I was never an obese child and I was never an obese young adult, but weight was always in the back of my mind. One of my earliest memories of weight being considered an issue was in 8th grade when my group of friends decided to weigh ourselves in front of each other at a friend’s house. I was always the tallest (5’9 even in 8th grade), so when the scale read 132 for me and everyone else’s weight was 105-115 I was shocked…even though the rest of them ranged in height from 5’2-5’6. In high school, I was fine with my weight. I was probably 20 pounds overweight but I never let it bother me. I weighed around 165 in high school and enjoyed life. College was also fun. I gained the traditional…ahem…freshman 25 and got up to 190, but again, I didn’t mind. I have a great frame thanks to genetics and I carry my weight pretty well (or, at least that is what I told myself). I lost 15 pounds the summer before my junior year in college and I had so much confidence…too much confidence…I partied all the time, never went to class, and ended up leaving college in April of my junior year. I immediately became depressed, started dating the wrong guy, and turned to food as a comfort. That was the start of my emotional eating. Food was my best friend. My soul mate. The one thing that would never be mad at me, or disappointed, or angry. It was my friend. I turned to it for every kind of emotion: happiness, sadness, anger, anxiousness, you name it.

I gained 50 pounds in less than a year and decided I needed to go back to college and finish my degree. And I did. And I met my husband and we moved in together. But, I was still eating emotionally and started binging. 5 cheeseburgers, 2 sets of large fries, and donuts were eaten in one sitting and in about 20 minutes. And then I’d rummage around to see what else I could find because I was so depressed after eating all of that crap. I continued on for grad school after graduating with my bachelor’s degree and my weight stayed right around 220. I moved back home for a job as my husband (my boyfriend at the time) finished his degree and my weight went down to about 212 (it’s funny how I can remember exact numbers). My husband moved back and we moved in together and I started a new job. In another year I had gained another 50 pounds. I topped out at 274 and honestly didn’t think it was that bad. Really? 26 pounds away from 300 and I didn’t think it was bad. That’s how in denial I was about my weight.

In June 2006 I had my breaking point and couldn’t do the “weight” thing anymore. I started (very slowly) changing what I ate and what I drank. I’m talking slowly. Like drinking water instead of orange juice for breakfast. Then I wouldn’t make another change for a while until I got used to the new change. I don’t mind exercising. I actually really enjoy it. So, I started exercising a little more often and moving more. I saw my weight start to go down. In 2009 I was down to 195 right before our wedding. I maintained between 195-200, but I was starting to binge again. I remember binging the whole week around Christmas in 2010 and then I said, “that’s enough.”

So, I hopped online one day and started researching calorie counting. And I found the 3FC website which has, in more ways than one, helped me so much. I started counting calories on January 3, 2011 with a goal of 165. I originally set it at 170, but I thought “I saw 170 in college, but I haven’t seen 165 since high school,” so that’s how I came up with my goal. Calorie counting allowed me to work through my emotions instead of eating them because I knew I had to stick to a certain amount of calories per day. It has truly been a god-send. I reached my goal this morning, but I’m not going to stop counting calories. I wouldn’t mind getting down to 155 or 160, but I’m not going to be as strict with my calorie counting as I have been. I’ve enjoyed this journey. It has been very rough at times, but it has been worth every tear, every sweat bead, and every temper tantrum.

I’ve lost 110 pounds and I’ve lost 54.5 inches. Here is the breakdown of my inches:

Waist 43 inches to 31.5 inches
Hips 53.5 inches to 40 inches
Inner thigh 32 inches to 24 inches
Upper arm 15.25 inches to 13.25 inches
Calf 19 inches to 16 inches
Stomach 51.5 inches to 39 inches

I didn’t measure my bust beforehand, but it is 37.75 and my ribs underneath my bust are 31 inches.

And now for the before and after pictures. The before pics are me at my heaviest of 274. The afters are me last week at 167. I figured that was close enough to my goal for some pics.

This is a picture where I honestly thought the camera angle was horrible and made a mental note to never stand like that again. Honestly. Denial.

Congrats on your hardwork!!!!! WTG

Sweetie you ROCK that dress!! Congratulations All your hard work has certainly paid off!

HOLY SMOKES...you look amazing...WTG!!!!!

Great job! So happy for you!

Emme!!! You are a BOMBSHELL! Goregeous...really and what beautiful shapely legs you have I'm so happy for you! As promised...see your party below:

You look AMAZING!! You are an inspriration!

Awsome!!! You mean you did not follow any diet program ? did u go to gym?

FANTASTIC! You look perfect.

Thank you, everyone! I couldn't have done it without the people and support on this board!

I just made a lot of changes and eventually started counting calories in January. I do a lot of exercise classes from August-May when they are offered at my work, but in the summer I stick with walking and rollerblading.

BIG HUGS! You look so great!

Wow. Just.... wow.

That is wonderful You have inspired me! You look fantastic. What an powerful accomplishment for a healthful life.

Your figure is so cute! You must be so happy and proud!

You look AMAZING Emme !!!!