I was pretty big as a kid until the age of 19 when my metabolism caught up with me - i was at a lowish weight of 165 lbs (my largest that i weighed in at was 180 but there was a point where i refused to weigh myself at all and i was definitely more then 180 lbs) and lost 30 lbs in 2 weeks because of the flu. There i was, a fat person suddenly not so fat - i was definitely lost and confused. Eventually i started working out on my own, more to shape up my flaccid muscles then to lose any weight. Somehow, with very little effort i managed to maintain a weight of 135 (i am 5'4" btw) for several years.  THEN i moved out of my moms house and jumped onto a crazy emotional roller coaster called real life and man - i went up and down and up and down - mainly due to stresses, anxiety, and my slight OCD that makes it really hard to fit new things into an old routine or vice versa ... a million factors - at that point i was 21-23 and went up to 150 then back down to 135 over the course of 2 years, with a lot of ups and downs. Then i dipped unhealthily to 125 after my live in boyfriend left - lived on grilled chicken, italian ice and alcohol for several months - people said i looked terminally ill.

I met my husband during that time and then we moved in together and he started feeding me (ROUTINE CHANGE!) so up again down again jiggedy jig - mainly high - i was at 152 and mainly inactive when i joined the gym and started getting into eating well - this was all exacerbated by my undiagnosed IBS (the doc wants to but i am resisting until all possible tests have been done) which made eating hard. well - i stuck to a 1200 calorie per day diet, started eating 4-6 times per day and worked out mostly 3 times a week at the gym and within 6 months i had toned up and was down to my 135 but super healthy and full of energy and happy! i continued to work out and kept with the diet and when my wedding came around (all planned in 2 months) i magically dropped to 123 lbs - the smallest i ever was in my adult life and i actually felt slim! it was awesome - but then we decided to take off across the country and move to Phx from NY while we could afford it!

 New changes! of course at the start i was still fit because i was unemployed and worked out like mad but i quickly regained that 12 lbs i lost from the wedding - from there it only got worse - new job = new routine = disaster! the largest i have been up to since then is maybe 148 but its a constant battle and its really silly since with my still undiagnosed IBS i am still on a super strict IBS diet, exercise and fiber program and as all my friends say - i should be thin as a rail ... but i get sick a good amount and though the exercise helps to regulate my tummy sometimes it just hurts too much to work out, creating a cycle! then i am off my schedule again, then back on it, then off it ...

I had my appendix removed in June and my food intolerances have gotten worse since then and after a lengthy battle with it i have gotten stuck at 140 - lost 3 on the Fat Smash diet but those came back immediately after phase 4. WELL! this time i am determined! I will get to 125 and maintain it forever! I am still on my super healthy IBS diet sans all the foods i can't tolerate which includes milk, cheese (except goat and swiss), bread, corn, lettuce, onions, peppers, and general spicy stuff except wasabi and curry ... but now i ma kicking my work outs up again and i plan to continue through any discomfort! its time to take control of this stuff again!