Down 79 lbs! Ready for my next 79 and beyond (with pics)

roeh

Congratulations , your post is very inspirational, keep up the good work.

bhardy516

EXCELLENT!!! Great job. I am impressed with the 10K steps a day; that is quite an accomplishment. I know, I wear a pedometer and as I meet or exceed each weekly goal, I increase it each week. Only at 7,500 this week; but I know it keeps me on track to reach my goals. You are doing so well. Keep up the good work.

kdwatkinspc

You are such a inspiration. Your such a blessing and you have incouraged me. Good luck.

ethelapple

Nice work! You are beautiful and your determination is an inspiration. If you can do it, I can too!!!!

losermomof3

Truly Inspirational!!!!!! You ROCK!!!!!

einee14

Tremendous! Way to go! I love people who are self motivated and took it upon themselves to do the work! Only you can do it for you! Hard work pays off and you are definitely proof of that! Thanks for sharing!

diddyh

Amazing! Keep it up!!

mom2gar

You are inspiring! Congrats!

horndame

Thank you for posting! What a great story. I am so happy for you! Reading about people, such as yourself, who persevere is really motivating. Good luck with your next goal!

DaveneGfit

Amazing!

briyowes

Great progress! You are very inspiring.

missy787

**TRIGGER WARNING FOR THOSE WITH SENSITIVITIES TO VIEWING NUMBERS AND DISORDERED EATING PATTERNS**





 
When I first started this journey, I refused to post numbers because I was so ashamed at how big I had gotten. My start point is the largest I had ever been in my whole life. I was miserable. I was deep into my ED and binge eating daily, sometimes twice daily.
I started on December 2, 2011 after feeling resentful that my family wanted me to go shopping and do all the things that you do with family during the holidays.
Here I am on Black Friday morning in my mother's blue wing backed chair, forcing a smile before we headed out to shop.


I really just wanted to stay glued to this chair and parked in front of the TV. I hurt all over, and the slightest movement left me gasping for breath. When it dawned on me that I was mad at them for wanting to do something that NORMAL people do, that was rock bottom.
Here I am, a couple weeks later and wondering how I was going to get up off the floor after wrapping gifts. I had already started my journey and was feeling a teeny-tiny bit better, but I was still depressed at how much I had to lose.


When I hit my -75 lb mark on April 19th, I went back to my mom's house to visit “The Chair.” That chair has become a symbol of my journey in many ways – One of the few chairs in her house that was able to hold me up at my heaviest, its wings became a structure and tool that helps me measure my success. Though it's wide in girth, at one point I was wider than the chair … now I'm not. It gave me the “wings” to do something about my health once and for all.





 I wanted to tackle this on my own, without supplements or powders or living on under 1200 calories per day, or worse, (for me) surgery.  I knew how weight loss worked, and I knew what I needed to do for it to work for me.  I just needed to get it in motion and not stop until I am at my goal. I think of this journey as one pound over and over until I am at my goal weight of 150 and/or a size 10.   I wanted to see if I could be as successful at it as I had been with my studies – I am an almost-straight “A” honor student with a 3.95 overall GPA after spending 15 years as a college dropout. At this point I am sure that I can do anything I set my mind to do! I decided to stop letting the pain and shame of my past manifest itself on my body (long story, another day).


I tracked my actual weight loss (and gains!) in a note on my phone.  I'll post it here:

Dec 2, 2012 - 475 lb.
Jan 9, 2012 - 460 lb.
Jan 16, 2012 - 440 lb.
Jan 23, 2012 - 440 lb.

- DIGITAL NEW SCALE -

JAN 25 - 441.6
JAN 26 - 438.8
JAN 27 - 436.8
JAN 29 - 435.6
JAN 30 - 436.6 +
JAN 31 - 435.0

FEB 01 - 434.6
FEB 02 - 433.0
FEB 03 - 433.4 +
FEB 04 - 433.0
FEB 05 - 432.2
FEB 06 - 429.6
FEB 07 - 429.2
FEB 09 - 428.8
FEB 10 - 427.8      10%    B
FEB 11 - 429.0+
FEB 13 - 426.8
FEB 14 - 427.2+
FEB 15 - 427.8+
FEB 16 - 426.6
FEB 17 - 427.8+
FEB 18 - 426.4
FEB 21 - 425.8
FEB 22 - 425.6       -50 lbs
FEB 29 - 424.0       

MAR 02 - 423.0
MAR 03 - 420.0
MAR 05 - 419.2
MAR 09 - 417.8
MAR 11 - 416.8
MAR 14 - 415.2    -60 lbs
MAR 16 - 412.6
MAR 22 - 409.8
MAR 30 - 411.8+

APR 02 - 409.8
APR 03 - 406.6
APR 04 - 405.8     -70 lbs
APR 12 - 403.2
APR 18 - 402.8
APR 20 - 401.0
APR 22 - 398.4     OUT OF THE 400s!!
APR 24 - 397.8
APR 25 - 396.4
 
I measure on the last day of the month.  Here are the results of my last three measure-ins.


Feb 29th (Leap Day!):
Chest 55"
Bust   61"
Waist 58"
Hips  73"

March 31st:
Chest 49"
Bust  60"
Waist 51.5"
Hips 71"

Today, April 30th:
Chest 49"
Bust 57"
Waist 48.5"
Hips 69
 
And .... Here I am yesterday afternoon @ 396

 
Most of my weight is situated around belly, waist, hips, and thighs.  I'm definitely a pear.  Fortunately, though, this is where I lose weight easiest and soonest.  I have been told that I "carry it well" when it comes to my weight.  I really don't want to carry excess weight "well," I don't want to carry it at all!


About my food and eating:
When I first started I was on Weight Watchers' PointsPlus plan. It was an excellent tool to help me get a handle on my binge eating and bring the focus back to myself. Counting points was a catalyst that helped me want more for myself. I eventually weaned myself to Weight Watchers' Simply Filling plan, where you don't count points but eat what you need from a set list. On the SF plan, you give your body more autonomy by learning to listen to its cues for hunger. I was very familiar with Intuitive Eating and how it's a model to help people with eating disorders – SF is Weight Watchers' approach to that. This was good for me, but I still needed to be set free from the notion that some foods are “good” or “bad” and do away with the list of foods. I needed to heal me and my relationship with food. I have since weaned myself off Weight Watchers and I am completely to the mercy of my body. I listen to hunger cues and feed myself accordingly. I have learned that I get hungry 4 times per day and I am satisfied with anywhere between 300-400 calories per meal, which ends up being 1200-1600 calories per day. I have also learned that it is good for me to honor my body by satisfying cravings – If I don't eat what I crave, then it's possible that I will end up eating more of what I don't want and pack on unnecessary calories that could have been avoided if I had just eaten what I craved in the first place. I have had cholesterol and heart issues in my family so I have cut out red meat and eat (mostly) non fat dairy and egg whites only. I don't believe there are any good or bad foods if you don't have any dietary issues with them, and that you should have what you want in moderation. I eat carbs, I eat sugar in the form of fruit, I eat some high fat cheeses. I don't eat red meat, poultry, or fried foods. I eat fish, a TON of veggies, beans, fruit, and lots of water.
About my fitness:
I've never been militant about my exercise. I started with a gentle walking program. It was so hard for me because just standing hurt so bad - my back, hips, and knees were screaming. I gradually increased my endurance and now I walk 10K steps per day (Love my Fitbit!). On my 37th birthday in February, I bought a bicycle and I ride it everywhere, every day -- to work, to the store, or just around the neighborhood and beyond. I have found tremendous joy in being on my bike and riding is something I have wanted to do for the past 20 years but I was always so scared and had a serious case of Fat Person On A Bike syndrome. Now, I don't even care who laughs – I am free on my bike. I do structured exercise for an hour about 2 times a week – either Zumba or some other form of aerobics. I do train with resistance tubes 3X a week and I just started Kettlebell workouts.
Gotta say that it feels good to come out from behind the curtain and to post actual numbers! Thanks, Fitness Pals!

You look GREAT! Keep up the great work! You can do this!!

EyesOfBlue68

First, congrats on your hard work and dedication. You are truly an inspiration! Secondly,you look great!! Your story has motivated so many people I'm sure. Thank you!

cyberskirt

Good Job!!! I think you are doing an amazing job of losing weight!! you look fabulous and I am sure you are going to make it all the way to your goal!! Our goals are similar and you are a great inspiration for me!

pinoyengineer

Inspiring.

fromfattofine

You did an awesome job!!!! Just fabulous!

FatUncleRob

Congratulations! Keep up the good work! :flowerforyou:

SunnyAndrsn

You are absolutely stunning! Thank you so much for sharing.

LilacDreamer

you're super pretty. i love your hair like that too.

speediejane

You're an inspiration!

coconutbuNZ

You are amazing and pretty too! Well done :drinker:

rwstoneman

Fabulous story, well done, keep it up!

nikkinoonarr

Your story is truly inspirational, I had to re look at the pictures of you in the winged chair! you look like a different person. You are so pretty and are doing a fantastic job. Really well done. Keep up the fantastic job. x

amandaelizabeth81

AMAZING!!
Congratulations!

jlg6599

You look amazing.

lavender38

Awesome job! Stay motivated and continue on your journey!

allipix711

Awesome job so far! Keep up the great work!!!

sgressock

Oh my gosh.... You look so GREAT! Nice work!

wintervixen78

Well done! Congratulations on your success )

BCsurvivor1962

You are beautiful and a definite inspiration! I have no doubt you will succeed in whatever you do!