Every Picture Has A Story

*WARNING: REALNESS AHEAD!*

I have had this “before” picture in my phone’s “transformation” album for QUITE some time and have passed it by countless times.

Why?

Because when I look at it, i think, “it’s not good enough of a before picture - it won’t make for a good side-by-side transformation  collage.”

But every picture has a story. And this one is no different. 

Turns out she wanted to be a #throwbackthursday post instead.

As human beings, we always find ways to cope with unhappiness in our lives — sometimes it’s through self-sabotage, sometimes it’s with excuses, sometimes we’re just REALLY good at covering things up.

Me? I was guilty of all three.

I’ve always had problems with my weight and body-image…and because of that, I got REALLY good at covering it up.  There’s a REASON I don’t look like my typical “before photos” in this one: 

See that jacket? it’s unbuttoned bc I couldn’t close it anymore.  That skirt? the ONE anomaly I had in my closet that still SAID size 12 on the label but happened to run big…and since it was still too tight, i have it hiked up all the way to my waist even tho that’s not where it’s supposed to sit…so the seams didn’t split around my hips.  Those tights? SPANX.  

I had an alert on my phone whenever RueLaLa would post a Spanx sale and I would grab as many pairs as I could because i wore them every single day (slimming tights in the winter, compression shorts in the summer)…sometimes doubled up.

And heels. ALWAYS. Because they made me 4-5 inches taller and therefore made the weight look more evenly distributed.  (That and I have a thing for shoes…and since I couldn’t find any clothes I felt good in to buy, I stocked up on shoes instead).

All that work, covering up how miserable I felt.  I still wore a smile on my face, but anyone who knows me well can tell that it’s not real. 

Today I got out of the shower and threw on a tight fitted dress. I don’t even think I looked in the mirror.  It didn’t even occur to me that I might need something underneath. I honestly cannot even REMEMBER the last time I wore Spanx.  

I left them behind when I finally started putting my self first, loving myself enough to keep moving forward when I felt like giving up, and realizing my journey was meant to inspire others to do the same.

I started on my 50 lbs weight loss journey in January 2014 to fit into my clothes.  I continued because I started to believe in myself. I kept it off because my journey inspires others, and part of my purpose is paying it forward - and help those who desperately want to make a healthy change.

if that’s you, please message me on facebook.com/jaimepiazza, or comment below with your email address, and we can chat more about YOUR goals and YOUR journey.

If this resonates with you, please share this post so it can reach someone else who needs to read it.

Thank you, always for your time and patience. I am honored that you are reading this <3