(CNN) -- Brittni Garcia's family didn't go out for walks;
they went out for dinner. And when they were at home, they enjoyed watching
movies, playing board games and eating big Mexican-style home-cooked meals.
This lazy lifestyle led Garcia to weigh more than 200 pounds
by the eighth grade.
"My mom always said, 'You are a big girl. You are just
big-boned,'" said the 25-year-old information specialist. "So I just
accepted it."
Through high school and college, her weight continued to
rise. But even at 235 pounds, Garcia didn't think her weight was a problem --
until she couldn't fit into her "fat shorts" anymore.
That was December 2009.
It was a typical night for Garcia. She was studying for
finals in her sorority house at Eastern Illinois University and wanted to
change into some comfortable clothing. She found her red pajama XXL shorts that
she normally wore to bed.
As she struggled to pull them up, she realized they were too
tight and uncomfortable -- her "big, comfy shorts" no longer fit.
"Tons of emotions ran through my head," she said.
"I was afraid that was the way my life was going to be."
That's when Garcia's mentality changed. Being overweight was
no longer normal for her.
Heart disease runs in her family, and she realized it was
time to address her weight now before it turned into a bigger health problem.
"I wanted to lose weight to challenge myself and show
myself I can change, and not change for the world," Garcia wrote in her
iReport. "This time, it was for me."
Getting in shape wasn't going to be easy. Going to the gym
had been one of her biggest fears for a long time. She was self-conscious about
how she looked and sounded when she ran.
"It was hard for me to breathe," Garcia said.
"It was embarrassing."
Embarrassment about her weight extended to other areas of
her life. Although she was president of her sorority, Garcia always felt like
she stood out.
"All the sorority girls had cookie-cutter form, and I
looked different," she said. "It was really hard for me to
connect."
Garcia's involvement in Greek life perpetuated her unhealthy
habits; she often went to bars and restaurants to mingle with her college
friends. It was difficult to break the cycle, but she found supportive friends
who also hit the gym.
"What I tell people is that you find new friends at the
gym," she said. "If you don't have the support, it's really hard to
do it on your own."
Garcia found one of her biggest supporters through her
sorority. She met Nicholas Monreal at a Greek function, and they began dating
when she was at her heaviest. But the days of social functions, bar visits and
restaurant outings are long gone for the couple.
"He was there when I realized I wanted to change,"
she said. "To this day, our dates are to the gym. We see excitement in
going on walks and runs."
The couple has been together for four years; he proposed in
December. Monreal has noticed a significant difference in Garcia over the past
few years -- not just physically.
"She's more energetic ... and she's more willing to try
new things," he said "She's just working very hard, and she's a
better person for it."
On the right track
Since the beginning of 2010, Garcia has lost 107 pounds.
There were setbacks, the biggest of which came this past
August when she was in a car accident. She completed three months of physical
therapy and wasn't able to go to the gym and do her daily routines for a month
and a half.
She was angry at first -- mad at the person who hit her car
and stalled her progress at the gym.
But she got over her initial anger, and Garcia went on a
walk. This time, she wasn't alone. Her fiance, her parents, her sisters and her
aunt encouraged her to stay active. As a result, Garcia went on walks with them
and did yoga at a gym.
After getting back on track with her daily workouts, Garcia
realized she also had to better manage her eating habits.
"For the longest, I would go to the gym and go home to
eat whatever I wanted," she said. "That's not how it works. I had to
learn to eat differently and to learn to like new foods."
She started doing research on proper nutrition. She read
books and online articles, shopped at health foods stores and learned to
prepare meals that helped her maintain a healthy diet.
Now for two hours every Sunday, Garcia grills chicken, cooks
vegetables and packs fresh fruit in preparation for the upcoming week.
"(I) make eating as simple as possible," she said.
"If there are a lot of ingredients, I don't want it."
The next step
Down to 128 pounds, Garcia has been left with a lot of loose
skin -- particularly around her stomach. She is doing CrossFit exercises and
weight training to tighten up the area.
She's also checking off some other goals.
One of the most rewarding moments in Garcia's weight loss
journey was completing her first 5K run in 27 minutes.
When she first started training, running three miles took
her 48 minutes. Today, she can complete it in less than 25.
"I hadn't been able to walk a lap, let alone run
it," she said. "And now when I finish a workout, I really get
emotional and I can't believe that I could do it."
She isn't stopping there. Garcia wants to complete a half
marathon as well as the Warrior Dash in June. As a result, she might take a
pool break in between.
"I really want to fit in my bikini comfortably this
summer," she said.
Today, Garcia doesn't shop at plus size clothing stores
anymore. She was able to drop from a size 22 to a size 6.
And what happened to her XXL "fat shorts?" She
ditched them for a pair of small exercise shorts.
To those just starting their weight-loss journey, she offers
this advice:
"Once you start, don't give up. The hardest thing to do
is to continue. If you have a bad day, don't make it a bad week."
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