I used to be fat.

This is me in 2009 (18 yrs. old), the heaviest weight I have ever been. This was the year that I would change my lifestyle. I was about to graduate from high school and I wanted a fresh start. I was chubby all throughout my childhood/teenage years. It didn't bother me though. I was confident in myself, liked the way I looked, and obviously really enjoyed all of the horrible crap I was putting into my body. I was never really made fun of for my weight, maybe a few times. One bitch did call me a pig haha but I just laughed stuff like that off; I have thick skin. It never really got to me. I knew that my family and friends would accept me regardless of my size. Actually, now that I think of it, the only thing that did bother me was not being able to shop at the same stores my friends did. I wanted to be stylish and wear the latest trends. I could barely fit into a large at Forever21. But oh well, I found cute clothes elsewhere. From ages 3-18 I was involved in dance; first for recreation and then competitively. Once I started competing I had dance rehearsal after school 3 days a week, usually from 3-8 pm.  I typically went straight from school to dance and grabbed fast food on the way there. My friends did the same, but they were still fit and skinny haha. Even though I was dancing my butt off, I was still overweight because of the quantity of food I was consuming. I didn't let my weight hold me back though. If you ask me I was actually pretty fit for being overweight. I worked hard (most of the time) and enjoyed every second of it, even going to Florida multiple times to compete at the national level with other dance schools around the country.

So why did I decide to change my lifestyle? I really don't know what clicked for me. One day I just decided to give it a try. I wanted to feel healthier. I wanted to be strong. I started counting my calories. I still ate terribly though, mostly low calorie, low fat, processed crap. I remember eating Lean Cuisine and feeling like I was doing something good for myself. What a joke, but I had to start somewhere. I definitely don't advocate this stuff now, but hey, it worked. Once I saw the numbers on the scale going down I wanted to keep going. I was motivated. Since I was no longer dancing I decided to join a gym. Oh how I hated the gym. I can remember  being on that treadmill and wanting to rip my eyeballs out. I could barely run for 3 minutes straight. BUT, I never gave up.

This is me now. A fit, healthy, happy 22 (almost 23) year old. I lost most of my weight in about a year and a half. I am 70 pounds lighter and I have finally found balance between eating the foods I love and maintaining my weight. I now eat clean, nutritious, healthy foods. I still go out to dinner and enjoy life! I allow myself to indulge, but have learned to get right back on track the next meal. Weight loss is not about depriving yourself, it's about finding balance and making healthier choices. I love to transform some of my favorite fattening dishes into healthy alternatives that I can enjoy guilt-free. I have created this blog to share those recipes as well as things I've learned on my weight loss journey! I would love to answer any questions you guys might have and I hope this blog provides some great tips and delicious recipes for you!