Hi, my name is Kristi and I’m a 23 y.o graduate of the University of Texas. I’m that classic girl that has always struggled with her weight. I reached my heighest weight my senior year of high school, weighing in at around 230 lbs. Large, I know. I strangely had no idea exactly how large I was until I started to lose weight (this was a blessing AND a curse). Through the help of a diet pill, strict food diet and exercise I managed to get myself down to 200 lbs. I was very proud of myself and ready to continue on the war path but freshmen year of college was calling my name and so were the freshman 15. Yup, I gained that. Put me at 215 lbs end of freshman year and yoyoing between 205 - 215 lbs all the way through my second year of college. This was when I first decided to join Weight Watchers. My mother proposed we do it together. It was summer, I figured why not try it out. The weight literally fell off of me! I didn’t feel like I was doing anything, just counting those points and it was so easy and the weight just fell off. It was amazing! I was almost to my 40 lb marker (169.4lbs, giving me a grand total of almost 65 lbs on my total weight loss journey) when I had to change migraine medications. Suddenly I couldn’t lose that last .4 lbs, I couldn’t lose anything. I was eating the same exact meals, working out 5 days a week, hadn’t changed a single thing about my diet and exercise and I was gaining weight. It was the most frustrating and depressing experience. First 5 lbs came back on, then 10 lbs and eventually with the pressures of my last year of college, my performance choir, my job and facing graduation, I stopped attending meetings and even really trying to count points. I am now back up to 190 lbs and I will not allow myself to gain any more weight than this. I have already taken the first steps toward gaining back my health, smaller body and ultimately reaching my final goal (135-140lbs). I joined 24 Hr Fitness as I was not able to attend the university gym anymore, have got myself a personal trainer to get back into the swing of things and am trying to squeeze that (second) first WW meeting back into my schedule. Well I did join 24 Hr Fitness, hired a personal trainer and promptly herniated two discs in my lower back while working out with my trainer This put me out of commission for 4 1/2 months! I am just now getting back into the swing of things. I am only now able to start walking around the block for exercise but I have started attending meetings regularly again!

 I am excited to blog, I’ve never done anything like this before but I believe that it will hold me accountable. I know that one of my main weaknesses is emotional eating, namely bored eating. I do fine with normal meal portion sizes, its when I am by myself with nothing to do that the food sabotage begins. I am hoping that instead of eating, I will bring myself to the computer and blog it out, write out my boredom.

 I also hope that through blogging and reading other people’s blogs I will gain some of my confidence back. I was the MOST confident large girl around and due to that, I didn’t know my size other than I was “a little overweight.” Losing weight made me the most body conscious person and I absolutely hate it! I mean, I have confidence for sure I still have confidence to the point that I will go to the pool or the beach in a bikini, no problems. But I am constantly aware of myself now. The funny thing is, looking back at pictures of myself from 2 years ago when I was at my lowest weight, at that time I was so not satisfied and I couldn’t wait to lose more, now I look back and say “Damn, I looked good!” So I hope this time around I will really see myself, see the progress I’ve made, use the body consciousness to a positive degree.

 Finally, like the title says, I am doing this for me. In the past something has always fueled the weight loss. Be it graduation and going off to college or I’m sad to say, looking good for that special someone. It’s not about any of that this time around. It’s about me loving myself, being comfortable and happy with myself. Afterall, if you don’t love yourself, no one can and no one can love you the way you can love yourself. So all of this is what I hope to achieve. Today IS a new day, and I WILL become a new lady!