My Weight Loss Journey: The Turning Point That Changed Everything

I never imagined that I would be almost 300 pounds. Seeing 278.8 on the scale was a terrifying moment for me. I did not recognize myself. I felt lost, overwhelmed, and unsure of how to navigate life as a new mom. I was giving everything I had to my daughter, but in the process, I had completely neglected myself. I was heavier than I was even after just giving birth and looking in the mirror was painful. I saw someone who had let herself go — someone I didn’t want to be.

More than just the way I looked, I felt it in my body. Walking even short distances left me winded. I was constantly tired, sad, and scared. Scared that if I kept going down the same path, I would develop health issues that could shorten my life. That terrified me. I wanted more for myself, for my daughter, and for my future. I wanted to feel good in my body, not just in the way that I looked, but in how I felt every day.

That’s when I knew I needed to make a change.

Now 30 pounds later, I have hit my first big milestone in my weight loss journey and I’m really proud of myself. I’ve gone from a size 22 size to a size 18 and gained so much more confidence than I had at the start of my journey. I can look in the mirror now and see someone who is showing up for herself. Someone who is proving that change is possible. Someone who is just getting started!!

It’s Never Too Late To Start Again…

Back in 2018-2019, I went on a weight loss journey because I felt so uncomfortable in my body. At the time I was a little over 250 pounds. I wanted to get healthy, feel good in my body, and change my habits. In nine months, I lost 40 pounds just by eating better and walking.

During that time, my marriage also became so much stronger. We were in love before, but during this time our marriage got so much stronger because we spent time working on it and were in an amazing place. This is when we decided to start trying to have a baby. We were happy, excited, and ready to add a little one to our life.

The hard thing is, the same week that I found out that I was pregnant, the world shut down because of COVID.

In addition to that, I had a very rough, high-risk pregnancy. I didn’t gain an extreme amount of weight during pregnancy, but I did gain back what I had lost (which to me was to be expected).

After having my baby, I went through bad postpartum depression. I felt lost and scared, and I did not recognize myself physically or mentally. My husband and I were isolated and now struggling in our marriage. We were overwhelmed as first-time parents and dealing with the effects of COVID and how our world had changed — navigating it all without a support system. I had lost myself in survival mode.

On top of everything else, I started gaining weight instead of losing it. That was really hard for me. I had seen so many people talk about “losing the baby weight” after having a baby, and here I was gaining. I felt ashamed — like I was failing at yet another thing as a new mom.

When I finally came out of postpartum depression and decided to focus on my health again, it did feel like I was starting over from scratch. In some ways, I felt even further from where I wanted to be. As much as I wanted to dwell on how long it had been or how much I had to lose, I knew the only way forward was just to start.

That’s something that I had to remind myself of: it’s never too late to start again. Even when it feels like you have so far to go– you can always decide to start. That decision is what changes everything.

Next Up: How I Did It

So this is where I am — 30 pounds down and finally starting to feel more like myself again. Getting to this point hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth it! I’m proud of the changes that I’ve made and how I’ve shown up for myself, even when things felt really hard!

In my next post, I’m going to walk you through exactly what I did to lose my first 30 pounds, without dieting or the ability to exercise. I’ll break down the habits that helped me to get here, the mindset shifts that made all of the difference, and how I stayed consistent through some really tough times.

I hope this post encourages you wherever you are in your journey!