While having been fit for my adult life, I progressively gained a ridiculous amount of weight as I went for my Masters, paying my way through while working as a server, doing an unpaid internship in my field, living with my partner and helping to raise his teenage son from his first marriage. I had no time, so I thought, for exercise. I was not managing, nor barely acknowledging, my stress. Instead, I ate. Additionally, I became a vegetarian during this time and due to my limited time, ate the quickest meals I could find: bread and cheese, pasta and salads, grains and legumes. None of this was what my body type did well with in regards to storing fat.

Eventually, after realizing how huge I had gotten, I began the long road of exercise and diet to get the pounds off. I did indeed succeed. At my heaviest I believe I was probably a size 20, although I stopped buying clothes when I realized that I had to go into the sizes in the twenties, so who knows, I could have been even bigger.

I am now a size 8, and getting closer to a 6. My abs are finally where I want them to be. The first year I did cardio on the elliptical machine after joining a gym. Cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach is definitely one of the most crucial tools to weight loss, I have found. The second year I began weight training. It is now I believe 6 years after beginning the weight loss path.

The final ten pounds stayed on for a long time. Much of this is due to my not realizing that I had excess sagging skin on my abs, and that it was NOT fat. What an emotional realization this was. I had been working so hard for so long, and saw no reason why I should still have had flab on my body. So with a variety of skin tightening creams, body wraps and treatments, I have allowed myself to use to aid my fitness and diet regime, I have finally gotten the skin, specifically my abs, where I want them. Pilates and ball work really helps there.

But the actual last ten pounds did not come off until I saw myself as no longer fat, but thin. As soon as I began to really see myself as this new fitness freak, gym rat, sporty girl, the final ten pounds melted off, when prior to this, it stayed on my body like a loyal dog clinging to my leg and no matter how hard I kicked to fling it off, it wouldn't leave.

This mental/psychological reconditioning took a while. But the power of visualization is so very real.

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