...to feel good, rock a prom dress, and improve my overall health =)
TL;DR
Freshman year: 201 pds, size 18-20/XL.
Senior year: 159 pds, size 12-14/M.
Goal: 140 pds. =)
Progress report as of 2/27/11.
I will try to keep this updated at least once a week.~
Picture this. MiddleofnowehereVille, Nevada. The glorious consumer-driven 1990s. Throughout my grade school years my mother worked long, long hours for little pay (barely above minimum wage) at the lone grocery store in town, which charged about twice the amounts than the fancy organic department stores in the cities that were an hour or two away. Presumably, they figured it be more convenient to spend more there rather than less at the Wal Mart in Reno. Anyway, there was a McDonalds between our house, the grocery store, and my school. My overworked mother (in her mid-forties at the time) hardly had the energy to make breakfast for me in the morning and had enough sense not to let a clumsy, short-attention spanned child as myself to touch any of the cooking appliances. Therefore, she bought us McDonalds every morning for breakfast. Holy weight gain.
Now, I'm not saying my obesity was at the lone fault of my mother. No. Many healthy adults come from very unhealthy, fast food plagued childhoods. It was a matter of personal conviction. I was addicted to grease and fat and all that crap. Even after my mother wised up and got a much better job, I had no taste for veggies or fruit and would beg and whine until my parents, fed up, bought me that package of Ramen or box of cookies. It wasn't until sixth or seventh grade that I got into athletic activities again (I had been an active child and was underweight because of it) and all that crap started making me barf during volleyball/soccer/softball/everything practice. So I stopped and lost some weight, as well as gaining muscle mass. During the off-seasons my mom and I would go to Curves. We both lost a bunch of weight and got way healthier. I was wearing juniors again instead of plus-size women's. (it's so very awkward to be shopping in the same section as fat old ladies!)
Then came eighth grade. Most girls you talk to will remember that year (or whatever grade preceding high school) with some sort of bitterness. Hormones, which had slowly been coming out of their dormancy, kicked in at full speed. I was hit in the face with tons of acne. My breasts grew out from moderate B's to nearly D's and my hips expanded past my shoulders (which have always been broad, by the way) and my pubic hair seemed to multiply. I was the curviest girl in school and got tons of unwanted attention from both boys and girls, be it positive or negative. Most of the flat-chested girls on my volleyball team mocked me mercilessly, not just for my body but for...everything. I was still into unicorns and Barbies while they'd "matured" to makeup and flirting. My best friend (not an athlete, by the by, in any manner) outright abandoned me for my oddities and awkward fashion sense. Though one could portray me as a victim of middle school vanity and bullying, I really did bring a good deal of it upon myself, being the way that I was. Feeling an outcast, I quit all sports/clubs and invested most of my time into an multi-player computer game, Fiesta Online. I moved to Oregon the summer of my freshman year, partially for parental business reasons but also to escape bullying and small-town gossip. Socially phobic and convinced to be athletically inept (I wasn't -- I was actually a damn good server and goalie but I wouldn't be convinced so) I didn't sign up for a single sport nor social activity. After school I locked myself in my room and sat at the computer, doing homework and surfing the web until bed-time. I gained all my weight back, refusing to go to the gym or even go outside much; I wanted to avoid people as much as I possibly could. I didn't eat horribly but I ate lots, as if to fill an empty void with some sort of substance.
Enter junior year. Finally, as if by some miracle, I had friends, as in more than just one. Actual, tangible friends. Perhaps because I, you know, actually started to talk to people. In Spanish class (the most difficult for me because it requires social interaction) a friendly popular girl suggested I join water polo, saying I'd be good at it (I wasn't.) Surprised and flattered, I signed up right away. As the practices were quite rigorous, I began to gradually drop the weight (then about 201 pounds.) After water polo season I joined swim team and not only lost more weight but made my closest friends. =)
Senior year. Two months until graduation (!!!) Swim season is over and I've been stuck at the same weight for a good while now. Although I may be at a much, much healthier state now, I struggle with a low metabolism and penchant for sweet stuff. My acid reflux, lactose intolerance, and heartburn/throw up tendencies come as both a blessing and a curse. If not for my inability to properly digest and handle greasy and fatty foods, I would be about 300 pounds. :'D I'm trying to find time and conviction to work out again, to hold myself accountable rather than for my coach and teammates. It'll be a long and difficult journey, but a fun and worthwhile one once I get back into the swing of things!
It's kinda hard to tell (family can't take proper photos) but the bodice used to be so tight I could hardly bend over. Now I could do yoga in it.
My first prom dress was from a thrift store. I couldn't fit into the 19/20 size at JCP or anywhere else. My senior prom dress (an electric blue number) is a 13/14 from JCP.
