This is what 40 lbs looks like. (lots of pics)

happyjoyousfree1

very creative and I applaud your tenacity and success!

ErinDawn11

Awesome! Great job Very inspirational. Keep up the hard work and you look GREAT!!!

Jupitermermaid

Love it! You look fabulous - congrats! Now I've got a craving for almond butter.......lol

blf20

Cerrajean:
You made my day! Your post was a ray of sunshine on a dreary day and an inspiration.
That's what MFP is all about - people like you who give encouragement to those of us who have yet to get there.
Awesome pics - you'll be wearing those hotpants soon.

smsavoy

Congratulation!! You look wonderful, thanks for sharing!!!

graham29a

Brilliant post! Just started this long road and this really perked me up! You should be very proud and a career beckons as a motivational writer :-)

missmeliss169

Great job! Love the post

mommy_from_mi

AWESOME post! Thank you so much for sharing! I can't wait to get there!

stone307

Excellent post. Great job on the weight loss

Hollyjd1019

Love your post! You look great! Congrats on 40 lbs lost!

cerrajean

Incredible Success! Congrats! May I ask, how did you maintain your focus and stay disciplined to lose the weight? I can't seem to stay on track for more than a few weeks, at best.

The simple answer? I have no idea.

I've gotten a ton of support though- as someone said earlier, that support is VITAL as you go through this journey. My dad has been severely overweight for a long time, and after I had started my weight loss, I learned that he had actually already lost 20lbs. From then it became something we could update each other on and share tips and such, and my Stepmother, brother, and sister-in-law all got on board too. So far my dad is down about 100lbs, stepmom 50lbs, brother 35lbs, and me - 41. I might also add that they all live 1500 miles away, but they've still been inspirational.

I posted the above before and after picture on my facebook and 60+ people "liked" it and commented with words of encouragement. That's far more likes than anything else I've ever posted, and the out pouring of support from friends, family, and people I've never actually even met was overwhelming, and I'm tearing up a bit just thinking about it now.

Another tip- examine alternatives. If you're having trouble staying under goal every day, do some googling. Look up low-calorie foods, healthy snacks, etc. Come to the forums here on MFP and ask questions when you have them. This community is great with advice on plateaus, muscle building, alternative exercises, and really anything you might have trouble with.

If you're struggling, I guarantee you there are at least a dozen (or a hundred!) people fighting similar battles.

Add friends. Seeing other peoples' habits can make those habits yours. This is all the support factor again. This has made me very grateful that I live alone and have no children. It's very easy to focus on healthy decisions when I have to do all of the shopping and cooking, and though the boyfriend is around a lot, he's very supportive of a healthy lifestyle too, so that's a plus.

Cut out the negative people. Those people who remind you of how many times your past attempts have failed instead of pointing out how many time you've gotten back up and tried again. Put your foot down. You're doing this for YOU and your health, you're not doing it for them, and their opinions don't matter. Take that negativity and fuel your workouts with it. Develop an 'I'll show you' attitude and shove it in their face when you hit milestones. Dance and sing neener neener neener in front of them when you hit your goal weight. Sure, these things are childish, but still more responsible and grown-up than tearing other people down. (They're probably really unhappy with themselves and are trying to project that negativity onto other people. You don't need that.)

Lastly, don't FORCE it. In my opinion MFP should be the guide, not the dictator. I don't log every single thing every single day. Actually, I've been pretty lax about logging lately because of a crazy work schedule and lots of business lunches and dinners with friends. If you set reasonable goals though, you're going to be able to meet them easier. If you want to lose 2lbs a week and MFP calculates 1250 calories and you keep going over or find yourself starving, take it down to 1lb a week to start. Your body will adjust, your stomach will shrink up, you'll get used to it. At that point, you can go back down to 1250.

Lastly, Don't take it too seriously. You're GOING to have days when you're over your goal. That's as good as guaranteed. You're also going to have days that, when all is said and done, you have eaten your goal, exercised, and still have 700 or 800 calories left over. Just like anything else there will be ups and downs. Stick with it!

It gets easier. I promise you!

Also, feel free to add me!

cerrajean

Cerrajean:
You made my day! Your post was a ray of sunshine on a dreary day and an inspiration.
That's what MFP is all about - people like you who give encouragement to those of us who have yet to get there.
Awesome pics - you'll be wearing those hotpants soon.

Thanks so much! The last thing I forgot to mention is that everyone here is an inspiration to me and causes me to keep going. If someone can lose 200 or 300 lbs, I can bring myself to get off my butt and work out.

Knowing that so many people feel like I'm an inspiration- well, that feeling can't be put into words. It all means so much to me, and you guys are going to make me cry at work, haha...

gabwas

Very creative post, I love it! Congrats on your successes and best of luck with your journey!

kinggarnett

Congratulations! You look great!

coliema

You look great!!!

triciabecerra

Good Job!! I love reading success stories. They are my fave and so inspiring!!

llahairdna

Great job! It's fun to put things into perspective, isn't it??

addies_mom

I love it! Congrats lady, keep it up

Chari_Jan

Awesome post! Love it! Keep up the wonderful work.

heatherterp

what a great post. puts it in perspective.

rdec1227

Thanks for sharing. This is motivational. You look great.

jayne_mel

Props to you! Thats awesome

darlilama

I love all the comparisons - especially the almond butter! Congratulations on your weight loss. You are looking fabulous!

fitaliciag

I have lost almost that much myself! craziness! Great job girlie! you look awesome

PearsPeppersandPeanutButter

You look so great. and that big fish was scary and ugly.

Ccallahan01

Great visual and such an inspiration! Congratulations!

OhioMade

Fantastic! Well done!

mandamommy3

I liked the Kindergartener pic. I've got about 65lbs more to lose and my 4 year old is both tall and heavy for her age, think more like an average 7 year old. But most days she falls asleep downstairs on the sofa and is really hard to wake up to get into bed, so I have to carry her up the stairs. This post made me realize that I have to lose as much as my daughter weighs, about. Which is really crazy. Because I mean I carried her during pregnancy and all but she was only 6lb6oz at birth, but I've been carrying her current weight around on me for the past 3-4 years which is ridiculous.

mrsambitious

WAY TO GO!!!! YOU LOOK GREAT!!!!

ShawtyLatina

Awesome job! You're post was a great boost. So loving the pic of the lil kid. Just hope you didn't find him for sale on amazon too. lol.