Last June, I broke up with my ex.

And as many of us do, I ate my feelings away with Panera for lunch every day.

My tiny waist stayed, but my stomach, legs, hips, and arms did not look the way they used to. Before I had even hit freshman year, there were 15 brand new pounds on my body.

I was terrified when I moved into school in August. I told myself I was going to go to the gym, that I was going to lose the weight that I had gained. But things happen. Work keeps you up late and you eat at odd hours. You're put on a new medication and the side effects can't be stopped.

I started getting changed so many times a day. I felt ashamed of what my body had come to look like.

Because those 15 pounds had a new friend: 15 more pounds.

I can't even count how many hours I spent crying and whining and hating myself. It was scary. I didn't feel like my body was my own any more. I was letting a number on a scale define me.

I thought boys wouldn't notice me. So I threw myself into them, hoping they would look past the things I hated. It was a good coping mechanism, but it wasn't fulfilling. It made me forget my body image issues, but it opened up a whole new level of self-loathing that I really didn't need in my life.

When I got home in May, I knew it was time to make a change. I started going to Soulcycle once a week. I watched what I was eating. I came up with my own workouts that I would do in my room. And all of these things made me happy. I realized I liked working out. It was all the running, which I thought was the only way to get fit, that I really hated.

Here we are, almost three months later, and I am so proud to say I have lost the freshman 15.

And I did it by myself. For myself. I wanted back a body I felt at home in. I wanted to look in the mirror and say, "Damn, I look good today." I was sick of feeling like I was about to burst out of everything I was wearing.

I did it for me. That's the key. Weight loss is a journey not only physically, but mentally and spiritually. It takes a lot of guts to admit to yourself that you want and need a change. And it takes even more strength to actually follow through.

Sure, there are still parts of my body that I don't think are perfect. My stretch marks are still there to remind me of a time gone by. But I know who I am now and who I want to continue to be. And that is a girl who can look in the mirror and say, "You did this. You are beautiful. And I am proud of you."