Thank you MFP!!

stk_pkr

I've struggled the past 20 years to keep my weight under control. When I was younger my metabolism would easily take care of the calories but as I crossed into my late 30's and early 40's and now 52, it became almost impossible to keep the weight off.

I'm 5'-9" - at one point I weighed over 200lbs. Last year my Physician read me the riot act at my annual physical - I was pre-diabetic, I had everything heading the wrong way on my blood work - it was an ugly wake up call. She told me the big culprit was the spare tire I was carrying around my waist. She told me I was fat, point blank, ugh!

I have been weight training weekly since I was in high school and always used that as a crutch for my poor eating habits. "I went to the gym so I deserve X" sort of thinking.

I did Adkins and dropped about 30lbs in 3 months only to put it all back on back on, it wasn't sustainable. I've tried a lot of gimmicks and I've tried to exercise my way to a lower weight. None of it was effective or long term, none of it was a lifestyle I could live with,... Time is the most precious resource any of us have and working out can only get so high on the priority list for me. The problem was I would always consume more calories than I was burning, I have been able to get down to 180 and hover around it by modifying my exercise or carbs but I've not gotten below 170 in 30 years.

I am so thankful for MFP. I've been using it for 3 months now and by simply counting my calories every day I've gone from having elastic band 34" big daddy pants to 32" straight cut slim pants that are loose on me. I bought some small Nike workout pants on clearance at ****'s Sporting Goods!!! I'm going to have to buy new belts - I'm down to the last notch on all of them. I now weigh what I weighed when I was in HS, around 165. It is quite possible that I'll fit into 30" pants shortly which I can't remember when I wore 30" pants.

And It has not been a struggle for the most part. I was simply not aware of how many calories I was consuming. Even when I ate what I thought was "healthy", I was eating poorly I have discovered by using MFP. I had no idea how many 1000 calorie meals I had at restaurants on a weekly basis.

By using MFP and simply "counting the cost" of anything that I ate, on a regular basis, I have been able to make much wiser choices at meal time.

Thank you MFP!!!