I AM FINALLY THIN IN MY YOUTH!!!!

(I've been waiting to say that since my chubby pre-teen years)....

I was fat my entire adult life.

There was a point when I was 11 where people were worried about me. My teacher took my mother aside and asked her if I needed help for being anorexic... I was that thin.

And no, I wasn't anorexic, I was just thin. But what happened after that is a big old mix of events, genetics, socialization, and emotions that lead to a tiny thin girl who filled in, filled out and continued "filling" but never felt "full" because she couldn't figure out that eating wouldn't solve her problems.

I could go on and on about all the minute factors that lead to the weight gain... from my grandmother dying, my mother's depression and her own turn to food to drown her sorrows, my family history of carrying weight, my early vegetarianism that was based on beliefs but no education to support proper eating (i.e. a diet of pasta, bread, and sweets)... but I'll save that.

At the age of 12 I was a size 10. At the age of 18, a size 20.

I went to Africa on a humanitarian trip and my life completely changed. I saw how these people, compared to us in North America had so little (food and consumer goods-wise) but had so much more in terms of love and happiness and true friendship. I felt more loved sitting on a straw mat in the middle of a friend's yard helping her mind her children than I had at almost any other time of my life with any other friends.

Then, at the age of 21, I took that love home with me and decided I needed to start making changes.

That this body was the only body I was ever going to have and that it needed to be taken care of.

I lost 60 lbs that year... made it down to 197.

Unfortunately I had gone the way of "Atkins" and when I had moved to Mexico the next year for work, I slowly started to gain back what I'd lost.

By 24 I had gained back all but 10 lbs of what I initially lost.

At 25 I started to see a naturopath, personal trainer, dietician... lost about 10 lbs... but didn't keep it up.

At 26 I put myself into a program at a doctor supervised clinic and lost 20 lbs... was down to 225.

The clinic unfortunately went bankrupt and I was left out in the cold. Gained back 5 lbs and decided at 27 I had all the tools and knowledge, I just needed someone to help me apply them.

Then I found Calorie King in September of 2009. In September of 2010 I reached my goal weight of 154 lbs... meaning I've lost 80 lbs in one year and 110 lbs since my highest weight.

Now I've head into the world of maintenance and remaining thin in my youth!