Before the Before

**Warning! Picture heavy and long. Sorry, blogging is cheaper than therapy**

In the weightloss blogging world, everyone likes to show their "before" pictures. You know, the ones were we've hit rock bottom. The pictures that made us finally wake up and see how big we've actually let ourselves get. We all have them. We've (mostly) all shown them.

But what about before the before? We weren't all born obese. Sure, some of us have struggled with weight since childhood, but most of us didn't. My husband and I have been going through all of our old childhood pictures recently and scanning them into the computer to have back up copies in the event anything ever happens to them.

Lucky you, I was just browsing through those files tonight. So, let's meet Jessica, before the before:

Ok, this one doesn't really have anything to do with my weight gain, but MERCY what I wouldn't pay to have this hair back! Can I get an AMEN??

Eight Grade Spring Break. This shirt hung on me like a tent. I thought I looked skinnier the larger the clothes were. Oh how I wish I could go back and smack myself....

Myrtle Beach, SC summer before eighth grade year (I think).


Not sure how old. I'm pretty sure it was middle school. I do remember that shirt and wearing it on the beach because I thought I looked like a beached whale. *sigh*

I'm the one in the middle. Flying. I never did have much of a verticle leap. I'd hurt myself if I tried that now.

The very end of my Junior year in highschool. This was the night of my grandparent's 50th wedding anniversary party. I hated that dress. My mom made me wear it.

With my grandmother. Maybe my mom knew what she was talking about with that dress. I'm 5'4" in this picture and I have short legs. This dress makes them look like they go on for miles. I should have taken fashion advice from my mom more often.....

Again with the gorgeous hair. *sigh*

My senior year. Sweetheart's Dance. This picture was taken at my best friend's house before our dates got there. Her brother was good friends with my boyfriend and when I got to her house I was sulking because I thought I looked fat (I should mention that she was a size 0, so everyone was huge next to her). I walked into her brother's room and he was on the phone with my boyfriend. He looked up and said, "Oh shit. Brian, your girlfriend just walked in and she looks, WOW. Hot." I was blown away. Here I was pissy that I was "fat" and I got that compliment from my friend's punk brother, who was like a brother to me. I remember it after all these years. It's funny, the things that stick with you.

This was during my junior year in college. I had quit playing volleyball and moved back home. I was waiting tables and as you could see, the weight had started to creep on.

I was about 22 or 23 here. I had landed my first "real" job and was sitting at a desk all day. I was playing volleyball about once a week, but it wasn't enough. The weight was still inching upwards.

And this was right before I got pregnant with my first son. Well, actually I was already pregnant in this picture. I just didn't know it yet. I was just shy of 200 lbs.

And here I am today. This was taken this past Dec at a Christmas party for my MOMS group. Oh, how the mighty have fallen....

I'm sorry for the super long post, but seeing these pictures is encouraging to me. It makes me realize that overall, I haven't been heavy that long. I was an active kid and a fit teenager. It wasn't until I became an adult that the pounds started piling on. So, I've come to the conclusion that I should simply declare myself a child again. Who's with me?