Mirror Mirror, are you sure you're not wrong?

This was me.This is me now.

     I have always been chubby. I was always the plus size kid, the size 13 in kids, apple top instead of bottom. All that. Growing up it never mattered how good or bad I ate, or how much or how little. I was always heavy. Doctors were convinced I had a horrible diet, I overate, my mom was accused of feeding me to much as a toddler. In my home my mother didn't cook from the box. Almost everything was home made. My brother and I ate a lot of salad everyday. I grew up on whole grain/ whole wheat bread, sweet potatoes, and we didn't drown everything in gravy and butter. My older brother is the sibling that can eat anything he wants, drink anything he wants and will not get a cavity or gain a pound. Hes one virus away from disintegrating. Just kidding hes not THAT skinny but I believe you get the point. =] Back to me, since I can remember I have been in double digit clothing, L-XL was the norm. Jeans were impossible to find ANYWHERE as well as dresses and shoes. Fat belly, Fat feet. I always weighed as much if not mroe than my brother. Was I embarrassed? I remember being annoyed because it was so hard to shop and I couldnt wear what my closest friends were wearing. I never fit in the "cool clothes". I am lucky enough to say that even though I was heavy, I wasn't bullied because of my weight. At least not that I can remember, and if I was then yay I dont remember! =D I never liked the thought of a bikini so not being able to wear one never phased me in the least. Usually I wore boys track shorts and a T-shirt because it was legitimately comfortable. My teenage years were spent in pajama pants and hoodies, yoga pants and T-shirts. Or my school uniform...then pajama pants. -_- Mom I apologize for all...the...pajamas...LOL Anywho,  When i was a teenager I always ate as healthy as your average stubborn teenager will eat. What changed my eating even more you say? It didn't sound to bad to begin with right? Haha! Touche! It wasn't a normal person would have the body of a supermodel on my old diet. But me? I was a nice size 16 but I had the personality of a supermodel. I never cared what people thought of me. Because I like me. And I just don't care if you don't lol. I am no where near cocky, I am just happy with who I am and I always have been. So back to what made me change my eating. I started to go on a normal diet, cut the carbs, eat the veggies, portions are in half by now, oh bring out the diet "chocolate flavored" shakes. By this time in my life I was 215 Pounds.

     One night in my home I felt really sick and from that moment on I couldn't eat for a long...long...long...2 months. The only things I could bear to get down was water, rice, a quarter of a plain bagel, and green apples. Just from that I lost 30 pounds. And as soon as I felt sick, I felt better. just like that. I chalked it up to my underlying anxiety and moved on. Had a "wonderful" boyfriend, happy Cassie was a HUNGRY Cassie. And Boy could she eat. A...lot. I gained 45 pounds in about a year and a half. Now at 230 lb's, single, depressed. I decided to do something about it. I went for "chocolate" shakes. I did lose 15 pounds, granted. BUT I stopped losing after 3 weeks and decided to give that up. (can you tell I don't finish what I start) Props though I never to this day gained that weight back. and again.NEW boyfriend, amazing still I might add, I felt sick again, this time we decided to see a different doctor. He tested me but for some reason it took him a year to tell me I had "leaky gut syndrome" and food allergies to Wheat, Dairy, Casien, and Eggs. EVERYTHING IVE BEEN EATING BECAUSE ITS "HEALTHY" nah of course its healthy just not for me. My belly can't digest it so it would smoosh it and shove it in my stomach and wala! FAT.Or something like that. I'm not a doctor obviously. Smoosh is not a medical term. Most people can digest it and it's wonderful for them. My poor belly isnt equipped with the right enzymes to digest those foods. So I went cold turkey and got rid of every food that bothered me. And the weight just MELTED off.

Let me remind you all that I am italian. This means for the rest of my life I will not be able to have italian bread, cheese, pasta. Yeah all that. Whoa is me. -_-

But losing 80+ pounds over the last year has made it worth it. I went from a size 20 at my biggest to a nice size 7. Its amazing the progress I have had and the fact that half the people i hadn't seen in a while actually walked right passed me because they didn't know i was the same person made it all the worth while.

Over the next few weeks I am going to explain in detail all the things you will need to know to convert to this lifestyle change. Note the fact that i said lifestyle change and not diet. Diets don't work because as soon as you lose the weight and say "oh finally I can have my bread now", after two months you wonder why it came back. NOW not everyone needs to be on this diet. But for people that have food sensitivities this blog will help you understand them and have at least one person to relate to. I am a young woman and not being able to go out and eat pizza and whatever i want isn't easy but it will be worth it for you i promise.

Keep reading my posts for wonderful recipes, tips, ideas, and advice from someone who has experienced it first hand. And dont be afraid to email me and ask me anything you would like. Thanks! Happy life changing!

-Cassie Lynn