Hit My Goal Weight - Before & After Photos!

UpEarly · May 2012

:blushing: All the compliments are making me glow this morning. Thanks, everyone!

For those who have inquired about where the photos were all taken...

The before shot is atop Mt. Washington in New Hampshire. My parents live up there, and we visit frequently.

The first after photo was taken on the Gunter Ridge Trail which is along the Blue Ridge Parkway in Virginia.

The second after picture (red top/black pants) was taken on Bear Church Rock in Shenandoah National Park.

My husband and I live about ten minutes from Shenandoah National Park. I do a TON of hiking in the nearby mountains. In fact, about 90% of my cardio is from hiking. I go several times a week. :-)

UpEarly · May 2012

Fantastic job! I see a BMF/BodyBugg. Another fan? I adore my BodyBugg!

I *LOVE* my BodyMedia Fit! :-) Having that data has been so helpful in maintaining my new goal weight.

Mizzy91 · May 2012

Inspiratial x

runmybunsoff · May 2012

Definitely a huge difference!! Congratulations, wonderful job!

cjwalker81 · May 2012

You look amazing and what amazing pictures!!!

tabik30 · May 2012

In a "nutshell" what do you feel were a few keys to your success?

aj_31 · May 2012

You look great!

msmmg · May 2012

Congratulations! You look great--thanks for posting your pictures--they are great inspiration as I am just starting.

jnh17 · May 2012

Wow! You're beautiful (in the before picture too). Your thighs have dramatically gotten smaller. Did you take measurments? Amazing!

fawndam · May 2012

Great Job!!!! U look AMAZING!!

beckyinma · May 2012

Gorgeous! I can't wait to get hiking with my kids this summer!

What kind of backpack is that? I Love it.

UpEarly · May 2012

In a "nutshell" what do you feel were a few keys to your success?

A few things that worked for me:

1) No 'dieting' - there were no forbidden foods. I skipped the diet cookies, fat-free cheese/salad dressings and sugar-free ice creams. I just ate smaller amounts of the 'real' foods. I only cut my calories moderately, focused on portion sizes and accepted that I would have to be patient while the weight came off slowly. I ate 1800-2400 calories a day and never felt like I was on a diet.

2) Committed to being more active - I already was a regular exerciser when I started this process, but I found that working out 45 minutes a few times a week does not cancel out sitting around the rest of the day. I have a completely sedentary desk job, but now I get up and climb stairs/walk around for about 10 minutes a few times a day. I walk my dogs more. I spend more time in the evening working on home projects and tidying up instead of watching TV for four hours.

3) Weighed in monthly. When you choose to lose just a half pound a week, weigh-ins can be pretty depressing. A half pound each week feels like nothing. I changed to weigh in once a month, and found those numbers much more motivating.

UpEarly · May 2012

Wow! You're beautiful (in the before picture too). Your thighs have dramatically gotten smaller. Did you take measurements? Amazing!

I did measure - I lost about 8 inches off my chest, 11 off my waist, 10 off my hips, about 6 off my thighs and 2.5 off my upper arms.

UpEarly · May 2012

Gorgeous! I can't wait to get hiking with my kids this summer!

What kind of backpack is that? I Love it.

It's a Gregory Z25. I love it because it has a sleeve that holds my 3 liter camelbak and a port to feed the hose through. Camelbaks are so much easier than carrying water bottles.

kdeaux1959 · May 2012

marked difference. Great job.

Lentz16 · May 2012

wow! you look amazing!

JPod279 · May 2012

Congrats. You look great!

tsherm3850 · May 2012

You have done an amazing job. Congratulations!

mae1020 · May 2012

You look AMAZING! Way to go!!!!

wk9t · May 2012

WTG! You look great!

Cmonnowguys · May 2012

You are gorgeous and your progress is amazing!!! Congratulations on reaching your goals! This is very motivating. =]

CindyCountingCalories · May 2012

Wow what a difference! Congrats!

jnh17 · May 2012

Wow! You're beautiful (in the before picture too). Your thighs have dramatically gotten smaller. Did you take measurements? Amazing!

I did measure - I lost about 8 inches off my chest, 11 off my waist, 10 off my hips, about 6 off my thighs and 2.5 off my upper arms.

Those are rockstar measurements for 10 months (especially since they FINAL measurements). Totally impressed.

katbean12 · May 2012

So it's been 4 mths since you met your goal, what does maintenance involve?

You do look fantastic!! never ever would have guessed you didn't always look this way : )
Hope you got a new camera, because there is no excuse not to photograph your awesomeness now! hee hee

UpEarly · May 2012

So it's been 4 mths since you met your goal, what does maintenance involve?

You do look fantastic!! never ever would have guessed you didn't always look this way : )
Hope you got a new camera, because there is no excuse not to photograph your awesomeness now! hee hee

LOL - thanks! I'm actually a photographer, so I have no shortage of good camera gear. :bigsmile:

I bought the BodyMedia Fit to help me with maintenance. I wanted to get a better idea of my actual TDEE. I've found that most days, the BodyMedia says I burn about 2650 calories. Evidently, BodyMedias are about 90% accurate. So, I've been trying to eat about 10% under the number it comes up with.

I still haven't perfected maintenance, though. I lost another 1.5 pounds over the past month. I'm thinking that could either be real weight loss or just a natural fluctuation. I'll be watching for downward/upward trends over the next few months and making adjustments as needed.

I'm planning on continuing to log my food. Accountability is vital to me. It's so easy for me to eat mindlessly and let calories get away.

I'm really scared about gaining the weight back. Losing is always so much easier than maintaining! Hopefully the fact that I didn't diet and have really changed my relationship with food will pay off and I'll enjoy permanent success!