Hi guys! My name is Melissa and I was born in Brooklyn, New York but grew up in Vermont.  I now live in Indianapolis, Indiana with my boyfriend.  My weight gain didn’t start until I hit puberty and I have gone as high as 330lbs give or take a few.  I have come to realize that this weight loss journey really doesn’t have a finish line which I didn’t realize at the start.

My journey started in summer 2007 when I went to Six Flags with my friends. I’ve always loved riding amusement park rides and was excited to go to the park for a fun day.  Well my friends and I waited on line and when it was time to board, I found that I couldn’t fit.  I was at my highest weight but thought, ok at 330lbs, I’m too big to ride that one ride, but there are others.  So off we went to the 2nd..3rd…4th…5th ride and I couldn’t fit on even one of them!  Not one!  I went back to guest services and asked for a refund.  I was heart broken, embarrassed and lost.  My friends were so very supportive.  That night I went home and bawled my eyes out with my mother.  My mother told me it was not end of world; I can start my journey right now.  So I decided to join Weight Watchers.

For four and a half years I was on Weight Watchers.  It was hard because I was in college working on my masters,  then found a new job, and faced a host of other challenges through those years.  I was able to lose a lot with Weight Watchers.  I started working out by walking, swimming and biking at home.  Eventually, I was able to start the  Biggest Loser and Jillian Michael’s workouts.  I then went on to do other various workouts including BeachBody (Turbo Jam, Turbo Fire, Chalean Extreme and Les Mills Pump).  I got down to the last 20lbs and I kept losing and gaining the same couple pounds for a year.  I was working out 1.5 to 2 hours a day eating at Weight Watcher’s points equivalent to maybe about 1,200 calories daily.   I had even tried several cleanses but nothing worked.  I was depressed, angry, moody and frustrated.

At the end of 4 ½ years, I realized I need to do something.  I decided to try MFP at 1,200 calories, which worked for a bit.  But I always ended up with an emotional binge once a week and I would eat and eat when I get home from work everyday.  Whenever I went on vacation or ate out I would gain a lot and just didn’t understand why.  But then I discovered the “Eat More 2 Weigh Less” group.  They saved me.

I was so SCARED at first to try the EM2WL concept, but the more research I did, the more aware I became…I was starving myself!  I found out my BMR and TDEE and was just utterly amazed at all the calories I’d been burning while consuming such a small amount of food.  I decided to repair the damage I had done eating such low calories by doing a metabolic reset for 8 weeks.  BOY—I gained!!!! Yes I gained 15 lbs in 8 weeks. I was so angry and upset but with EM2WL’s support, they helped me to realize that it is my life. I need to live my life and eating low calories forever isn’t living.  Therefore doing a reset to fix my metabolism damage was the only choice for future success.

Well, my reset ended and it has been 3.5 weeks since I started eating my cut of 10% from my TDEE (recommended by EM2WL) and have already lost 9lbs of the 15lbs gained (had to be water weight).  I am going to believe their theory for rest of my life. You know why?

• I’m no longer moody.
• I haven’t had any emotional binges ever since starting reset.
• I’m no longer light headed or sluggish…I have my energy back!
• According to my heart rate monitor, my heartbeats during workouts have gone up!
• I got my period back.
• I’m much happier.
• Best of all, I’m living my life!

I have not reached my goal weight, but with EM2WL I realize weight is not the whole answer. I am now wearing size 6-8 jeans & small and medium shirts… 5 years ago I was wearing 28/30 jeans and 3X shirts. Whenever I work out, I enjoy doing them not to lose weight…I love how strong and good they make me feel.  I no longer punish myself with any strict diet or workouts.  This is FOREVER.