1 year. Still tons of work to do, but I'm feeling like myself again!

QuiznatoddBidness · February 2015

So here it is. The dreaded sharing of before and after pics. A year ago, I committed to posting something like this after 1 year. It was a tactic to help me get this thing off the ground. Turns out, I didn't need the "fake" motivation. Turns out, I genuinely love what I'm doing now. I've intentionally not been drastic about anything. After all, I'm not doing this to punish myself! I'm certainly not starving myself. I exercise regularly, but I'm not doing anything special, not doing anything anyone else couldn't do if they put their mind to it. Thanks to the tools here at MFP, my own determination, my continued learning and refining, and the terrific support of a great group of like-minded friends, I'm actually feeling pretty good about what I'm capable of.

Thank you MFP community! I'll check back again next February. Hopefully I'll be closer to the ideal me I'm really looking for.

Full disclosure about the pics below: the picture on the left was taken in August 2013 (it was the most recent demonstrative "before" picture I could find). I broke my clavicle snowboarding in January 2014. I started light rehab in early February 2014. It was at that point that I DRASTICALLY changed my diet...I couldn't believe how bad I looked when I went to my orthopedic appointments...it was so embarrassing. Less than a month later, by March 2014, I was running regularly...not far, but at least getting out there. Every single day. I always HATED running, but now I love, love, love it. I never expected that. By late March / early April 2014, I was able to start doing body weight exercises (pushups, pullups, situps, crunches, planks, you name it). That was my TOTAL routine for most of 2014: eating at a deficit (but eating great), running at least 6 days a week (more and more distance as the weeks went by), and body weight exercises in my bedroom. Then in October/November 2014 (when the weather started interrupting my running schedule), I joined a gym for the first time in my life. I don't lift any heavy weights, though I may need to at some point to continue to progress. The picture on the right is what I look like today. I don't know precisely how much weight I've lost...I think it's about 30 or 40 lbs...but for me, it is NOT about the weight. It is totally about what I want to see when I look in the mirror, how I want to feel for the rest of my life, and how long that "rest of my life" thing is gonna be. I'm certainly not getting any younger.

Well that's my story at 1 year. I've babbled enough. My apologies for that. Cheers!