About Me!

You already know my name, Brittany. I’m twenty years old, and from the beautiful state of California. I used to hate it here, but once I started getting older, I realized the true beauty, especially in my town. I currently go to a community college, trying to find my place in life. This is my story.

I’ve had weight problems for the majority of my life. It started in fourth or fifth grade when I had a lot of family problems going on. Activity and nutrition was not a priority in my household, and it definitely started to show. I started having food issues at this time, using it to comfort me. I always ate ‘the bad stuff’ in secret, not wanting anyone to see me. I also picked up on my mom’s night time eating habits, which definitely didn’t help the situation.

It wasn’t until I got to middle school that I realized I was a little bigger than most girls my age. I was teased a little bit, but not enough to emotionally damage me. But I still had severe self esteem issues, which I am still working on. I went to high school, still bigger than most girls. I never knew my exact weight during these times because it wasn’t a huge issue for me. But eventually by senior year in high school, I knew all of my unhealthy eating habits had finally caught up with me.

I ended high school at 220 pounds, and extremely unhealthy. I look at all the pictures from graduation and during that summer, and I am honestly disgusted. Disgusted that I allowed myself to be so unhealthy. But I honestly didn’t care about anything during these times. I was depressed, and used food as an emotional crutch. 

I started college that fall and it was only then that I realized I needed to change. I started to eat a little healthier, ran around the block a few times a week, and was just overall more conscious of my choices. I lost the first 30 pounds over a span of a few months with little effort. The next year in May, i joined a gym with my best friend. She was super thin, but wanted to be healthier too. She barely put in any effort, but I ended up going at least five times a week for the next five months. I eventually got down to 160 pounds, but not in a healthy way. I didn’t realize what I was doing to my body at the time. I would push myself at the gym for 60-90 minutes at the gym, and then only eat 800-1000 calories. I was actually counting calories at this time on MyFitnessPal, and looking back on the days, I had negative net calories a lot of days. I had no education, and thought that the less I ate and the more I worked out, the faster I would lose weight. And it was true, but it came with a price. 

In October of 2010, I realized I stopped getting my period. I shrugged it off, not really worrying about it. This was the point where I got to the lowest weight of my adult life, 160 pounds. I started doing some research after not getting my period for the second month in a row and came to realize that I wasn’t eating enough calories for my body to have a menstrual cycle. But I didn’t even start to eat more until the holiday season came about and I lost my self control. Thanksgiving through New Years Eve of 2010 were a blur. I ate everything I possible could and gained about thirty pounds in a month. Definitely not my proudest moment. But in January of 2011, I finally got my period back, which I was actually excited about. The year of 2011 also wasn’t the greatest. I went through a similar cycle as the previous year. I got back down to 170, but once the holidays hit, I lost control once again. 

We are now two months into 2012, and I am still working on getting my motivation back. This has been a long journey, but these past three years have been amazing as a learning experience. I have found a passion for nutrition, and loving learning about how to nourish my body with wholesome foods. I found a love for running, which has since disappeared, but is slowly coming back. I have found out who I really am through this journey. I have more confidence than I ever could have imagined. Even though its been three years, and I’ve gained and lost countless pounds, but am only down around 30 overall, I am still incredibly proud of myself. I wouldn’t change it for anything. And maybe 2012 is my year to shine.