2 years of maintenance - 130+ pounds lost

jenfleur2014

Thank you for sharing! your success story is really inspiring! Congrats and you look amazing!

markstar69

Thank you so much for your insights on weight loss and food. I thoroughly enjoyed reading your post and find it very motivating. Congratulations on your success.

pelleld

bumping for when I have more time to read.

alasin1derland

I read all your posts I come across. I know I am going to find good common sense and inspiration every time.

erinm5

Tagging for when I need motivation. You are wonderful! :flowerforyou:

ShannonMpls

How on earth did you lose so FAST?! I have been at this for over 2.5 years and have lost 78lbs. I read many stories like yours and just amazing by how quick you were able to drop down to a healthy weight.

I am also aiming to lose 100lbs, I eat everything in moderation...exercise daily and closely track my calories on MFP and through my bodymedia armband. I lose consistently, and have been incredibly focused to reach my goal and beyond. I just struggle with the fact that many lose 100+ pounds in just a little over a year.

It is inspiring to read, though frustrating!

First of all, I don't think I lost weight all that quickly. I lost an average of under two pounds per week. It was a good clip, but it wasn't an unhealthy pace.

Second, I don't know why you're losing more slowly than I did. Your diary is locked so I can't see how much you eat or how accurately you log. Maybe it's because I was more consistent, or my exercise routine contributed more to fat burning, or my spike days helped, or I experienced less burn out, or I'm younger than you (I have no idea how old you are). Maybe you have a thyroid or endocrine medical issue that impacts weight loss, or you're on a medication that does. Maybe your bodymedia band is overestimating your burn and your deficit is less than you think. Maybe you eyeball portions and don't use a food scale. Maybe you rely more on restaurant food, which is notoriously impossible to accurately track. I have literally no idea.

But the most important thing is that you are trending downward. You have lost 78 pounds! That's amazing! So you're not done yet...well, so what? You're headed to the same place I am, and then we'll be on the same maintenance path. It doesn't matter if it takes 15 months or three years to get there...as long as you get there.

ashleydawndill

This is a fantastic post, and very inspirational. Congrats on everything you've achieved, and thank you for your insight!

jeanniebeanie59

great job, love the donut shirt and your little running buddy is adorable!!

amisbest

This is a great article. Thanks for your thoughts.

bvifun

Thank you for that well written post and for sharing your after after journey. I am into my 4th week of maintenance and know I need to keep logging in. I have looked for helpful reading about maintenance but there are no books and few blogs. (Compare that to a google search for weight loss books!). This is so helpful and motivating.

Trishkon

Wow. That was super encouraging. Thanks for sharing!!

ThatLadyFromMN

Yay! I always love your posts.

tabijo73

I am going to start reading all of your posts! If you are not a writer by profession then you should be! This all makes more sense than anything Ive read in a long time. Thank you for your honesty

kat2brigid

Thank you for sharing your maintenance journey! In past programs, I was so focused on the process and end goal, that I didn't think of steps as healthy habits. I would binge eat on weekends and deprive before weigh ins. I ran miles because they burned more calories. As a result, I would gain and lose the same amount of weight each time.

My story may take me months or years, but I'm determined to proceed with optimism and a goal of a healthy lifestyle...not weight.

ShannonMpls

Thank you for that well written post and for sharing your after after journey. I am into my 4th week of maintenance and know I need to keep logging in. I have looked for helpful reading about maintenance but there are no books and few blogs. (Compare that to a google search for weight loss books!). This is so helpful and motivating.

What an excellent point.

Josalinn

Really nice post. I look forward to being there in a few more pounds.

Also I LOVE the goat in that first picture.

dapunks

BUMP

jnc777

Fab post, really helpful and inspiring - especially so early on my journey

Sedna_51

Just over here clapping, cheering, waving my hands in the air. I am a huge fan of the way you approach weight loss and maintenance, and your example continues to help me as I keep working towards my goals. Thank you!

Froody2

Goosebumps.


Thank you. You're a little island of sanity in the swamp of misinformation and hearsay that can be MFP. Long may you prosper :flowerforyou:

Tabbitha1968

Hi I read your story last year and Im so happy you are doing well. I have to say that everything you have written is the TRUTH. Reading honest comments helps one to put the mindset into perspective. i have been at this for a year and a half and I can honestly say I agree on the point of not doing something that you cannot sustain, I haven't reached my goal weight yet but I am already trying to reach the goal of balance in my life. I don't want to be an obsessive eater fretting over micro-nutrients or the numbers on the scale, I don't want to be a gym rat pumping iron at all hours of the day and night, I want to be healthy on my terms, balanced happy and well fed. that being said. Thanks for your encouraging story, it is like reading a letter from a friend. Stay healthy and see you next year.

KnitOrMiss

This was just so utterly exactly what I needed to read right now. I tend to discount my overall weight loss because I don't remember the woman I was at my heaviest. I've uncovered SO MANY health problems with the healthier and lighter I've gotten, and it has been so discouraging. Four new medicines I think after 75 pounds and years later....

Reading your story about your DVT diagnosis was chilling. I feel so, well, something I can't put into words. I shared this out to my friends list, too, and I hope that if even one sentence helps even one person, I have done a good deed for the day. I think that I will have to go back and read all of your blogs and use them as a jumping point for my own introspection to get out there and get to making habits again.

Thank you for baring your soul to us here...so many of us just needed that nudge today.

Carly

jodynolte

Awesome! Congratulations! And thank you for sharing your inspiring story!

boxfish100

Thank you for posting your maintenance success - just brilliant

Jdigs88

You're super motivational and right-on in so many ways. Thanks for sharing!

kasaz

I just love reading your thoughtful posts. Such common sense and such inspiration. Thank you for taking the time to share!

tidesong

Amazing post, and exactly what I needed to read. After losing 120 pounds and having gained 20 of them back, I needed a post like this to put things in perspective as I try to regain control. Thank you so, so much.

WillWorkout4Food

It has been too long since I've read an inspiring and helpful post. Thank you for sharing your journey and photos. It has brought me back to reality as I struggle with a mere 20 pounds.

Congratulations on your sustainability and success!

thenolanz

This is exactly the attitude I have adopted -- so glad you've found success with it!

Xena067

BEST Success Story *ever* - and I read a lot of Success Stories! Thank you for writing it. Sharing it with all my MFP peeps!