Nearly 50 pounds before I turn 50 with pictures

NatalieWinning

Today I feel 15 years younger. I'm as thin as my thinnest as an adult, but much more fit. I started MFP last June or July with a rocky start on a trip. I got the hang of it and just passsed my one year mark of consistantly logging on. I keep trying to pick "cleaner" and eat "better" but I eat what I want, and try to work around it. It caused me to skip as many drink calories and use water (who knew I was so dehydrated?) I weigh and count out my food into portions. I cut most bread and butter out because I wanted more food! It used to take me hours in the store reading packages. It's easier, now. Keep trying new things. I had forgot how much I like foods that are healthy because I made room for the crap and it pushed out the good stuff. Now I try to do the opposite. A little crap food maybe, but the good food takes up all the space and sounds better. This program naturally makes you modify your food choices because you want to eat enough food! Bad choices rob you of food and make you hungry. Along the way my oldest daughter lost over 50lbs on here, and half way through my time here my husband began to exercise and log food, losing over 50lbs. (the computer dude with cheetos on his chest and coke in hand changed!!!). Beginning in my slippers and PJ's doing 10 minutes on my Nordic Trak ski machine, working up to 45 minutes or more, Doing Biggest Loser Cardio Max next, then Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout, then Wii Zumba. I got up the guts to try 30 Day shred with Jillian, I'm trying to continue with those programs. I just sold my ski machine because we got a treadmill (instead of joining a gym). I said all along " I'll do XXX, but I'll never be a XXX kind of person". I lied every time. I completed that 30 day shred and felt so strong! Running was on my "never" list, and I started walking/running in the Spring, that killed me for a month or so! (I didn't stretch and ran uphill - duh), but now I can run up to 45 minutes! Who am I now?? How did I become "this" person? I started out saying I was used to eating crap and being unfit and fat, so I can't tolerate crap food like I used to, now I realize I was used to feeling crappy. So I notice quick when I eat bad and treat myself bad. It's not so acceptable now! The last straw was me getting chest pain and not being able to haul my Azz upstairs, or bend down to pick something off the floor without it being a big deal. Let me explain something. I have asthma, I found out half way through this year I'm pretty darn anemic (women stuff). I've had 4 babies and thought I'd move into middle age and teetering on older adult with health problems I can't afford! But I thought how could I change much at my age and with my health problems? I was trying to be realistic. But honestly I was only trying to give myself excuses. All the things I told myself were lies. Every single one. I thought I had bad knees, for example (but I worked up to it very slowly and can do anything I want now). I have a mitral valve slight prolapse and asthma, so how can I run now? I have stress incontence from having 4 babies so how could I exercise and drink lots of water? Excuses and lies to yourself. Work up to it. No matter how slow you go you are lapping everyone on the couch. Keep going, keep going, keep going, then do a few minutes more. Log in every single day no matter how bad it is in your head. You might be surprised it's not such a disaster, and it's almost always better than your "old" days. So you blew it one day. Don't wash out the whole day, start right then and now every time. It's the long haul that counts. That doesn't mean you get to say "well eventually".and slack, it just means you get to keep choosing every single hour what you can do better. Check out my profile for changes I noticed along the way.
Here's me when I felt exhausted all the time right before I started. These are the pictures I haven't destroyed because I thought I might look "skinnier" in them than I was at the time.





Shrinking I took pictures every 5 lbs and it was dramatic! Each time I thought I was sooo skinny! Then it was my former pudgy picture! I'm down to a size4-6 now and sm or Xsmall instead of size 14-16 pants and XL tops. I'm at the middle of my BMI, but tend toward the top half of it (muscles!) and my body fat is on the lower end of normal instead of me being in the "obese" category. My waist to hip ratio is healthy now! Changes per inches lost: neck-1.8", chest-6.5", waist 9.5", hips-7", thigh-4", calf-1.5", upper arm - 1.5"






I'm not ever going to be done, because I want to keep feeling like this. Logging in is reality check and exercising makes me feel good. I lost as much as this! or try hauling around a 50# sack of dog food all day! How exhausting!


Thanks for reading. I wanted to let you all know it is DEFINATELY worth all the trouble to change. Keep going!! You will think like the "new you" and look back knowing you never want to be that other person again!

Kara52217

AMAZING!!!

Keep it up woman you look fabulous!!

iamahealthychick

Wow! You look great! Congratulations!

funsizeme

Wow thats awesome. Your legs look amazingly toned and muscular. Thanks so much for sharing. Love the pic w/the shorts to see where you were before. I'll have to do that myself

a_q_u_a_lizard

you are an inspiration!!!!! that is fantastic!

bry_all01

You are ROCKING that body! Congrats!!!

kassied09

What amazing inspiration! You look awesome!!!! CONGRATS

Helice

Wow that is incredible!
Great job!
You look amazing!
Congrats! ^-^

queenbcronen

you look amazing! Congrats on your loss! That is quite the accomplishment. I've lost 28lbs in just 3 months time and have a ways to go. I agree, logging everday, and the motivation of feeling better keeps me going as well. Congrats on your journey!

aippolito1

Hot MAMA!!! You look great!

smb0701

WOW DOUBLE WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! U LOOK FANTASTIC. the story u told is very inspirational. there are some days i just feel like doing anything. i actually felt that way this morning until i just read ur story. thanks a lot i really needed that today.

butterflimom

You are so inspiring. I just read your post and called my husband in to read it also.
Thank you for posting!!!

littlemount

Truly amazing I turn 50 next year and I need this inspiration to get me going.I have to look beyond the menopause related slow weightloss and mood swings. I love ur phase keep going. Thanks for posting this thread and ur pictures truly inspirational.

Christine1110

I love your story!! It is so true....Congrats on all your hard work, you look beautiful ; )

NatalieWinning

Truly amazing I turn 50 next year and I need this inspiration to get me going.I have to look beyond the menopause related slow weightloss and mood swings. I love ur phase keep going. Thanks for posting this thread and ur pictures truly inspirational.

This is where I was at. Hot flashes, weight on my middle, and no way to lose weight no matter how hard I tried. I decided this was the new me. I was trying to embrace the rolly polly slow me that had 0 stamina and energy. I was shopping for clothes that would fit at all, and looking for "ol lady clothes". In the store I'd spot something like that, and think "this is something an older round lady would wear". That was how I found clothes. I gave up. All those clothes are gone, and I go straight to things I think are cute, now! I just didn't have the tools and found out it was actually possible! Who knew?

LivLovLrn

thanks so much for sharing!

leeshults

Awesome!! Thank you for the motivation.....I will try the "one minute more" while exercising......great tip!!

abeautifulvoice

Amazing! You look wonderful! Thank you for sharing your story

NatalieWinning

Oh yeah! I wanted to show you these! It's so much fun being what I never thought I could be!

NatalieWinning

Awesome!! Thank you for the motivation.....I will try the "one minute more" while exercising......great tip!!

Hurray for you! One day you can do 10 min, the next week you can do 15. If you push past an ugly 15 minutes it gets easier to say "I might as well go for 20". When it is 30 I tell myself it would be easy enough to go 5 more min. Then why not go ahead after that and make it 5 more to 45 min. Whats the worst that can happen? You have to rest and take a break? It took me 6 months to get through my first 5 week program on a DVD. I kept doing as much as I could, then repeating "weeks" if I didn't feel like I was ready. I own a heart rate monitor now. It is so motivating and liberating! I know I can work off a slice of pizza I hadn't counted on eating. I go to a point, then say: well it's 325 calories. I might as well go to 350 and make it even. Or 400 calories and then I can have XXX. Eat those exercise calories!! You need them! At some points I lost better when I ate more. At the very end it gets harder to lose weight, but toning and fitness is happening. I lowered my goal from 2lbs a week to 1, then at the last 10 lbs it's now to 1/2 pound a week goal. Still "under" but more food seems to be needed!

cowboydan43

Wow you look fantastic!!! And your legs? Hottie! Haha, seriously though great job- very inspirational!