I use to look at pics and think – I do not look that big, do I? It’s just the lighting. It’s just the bla bla bla. 

I remember catching a glance at my shadow while walking with friends or running with my running buddy (Melissa). I would think, “Aren’t we the same size? Surely that shadow is just at the wrong angle.”

Well yesterday, I caught a glimpse of my shadow for the first time since this transformation began. It was good. I was proud to claim that shadow as mine – for the first time…in 20 years. That’s the way it should’ve looked for all along – according to my inner pictures of myself.

My before pics revealed a true picture of the slow way I was growing large and larger. It was a slow change. One pound at a time. The pounds flew on from a series of bad choices that didn’t seem to add up – I could not see the true damage. Until….. 

I wore jackets to cover up imperfections – or so I thought I was doing a good job of masking my sins.

I wasn’t fooling anyone but myself.