Today not much happened besides learning how to drive here.  It was a strange experience but I didn’t wreck any thing!  But rather than write about that I’m going to continue the weight loss success stories series and share an awesome weight loss success story from a girl that I admire.  I’ve been reading Jen’s blog for a while and really appreciate her journey and her strength as a person.  She is a badass, and a “priorfatgirl” who tells it like it is.  Or as she says, “sugar coating not included.”  She has lost almost 100 lbs and inspired countless people.

Can you tell us a little about yourself? I’m twenty-something and have been overweight my entire life. I live in Minneapolis with my boyfriend Carlos. I work a full time job, a part time job, blog and have a social life too.

Was there one moment or event started your weight loss journey? In August of 2007, my father (who is also overweight) asked if I wanted to attend a weight loss seminar with him. We went and as I sat there, I looked around the room and got the biggest wake up call I ever had and the one I needed; there I was-26, fat and unhappy. I was in a room surrounded by fat people; they were me and I was them. We were there together. I was 26 and was a candidate for weight loss surgery. I left the seminar and decided that if I was going to be healthy, I wanted it to be my work that got me there.

What was your starting weight? What weight are you at now? How long have you been losing weight? Are you at your goal? I started at 240lbs and am now at 145lbs. I lost weight for 2 years and am “kind of” at my goal. While I would still like to lose 5-10 vanity pounds, I am happy and have accepted that I won’t lose a ton more weight.

What would you say is the most important factor in your weight loss? Changed eating habits? Exercise? Changed thinking? Something else? All of the above. The hardest part of losing weight & being healthy is that there isn’t just ONE thing that gets us there. It’s everything all together. It’s healthy eating, being active, positive environment, emotional support from friends, the willingness to be vulnerable with oneself and with others, and its one small step at a time.

What methods are you using to achieve your goals? Healthy eating & lots of activity. I believe that the only way to achieve a healthy weight and lifestyle is some good ‘ol fashion ass bustin’ hard work and tears. That means fighting, kicking and screaming my way to the gym (which sometimes I do!)

Are there any obstacles you had to overcome to begin exercising / keep exercising? A hard part about beginning to exercise and continuing to exercise is pushing through the times when you just don’t want to. And when your social environment (ie: friends & family) continue to be an enabler towards you not exercising. To be able to stand up for myself and refuse to skip a workout was a huge obstacle.

You are amazingly strong and have inspired so many people with your continued dedication to being healthy even in the face of traumatic events. How did your journey change when you lost your mom? When I lost my mom, my world turned upside down. She was my best friend and my biggest cheerleader. She emailed me every day, texted me after that and would randomly call to ask where I was or what I was doing. That first month after I lost my mom, I gained 10lbs. I ate and ate and ate and in no way wanted to go to the gym. But sometime in early September, I realized what was happening – my mom’s death could not be an excuse to gain it all back, throw all my hard work away and give up. I had to fight through it. And all of a sudden, it wasn’t about the weight anymore. It was so much more emotional. My journey moved from trying to get that “perfect goal weight” to really digging deep into why I struggle so much with food & temptation. Lord knows in the five short months since I lost my mom, I have not even come close to figuring it out – but I’m fighting. And that’s what counts (and the fact that I didn’t gain any other weight besides the 10lbs).

How do you deal with emotional eating or eating when you don’t physically need to? I still struggle with this. But at some point, there is a breath of strength to take a step back and say “what’s it worth?” Each time is different but no matter what, there is a tiny fraction of a millisecond as your moving the food to your fork that you have that thought of “I shouldn’t eat this” or “This is not good for me” or “I don’t need this” or “This makes me feel better.” And that tiny fraction of a millisecond is all you get to stop yourself. It doesn’t get easier with time – I still fight just as hard to stop myself.

What are 3 of your best eating tips you would like to share?

1. Look for hidden calories. Beverages, dips and sandwich spreads can add mega calories to a meal and not really even add much flavor.
2. Find alternatives. There are a ton of healthy options for foods including Hungry-Girl who is awesome for helping with alternative foods.
3. Skip the extra’s! You’d be surprised that you can actually eat a sandwich without cheese and an hour later, not even care whether your sandwich had cheese or not.

Has your weight loss blog helped you with losing and maintaining your weight loss? Blogging has been key to my success because I needed to connect with people who knew what I was going through and could empathize with my journey. True, there were many people in my life who were on a diet or who had some extra pounds they could lose. But I needed to be able to vent, kick, scream and cry as well as needed a good smack in the face when I needed it. People on-line are so truthful & honest. One of the good things about the online community is that there is a relaxed set of boundaries surrounding what people are willing to say. There is a certain level of anonymity online that gives people a feeling of increased comfort in speaking their mind and giving their opinions about what they are commenting on. Some would consider this a draw back but I don’t. You see, we all need to realize that this obesity “epidemic” was actually caused by us (all of us, me included) sugar coating everything and pretending that every bite didn’t add up to one big mass of fat. My blog is no sugar coating included. That means I’m not going to pretend it was easy or that I didn’t make mistakes. I’m not going to pretend that now, that I’m at goal, I feel like I made it. No, more importantly, I want to share that I struggle to stay healthy just as much now as I did during my weight loss period. And to be able to connect with people who understand that is so instrumental for me. Also my blog is important in my journey because it lets others know they aren’t alone. So many times on my yo-yo dieting phase, I felt so alone. I felt like I was the only one in the United States saying no to burgers and fries. I felt like everyone else around me was eating whatever they wanted. But this time, when I decided to make life changes, I knew that I wanted to let others know that losing weight isn’t easy but we don’t have to do it alone. In general, blogging isn’t just about me sharing my story but so much more about community. There is both give and take when I blog. People stop by and hear about my journey, can be inspired to not give up on their own journey, and at the same time, help keep me motivated to keep going. What could be better?!

If you were to give advice to anyone considering starting a weight loss journey, what would you say? Don’t think, just do it. If you try to think of everything you need to do, it will be too much. Just take it one healthy bite at time. There is no tomorrow, there is no starting on Monday, no New Years Resolutions. This is your life, not a game. Do it NOW.

What tips would you offer someone trying to lose a significant amount of weight? You are in this yourself. This is all about you, your decisions, and your responsibility. I know it’s tough, I know it sucks, I know it’s unfair. I know those deep down feelings you barely admit to yourself let alone anyone around you. But this is your life. You have two choices – you can either change everything your doing and fight for what you want or you can continue the way your living, sit down, stop complaining and accept the results. You can do this – I know you can, I believe in you.

Thanks for sharing Jen!  Make sure you check out her blog: Prior Fat Girl, and read all the other great weight loss success stories for a little inspiration.