Self-Discovery
August 21st, 2008 @ 2:51 pm by Mrs. Avocado
Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor, Nutritionist, or anything of the kind. I am just a former chubby girl who figured out a system that worked for her. I share this system with you in hopes that you might figure out something for yourself as well.
Looking through pictures of myself on Facebook is an interesting experience. I start off looking pretty foxy (if I do say so myself) as a high school graduate, but slowly a change starts to creep up on me.
Here I am as a hot little 18 year old.
You see, I gained the Freshman 15.
Except in my case it turned into the College 50.
Murder Mystery night fun.
Mr. Avocado and I lived in the same building together for a year once before we started dating, and we don’t have a single memory of each other during that time. I suspect it was because I was overweight and unhappy and lacking in confidence. It wasn’t until after I had pneuomonia and moved home for 9 months that I finally made a change.
I had participated in lots of fad diets with my Mom in high school, and after taking nutrition 101 in college I realized that I didn’t want to be harming myself anymore. I decided I wanted to make a lifestyle change. I would be more active, and revolutionize my eating habits.
I have finally lost enough weight now that I am able to look at these photos. It has taken me a long time to accept what I used to look like.
I started using a calorie tracking program called Fitday, attempting to measure every single calorie that went into my body. My parents live out in the middle of nowhere and so it wasn’t hard to avoid eating out. I was working on getting myself out of debt at the time and I began to see the similarities between calorie counting and bank accounting.
I thought about it this way: Your caloric intake is a lot like a bank account. When you have money, there are no rules about what you can spend it on, just the rule that if you spend more money than you have, you will incur a fee. It’s the same idea with nutrition. You spend your calories by consuming them, you make investments for the future by making healthy choices, and the fees you incur are on your mind every day in the form of cellulite and stretch marks.
I focused on investing in protein, complex carbohydrates, and as much fiber as possible. I avoided saturated fat and refined carbs like the plague. Since the photos above were taken I have lost almost 50 lbs (using Fitday on and off). It has taken over 2 years to do it, but I enjoy doing it the right way. I feel happier, healthier, and have so much more confidence.
When I showed Mr. Avocado the photos below, he was shocked. The photo on the left is the night that I told him we either had to date or stop “hanging out”. The photo on the right is last month when we were in Mexico. It’s hard to believe that I was able to achieve such visible results in just 15 months.
As of today, I am still about 15 lbs away from my original wedding weight goal. Unless I crack down and make the last few pounds my focus before the wedding, it’s looking like I might not get to exactly where I wanted to be. It’s hard not to look at gorgeous bride after bride who look to be a size 0 and think “I won’t be happy with myself unless I look exactly like that on my wedding day.”
The thing I keep reminding myself is that I am the product of my own actions. I’ve worked incredibly hard to get myself to where I am today, and I have to be patient if I want to do this right. I hope I haven’t come to the end of this journey yet, but it sure feels good to be here, right now.
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56 Responses to “Self-Discovery”
Congratulations, Miss A! You look amazing, and have such a healthy attitude about weight loss! I have been using a calorie tracking program for a few years now too…myfooddiary.com. I love it and I totally feel more in control over what I eat. Thanks for the post!
Does anyone ever tell you that you look similar to Natalie Portman? 
I see a resemblence! Congrats on the weight loss. That is awesome!
You sould be so proud of yourself for making a lifestyle change, being healthier, and sticking to it. You have always been pretty though (in all of the pictures) but I am glad you feel better about yourself.
i think a bride’s “wow” factor comes, not from a size 0, but from feeling happy and at home in her own skin.
i think you look great. but forget that. it seems like you FEEL great, and that’s what counts 
congratz.
That is so amazing. You’re beautiful! Congratulations and congratulations on your wedding!!
Your story is really inspiring. I gained a good 30 pounds though college and am desperately trying to loose it. Right now I go to Curves and haven’t lost any pounds but have lost a bunch of inches. I feel like I have a ton more energy. I am slowly but surely trying to change my diet. My fiance is really supportive and although he doesn’t need to loose any weight he is making lifestyle changes with me.
soo very proud of you!!!
you’ve done sooo well. i completely know where u’re coming from….heck, i was a weightloss blogger before getting engaged.
i think i gained the Freshman 30, then the New Grownup Job 20, and finally the Stress Eater’s 20 more.
frightening. i’ve managed to lose 30lbs so far, and feel a lot better about myself but i’m not all the way there. i’m 30lbs away from where i wanted to be when i walked down the aisle but that’s not happening in 2 months.
this is a journey for me, so i’m going to keep going. it doesnt stop after the wedding and it started log before the engagement. I know one day i’lll make it. in the meantime, i’ve learned to appreciate the body that my FI already loves.
Love that last picture.
you look gorgeous :-).
and as for your wedding goal, you can do it!! though truthfully, i think you look great already!!
Congrats! You look amazing! Mr. PN lost 100lbs over the last 2 years. It is hard work and takes a lot of time and dedication!
Avo - you are so amazingly gorgeous! You don’t NEED to lose another 15 - but it sounds like you have the mad skills to make it happen if you really want to! Go you!
You look amazing! Were you working out also, or just controlling the calories and types of food?
great post! you’re right, it’s all about being smart! I’m reading a (kind-of diet) book right now called “French Women don’t get Fat” by Mireille Guiliano - it’s awesome! She writes her book like a novel, in that it chronicles her temporary weight gain when she was studying abroad in the US, and how she decided she wasn’t going to be bad to her body any longer. If you have time, you should pick it up - it’s a fun read!
you look great!! I’ve heard many people preach the high protein and complex carbs (not bread and pasta) gospel and I’d have to say I’m a believer. I just can’t give up dairy- I could eat cheese with every meal!! I know it’s all a matter of will power and really wanting to make a change. I need to get on it sometime soon!
Good for you, Miss A! Very inspiring post–
Thanks for your inspiring story. I joined Weight Watchers and its the same idea. You can’t spend more than you have! It WORKS! I’m so much happier now that I feel myself again.
congrats!! So so look like brittney spears in that first pic!!!
You are fabulous at any size! What a great inspirational story. I know a lot of women can empathize with you — me included.
I calorie count too (sparkpeople.com) it encourages me to get my happy butt to the gym b/c i know how many calories i need to burn to be in a deficit… it makes me feel in control of my own destiny… You are awesome. GOOD JOB! You look amazing but more than that, you can tell you are happy with who you are… Congrats!
I love this post! Congratulations on your weight loss, but most importantly on your self discovery!
I love Fitday! When I gained the “Grad School 15,” it helped me figure out where the extra calories were coming from and make healthier choices at the dining hall and get back to my happy weight. Now that I’m doing my own cooking, it’s much easier to be healthy and delicious.
And don’t worry about being a size 0 — whether or not you lose those last 15 pounds, you will be gorgeous!
Thats awesome Miss Avo! Your results are really phenomenal and drastic. You honestly look gorgeous and I agree with pom that you don’t need to lose 15 more but your willpower is so impressive! You are definitely my inspiration now
Good for you!
Congratulations - you look fabulous and the best part is how you feel.. I, too, want to be more healthy and hopefully will be able to lose 30 lbs by my wedding next year 8/8/09.. Your story has really inspired me.
A gorgeous bride has nothing — NOTHING — to do with her size — and everything to do with the love and energy and emotion she has put into her wedding. You have already done that and continue to do so, and thus regardless what size you will be at your wedding, you will forever look back at your pictures, and be a gorgeous bride.
In the three months leading up to my wedding, I gained 35 pounds because of a health issue and new meds I was on. The fact that my dress even zipped was amazing, and I am squashing out of every possible seam. After returning from the honeymoon, my meds were changed, and three months later, I’ve lost 20 of those 35 pounds. I’m still 15 pounds heavier than I was originally, but 2 sizes smaller than I was at my wedding. But you know what? I look back at my pictures, and I DON’T see that I was the heaviest I’ve ever been in my life — I see how HAPPY I was to finally be marrying the man I had been dating for 5.5 years, and see all my projects come together, and to be surrounded by so many people who mean so much to me. I don’t care that I wasn’t a size 0, or even a size 10 at that point. Losing weight to be healthy is one thing, but it is not a healthy attitude to associate needing to be a specific size in order to be a beautiful bride.
You don’t have to be thin to be beautiful or to be a gorgeous bride.
I hope that isn’t what you were insinuating. Congrats on your work you put in to lose weight.
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for sharing. From personal experience, I know it is not easy to share such a personal story with the world. I still cannot look at certain old pictures of myself… Your story is inspiring and encouraging. Thank you.
Congratulations Miss A! That’s an amazing story, and a powerful reminder to all of us that doing it slowly is significantly better for you in the long run than trying to crash diet to lose it quickly, as you’ve shown that it’s about changing habits, not just changing foods.
Yay!! Good for you! I gained a bunch of weight in HS and lost it in college. It’s a very tough thing to do (but easy at the same time). Keep up the good work!
Wow! Thank you for posting this! It is very inspiring! Unfortunately (a month from my wedding) I have finally conceded defeat at being my goal weight for my wedding, but I have learned healthy habits, and I’m down 30 pounds from two years ago (up 20 pounds from 9 months ago due to unsustainable dieting and a nasty car accident). But in finally admitting this to myself, and thanks to success stories like yours, I am finally comfortable in my own skin, the skin that my FH fell in love with me in.
I started at Weight Watchers when I realized I’d gained 20 lbs in the past years. YIKES! So far, I’ve lot 6.4 in 4 weeks. It’s not a diet… more like a new way of eating… and it’s totally working for me.
Congrats on your success! You look great!
Thanks for posting this Miss Avocado! As a bride who has been trying to lose weight for the last few months it’s good to know there are genuine people who are trying do to the same.
I had some luck and was chosen for a local “Biggest Loser” type competition and that really jumpstarted my weight loss. I’m now down over 30 lbs and the last 15 of it have been because of Weight Watchers. Since the wedding is getting so close I’m starting to workout again but it’s so easy to become complacent!
You look great! Keep working hard!
Amazing! You are so beautiful and just GLOW in your pictures
Congratulations! I thought I’d noticed your weight dropping since you’ve been blogging You look fantastic!
I put on weight in HS, lost it in college, and then gained it back after graduation (and have since lost it again). It was 100% bad HABITS. I actually eat really healthy foods - I was just eating way to much of them and not getting enough exercise. I now stick to a three meals a day diet (especially breakfast!) and force time to work out regularly. I have seen a real difference in my weight, but also my blood sugar levels and energy.
I also now watch my weight. Yep, I’m now one of those crazy people on the gym scales! I never used to do it, because I didn’t want to obsess over my weight - after all, I’m a firm believer that it’s how you feel and not the number - but I’ve found it helpful because I know when to skip dessert or fit in an extra workout. It’s so much easier to loose 1-2 pounds than it is to loose 10!
Thanks to all of you who said such sweet things. I hope that this was helpful to others who have been frustrated like I was at one point. It’s possible to love yourself in your own body, really!
@Nicole: Nicole congrats on your loss of inches. You know, we all put this huge emphasis on weight, but it really is inches that matter overall.
@GetMarried4Less: I like your point. This isn’t something I am just doing for the wedding. It’s a lifetime commitment. I started the process long before I was ever thinking I would get married. I was just hoping I could finish it before then
@SMC: I WISH I was more active, but I still struggle in that area. It honestly is really time consuming to track your calories so exactly. Mr. Avocado and I LOVE DDR though, so we often have dance-offs together to burn some calories.
@allison c.: I’ve actually already read it! It was really interesting reading her experience from America to France. I like that she emphasizes enjoying what you eat. It’s not about punishing yourself, it’s about learning that there is something better than milkshakes and french fries (really!).
@Jessica: Cheese is my weakness as well! I buy stronger flavors from Whole Foods (try Paranno and Arina Goat Gouda), and then I eat an ounce at a time with whole wheat crackers and apples/grapes. Mr. Avocado is always stealing some off of my plate, and by the time I finish I feel full AND satisfied. It’s my favorite after dinner snack.
@Erin: I actually weigh myself daily. I don’t reccomend it if you get depressed easily, but I actually find it rather fascinating to study how weight fluctuates daily. It means I don’t get overly excited for a 2-3 lb weight loss. Then all the sudden I step on the scale and I realize that over time I have somehow lost 10 lbs and that I have kept it off.
You are also a good example of why I think the bank account analogy works really well. It’s great to be investing, but if you invest so much you run out of money, what are all of those material posessions worth? The supreme rule is calories in v. calories out.
WOW! Congrats! I love the analogy — I’ve always understood it like that but not quite thought of it that way.
Anyway, you look today just like yourself as the adorable 18 year old in the first picture. Seriously! Congratulations on a job well done — the hard work has obviously paid off!
Miss Avo. I have a similar story. I was overweight all through out HS though and lost weight my freshman year of college…now I’ve lost even more and was astonished to ask the lady for a size 6 pair of jeans yesterday when I went shopping !! At one point I was a size 16 !!
Miss Avocado, I hope you know how much of an inspiration you have become. It makes me realize that i can do it too, i just need to get off my lazy butt!
Thanks for the post.
you are gorgeous the way you look now. thanks for writing this. i found out i gained back all of the weight i did with fad diets. that’s 60lbs. i lost a few before the wedding but gained that back plus more. so i’m ready to make the change. you movated me. thanks!
Avo, thanks for that bit of inspiration! It will DEFINITELY help me get out of bed tomorrow morning for the gym!
Thank you miss avacado you look beautiful and you are now my inspiration! Congrats on losing the weight!
@allison c.: French Women Don’t Get Fat helped me lose about 15 pounds!
The premise is like this: eat only what I want. If I want cheese and olives for lunch, I will, but I’ll balance it later on in the day. Bread with butter, fine, but don’t go crazy and get the pasta with cream sauce. It’s more about a lifestyle change than a “diet.”
Good job Miss A! You look fantastic!
My office is inside a nutrition center, owned and operated by a hospital.
I’m reading this post thinking, “OMG Miss Av is more brilliant than she realizes.” The registered dietitian here says this phrase, “everything we but in our mouth is either a health deposit, or a health withdrawl.”
I BTW have made lifestyle changes much like you have. I eat real foods but just make healthier choices (more complex carbs, WAY less simple carbs, more fiber, etc.) And I’ve lost just over 20lbs.
I’m not an RD but I connot stress to you ladies enough the importance of breakfast.
Ugh! Sorry about all the typs. I’m on a Blackberry :-/
I’m so proud of you. Congrats on doing it, and congrats on being a HUGE inspiration!
@Glitter650: At my largest I was a size 18. I am buying pants in an 8 now, and it puts a smile on my face like no other. I am starting to feel sad I threw out my favorite size 6’s all those years ago. They would have been such great motivation!
@kenziegirl: You might want to check out “Overcoming Overeating” as well. It changed my life. Seriously.
Just want to thank you for such a positive, inspiring post. I admire your healthy approach to eating and living!
Fitday can be useful….but I’ve known it to become an obsession in a bad way. Be careful-don’t let yourself get so obsessed with food that you can’t enjoy it when you are eating it!
@Jennifer: I’m actually proud of the times that I was so exact that I could add something like 11 almonds to the day to make my numbers amazing. The only thing that is hard about being exact is how difficult it is to eat out with people. But I feel so much better when I eliminate eating out entirely!
Mrs. Avocado, Seattle
Age and Occupation: 23, Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 26, Consultant
Engagement Date: July 27, 2008
Wedding Date: October, 2008
Blogging Since: June 30, 2008
Venue: LDS Seattle Temple & Hotel 1000
About Me: Somehow this little farm girl found herself a genuine Pole to fall in love and eventually move away to Poland with. I am an LDS bride attempting to plan a private religious ceremony, ring ceremony, seated reception for 100, and an open house while coordinating for guests flying in from across the United States and as far away as Poland. I try to avoid fads, excess waste, and saturated fat. I strongly endorse photography, DDR, calorie counting, rss feeds, cooking, and utilizing your resources.
Thank you! That is great encouragment
As someone who is pretty much in the same boat it is great hear your story… I can’t thank you enough!