Half the woman I used to be

tammyj83

Thank you for sharing your story, congratulations on your incredible success, and best of luck to you as you continue with that last 10 lbs., as well as maintaining. You're a real life inspiration, and I couldn't stay motivated without people like you taking the time to show us how its done. You rock!

edited to add: SO glad I got to see all your photos before some were removed!

ohDeeDeeBehave

Beautiful! Congratulations! What an inspiration! Sorry you couldn't show the other pic's. Happy toning! What's your plan? What was the hardest hurdle for you? Did you find that It got easier as you progressed?
Dee

embersfallen

Inspiring!!

foxfirekenzie

I am bummed I didn't get to see all your pictures, I am sure they were amazing. I think it is so dumb that they were removed but there are scandalous photos of bikinis all over this site.

I am very proud of you and your accomplishments. That really is such a wonderful thing to take your life back. My goal weight is 140 but I am struggling to get there. Thanks for your story to inspire me to just keep going. I think it is truly admirable what you have done.

Enjoy your 'new' body!

08AmandaC

Just amazing!! You must feel so good. Thank you for posting the pics - inspirational xxx

catmaus

Amazing!! Congratulations on your lose! You look great!

Jezebel9

I really don't agree with the aversion to the human body thing... but, anyway- the difference is amazing! Yea! 8)

faya195

A big thank you to everyone who has taken the time to comment, I really appreciate it and am touched by your words!

A few people have asked tips and tricks and I'm not really sure what to say. I lost the weight mainly cutting calories and then slowly adding in some (light) exercise. It started with lunchtime walks that got longer and faster; my most recent "endeavour" was the 30-day-shred even though I will admit that I stopped 5 days or so into Level 2. I can say that this round of weight loss (I've been dieting on and off in 2-year intervals for the last 15 years or so but nothing ever stuck because I fell back into old habits) has been the easiest and most difficult at the same time. I want this to be my last weight loss episode and finally stabilize my weight at a healthy level.
So many things were different this time round compared to prior attempts. I kept/keep a weight loss diary on my computer and do my best to update it regularly. Some days it's just some superficial remarks, some days it's a lot of introspection and reflection that helps me discover why I was overweight and turned to food. While not trying to over-analyse things, I am working on finding the triggers that cause me to give in to temptation - and once I've found another piece of the puzzle, trying to "re-programme" myself and my crooked thinking. I have been using a CBT book (Beck Diet Solution) that I keep on coming back and working through.
I have been taking update photos, as well as my measurements (incl. pulse, BP and most recently blood sugar levels) on a monthly basis. Even if the change from one month to the other seemed minimal, I could often see a change compared to two months ago, etc. I set myself several mini goals and praised myself for even the smallest successes. Right at the beginning I wrote a list of what I was hoping for and wishing for for myself. One of those was never having to ask for an extension belt in the airplane again and so on.

I'm not going to lie, I slipped up during my journey but I am proud for getting back on track, something I never managed before. I'm realising and slowly coming to understand that one lapse in judgement doesn't mean that all my previous achievements are worthless. The main part is getting up, dusting myself off and continuing on the right track. I am coming to terms with the fact that this will quite possibly be a life-long battle I will have to fight with myself - and it's up to me whether I want to go the "easy" way and give in or whether I want to continue fighting, be proud of myself and my achievements, smile when I look into the mirror, smile when I try on small clothes, be healthier, feel confident and can go through life with fewer restrictions than there used to be.

PS. The detail shots may have been removed but that doesn't mean that I won't post any others in the forseeable future. Who knows, I might get myself a bikini soon and re-take the photos

BobbieLee1959

Please post your pics on your profile if you would. We have the same goals...I started at 290 and currently down 57 lbs. You are not tied to photo guidelines on your profile to my knowledge. If this is not possible, please send me a link to your pics on a photo website so that I may see what I can expect.

You look great in the pics that they did allow you to post.

Great work!!

lilmisfit

You look fabulous! Well done! :drinker:

pcgirl58

:flowerforyou: What a truly amazing journey. You are now my inspiration....my poster girl..so to speak...I am hoping this time my journey will be different...I am not going to get hung up on a number on a scale I am focusing on making life changes and know that will not happen overnight. Thanks for just boosting my motivation, girl, you ROCK!!!

KeriW626

congrats, weight to go.....

FitRodr

Congratulations! What an awesome change!

Lonestarlesa

You look amazing! Great job!

lisamarie2181

You look fantastic! Congrats on all your success, you deserve it!!!

Martina_Who

Wow, amazing! you have done so so well
I'm also 5'7!