Christine Pymble had always been overweight. Losing weight seemed like an impossible feat, until she decided she would not give up on herself.

After spending much of her life being overweight, Christine Pymble resigned herself to being fat forever.

“I was a fat baby, a fat child, and a fat teen,” Pymble told Yahoo. “I’ve always known my weight was an issue and have always felt too fat for every situation.”

She was 14 when she started trying to lose weight and was always very active.

“I used to do CrossFit, weightlifting, rock climbing, I even ran a Tough Mudder, but I never lost any weight,” Christine recalled.

As her struggles with her weight continued into adulthood, she felt like she’d tried everything to lose weight without success. Her motivation dwindled and she began to feel worn out.

A decisive moment in her life

https://www.instagram.com/p/BjcHyofnXIh/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Christine thought she had made peace with being overweight for the rest of her life until she got a surprise wakeup call: she hadn’t exhausted all her options quite yet.

“One day I was sitting on the couch watching TV when a story flashed through my Facebook feed about gastric sleeve surgery and I started crying,” remembered Christine.

In that moment, she came to realize that she wasn’t ready to give up until she had tried everything.

The thought of surgery terrified me but not as much as spending the rest of my life unhealthy and unhappy.

Christine Pymble

Determined to take control of her life once and for all, Christine took the leap in 2016 and underwent a vertical-sleeve gastrectomy.

Following the operation, she lost 65 pounds without much effort but eventually, the weight loss slowed down.

At that point, Christine knew she had to start putting in more work, so she began walking every day, counting her calories and gave up snacks and sugary drinks.

“There were many times when I lost motivation. Weight loss is hard,” she admitted.

I fell off the wagon more times than I can say, but every day that I stayed strong, I felt a little healthier.

Christine Pymble

Her resilience paid off

https://www.instagram.com/p/BiuEjlgnT3m/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Christine lost a total of 154 pounds. Now, she feels better than ever. 

I feel like an entirely new person. I can go places and actually enjoy being there. I’m trying new things and soaking up the experiences instead of smiling and pretending to be happy.

Christine Pymble

The surgery wasn’t a magic fix. Following the surgery, Christine was confronted with a new challenge: loose skin. But after all of her hard work, she wasn’t going to let it get in the way of her newfound happiness.

I try to keep my sense of humor with everything I’m experiencing now though. It’s all an experience and makes for great photos.

Christine Pymble

She continues to walk everyday and until recently has been maintaining her weight loss, this time with the focus of trimming down.

“What keeps me motivated is the goal of looking hella fine in my wedding dress,” she revealed.

Always keep a good outlook

Christine’s story demonstrates that life is a continuous series of challenges. The key is to adopt a good outlook and ride forward with the mindset that you are always capable to take on the next obstacle.

More inspiring transformations: