I decided to start my weight loss journey because I was tired of hating on my body and feeling gross. In middle school while others dressed in cropped tops and skinny jeans I was the girl who wore high waisted pants and over sized shirts. Kind of sounds like that one Taylor Swift song that everyone was obsessed with. As the years went on I used food as comfort when it came to stressful situations or honestly when I was just bored. I would have friends over and we would order pizza or get ice cream.

I wasn't aware of how much weight I was gaining until my clothes didn't fit properly and my face was becoming fuller. Although I'm older now I still come face to face with my weight issue on occasion. When I don't feel like cooking something I will order out. Or if I am having company they will bring food over. It wasn't until I actually stepped on a scale did I realize the effect junk food and processed food had on my body. I was severely overweight and I knew that if I kept eating this way that eventually this could lead to health issues.

So I started small I cut back on soda and junk food and started making healthier choices. I went on walks around my neighborhood and also started going to the gym. I also started dancing around the house or to YouTube videos. Most importantly I started increasing my water intake. Within a few weeks I noticed that my clothes were fitting better and that those gym workouts really helped in the building muscle department. I wasn't as nervous to step on the scale because I wanted to see the number and what having a healthy lifestyle could really do.

I'm still keeping up with the gym and my fitness journey. I'm happy with how it is so far but my journey isn't over. I'm not at my goal yet and even after that I think my body will still crave the workouts and nutritious food. Yes the craving for junk food is always going to be there but all you have to say to yourself is "listen body I'm not going back to the way I used to be". In the end your body will love you more and feel better because you are giving it the things it needs in order to work properly. Finally something I should've done throughout my whole journey which I didn't in the beginning was love myself and accept myself at every stage.

That's the hardest part because many of us don't love ourselves and our bodies which is why we turn to unhealthy measures such as not eating at all and throwing things up which could lead to a potential eating disorder. We modify our bodies by getting the fat sucked out or binging and purging. A lot of today's body image influence is through social media which can be very harmful to young impressionable girls and guys. So that's why I would like to end this by saying Hi, I'm Abby and I love my body and you should love yours too.