Introducing...

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present to you...Meg. At goal.

But first, let's just look at where she started...

Early 2009

With Aaron at a family reunion, 2007

With Summer at the Schulz Museum, 2002 (a year out of uni).

Just to remind you, dear readers...I started off at 221.8 pounds (and blonde!). That's a BMI of about 40. Yes, BMI is not the best indicator for health, so let me add that I was also on blood pressure medicine, and I had a very hard time dealing with anxiety and depression.

And my self-esteem kinda sucked.

Fast forward through three-and-a-half years of blog posts, starting in February 2009, and you've got Meg at 130 pounds (BMI 24). Ninety-two pounds of Meg have melted off (that's an Olympic gymnast!) and I have rid my life of blood pressure meds. I'll never not have to deal with anxiety, but I manage it much better these days through diet* and exercise.

*And by diet I mean lifestyle, not some "miracle" plan. I still eat junk food. I just eat way less of it than I used to. And I limit what junk food I allow myself to eat. So these days it's a piece of dark chocolate, not a whole bag of cheesy poofs.

But you don't want words, words, words, you want pictures. Today I posed for a few with Matt the Reasonable and it's kind of amazing to compare them with the before pics.

Hooray for short-shorts from the Duck Ladies and
purple shoes!

Oh, God, he just had to get a side view. The next
immediate goal? Blast that tummy away.

Yep, still got those old 18s.

Matt got one of the other trainers to come take a couple of pics of both of us. He told me to show off my jeans, so I held them up. The other trainer (confusingly, also named Matt) was quite impressed when I told him I now wear the same jeans in a 2.

We got a couple of good pics of Matt and I for the history books. So after all these months of blogging about an anonymous trainer I called M. the Reasonable (he always liked his nickname!), here he is--a real person, and one hell of a trainer:

Those jeans are just never going away. Also: Look at
my arms!!!!

My story is going to be made into a Member Success Story for the gym wall. I love thinking that people will look at it and be inspired. If one person sees it and thinks, "Hey, I can do it, too!" I will be very happy. Because health and wellness are achievable. Sometimes it takes a while, but if stubborn little Meg can go from "I'll never be a runner" to "Okay, I'm a reluctant runner," to "Runner and proud, damnit!" well, then, anyone can.

I still have a little work to do--a teensy bit more fat loss, a little bit more muscle-building. But for the first time in my life, I'm simply happy with my body. It is in great shape, and I'm proud of everything from those awesome arms to the stupid runner's tan. I'm proud every time I get out there and run, or finish a set of Burpees, and where sweat used to be disgusting to me, I now welcome it.