Hi everyone!
I'm here because something finally clicked. I'm no stranger to "dieting," but in the past my experience had pretty much been limited to crash diets or drastically cutting calories without ANY regard to nutrition (i.e. eating 1200 calories of junkfood and expecting to see results). I hated my body very much, and wanted to see as much of it gone as quickly as possible.
In early 2012, something changed. I started practicing yoga and, even though at ~215 pounds I was by far the heaviest woman in my class, I found that it made me feel strong and fit and beautiful in a way that I never had before. Over the subsequent months, I began taking baby steps in the right direction. Although I wasn't changing my eating much, I began running. I started making an effort to invite my friends for hikes rather than meals, and gradually I realized how good it felt to treat my body well.
Now, I think I'm finally in a good headspace--coming from a place of self-love, not fear--to begin my weight loss journey. I've been focusing on incorporating a wide variety of whole foods into my diet, and I've never felt better.
I still have a long way to go, and from the looks of it this site is a great way to give and get support...so here I am! Let's do this.