Not at my goal, but proud of my progress so far (pics)

Amerek412

I've always been relatively thin, I'm 26 and 5'2 and since my teens my weight has stayed around 115-120lbs. I had my son at 22, and stayed around 125-130 after having him. About 2 years ago I started a medication (adderall) that completely suppressed my appetite, and this is what started me leading a very unhealthy lifestyle. I lost over 15lbs in about 2 months after starting the meds. That probably doesn't sound like much, but at 5'2 and already being in a somewhat healthy weight, going from 125-130 to 112lbs in 2 months, I lost A LOT of muscle. I was the textbook definition of skinny-fat.

As time went on my appetite/body adjusted and I steadied around 118lbs. Again, I was still basically thin but I looked worse because I had lost all that muscle and just gained back more fat. On top of this, I was eating nothing but crap, was almost completely sedentary every single day, and got an average of 5-6 hrs of sleep every night since the adderall also gave me insomnia. I basically wouldn't feel any kind of hunger/thirst until about 4pm everyday, and from then on I would just eat whatever crap I wanted until I went to bed. This is also when I would "crash" and get really cranky, which was really negatively affecting my relationship. This all sounds terrible (and it was), but I kept taking adderall because I became completely addicted to it. I never realized it at the time, nor would I have admitted it, but looking back I know that's exactly what was going on. It got to a point where I relied on adderall just to feel up to doing, well, anything.

Finally, at the end of April this year I said enough is enough and decided to stop taking it. I literally went through a mini period of depression for about 2 weeks, as my brain adjusted to making its own dopamine levels. I also got my appetite back, and in mid-May went on vaca to an all inclusive resort. By the end of May I had gained 10lbs in less than 2 months, and was 127.5lbs. Just goes to show that weight lost through unhealthy means will always eventually find a way to come back.

But again, enough was enough. I was sick of wasting my 20's being unhealthy and unhappy, and it was time to take control of my life. On 5/30/2017 I re-downloaded MFP and started jogging every day I could. I started off slow, but in the last month I have really started buckling down with exercising and started lifting weights as well (following Michael Matthews "Thinner Learner Stronger". Here is my progress so far:
(Left pics: 126.5lbs, Right pics: 121.5lbs = 5lbs loss)




PLEASE excuse my dirty room haha, I can be a bit messy . Also LOL @ my goofy cat in the top right pick! Didn't notice him there until I just posed this.

The left pics were taken about 2 weeks after I started logging and had lost 1-2lbs, but this is basically how I looked starting out. The biggest difference I see is in my waist, and from the side-view I've lost sooo much of that bloat-pouch! I've also always held a lot of weight in my arms, so I love that you can actually see a little shoulder definition in the bottom pics as well. It's hard to see the changes in the mirror from day to day, but looking at this it just really excites me and keeps me motivated to see all my hard work paying off in such a short period of time. I'm currently focusing on leaning out/getting some muscle definition more so than weight loss, and I couldn't be more proud of myself for actually going down the right path to the body and healthy lifestyle I've always wished I had.

I am also proud of myself for getting out of the cycle. I was in denial for so long, but at the same time knew deep down how unhealthy I was. I never thought I'd have the strength or self discipline to see myself through to the other side. Now I see the light at the end of the tunnel, and for that I am so grateful. I've struggled with self esteem regarding my body and being a generally incapable person, and for the first time in a loooooooong time I don't feel bad patting myself on the back for this one, or to shamelessly say: "GO ME!"

mndamon

Great job! You have every right to be proud of yourself. And there is never anything wrong with patting yourself on the back every now and then, especially when you know you deserve it.

Amerek412

Thank you!!

seanevan10

Great job!!! Most of the time, it isn't so much about how much you weigh but the habits that we have to really look at. You are doing a great job! You keep it up!

mmnv79

Well done!

JLAJ81

Awesome stuff! Keep it up!