50 lbs lost, finally "normal"

SDawgW

Well, I did it!!! I finally made it to the normal/healthy BMI category. After over two decades of fluctuating between being obese and overweight I have finally made it to my first goal. So proud.

For those who haven't yet read my story, I posted it here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/434089-39-down-25-to-go-pics

Heaviest weight was around 197 lbs. Today I weighed in at 146.2 lbs. BMI 24.7. I have just over 16 more pounds to go to get to my weight goal and after meeting this milestone, I feel like my goal is more attainable than ever before!

Cheers to you all - hope your journey is going well. Keep truckin'!

Sexynvoluptuous

Look at you! so amazing!

bluberrygoo

Look at you! so amazing!

I 2nd this!

amysala85

Congratulations!!!

MizCJ84

I can't believe that is the same girl. Everything about your appearance has changed! Great job!

k8bugz

Excellent!

monharri

You look great! 145 is my goal weight so it's inspiring to see your pics! Thanks for sharing!

Mongoose7

Congrats you've done amazing

qkidney

We were the same starting weight ( I was 196) and I'm looking to get down to around 150 - so inspiring!

How long did it take you to drop the 50 lbs? What exercise were you doing?

megtwittles

Great job :-)

Nariel

Wow, congratulations! You look great, but more importantly nice job getting to a healthy BMI. Keep up the good work. What an inspiration!

design1414

WOW!!!! You look awesome!!!! Great job!

shanlynt

Excellent work

crrc78

First of all - you look gorgeous! Secondly, thank you for posting this. It's really what I needed to see today. I've been going back and forth with a 2-3 pound yo-yo and can't seem to break my plateau. Seeing your success will make me stay away from the valentine's chocolate today and just keep moving! Cheers!

4hummingbird

Thank you so much for posting this! Our begin weight and goals are very similar, and this helps me to see what I am aiming for! Awesome work and thanks again!!

RunnerLisa1

You look amazing!! Way to go!! and what an inspiration you are to all of us!!!

dmoberg11

Very inspring! You should be very proud of yourself...and yes - You Can Make it to your Goal!! Keep up the good work!

beach_chelle

You look amazing!

Thena81

looks like more than 50 lost! Insane job gurlie, your fraken awesome!!

JanieJack

Wow! great job! Isn't it amazing that not only does losing weight FEEL better but it also makes you LOOK younger??

Congrats and keep up the good work!

AlbaAngel25

amazing! great work.

burtcole35

Great Job!

ldennett

Way to go! You look great!

aeaton0828

You look amazing! I wouldn't even recognize you....you look like a different person! Congrats!!!

I started at 193 and looking to get down to about 130! Any advice?!

M_lifts

well done you look great! and younger too

KMiche82

Way to go!

goacht00

Congratulations. Your goals are exactly what I am aiming for this year. How long did it take to get the 50 lbs off? I've lost 9.5 since 1/24. I only found this site a week ago and it's awesome. Reading everyone's progess is such an inspiration to me. Keep up the great work and you'll hit that 16 lbs in no time.

craignev

Outstanding!

kiminikimkim

You look amazing!!! Good job!

SDawgW

We were the same starting weight ( I was 196) and I'm looking to get down to around 150 - so inspiring!

How long did it take you to drop the 50 lbs? What exercise were you doing?

Thank you to everyone for such wonderful comments - wow! Make me blush!! I honestly posted out of sheer excitement and wasn't fishing for compliments but I'LL TAKE 'EM!!!

I was in the mid-190's in January of 2011. It took me about 6 months to get to around 183 when I joined WW. In that 6 months time, I honestly (in hindsight) wasn't trying as hard as I could have. It took the public Saturday morning weigh in humiliation (Weight Watchers weigh in) to really get me motivated. I would look around and see all these women smiling from ear to ear because they'd lost 1 or 2 lbs and I would think, "I want to be smiling, too!" So it would give me the push I needed to have a good week.

In August, I started the Couch to 5 K running program and wasn't long before I became addicted to running. From June to September (so a combo of WW and running) I was at 170 lbs. So I'd lost about 13 lbs in 3 months or about a pound a week.

In September, myself and a handful of gf's on Facebook started our own private group where we check in with each other daily to see how we're all doing. Every Tuesday we post our weight loss results for the week. I was 170 lbs and in 3 months only managed to lose 9 lbs.

I got a lot more strict with my "treat" days (since I weigh in twice a week, I have to stay on top of my game all week long and I force myself to) and since December I lost another 13 lbs in 2.5 months or just over a pound a week.

I exercise every day (I used to take a rest day but I don't feel good on rest days - my body craves the workouts). I do at least 60 minutes of intense cardio and at least 100 push ups every day. I try to do at least 3 days a week of weigh training but to be honest, I currently struggle to get those routines in (which is really just sheer laziness).

I never have, never will, never would even consider going on any of those fad diets or purges or cleanses....or whatever "quick" or "easy" fix is out there. I eat regularly, 3 meals, 3 snacks a day. My meals consist of lean protein, complex carb, veggies with my daily dairy requirements being met at breakfast. Snacks are my fruits. I live in Canada (Eh?) and follow the Canada Food Guide. It is almost identical to what had been recommended to me by a dietician I saw about 3 years ago.

If there's something extra that I want then I make sure I do the work ahead of time and get the extra calories burned before I eat them.

I don't make it a habit of eating my exercise calories...I try to maintain as much of a deficit as possible. However, I listen to my body....if it's hungry, I feed it with good, power foods (high protein, high fibre).

I do my best to get as much sleep as possible but with an 18 month old that still doesn't sleep through the night, it's hard. I try not to stress about life. My philosophy is that while we can't control what life hands us, we can control what we put into our bodies and how we make them move. So I do my best to let things roll off my back. It's not always easy, but I want this weight loss far more than how bad any "problem" could ever be.

The biggest piece of advice is to just be honest. No one could lose the weight for me. I got myself into it - I have to get myself out. We can't just put our weight or health on a shelf and walk away from it for a few hours. So whatever ails us, plagues us, eats at us is constant.....24/7....you can't walk away from diabetes or heart disease. But you CAN walk away from the chips, the extra helping of potatoes, the pop, the extra three ounces of steak, the candy, etc. It's a conscious decision and sometimes you may need to verbalize things by saying out loud, "No...I don't need this."

Anyways....be honest. You can track your food to a "T" or you can kid yourself and think that you are....either way, the scale will eventually be your judge, jury and executioner.

It's not easy. It's not supposed to be easy. If it were, we'd all be thin. And then we'd all get fat again because we wouldn't have any appreciation for the hard work it really does take to get there.

Good luck - be strong.

LJ102011

Wow! Great job!!