Before + After

Here are some pictures that document my Road to Health.

Last year of high school:

My weight was steady around 125 pounds. I met Eric, my highschool sweetheart, when I moved to Ontario from New Brunswick with my mom.

We started dating just a month after I began at my new school. It was puppy love that blossomed into a real, beautiful, can’t-be-without-each other- love. I always say the reason I moved to Ontario was to meet my soul-mate.

2003 (2nd year university):

I had gained about 20-25 pounds since 1st year university. My highest weight was 148 pounds.

 

My eating disorder, something I had been struggling with since 12 years old, surfaced a lot in 1st and second year university. Exam stress, living in a dorm, and new social opportunities led to late-night binges, alcohol, and unhealthy cafeteria food.

I was trapped in a starve-binge cycle.

2004:

I lost a bit of weight, but I was still struggling and going up and down on the scale.

2005:

 

2006:

I went through lots of hair changes!

I also graduated university with an undergrad degree in social psychology.

We moved to Toronto because I got accepted into graduate school for psychology. I lost a lot of weight- but not in a healthy way- due to the stress of grad school and the demands that it brought.

2007:

2007 was one of the most stressful years of my life. My eating disorder resurfaced and I restricted my food intake too much.

However, it ended on a great note- we got engaged in December 2007 in Mexico!

2008:

2008 was a year of ups and downs like no other I have ever experienced. I was stressed to the max and my weight kept dropping. My lowest weight was around 114 pounds.  I was juggling being a full-time Master’s student, writing a thesis, part-time teaching assistant, working at a new FT research job, and planning my wedding. I defended my thesis at the end of July 2008 and we got married just one month later- all while working a stressful new position.

I looked happy, but I was struggling on the inside.

The summer of 2008 was when I first dabbled with running. However, I did it mostly to burn calories and did not appreciate fitness for fun.

Then I finally graduated, passed my oral defense, and got married. I had so much pressure lifted off my shoulders and we had such a great wedding and honeymoon.

 

2009:

2009 was a monumental marker in my life. I finally got the courage to leave my job after being miserable for a year. We also moved out of the city to a town that was a better fit for our love of nature and peaceful surroundings.

I learned to have FUN with food!!!

In 2009, I started up my own business and started being good to my body again. I stopped obsessing about my body and weight. I worked out for fun and not to burn calories. I decided to ditch the scale and to go by how my clothes fit instead. It was the best thing I have ever done. I did things that made me feel happy. I also switched to a vegan diet after many years of experimenting on and off with a vegetarian diet.

We had the opportunity to re-live our wedding day and participate in a photography course as a ‘real life’ couple!

After battling back from a pelvic injury from Jan- march, I ran my first race ever in June- a 10k- and I got hooked!

In 2009, for the first time in my life, I finally felt at peace with food, my body, and myself.

We also celebrated our first wedding anniversary! What a year it had been.

2010:

2010 is shaping up to be one of the happiest years of my life. I am loving my vegan lifestyle and I am experimenting with so many new foods and recipes. I have also completely fallen in love with fitness for fun. I am currently training for my 3rd half marathon and my first try-a-triathlon (with Eric).

I am learning to be good to myself a bit more each and every day.

Eric has also never been happier and healthier. He went from a highest weight in university of 210 pounds to 172 pounds (April 2010). He has cut down his meat and dairy consumption by about 75% and he has recently eliminated pop out of his diet for good in March 2010. You can read about his changes and see his progress pictures here.

June 2010:

October 2011:

December 2011:

Stay tuned for updates on my journey!