My story started about 100 lbs ago...I was at my heaviest EVER! At 5'9" I weighed in at 256 lbs! All my life I've struggled with my weight fluctuating up and down. I've done the fad diets, pills and whatnot. But nothing seemed to change drastically.

So one day I decided enough is enough and began eating healthy foods. I cut out soda and anything with added sugars completely for the first few weeks and started eating lean meats, fruits and veggies.

Everything I ...

My story started about 100 lbs ago...I was at my heaviest EVER! At 5'9" I weighed in at 256 lbs! All my life I've struggled with my weight fluctuating up and down. I've done the fad diets, pills and whatnot. But nothing seemed to change drastically.

So one day I decided enough is enough and began eating healthy foods. I cut out soda and anything with added sugars completely for the first few weeks and started eating lean meats, fruits and veggies.

Everything I bought was sugar free and/or low fat. When shopping I would always look at the fat, carbs, sugar and protein contents. Reading and understanding that label was very important in helping me decide which groceries to buy. I started using portion control too! I cannot stress how important portion control is! I would eat every 2-4 hours, BUT I would eat PORTION sizes and I knew what I was eating was healthy! My snacks consisted of healthy options as well such as carrots or apples with reduced fat peanut butter, Sun Chips, sugar free chocolate or fruit popscicles, or even just a piece of toast with some reduced fat pb and sugar free jelly, etc.

Doing so I lost about 60 lbs in 5 months! Remember it doesn't always happen that way with everyone so BE PERSISTANT!!! As for exercise, I really didn't have a regular program since I worked double shifts and my job demanded physical labor from me anyway.

Around that time I was roughly 195-200 lbs. I decided to creep back into my old habits of eating fast food, drinking soda or whatever I wanted because I thought I was happy with how I looked then. Well circumstances in my life changed and I now had to make a move out to Oklahoma from California. Well I move to OK ..then I got sick, TWICE in a row (with sicknesses I'd never gotten before in my life!) and inadvertently lost another 20 lbs! At about 180 lbs I'm thinking I'm doing alright, I don't look too bad really. So I go back and forth between trying to eat healthy and eating whatever I want and my weight fluctuates from approximately 177-183 lbs.

Then on April 3, 2008 my 24th Birthday (9th) was coming up and I did some "soul searching," so-to-speak, and decided that enough was enough. I truly was not happy with the way I looked even though my friends and family thought I looked really good from where I came from (256 lbs). So I decided that if I was so determined to lose those first 60 lbs from the beginning then I could set my goal to lose that last 30 lbs (or keep going until I felt comfortable and looked great, in a healthy way of course).

That same day, April 3, I popped in one of my Billy's Elite Bootcamp Tae Bo videos and started working out 6 days a week after that. I followed his 4-week program. Then just mixed the videos around for another couple of weeks. By week 6 I had hit a plateau from losing weight and inches. That's when I read on another Sparker's Sparkpage about Turbo Jam. It was essentially kickboxing just like Tae Bo (which I love!) but with some "dancing" and it sounded really fun. So I ordered several dvds and began working out to them. I became frustrated at first since they are a little more fast-paced than Tae Bo moves, but after a couple days I quickly caught on. Within that first week of Turbo Jam I also began incorporating strength training into my exercise routine for the first time and switched up my meals to different foods and began to see the inches just melt off again! And the weight steadily began to go down as well!

I am now down to 156 lbs and counting (down of course!) My initial goal was to reach 168 lbs to be in my healthy BMI range and now I've done it. So my second goal is to be at an even 150 lbs. When I reach it, I may reevaluate my goals to another 5-10 lb loss and go from there. Through all of this, SparkPeople has been an awesome source of support through the Message Boards, SparkPages, SparkTeams and all the wonderful resources they have given us at the touch of a mouse for FREE! I have also learned so much through reading the emails and articles I receive and by getting great, healthy recipes! And I have also learned a great deal about myself. So if I can do it, YOU can do it too! : 0)

I would like to challenge whoever reads this: if you ever feel like talking or need some encouragment just message me! I'd be happy to help in any way I can, whether it be a virtual hug or a word of encouragment, I'm here for you and so is the rest of SparkPeople! Don't EVER give up! Not for a second! You CAN be the healthy, happy person you've always wanted to be, it just takes a little determination and a lot of work! Good luck to all in finding yourselves!

~Jen

Read More About MISHYMOO37 (Updated September 9)

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