20kg gone (44 pounds) in 8 months

Pebble321

Here's some pics of me in January (92kg/202lb) and in August (72kg/159lb) (In the first picture I'm on the right and that is an actual elephant on the left. Just in case you were confused!)



It has been quite a journey, and frankly I'm VERY surprised that I ever reached this point. When I started in January at 92kg (202 pounds) I looked at my ticker saying in big letters "0 KG LOST" and couldn't think how it would ever reach the other end of the scale, 20kg away.

My initial goal was to reach 72kg, but once I got started I decided to be optimisic and changed my goal to 67kg. As I got to the middle 70's and fitted into a size 12 (US 8), it seemed a bit unneccesary to go to 67 so I've changed my goal to 70kg, another 2kg (4.4 pounds) to go.
Once I get there, I plan to work at maintaining that weight for a while, and once I'm used to being there, I will decide if I need to lose any more. In some ways it seems as though the easy part is behind me - I've lost weight before and I know I can do that. What I've never done successfully over a long period of time is maintain. So that's a whole other journey to begine very soon.

I have to thank all my MFpals for your support and encouragement along the way. There have been so many days when I've been ready to give up. There have been days when I ate one peice of chocolate then followed it up with 6 more, or the rest of the block!
But, in spite of these slip ups and in spite of seeing the scales moving up and down around 73/74 for about 6 weeks, I decided that I wasn't going to give up this time, I would keep going with what I know is the right thing to do. And that if I ate junk I would just log it and move on and try to do better the next day. That every healthier choice was a victory and I wasn't going to let the bad choices stop me in my tracks.

If you've made it to the end of this long post, thank you for reading it all.

PS. If you want my weight loss secrets, here they are:

I eat my exercise calories. That might mean I eat 1800 - 2500 cals a day (to net 1600ish).
I eat everything in moderation including chocolate, cake, pasta, rice and alcohol.
I stick with MFP's standard ratios for carbs/fat/protein.
I eat any time of day or night that seems good to me.
I drink milk - from cows!
I don't own an HRM, I use the MFP estimates (or numbers from Runkeeper which are usually pretty much the same).
I log walking as exercise if it is over and above my normal daily activity.
I don't own a single Jillian Michaels DVD.
I don't drink/eat/take/use shakes or supplements or "fat burners" or other weight loss gimicks. I'd rather keep my money in my pocket than give it to big companies who have no interest in me losing weight, they only exist to make money!
I don't go to a gym, I exercise for free - running, walking, cycling and occasional strength training. (I love C25K - in January I couldn't complete 6 x 1 min runs. Last weekend I ran 17km)
I do spend money on good shoes and a sports bra.

(Please note that I'm not intending to knock any of you who have different strategies, this is what I do and what works for me.)

wtbf

Well look at you, you look fantastic!! Congratulations on a great job! I hope to stay committed as you have and see some similar results. Way to go!!

Cinnamonie

wonderful job, in 8 months...great motivation for me to see this

Millie00

Congratulations on your weight loss and dedication....you look fantastic!

paxetamore

You are an inspiration! And thank you for sharing what works for you. I have been at this for just over a month and reads lots of great suggestions, so it is nice to know success can still be found the simple (and less expensive) way.

And you look great!