Hello From North Dakota

mhscklukken

A friend recommended I check out myfitnesspal from a different app I've been using to track my progress, so I've been checking things out for the last month. I have to say, I really like the log-ins - they are much easier to use than what I was using. Although, there are a few things I miss from the old - but the two are synced together so what I post here transfers there.

It's pretty exciting to see 'the future' if I stay on track each day I log my food, exercise, etc. The former app didn't do that. So that to me is the biggest pro. I've also joined a few online groups to stay accountable and can really start to feel some progress again.

I started out with weight at my highest back in 2011 at 189#. Slowly I was able to loose weight doing Brazil Butt Lift, Insanity, TurboJam and TurboFire and hit 168# in a little over a year. But then plateaued forever! So July 2013 I started a new exercise program Focus T25. It was another kickstart for my metabolism and slowing the scale started again. January 2014 I bought myself a Fitbit to I was more accountable to myself. That's when I started tracking my exercise, steps and foods. It became a real EYE OPENER for me to see how horribly my diet was. So things started changing, food wise, for the better. In Feb 2014 I decided I should find out if I'm overworking or not working hard enough when it comes to my heart rate. My Fitbit didn't calculate that - so I purchased a Polar heart rate monitor to track my heart rate through my workout - another EYE OPENER. There were times I was just going too far and others I wasn't going far enough. So that helped to change things. Then finally in May 2014 I reached 153#! That was 36# down from three years prior. And I'm NEVER going back!

Although I'm not yet to my goal, I still feel I've accomplished something I've NEVER been able to achieve - even through my years in high school and college - get my weight down in the 150's. I've always been between 170-189/190's so it was SO THRILLING to go shopping for new clothes because there was no way the old stuff was even going to work anymore.

So now again I've hit a plateau but I'm working on it. I started working out with 21 Day Fix Extreme and I've noticed a definite change in my core, arms and legs. I can really feel the muscle development...now just have to lose the excess fat so those muscles can shine through! Just going to keep plugging away but overall I've learned this is a life changing lesson. It's not a short term deal. You don't just work hard, lose the weight and then go back to how things were before you lost the weight. You can't go back to those high fat, high calorie meals all the time. That's what got me into trouble in the first place. It's watching what I eat and when I eat. It's about having a better life - and I'm looking forward to it!!!

AaronKnutson_63

Hello from South Dakota! Just wanted to say congrats on your progress so far! Keep at it and you'll get there! Awesome job!