I remember waking up from my gastric bypass surgery on 5/29/12 groggy, in pain and ready to start a new journey. The FIRST thing I felt (other than horrid gas pains) was pure elation and excitement! I remember thinking at that moment to myself, “You will NEVER weigh this much EVER again in your life!” And all I could do was smile.

Many of you remember by my posts on Facebook that the first few weeks were VERY rough for me. I had immediate ‘buyers remorse’ and was angry I did it! But soon, I passed the hurdles and its been smooth sailing ever since. I’ve changed the way I eat, the way I see life, my activities and interests are so much more now! I’m a new person and I love it!

Like I said, things have changed a lot. I had wanted my mother with me on this journey, but sadly she had passed back in November. She sends me little ‘hello’s'  here and there though. And I had also wanted my husband to be able to support me throughout this whole thing and sadly that too has ended as we are now going through a separation/divorce. If Ive learned anything through this all, its that I am STRONG and that I can do ANYTHING that I put my mind to. I have friends and family that are there for me and I cant thank them all enough. I have this new life waiting to be lived and my children by my side through it all! What more do I need?!

So…. my stats a year later…..

I have gone from the LARGEST shirt size in my plus size store (32/34) to a normal size MEDIUM!!!! Dress size 8!!!!!! Pants have gone from size 28 (which were tight) to a size 8!!!! XXXXL pants (as shown below) to a SMALL!!!!! Im loving it all!!!! I have went from 320lbs to now 169!!! Thats 151lbs lost!!! AN ADULT! Im literally half the person I was! Id do it all again over and over. Thank you ALL for your continued support and encouragement throughout this past year! Through EVERYTHING Ive gone through! You all have a special place in my heart!

And now… pics! (Current photos complements of my daughter Jaclyn! That explains the big cheesy smiles and silly faces. She had me rolling!… not too shabby!)

left – 320 lbs……… right – current 169lbs

This difference is just from 2 months ago. CROSSFIT BABY!!!!

This was day ONE of crossfit (8/8/12) and today. (So DON’T tell me you’re too heavy/old/injured to start crossfit!!!)

Me standing in ONE pant leg of my XXXXL pants I used to LOVE to wear everywhere!!!!

And me having some fun with my boys! (I need to tan my legs to match my top half…lmao)

]]> http://jmpny.com/2013/05/my-1-year-surgiversary-a-personal-story/feed/ 1 http://jmpny.com/2013/04/10-month-update-a-personal-story/ http://jmpny.com/2013/04/10-month-update-a-personal-story/#comments Fri, 05 Apr 2013 00:10:21 +0000 jmpny http://jmpny.com/?p=897

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So did you all miss me last month? My weight loss has slowed down quite a bit so I think its best for bi-monthly posts here on out. I’m still cross-fitting like crazy….lol. I don’t see an end to that coming anytime in my future. I am now down a total of 135 lbs. That is a full grown adult human being! Where did I keep that all!??! Unreal! I am now in a size 10 pant and a L shirt! BAM! I also bought my first size small (yes you read that right)… SMALL sized pants. I’m starting to have people tell me that Ive lost enough weight but I still have 29lbs to go before I have a normal BMI. And that’s what I’m aiming for right now.

I haven’t been the best when it comes to choosing my foods lately. And the scale shows it. I likely could’ve lost more had I been more strict in my diet, so today Ive started being more aware and careful with what I eat. My children see photos of the old me and are in disbelief. It’s quite funny to see their faces when I show them a photo of me at 320lbs…lol. My 2 year old doesn’t know who it is when I ask him. My children actually use words like, thin, skinny, sexy when talking about me. (Why they know what sexy means is beyond me…lol) But they also are very aware that my skin isn’t the tightest it could be. They have fun mushing my arms and have lovingly named it my ‘gush’. Gotta love ‘em!

I purchased a bathing suit that I plan on looking freaking fantabulous in this summer! My first 2-piece ever! I got 2 tops.. one tankini and the other an actual bikini top. Not sure if ill be brave enough for the latter. And the bottoms are boy shorts. So Ill be covered in all the right places. I tried on the bikini and my hubby’s mouth dropped…lol. So SOMEONE liked it….lol. And he’s all that matters right?!

Weather is warming up a teeny bit and so I’ve been going to the park with the kids. No more do I sit on the bench with my phone in my hand. I now race and chase them and play tag and every other game we can. Or maybe pretend I can do pull ups….lol.

And that’s the past 2 months in a nutshell. So I’ll leave you with my before and current photos.

OH! And I got a new tattoo!!! (Not just done yet) It’s flowers from my children’s birth months.

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You hear this saying all the time. I know I have. And it wasn’t truly until I began photography that I understood it. When I would see my photos capture so many things and emotions at once.  It almost feels like a super power being able to capture it. (Just call me Super Jen!)

As some of you know, I am a member of Bravo Crossfit in Dobbs Ferry and LOVE the sport to death! This weekend they held their very first competition. I was ALMOST a part of the action but we would’ve had too many people so I figured I would just be there for support. (AND take some awesome photos…. that IS what I do ya know…lol) So with my trustee Canon in hand… I cheered on all my friends at Bravo! (I may have lost my voice a bit too.)

Bravo did an AMAZING job and many PR’s (personal records) were made that day. As I got home and uploaded the photos, one stood out to me the MOST. It was a photo that, to me, said 1,000 things. I’ll share it here and you can tell me what it says to YOU.

To me… I see strength, encouragement, excitement, camaraderie, determination and power. Not to mention some darn nice muscles too…lol. But THIS is why I love both photography AND Crossfit. I get all of these things from Crossfit and then I’m able to capture the same things with photography for others.

What do YOU love!?