Lauryn1981

27 years old : Female : Winston Salem, NC

"It's time for a change and I'm up for the challenge."

About Me

It's not that some people have willpower and some don't. It's that some people are ready to change and others are not.
- James Gordon, MD

MY WEIGHT LIFE, IN BRIEF

Average sized/ smaller average size in high school. Weighed 138lbs. This is my final weight loss goal.

Low stomach incision in October 1999 to remove tumor. Created a bizarre Dunlap belly where one never existed before. Gained weight steadily following the surgery. Hormones and chemicals in body were out of control.

2001-2003: riddled with spots of depression and emotional eating, bordering on binging. Up near 200lbs.

2004: Somehow lost weight. Down to 185lbs.

2005: Pregnant. Husband in the Army. Moved to Missouri. Too late in pregnancy to get a job. Knew no one in the area. Couldn't go outside for more than a quick trip to the grocery store due to the 110* heat. Sat on my butt alone all day long. Ate for boredom's sake. Ballooned up to 245lbs. C-section and pre-eclampsia. Whirlwind of medical problems and medications for a couple years post-baby.

2006: Managed to get my weight from a post pregnancy 215lbs to 200lbs.

Feb 2007: Joined a gym, started working out. Started eating a little better. (My ticker start weight reflects this date and weight, from the beginning of my journey.)

March 2007: Began a handwritten food journal. A pain, but boy did it work. Began eating much better. Lost a few pounds.

May 2007: Ditched the food journal. I was losing weight, and happy, and stopped restricting foods, focused on portion control.

The rest of 2007: Did okay. Face thinned out. Dropped a pants size. Hypertension, asthma, acid reflux faded into the background of my life and suddenly disappeared, thanks to a healthier me.

Jan 2008: Recovered from a reduction. Lost a couple pounds from the reduction. Blew out my stomach (perforated ulcer). Emergency surgery to patch it, and five days in the hospital with no food. Gained weight from my body storing emergency fluids, even without food.

Feb 2008: Recuperated from surgery. Not eating for 5 days in the hospital shrank my tummy size and appetite. Plus the docs told me not to overeat or I might blow the hole back open in my stomach. Lost weight thanks to my mind and my stomach communicating when I was actually full from a meal!

March 2008: Hit my first (baby steps!) goal weight of 175 lbs. This was over 25lbs lost from my start date in 2007. I was okay with length of time it took because it was gone and staying off!

May 2008: Nothing. End of May, gained back up to 180+lbs.

June 2008: Dropped a couple pounds by accident..

End of June 2008: joined MFP. Plan to go at it again to lose the weight, change my eating habits, teach my daughter to be healthy and not let food control her life. Hope to un-learn emotional eating. Hope to never let my daughter become an emotional eater.

I'm Lauryn.
- 27 years old, but trying to be 27 years YOUNG
- soul of a 40-something
- Gen Y technically, but really a Gen Xer characteristically
- a typical Gemini =)
- married for 7 years (high school sweethearts)
- 2 1/2 year old diva extraordinare daughter
- not an athletic bone in my body, but slowly learning how to love exercise
- love photography but never enough time in the day
- type A personality, but trying to overcome it!
- java junkie