Small Changes and Blogging Helped Evelyn Lose 65 Pounds

Each week, we introduce you to bloggers who share their weight-loss journeys and hefty doses of inspiration with their readers. This week's featured blogger is Evelyn from Sweet Charity.

Name: Evelyn Cook

Age: 29

Height: 5 feet, 5 inches

Start Weight: 200 pounds

Current and Goal Weight: 135 pounds

My Weight Loss Approach: I've always been overweight. I was a chubby baby and a chunky child and I just kept getting bigger as I grew older. I've always liked to eat. Food is delicious! Growing up, I knew that my portions sizes were bigger than everyone else's but it never bothered me enough to stop -- until college. I joined a sorority and was surrounded by pretty, skinny girls. They never said anything about my weight, but just being around them made me feel fat and unattractive. I knew I had to make a change if I was going to be happy.

After that, I started the gradual process of working out and eating better. I focused on making small changes -- I'd eat a little less than usual, add more vegetables to my meals, increase the intensity of my workouts. I also drank a lot of water.

Small changes don't lead to big results right away, so the key to my weight loss was staying consistent and committed to my goal. I've had a lot of setbacks and a lot of frustration, but ultimately I knew what I wanted and refused to give up until I got it. When I hit a plateau, I would learn more information and find a way to bust through it. Changing my routine was key as well. I've tried everything -- the gym, home workouts, running, kickboxing, CrossFit, dancing, weights, you name it.

It took me 11 years to reach my goal weight of 135 pounds, but I got there! And now I've started setting new goals. I'm focused on helping others as an online trainer.

Why I wanted to blog about it: Aside from it being therapeutic to get my triumphs and frustrations out by writing them down, blogging is also a great way to keep a record of my efforts. Sometimes we remember things differently than they actually happened, so it's great to have something to reference. I also want to share my journey with others. I've tried so many weight loss gimmicks, I don't want people to make the same mistakes. I want them to be able to benefit from what I've learned. I want to let people know that they're not alone and they can do it, even when the going's tough.

The best part of blogging is: I love when I get responses from people who have learned something new or who are inspired and have more questions. I'm not a professional writer; I just write how I honestly feel and I love it when other can connect with that and take something away from it.

Best comment I've received: "Thank you so much, you inspire me!"

What's next for my blog: I have big plans for my blog! The format and platform I'm using will be changing and I plan to be posting much more diverse material and updating much more frequently. Not only will I post about my weight loss efforts, but I also want to include interviews with successful people, recipes, my opinions on different diets I've tried and reviews of all the different workouts I do. I want to offer as much helpful content as I can.

Evelyn's next goal is to help 1,000 people lose weight and get fit through her blog and website.