch what I ate and that water was going to be my new best friend.

Going off of bits and pieces from every failed diet plan, trick and tracking I had ever done, that day was the first day of the rest of my life.

One year later I weighed 135lb. Now 9 yrs later, life saving surgery, and a pregnancy under my belt, I'm at a comfortable 150lb. I'm happier with my body than I've ever been and I know I can look back and say "I did that! No bypass surgery. No Pills. JUST ME! I did that!"

So now I'm going to share HOW I did it. I promise it's no secret magical food. No secret BURPIE or crunch that I did. Not even a special protein shake... HERE is my outline for getting healthy.

Day 1 and EVERYDAY

Drink 64oz of water. (8 glasses full of 8oz of water)

Have 4 servings of vegetables a day, including one meal that is primarily vegetables. (Like a salad)

Do not eat after 6pm.

Get 8hrs of sleep a night.

Walk or jog for 30min 4x a week.

And PAMPER YOURSELF!!! Everyday or every other day. Whether you take a bubble bath, paint your nails, do your hair, do anything that makes you feel good about you!!

It's as simple as that.

You just need to remember that you're doing this for YOU. That you are important. You are beautiful. You matter. AND, living life to its fullest is what your life should be about. Not counting calories. Not worried about if you'll fit in the seat on the plane. Not being embarrassed by what you can't do.... BECAUSE FROM DAY 1 on... YOU CAN DO ANYTHING BECAUSE YOU'RE IN CONTROL!!!