

īut I had an ace up my sleeve: an app that counts calories and provides nutritional advice. I decided to lose weight the old-fashioned way: diet and exercise. I was tired of trying fad diets and watching my weight yo-yo. It was time to make a change - a lasting change.

All told, I was about 40 pounds over my ideal weight. Since getting married in 2014 and facing personal and family struggles over the previous few years, the pounds had slowly accumulated until I barely recognized myself in the mirror. In fact, I didn't feel comfortable in my own skin - and I certainly didn't feel like being the center of attention as the birthday girl.

The problem was that I was at my highest-ever weight, and I didn't look or feel good in anything I owned. It's not that I didn't have a diverse enough selection of clothes - quite the opposite, actually. Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
