Finding Acceptance with Ladies’ Home Journal

It's here, it's here! The December/January issue of Ladies' Home Journal is now out, and I'm so honored to be in it!

I got to share a tiny sneak peek from behind-the-scenes a while back, and can't be more proud of the final result. LHJ provided me with an amazing outlet to share my story of going from 455 pounds to healthy – regardless of what the scale says. Mainstream media so often bombards us with stories of how to lose weight quickly or shows us photos of befores-and-afters. I can't say I've ever seen someone in a 6-page spread of a major magazine talking about finding weight acceptance.

I was *really* excited during the shoot. With MUA Michelle Coursey

Photographer Aaron Richter shooting

On my way to New York for the shoot (having just come out of my ankle cast – wow it was rough!), I had all these doubts in my head. What if the editors took one look at me and decided not to run the story? What if they were disappointed in me? What if my photos turned out bad? What if my story got edited beyond recognition?

All of these anxious thoughts swirled around my head – a result of spending a lifetime trying to accept that I AM ENOUGH, just as I am. Not-so-ironically, it's a main lesson of the article. I got pretty personal with it, and hope that the transparency will affect someone in a positive way. Everyone at LHJ was amazing and made sure I had a fantastic experience. I hope you will consider buying the magazine in print or e-format to support this magazine that goes beyond the typical “skinny is better” messaging. Regardless if you buy it though, it's online here for all to see! Unfortunately, LHJ's parent company shuttered the magazine in 2015. You can view the article below, or here.

Thank you so much for your support and encouragement, and for letting me share this happy moment with you!

New here? Welcome! Check out some of my favorite fitness/body image related posts here. I am also obsessed with fashion, and you can view some of those posts here. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat.