An open letter to those who struggle with body image:

You have a friend in me.

This article is going to be extremely personal and I hope this inspires many.

For a majority of my life, I was confident with my body. I ate whatever I want, never gained a pound from it, and still fit perfectly into a brand new bikini each summer.

That changed after my freshman year of college…

I loved my freshman year of college, there were many events with free food and I ended my first year with a 3.9 cumulative GPA. I found a friend in food. I would munch away on Doritos when doing an assignment or whatever free food was at an event in our student life building.

By January I noticed a change in my body--a drastic change. On September 9, 2015 I weighed 104 pounds exactly, on January 16, 2016 I weighed 126.4 pounds. I was disgusted with myself. I could barely fit into any of my clothes, and sometimes when I would go out to eat with friends and family, I would walk to the bathroom to unbutton my pants that barely fit me. As awful as that sounds, it is reality; gaining 20 pounds in six months is no joke.

So I of course took pictures of myself that day--my “starting weight pictures.” I dieted for about two weeks and realized I could not do it. School was still in session and I did not have the time or energy to discipline myself into eating and exercising properly. I gave up. Mid March this picture was taken

I was so embarrassed after seeing myself this way, and that is when I told myself “It doesn’t matter what time of year it is, it doesn’t matter how many events there are with free food, I need to change my lifestyle.” And I did.

Today I weigh in at 108.5 pounds. I am 18 pounds lighter than that picture you see above. It was hard, it still is hard. Just because I am a lot lighter now does not mean I get to eat what I want all of the time. I still monitor what I eat and work out every single day, because I do not want to let myself get back to the way I was before.

If you truly are not happy with how you look, talk to someone, talk to me-- I understand. I will help and I will listen.

If there is one thing I could change about my lifestyle change, it would be having someone to coach me and educate me instead of doing it all on my own. I vow to help anyone become more comfortable with their body whether it is going to the gym with them, giving them pointers--whatever it may be I am here.

But remember-- you do not need to be skinny to be beautiful. I did not feel happy, could barely fit into my clothes, and was getting extremely sluggish and tired from the food I was eating, that is why I changed my lifestyle.

In January, after two weeks of dieting I gave up; it is not easy. You will not see a change overnight, but do not give up. When I first started this journey I never thought I would be where I am today. I swear, Anything is possible.