I think I can! Progress - 25 lbs lost

Megandarae

Hi everyone! I'm a little nervous to post pics but I want to share my progress so far. My Fitness Pal has been amazing! All of you are so inspirational and keep me motivated when I'm feeling disheartened. :flowerforyou:

A little bit about me: I'm 35, a mom of two teenagers and started MFP in February 2012. Since I'm tall, I feel like there hasn't been a hugely noticeable difference in how I look and hardly anyone seems to have noticed... I'm starting to see a difference and so it's keeping me going while I work on reaching my UGW of 145 lbs. I feel like I can do it but I also know I have a long way to go in focusing on having a really healthy diet and becoming more fit and strong - that will probably take some time and serious effort but I am a work in progress!

This is me at my starting weight of 180lbs (I had taken "before" swimsuit pics but deleted them because they were scaring me! And I'm not sure why I had so much bronzer on!):



This is me yesterday at my current weight of 155lbs:



And a recent face pic:

n8na

can definitely see the chance. you look great!

mirandamayhem

Yep, definitely a difference! You look great!
Must be frustrating for people around you not to notice, but I'm sure it will hit them soon!

Alicemarieed

Hi your looking great,keep motivated. I am new on here and Seeing the change in you helps to enspire me as well.

MarlinWil

Good on you for sharing your success. It has really encouraged me to keep persisting. You look amazing - sincerely stunning eyes, and you have changed your body shape totally. You should be so proud of your achievements, and must be feeling truly great in yourself. What a great example for your teenagers; they have to be totally proud of their mum. Thank you for being brave enough to put yourself out there - your honesty and success have really made my day. Wil

ShadowSP7

the people around you all the time and yourself will not notice right away becasue it happens gradually, it's like watching a puppy grow up, one minute he is all tiny then the next thing you know he is huge and it's like when did this happen.

We see your before and after pics and notice a huge difference becasue we did not see it happen gradually, we seen the before and after, no in between.

Bu trust me, there is a big difference, keep it up!

DreamersWifey

U look awesome!!!

ctalimenti

Definitely noticeable!

You have great legs too!:happy:

missbp

Looking good girl! Keep up the great work!
Michelle

Megandarae

Thank you all for your kind and encouraging words. I love that we're all in this together!

the Success Stories board is my favorite because I am so inspired by seeing everyone's success!

kgprice11

**whistling** haha Keep up the great work and congrats on the weight loss

DontStopB_Leakin

Ermahgerd. You look ah-mazing. And holy crap, did you shave 15 years off too? Jeebus, you could pass for high school in your last face shot.

kathie659

Wow you look much younger and healthier in the recent pics! Thanks for posting, I need inspiration!! I too am tall - when I tell people I need to lose weigh (I am in the obese category) they say oh your tall you carry it well). I need to lose 45 lbs to hit the high end of normal.....

gramacanada

people you see every day don't notice. Because they just see you. Not how much there is of you. And they see it come off in increments. They don't get the Wow look what you did, rush. Disheartening, but. That's why we're here. They will. One day they'll be like hmmm. You look different. Your before and after show a major difference. You are, The Little Engine That DID! We'd love to see the next set of pics.:flowerforyou:

missymuffet459

You look great! Congrats!

Megandarae

LOL! You made my morning with "Ermahgerd"! It reminds me of how I laughed and laughed at that "Ermahgerd Kerrerts" meme with the bunny rabbit.
Thanks!

gonna_do_it_56

How on earth can your family and friends not NOTICE????? You look stunning:flowerforyou:

Megandarae

Thank you, so sweet! Seriously, only like four people have said anything! My family knows since they know I'm working on it but other than that - hardly a peep! The first person to notice? My boss! Of all people. I suppose it's more important that I feel good about myself rather than being concerned with what other people think, or don't think

IRun4Me_12

You rock! You look beautiful both before and after! Keep up the great work!

cellokitty91

You look amazing!!

Oh, and you're eyes are Gorgeous!

MsMuniz

girl, you look great, way to go!!

stacymama5

You look amazing!! Congratulations!!

iamKimmy

That's awesome! You look like a model

Megandarae

Thank you - your kind words will help motivate me when I feel like giving up and going back to my old ways...giant bag of Jelly Belly's for a snack? I'm believe everything in moderation but I do miss eating the whole bag sometimes!

elisa123gal

you are the mirror image of me.. only I'm at 175 now..just lost my first five. My goal is 150 also. You look really great. I know last time I lost the weight it took people way to long to notice..almost like you have to lose almost all of it before they say something.

I can tell you changed..you look great.

markwako

Hot tamale. Great job and beautiful eyes

conniehv40

All the replies are SPOT ON! I am someone that would like to lose 20 to 25 pounds and you INSPIRED me!!! Thanks!

Now tell us your story as to what you did? We'd love to hear!

Lisascherer1

You are stunning! I see a huge difference, especially in your face. You look years younger too. Keep up the great work....I know how frustrating it is not to hear the positive comments. I agree with everyone else, the people that see you every day will be the last to notice. Wait until you see someone you haven't seen in a long time....it will be very noticable to them. Great job! :happy:

Megandarae

All the replies are SPOT ON! I am someone that would like to lose 20 to 25 pounds and you INSPIRED me!!! Thanks!

Now tell us your story as to what you did? We'd love to hear!

Thank you! Using the MFP website and app have helped me so much! Before, I was unaware of how many calories I was actually consuming and I was terrible at portion control. I started out at 1200 calories per day but it was pretty hard to stay within that so I bumped up my calorie goal to 1400-1500 calories a day. I have days when I go significantly over -special occasions, date nights with the boyfriend, etc. For exercise...I need to work on exercising more frequently/regularly, it's been hard for me to make the time since I work full time, go to school full time, full time mommy, etc. but I know I just need to find the time I bought a heart rate monitor to more accurately keep track of what I burn when I do workout - I usually walk or go hiking, sometimes running (rarely - I'm horrible at running - that's another thing I'd like to improve on). I just try to do my best, I have good days and bad days. I have a lot to learn and a long way to go - fitness wise

Megandarae

You are stunning! I see a huge difference, especially in your face. You look years younger too. Keep up the great work....I know how frustrating it is not to hear the positive comments. I agree with everyone else, the people that see you every day will be the last to notice. Wait until you see someone you haven't seen in a long time....it will be very noticable to them. Great job! :happy:

Thank you - you're so sweet!

manderson124

You look great! What an inspiration! When I think I can't do it anymore, I will think of your story :-) Thanks for sharing!