Advice for all the New Years Resolutions out there!

This is my Before and After.
I want to share some of what I learned to all the people who are resolving to make 2014 the year they finally lose the weight. It won't be easy, but it'll be worth it.

So let's back up and get to know each other a little bit. This is me in 2008. I weighed about 150 pounds. I was active and strong. I swam on a club team and ate anything I wanted. Why? Because I could.

THEN this. This is me in June of 2012. I was scared to step on the scale... but let's just say it was more than 216 - that's the last time I had weighed myself. I was eating garbage constantly, drinking excessively, smoking, and I hadn't seen the inside of a gym in a loooong time.

This is me today. 170 pounds. So how did I get here? Honestly, run of the mill healthy food and exercise - specifically weight lifting. No pills, no roids, no starving, none of that junk. Good, clean eating and weight lifting.

(Here we are at a Run or Dye event - I am on the right)
EXERCISE is key. And not "kill yourself with working out and running" exercise. Just average sessions for about an hour four or five times a week. Arguably, I've become somewhat of a gym rat... but you really don't need to slave away at the gym to see lasting results.
Ladies, please don't be afraid of weight lifting. You will NOT be bulky or manly. Those "lean toned" muscles that you want so badly can be achieved through the art of pumping iron. Don't be scared.
(Plus men DIG chicks who lift)

Healthy food. I try to avoid the word "diet" if I can help it. It's not a diet; it's my life. I eat between 1800-2200 calories every single day, if not more. I NEVER EVER EVER STARVE MYSELF. Starvation achieves nothing. Even dropping to about 1200 calories a day can be starvation. Your body needs the fuel! How fast will your car go on an empty tank?!
I cook for myself, and I prep my food early in the week for the next few days. I always find new recipes and ways to incorporate all my favorite things into my diet. (Yes I know I used the word diet, but it's in a different context...)
ALSO THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING: I still eat crap here and there. Honestly. I cannot turn down a perfectly crispy slice of italian pizza with salty cured pig parts on it. So guess what? I have a slice (everything in moderation) and work out a little harder later. I never beat myself up or deny myself life's pleasures. Life is short.

I am extremely proud of my results, and I am grateful every single day for the healthy body I have. The one caveat to this wonderfulness is that it took time. It didnt happen overnight. Hell, it didn't even happen in 6 months. I hit a 50 lb loss after a full year of effort. So, please please please stay patient. Love your body. Put clean, whole foods into it. Take it to a gym (or a park or your living room floor- who cares). Take care of it. The more love you show your body, the more love your body will show you.

Here are some puppies. Thanks for reading. I hope this reaches even just ONE person who needed the input.
Love you guys.