I don’t know where I started weight-wise when I began this weight loss journey. I’d stopped weighing myself, and even refused to look at the scale at the doctor’s office. I told them not to tell me the bad news. All I know is what size clothes I was wearing. I started this journey shortly after fitting into a 3X and now I’m down to a women’s size 12. If I had to guess, I’d say I’ve lost at least 50 pounds. It’s taken several years and a variety of weight loss programs.

I put on the weight in the midst of horrible chapter in my life that began about nine years ago. I’m not comfortable sharing the details, but it was bad enough that I ended up in the hospital more than one on suicide watch. I tend to eat my feelings, and because my feelings were strong and long-lasting, I quickly put on a great deal of weight.

As things settled down, I wanted to take off the weight that I’d gained, but that’s no small feat.

I tried a variety of low-carb diets, ordered frozen meals from Nutrisystem, and tried intermittent fasting. All of which worked for a while. But then I’d take a break from the diet and quickly start putting the weight back on. It was a yo-yo ride of losing weight, gaining some back, losing weight again, gaining some back. Often I would gain enough back that I’d be at a higher weight than when I started. It was frustrating and depressing. So far with my current program, although there have been periods of no weight loss, I haven’t had times of gaining the weight back. I consider that success after my previous weight loss experience.

Now I’m just doing a simple program of eating three meals per day with one small snack. I’m not eating sugar, and I’m going easy on wheat and grains. I’ve lost two sizes since starting this current way of eating about a year ago. Slowly but surely, I’m losing the weight I’d started to think would never come off. I’m currently experiencing a weight loss plateau so I may start measuring my foods to make sure I’m not eating servings that are too big. I also may follow a friend’s suggestion to make an appointment with a nutritionist.

I shrunk down into a size 12 last week, so my excitement is still fresh. I didn’t lose any sizeable amount of weight prior to changing sizes, but it seems that my body is reproportioning itself.

I still have a ways to go, but I feel hopeful that this time the weight will come off … and stay off!