By SunshineCHI | Posted October 9, 2014 | Elk Grove Village, Illinois
After being overweight for most of my life, I went from 391 lbs at my heaviest down to 245 in December of 2010. Around that time I started a Facebook "fan page" to share my story with others and to help keep myself accountable. When I started Sunshine's Journey to 199, it quickly became apparent that there were countless others like me out there, who had lost hope of ever having success with their weight loss. In addition to sharing my workouts and what I was eating, I was sharing personal bits of my story, which my followers received with open and supportive arms. From being left and cheated on by an ex, to being the only person in a hoodie and jeans in the summer when all of your friends were in tank tops and sundresses; people could relate to me and were even inspired by the idea that if I could make a comeback, so could they. During that time I was working at Curves, helping to empower and inspire women, and it was there that my passion for helping others with their healthy living goals was really born and cultivated. It was also then that I met the "man of my dreams" - and proceeded to put on over 100 lbs in the 3 years that we were together. In early 2013 our relationship went from not great to terrible, and in March of 2013 I went down to Miami to visit a girlfriend of mine. I weighed 365 lbs. While on vacation there, I received an email - yes, an email - that our relationship was over (we were engaged) and that he had moved out of our apartment in Chicago. As you can imagine, I was devastated. How had this happened? What was I going to do? Friends kept asking when I was going to move back to Milwaukee. (My ex and I had moved from Milwaukee for his job). For a few days I honestly believed that 2013 was going to be the worst year of my life. And then it was like a light bulb came on. Absolutely not. I was absolutely not going to let him or anyone else dictate one single day of my life, let alone call 2013 a wash only three months into the new year. Instead, I decided that I was going to make 2013 one of the BEST years of my life. Back in January 2012 I had been one of the Biggest Loser Resort's 10 Year of You winners. Out of thousands of people who entered, 10 of us were chosen to win a 4 week all-expenses paid trip to the Biggest Loser Resort in Malibu, CA. I found out on live TV (a morning show in Milwaukee) that I had won. Because I had had that amazing experience, I was motivated to turn my weight and health around after my ex-fiancé and I broke up, and "make good" on what I had been blessed with. My followers had helped to vote me there and I could NOT let them down. But most importantly, I could not let myself down. This past February 2014, we started a weight loss competition at work. I was the one who had started these competitions, and although I had had some success, I never won. I weighed 302 lbs at the beginning of the contest, and was determined to win. I joined X-sport, and started working with a personal trainer once a week. I needed this competitive push to keep me motivated on the days that it was so “hard” to make it to the gym. I work a full time job M-F during the day, and I also work at a restaurant 3 nights a week and on the weekends. But I still made it to the gym - no excuses. April 29th, 2014 the winner was announced - and I, in 12 weeks, had lost 59.3 lbs. I won! But more importantly, I was 243 lbs. and FIT. I could see my collarbones again. My pants no longer had a 2 as the first number of the size! I've been maintaining since then, but my goal is to be 199 by my birthday this December. I will be 37 years old, and I have *never as an adult* weighed under 200 lbs. And then, 8 lbs. later I will have even more cause to celebrate as it will be a total of 200lbs lost! I saw a quote yesterday that made me smile because it is so true when it comes to my weight loss story. "Turn a setback into a comeback". Sunshine's Journey to 199 hit over 35,000 earlier this week. 35,000. I do not pay for followers or run any ads on my page. There are 35,000 people there that are inspired by my story, and that I have given some hope back to. No matter how many times I tell my story, it is that fact that makes me tear up and fuels me through the hard days - the fact that there are people out there who are looking to me for guidance and counting on me to make my goal. I think back to my childhood and teen years and how the internet just was not what is today. We didn't have weight loss inspirations on Facebook or Instagram to seek hope/inspiration from. Being overweight back then was like a dirty little secret that no one talked about. I want people to know that what I have accomplished so far IS possible, but if you want it badly enough, you have to work for it every day. You have to be able to overcome the bad choices and get back on track with that next meal. But most importantly, you need to change your relationship with food and love your body every step of the way. I have always said that I have no interest in being "skinny". I want to be curvy and fit. I want to be able to shop wherever I want to. I want to not worry that I'm going to break a chair in a restaurant or at a family get together. I don't want to eat fast-food secretly in my car anymore. I want to LIVE. 15 years ago I went to Six Flags Great America in Chicago. As my friends and I went to get on the Batman ride, my harness would not close because I was too big. Even after the employees came over to try and help, it would not close. I had to get off of the ride in front of the hundreds of people that were waiting in line, and I was absolutely mortified. Needless to say, I spent the next 15 years avoiding Six Flags, or any amusement parks in general. As a kid I loved rides! And because of my weight, I was limited on what I could do. This summer, I went back to Six Flags. And I fit on EVERY RIDE, no problem. I also wore a bikini in California for the first time of my life! Women who I outweighed by far kept coming up to me and saying that they loved my suit, admired my confidence, and that they wished they were more comfortable in their own skin. I do not look back on my "biggest" pictures with any sort of hate or sadness. It was that big girl who worked her butt off (literally) and changed her life. I believe that everything happens for a reason, and that I have gone through this weight loss rollercoaster and my breakup in order to become stronger and inspire others. I have done this with absolutely no “gimmicks”, and without a fad diet. I don’t count carbs or calories. I do however stalk my sugar and sodium like a hawk. No more than 40g of sugar a day, and 1500mg of sodium. I like sweets but don’t love them, so I almost never eat them so that I can save “cheats” for things I do love – like cheese. I am not perfect and of course I have my moments of weakness. But I have learned while changing my relationship with food, which is how I have been able to maintain my weight for the past 4 months. Rather than calling the whole day of meals a waste because I had one bad one, I get back to eating healthy the very next meal. Or I’ll exercise more on days where I do want to indulge. I don’t believe that any food should be completely cut out or off-limits because, let’s face it – you are never going to be able to stick to that in the long term. Never give up - NEVER. You are never too old, too poor or too big to change your life. Try not to focus on the big picture, it can easily become overwhelming. While 199 has always been my "goal weight", at 365 lbs. if I had focused on the fact that I needed to lose 166 lbs. to get there, it probably would have been pretty demotivating. So I concentrated on "baby steps". A 20 lb. goal, or seeing a certain number on the scale. Breaking your journey up into smaller pieces is much better for your sanity and staying on track! I want to inspire the world - I want every person out there to know that they are worth it. We only live once. Make sure that you are truly living, friends. And 199 – I’m coming for you!
