Before:


After:

"I'm often asked how I got started on my weight loss journey. I wish I had a simple, perky answer, but the truth is, I had a lot of internal housecleaning to do first.
I had so many feelings floating around in my head when I weighed 300 pounds -- inadequacy, anger, and overall helplessness. I vacillated for months between accepting my body as it was and choosing to lose weight. I journaled tough questions: How did I feel about my body? How much did I love myself? Was I worth changing for? It was difficult and often uncomfortable work, I won't lie, but once I was honest with myself and became better acquainted with the emotions that bothered me most, I was ready to lose weight.

Working through those issues, or at least confronting them, left me better prepared for the "tough love" it took to discipline that weak voice inside that said, "This is hard. I want chocolate (or fries or animal crackers or any other simple carb you can imagine). Feed me." I learned to say no to myself and I committed to learning new behaviors that helped me change "I can't" to "I will.""