Cutie 71
Sun, Jun-03-07, 12:18
Well...after many years of yo-yo dieting heartaches & pain...i am THRILLED to announce that on may 6th, i finally hit my goal weight!
135 lbs...that's 110 lbs. from where i started lowcarbing!
i first started gaining weight at the young age of 17. i was diagnosed with an ovarian tumor and was put on multiple medications to combat this...gaining 80 lbs. in just a few months. i was able to beat that...but through the years, i would find that the tumor was just one part of a much bigger medical issue. due to this medical problem, i would spend the next 16 years battling one medical challenge after another...each one with a new set of experimental meds to try...each set of meds with an inevitable weight gain. *sigh*
in between medical "episodes" when i could go off the meds, i would try to regain control of my weight. unfortunately, this strong desire to do so would manifest itself in some very unhealthy ways. extreme dieting, binge/purge episodes and even extreme exercising (friends today would be SHOCKED to know that "once upon a time", i used to get up at 4am every day to work out for 2-3 hours before going to work/class.) falling into such dangerous eating disorder behaviors was a misguided notion that i had that i could "control" things by being so regimented about what was going in and out of my body. later i would realize that i didn't control anything...rather the eating disorder controlled me. this rollercoaster of weight gain/lose & medical challenges would go on for years and years.
fast forward to....a few years ago. i gave up all the allopathic meds and decided to focus my attention solely on alternative medicine instead, most notably homeopathy. following a more natural treatment plan, i was able to slowly detox my system from years of drugs and finally heal a damaged liver. this whole process was life-changing for me as it inspired me to look at my life as a whole and desire a "cleansing" of sorts with everything. i vowed to take better care of my body & stop the damaging eating disorder behaviors. i actively researched dieting plans & tried many things, including low carb.
low carb turned out to be a lifesaver for me! in the fall of 2005, i dedicated myself to sticking to low carb AND promised myself that i was going to do what it took to get this weight off once and for all WITHOUT starving myself, bingeing/purging, etc. it was a daunting task, but one with which i took on with all my heart and soul!
it's been an interesting journey, no doubt...and through the last year and a half...i've done all kinds of low carb plans, changing/customizing things to find what works best "for me" and in the process, i've learned SO much about myself along the way!
i call this success story my "coup" because for me, it is truly a successful "takeover." a takeover of gaining my life back! to have overcome some serious medical challenges with natural treatments and to be healthy and have lost a significant amount of weight WITHOUT taking any 'easy way outs' with unhealthy eating disorder behaviors! for the first time ever...i feel so "in tune" with myself. i understand my body and how to take proper care of it. i know how to enjoy food in moderation as fuel for my body and not as an emotional band-aid in a miserable attempt to cure whatever's ailing me!
here's me "before" at 245, 3X tops & size 24 pants!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Amy_Lynn_/245.jpg
"after" at 135, medium tops & size 2 pants! (please excuse the "hurry up and take the pic already" grimace, the one where i'm actually smiling had a big glare on it, so i HAD to use this one instead, lol)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Amy_Lynn_/5-1.jpg
here's a montage of "before" & "avi" pictures to show my journey from 245 to 135!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Amy_Lynn_/montage3.jpg
9/07 update: here's one from this past summer...no "bikini body" but a big improvement over previous summers! :) (it's at the pool, so please overlook the pulled up hair and no make-up! ;))
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Amy_Lynn_/of50480480.jpg
135 lbs...that's 110 lbs. from where i started lowcarbing!
i first started gaining weight at the young age of 17. i was diagnosed with an ovarian tumor and was put on multiple medications to combat this...gaining 80 lbs. in just a few months. i was able to beat that...but through the years, i would find that the tumor was just one part of a much bigger medical issue. due to this medical problem, i would spend the next 16 years battling one medical challenge after another...each one with a new set of experimental meds to try...each set of meds with an inevitable weight gain. *sigh*
in between medical "episodes" when i could go off the meds, i would try to regain control of my weight. unfortunately, this strong desire to do so would manifest itself in some very unhealthy ways. extreme dieting, binge/purge episodes and even extreme exercising (friends today would be SHOCKED to know that "once upon a time", i used to get up at 4am every day to work out for 2-3 hours before going to work/class.) falling into such dangerous eating disorder behaviors was a misguided notion that i had that i could "control" things by being so regimented about what was going in and out of my body. later i would realize that i didn't control anything...rather the eating disorder controlled me. this rollercoaster of weight gain/lose & medical challenges would go on for years and years.
fast forward to....a few years ago. i gave up all the allopathic meds and decided to focus my attention solely on alternative medicine instead, most notably homeopathy. following a more natural treatment plan, i was able to slowly detox my system from years of drugs and finally heal a damaged liver. this whole process was life-changing for me as it inspired me to look at my life as a whole and desire a "cleansing" of sorts with everything. i vowed to take better care of my body & stop the damaging eating disorder behaviors. i actively researched dieting plans & tried many things, including low carb.
low carb turned out to be a lifesaver for me! in the fall of 2005, i dedicated myself to sticking to low carb AND promised myself that i was going to do what it took to get this weight off once and for all WITHOUT starving myself, bingeing/purging, etc. it was a daunting task, but one with which i took on with all my heart and soul!
it's been an interesting journey, no doubt...and through the last year and a half...i've done all kinds of low carb plans, changing/customizing things to find what works best "for me" and in the process, i've learned SO much about myself along the way!
i call this success story my "coup" because for me, it is truly a successful "takeover." a takeover of gaining my life back! to have overcome some serious medical challenges with natural treatments and to be healthy and have lost a significant amount of weight WITHOUT taking any 'easy way outs' with unhealthy eating disorder behaviors! for the first time ever...i feel so "in tune" with myself. i understand my body and how to take proper care of it. i know how to enjoy food in moderation as fuel for my body and not as an emotional band-aid in a miserable attempt to cure whatever's ailing me!
here's me "before" at 245, 3X tops & size 24 pants!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Amy_Lynn_/245.jpg
"after" at 135, medium tops & size 2 pants! (please excuse the "hurry up and take the pic already" grimace, the one where i'm actually smiling had a big glare on it, so i HAD to use this one instead, lol)
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Amy_Lynn_/5-1.jpg
here's a montage of "before" & "avi" pictures to show my journey from 245 to 135!
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Amy_Lynn_/montage3.jpg
9/07 update: here's one from this past summer...no "bikini body" but a big improvement over previous summers! :) (it's at the pool, so please overlook the pulled up hair and no make-up! ;))
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c355/Amy_Lynn_/of50480480.jpg