I was a "big girl" most of my life.
At age 8, I was six inches taller than my best friend. I'm now six feet tall so I've never been considered little. I tried lots of weight loss gimmicks throughout my lifetime. I was on Weight Watchers half my life. I took phen fen. I drank Slim Fast. In my late 20'a, at 350 pounds, I decided to have gastric bypass surgery. My lowest post-surgery weight was 180 pounds. I determined my stomach wasn't the problem. It was always my brain.
Ten years later, I have gained some weight and have been frustrated. My highest post-surgery weight was 263 pounds. I now weigh 257.
In the last year, I decided to stop waging war against myself and my body. I recognize I am a compulsive over-eater and try not to obsess about calories. I workout to be strong, not to lose weight. I enjoy yoga and use it to keep my body from being in pain (I've battled a couple of injuries in the last few years). I have been pole dancing for over four years, teaching for two, and am a proud plus-sized athlete. Pole dance is for everyBODY.