I am at my local gym four to five days per week at a minimum, and that’s been my life for the past two years. I have seen good and bad results; I have failed, have slipped and I have been through it all, but I decided to change when I realized it hurt to get up in the morning. I have Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis and had to take steroids, which is the reason I gained so much weight. I was diagnosed at age 11 with this chronic illness; there is no cure and I am 24 now. I run at least two or three miles every time I am there. I also include strength training with squatting, and I hurt every time I leave. Altogether my workout takes around one and a half hours to complete with two 15 minute stretching periods. I will say this again: I have been doing this for two years straight, even working out through some injuries against my doctor's wishes. (Sorry Mike!)

I never thought about any of this until someone told me I "worked out like a man." Uhm, excuse me? Then I thought about it and I realized-- I work out with mostly guys, I can keep up with them, and now I am spending time more in the weight room rather than on an elliptical. I want to get stronger, not skinnier. I am an only child with a father who is never home due to working two jobs. I want to look like I can rock a beautiful lingerie set with my boyfriend in bed, yet kick your ass if you cross me. I want to look like I can take care of myself.

I am five foot, six inches, and I still weight 230lbs when I started out at 245lbs in the summer of 2015. That is hard to say believe me, and I am ready for all of the backlash you are going to give me. However,0 I am down two pant sizes. I am currently a size 16, the average size of an American woman today. It takes me eight mins to run a mile when it used to take me around thirteen. I can leg press 120 pounds, and squat 40 pounds, and bench 20 pounds (I have no upper body strength and never did have much to start with.) I started off with a leg press of 50 pounds, a squat of JUST the bar WITH issues every time, and not being able to bench at all.

But I’m considered fit according to the director of the facility. My legs are thicker and full of muscle (thank you marching band.) The regular guys and gals who go there congratulate me because they have seen me there for two years. They have seen the hard work I have put in, and they tell the newbies about me who try and talk bad about me for being a bigger woman. I do not go to the gym and chit chat with my girlfriends while sitting on a piece of gym equipment acting like I am doing something. I did that before, and it got me nowhere.

And that’s fine. To the women out there in my exact same situation, that is perfectly fine. I am not asking you to be a Victoria's Secret model size or anything like that. I am asking every woman, man and child to please just be healthy. I see so many people glorifying BBW’s, and I was half of their size (not weight but size. I was told by my doctor I was too big and that I would have medical problems due to my weight. I am not shaming them nor am I hating on them, but please I just want you to be safe and healthy. Talk to your doctor, to that nutritionist, or to that trainer at the gym who looks like the Hulk. They are there to help you.