They Bribed Me With Dresses

Blame it on the suburbs, on America, on weak will, or the fact that I am a pretty damn good baker -  however you look at it, between the age of 9 and 22, I ripened to a hearty 268 pounds.

For a long time, I was uncomfortable with my body, and insecure of my value in this visual world. I would buy dresses four sizes too small and cut and rearrange them to fit, I hoped that dressing the part would somehow make me feel like everybody else in Manhattan. I was so unhealthy my body started to show signs of Pre-Diabetes, and I still managed to convince myself nothing was wrong.

In the end it was the dresses that saved me after all - call it vanity or an obsession with presentation, but wanting to fit into the amazing dresses that I passed on Broadway and Fifth Avenue were my inspiration and my constant incentive. Every day I would think, if only I were a size 16, I wouldn't have to shop at Old Navy. If only I were a size 14, I wouldn't have to order online. If only I were a size 12, I could buy dresses at Anthropologie. If only I were a size 10, I could wear European designers. If only...

One day my parents came to visit, saying that they were on a new diet and I should join them. They bribed me with a new wardrobe if I lost the weight...perhaps that is what made it work, I have always been a fan of incentives. Today, I am a size 6 and I think even Chanel would fit if I could afford it, hahah.

This week, I celebrated losing 100 pounds and have been asked by a lot of friends and acquaintances how I have gotten there, so I decided to write this blog.

I cannot deny that I love to cook, and I love to eat, so the past three years have been an incredible challenge for me. I started off with Atkins, which worked incredibly, but over time became an unhealthy lifestyle. Over the months, I developed my own version of a low carbohydrate diet, which I will slowly piece together for you as I build this blog. I retrained my body to eat out of hunger and not out of boredom or fascination with cookies. I will post recipes I have found and created throughout the progress of my dieting (of course all of my butter laden baked goods can still be found on SweetDarias).

As my body became more healthy, I became interested in Bickram Yoga, and will spend some time talking about the benefits that I have found in that practice. I will talk about the challenges I have faced, the things that have worked and failed and the varieties of exercise regimen that I have learned from trainers and gleaned from my ridiculous research methods.

I am still a ways away from my goal, and am in the early stages of figuring out long term fitness and getting rid of all of this loose skin, but I want to share everything I have learned and continue to learn in the hopes that my research and experiences will be of help to someone on the same journey.

Love you all and hope you will stick around while I ramble!

Daria