Pics: 5'5" and down from 193 to 171

hollych83

I've never been skinny (size 14 and ~180 pounds in high school) and, while I eat fairly healthy, I've never been one to exercise. In the ten years since high school, I gained weight to be around 193 (or a few pounds higher) and size 16. My boyfriend took a candid picture of me last fall when I was gathering for a group picture with some of my friends. The picture showed my side view.....eek! I've always thought I looked okay when facing the camera but the side view was a little shocking! So, I slowly began to exercise with some co-workers using workout DVDs.

Starting in early January 2012, I joined MFP and increased the intensity and frequency of my workouts. I also found a great workout buddy and that has been vital to my success!!! I began running 0.5 mile intervals on the treadmill and now I'm running 2 or 3 miles without stopping. I've started running outside this spring and enrolled in Zumba classes, too! I try to exercise at least 5 days per week and I generally don't eat back too many of my exercise calories.

My favorite healthy foods: Pink Lady apples, clementines, thin buns for sandwiches, yogurt, soup, fruit smoothies, baby carrots, Trader Joe's Corn Tortilla flatbreads + ham + honey mustard, Cappuccino Delight Slim Fast, Chai Tea + Splenda with Fiber

SW: 193
CW: 171 pounds
GW: ~145 or a size 8



Now that I've lost 22 pounds I tried to recreate that candid picture from last fall. I'm wearing the same shirt but smaller pants (size 14 from Eddie Bauer several years ago) and both articles of clothing are very baggy! I'm a teacher and I want to wait and buy new, smaller clothes in August!

I'm considering running my first 5K in two weeks.....any tips for me?!?

42kgirl

Congratulations! You look fab! I highly recommend the Couch to 5k program. Start slow and try not to get discouraged in the beginning. Properly fitting running shoes are a must. Keep up the great work!

healthylifeforme

Wow! You look great. What a difference. Keep up the great work. Very inspiring!

saxnviolin

You look wonderful! Good for you! We have a few things in common! I joined in Jan 2012 and have lost about the same
amount of weight in that time frame too! I'm also a teacher. Way to go! Keep up the good work!

mllyons

WOW - CONGRATULATIONS! Keep it going, what you are doing is working and amazing difference!

nikkicormier82

holy moly! what a difference!!! good job:)

schillewis

WOW!! You look so great! Our stats are pretty similar (I'm 5'5" and just started MFP this week @ 196pds) so your post is super inspirational to me ))

Calorie counting has been very enlightening to me...it's been a real wake up call in terms of just how many calories I was consuming in the past, LOL.

Keep up the great work. It's good to hear that you're enjoying running; it's something that I really would love to learn to love, but I find even a slow jog pretty overwhelming right now. All in good time I suppose.

cgraylyon

Wow! I can really see a difference in your face, neck, arms and waist! You look great! I hate to run so no tips except I agree with the good shoes. I bought cheap shoes when I started this over a year ago now and after 2 months I was getting blisters. Now I wear Nike's and no more blisters and it's been 5 months. Good Luck!

magoch

You're looking great, congratulations!!

SergeantSunshine_reused

great work

hollych83

Thank you for all of the kind words! I still have a long way to go so last month I set some mini goals and rewards along the way:

Immediate goals (by April 15):
+Fit into my favorite jeans √wore them on March 30 and they're already baggy!
+Weigh 170 pounds or less
=Reward of acupuncture which might help with weight management

Short term goals (by June 1):
+Weigh 162 pounds or less
+Wear a size 12 and be more comfortable in size Large dress shirts
+Run 3 miles outside without stopping (10 min mile)
=Reward of new running shoes and a new swimsuit to swim laps this summer

Medium term goals (by August 10):
+Weigh 152 pounds or less
+Wear a size 10 by the beginning of the school year (so I can buy new dress clothes!)
+Register for a 5K
=Reward of new clothes

Long term goal (by December 1):
+To be ~140 pounds and wear a size 8 (I honestly can't even imagine what that would be like!)
=Reward of a trip to a warmer place

When I took the picture today I was a little shocked --- I'd seen the scale go down but didn't realize just how noticeable 22 pounds would be!

Sana1116

wooow great loss! keep up the good work! if you dont mind me asking...what were you keeping your calories around? I know you said you dont' eat the exercise calories back....so I was just wondering!

hollych83

I usually aim for 1200-1500 calories.

I try to avoid carbs because if I eat very much bread/chips/pasta the scale goes in the wrong direction! I eat a lot of fruit, salads, yogurt, and soup. I've seen a lot of quick progress lately by eating soup (Progresso Light) in the evening and it leaves me satisfied!

Good luck!

Cindygutie

Great job!

CHAREZ27

That is very inspiring!! I am realizing that I need to stick with it so I can see results. Keep going!!!!

Cpuff70

Nice job!

briyowes

Nice work. Congratulations on you success.

bajannadz

great job! you look greatt

hollych83

Thank you for all of your comments and encouragement!

I'm having a rough day -- I think I have hamstring tendonitis or maybe something worse. The area behind my right knee has been sore for about two weeks but it got really painful during my run yesterday and I had pain shooting up and down my leg. It's been hurting constantly today even though I've been putting an ice pack on it and haven't exercised at all. I'm not sure what to do.....

I've never been a runner or an athlete so this pain is really frustrating me. I don't want my progress to get derailed!

antnterrsmommy

You look amazing!! Congrats on the great weight loss!! keep going! You can do it!

PLUMSGRL

Best to have it checked out by an orthopedic MD, better safe than sorry.

jojospaghettio

Awesome weight loss! I started about where you were in February (slowly trudging along), and aim to be close to your current weight by the end of this month! Thanks for sharing. You have inspired me to keep it up.

mamnboston

you look great and a smile to match

keep it up girl

so happy for you!

MarthaZam2012

You look beautiful

rosalynforeverfit

Great job.

Tangerine302

Congratulations!!!!

Allisonvl

You look great! I'm down almost as much from the same starting weight It's amazing the change that 20 some lbs can do!!! Congrats on your loss! Have fun buying new clothes... that's something I look forward to doing once I reach my goal. I have about another 40 lbs to go though.

frizico

amazing! Great job!

hollych83

I'm happy to report that as of today I have lost 30.4 pounds!!! I weighed in this morning at 162.6 which is my lowest weight ever as an adult.

I lost 22 pounds between January and April but then I tore my hamstring and had to rest and maintain my weight loss all summer.

HW ever: ~200 pounds
SW January 2012: 193
CW: 162.6
GW: ~145

It's amazing to think that I'm less than 20 pounds away from my goal weight! And, I barely recognize myself in pictures! I know tracking calories on mfp and exercising at least 5 days each week will help me meet my goal! Keep with it everyone, it's worth it!

hollych83

Yesterday my Advanced Chemistry students did their annual Magic Show for the 4th grade students. When I watched the video of the show I was amazed to see that I was no longer the "chubby" science teacher!!! I compared it to the video from two years ago and it was wonderful to see my progress from all angles in the video.

I took a screenshot (hence the poor quality) so you can see the difference 30+ pounds make! I was probably closer to 200 pounds in the photo from 2010.