Note: You don't have to follow my format below but you're welcome to!
Name: Michelle
Location: Yorktown, Virginia
Age: 21
Birthdate: 3/6/85 <<< Yes, it falls on a challenge week!
Approximate Starting Weight: Somewhere in the 190's
What I Hope To Lose: 20 pounds (hopefully more)
Why Do I Want to Lose: Because my wedding is in August!
Weight Loss History:
Well where do I begin? As a child I was thin, I could eat what I want when I wanted and never gain a pound. When I started staying home alone after school at 13, I was queen of raiding the fridge for anything from Hot Pockets to ketchup sandwiches (don't ask.) All my life my grandma would tell me "you need to stop eatting like that or you're going to have a big belly like me." I didn't listen. What teenager does? Both of my parents are heavy and it never dawned on me that I would gain weight. I just thought I'd be the same size forever. I gained a little in high school, but it was what boys called "gaining in all the right areas." I became the white girl with the "ghetto booty" and it was getting me attention so I didn't mind it. Little did I know that was the start of the downfall.
When I graduated I weighted 125 lbs. It was a healthy weight for my height of 5'6" but I had put on 5 pounds in what seemed like only a month. I was wearing size 7 to 9 jeans and feeling decent. Then I met the love of my life Daniel.
Daniel is not a thin boy by any means. He's muscular but carries a lot of his weight in his midsection, mostly from his eatting lifestyle. When we started dating, we lived 2 hours away from each other and made the trip to make it work. I was beginning to always eat out or drive thru because I had started college. I was going to clubs and underage drinking more. Plus I was smoking like crazy.Then Daniel and I moved in together. I quit smoking all together because he didn't care for it and I just didn't see why I was doing it. Making ends meet we didn't exactly eat the healthiest.To make a long story short I was packing on pounds.
In the span of 3 years being with him I've gained 80.5 pounds, and it's not in all the right places. I went from a size 7-9 to a 16-18 and I'm very uncomfortable in my skin. I no longer go to clubs because I feel like I can't fit in. I'm simple a computer and couch potato.
I started the South Beach Diet and joined this website September 17th of this year. Since then, I have lost a total of 13.5 pounds without ever consulting a doctor or a physical trainer. I plan on losing another 20 pounds or more to get me to a weight where I'll feel comfortable buying my wedding dress. We've been engaged for 2 years now and will be getting married on August 18th, 2007 and as much as I'd like to be 125 by then, I know I won't but I can damn sure try. When I walked into David's Bridal at 205.5 pounds I was wearing a size 18 to 20 Women's. I can now fit into a 18 to 16 Misses and I feel I can go smaller if I really put my heart into it.
I hope that this story has motivated some of you to stick with me this challenge. Not because I want the participation but because I need the motivation! I'd like to know every week when I make the chart and stats that I have someone else I need to work hard for as well. To make a team effort and not just struggle on my own.
Will you stay and work with me? Will you be that push I need?
