70 Pounds Lost! With Pictures!
erika_urthmama
Posts: 33 Member
Hi! I am so close to goal, I can taste it! ;-) Just 2 (and a half) pounds away. Back in December 2011, I weighed 207 pounds. Today I weigh 137.5
I am a stay at home mom of three young children (ages 6, 3, and 10 months). My husband works a bajillion hours/week, so I am on my own with the kids. I do not belong to a gym (I tried it but my kids did not like it) - and I do not have a chef. I rarely have time for exercise - so I try to incorporate activity into all that I do. I can often be seen carrying one or two of my children, which I count as weight lifting. Ha!
Back in December 2011, I started tracking my calories using notepad on my computer - I used that system to get from 207 to 188. Then, at 188 pounds, I found another site and used that until I got to 173. Then, on March 15th, I found My Fitness Pal, and the rest is history. I started here at 173 pounds - and have not looked back. I LOVE My Fitness Pal and feel like I have found my home. :-)
So, in honor of my 35th birthday (my goal was to get to my goal by my birthday, which was on Friday- I almost made it!) - and in honor of 180 days of logging on My Fitness Pal (today!) - I thought I would post my little "success" story.
I still very much feel like a work in progress (and I suspect I always will)...but I know how much these posts have inspired me along the way, so if I inspire just one person, then this post will be worth it.
My "tips" are:
1) Log everything
2) Don't eat too little (I always eat 1600 calories/day or more)
3) Allow yourself time to go off program every once in awhile, knowing you'll get right back on
4) No black or white thinking
5) Figure out what you're willing to give up to get where you want to be - and if you're not ready to give up something, then take baby steps to get there (this is how I cut out soda)
The main things I did were (this is not a suggestion for anyone else- it's just what I did personally):
1) Give up soda completely (I used to love to drink Coke, but now I am an unsweetened Ice tea girl!)
2) Mostly go vegan...I am not perfect, but my diet is MUCH more plant based than it used to be
3) water, water, and when in doubt...water
4) get active
5) if something isn't working to help you meet your goals, it's time to say bye-bye to it (i had to give up Kashi because I found I couldn't control myself when I ate it!)
6) Be patient and gentle with myself and see the BIG PICTURE (where do I want to be in a year from now...5 years from now)
So, here are Before/After pictures - the Befores are from Feb. 2012 - I had already lost about 20 or 25 pounds from my highest weight in these pictures...all my pics from my "highest weight" involve me hiding my body behind something else, or are just head/neck photos...so these are the only full-body ones I've got. C'est la vie!
This is me on my 35th Birthday - 2 days ago:
As I said, I am a work in progress...and I like it that way! Thanks for reading and thanks for being a great support to me these past 6+ months! :-)
I am a stay at home mom of three young children (ages 6, 3, and 10 months). My husband works a bajillion hours/week, so I am on my own with the kids. I do not belong to a gym (I tried it but my kids did not like it) - and I do not have a chef. I rarely have time for exercise - so I try to incorporate activity into all that I do. I can often be seen carrying one or two of my children, which I count as weight lifting. Ha!
Back in December 2011, I started tracking my calories using notepad on my computer - I used that system to get from 207 to 188. Then, at 188 pounds, I found another site and used that until I got to 173. Then, on March 15th, I found My Fitness Pal, and the rest is history. I started here at 173 pounds - and have not looked back. I LOVE My Fitness Pal and feel like I have found my home. :-)
So, in honor of my 35th birthday (my goal was to get to my goal by my birthday, which was on Friday- I almost made it!) - and in honor of 180 days of logging on My Fitness Pal (today!) - I thought I would post my little "success" story.
I still very much feel like a work in progress (and I suspect I always will)...but I know how much these posts have inspired me along the way, so if I inspire just one person, then this post will be worth it.
My "tips" are:
1) Log everything
2) Don't eat too little (I always eat 1600 calories/day or more)
3) Allow yourself time to go off program every once in awhile, knowing you'll get right back on
4) No black or white thinking
5) Figure out what you're willing to give up to get where you want to be - and if you're not ready to give up something, then take baby steps to get there (this is how I cut out soda)
The main things I did were (this is not a suggestion for anyone else- it's just what I did personally):
1) Give up soda completely (I used to love to drink Coke, but now I am an unsweetened Ice tea girl!)
2) Mostly go vegan...I am not perfect, but my diet is MUCH more plant based than it used to be
3) water, water, and when in doubt...water
4) get active
5) if something isn't working to help you meet your goals, it's time to say bye-bye to it (i had to give up Kashi because I found I couldn't control myself when I ate it!)
6) Be patient and gentle with myself and see the BIG PICTURE (where do I want to be in a year from now...5 years from now)
So, here are Before/After pictures - the Befores are from Feb. 2012 - I had already lost about 20 or 25 pounds from my highest weight in these pictures...all my pics from my "highest weight" involve me hiding my body behind something else, or are just head/neck photos...so these are the only full-body ones I've got. C'est la vie!
This is me on my 35th Birthday - 2 days ago:
As I said, I am a work in progress...and I like it that way! Thanks for reading and thanks for being a great support to me these past 6+ months! :-)
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Replies
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Wow what a loss! You look amazing and your baby is soooo cute! xx0
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Wow! Really well done! Genuinely mean that.
Keep it up! x x x0 -
Fantastic job! You look really great.
34 year-old mom here, just joined, this is good inspiration for me.0 -
You look amazing and so happy! I'm going to be where you are (137lbs) eventually - this site is fab, so inspiring. I really believe I can do it at last. Thankyou for posting.0
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Amazing, well done you! Especially for doing it without a gym while juggling 3 squiddly bobs.
Your after pic made me smile so wide - you both look so happy
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You look amazing!!! What an inspiration! Thank you for sharing! x0
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You look amazing! Congrats on the weightloss! Keep it up 0
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You are a rock star mom! Keep up the work and thanks for sharing.0
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Super job! What an adorable baby!0
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Wow! You look amazing and have done a fabulous job! I'm proud of you and don even know you inspiration for all of us mommies 0
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well done - u look so happy. great success. u look fab
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Wow!!1 you look amazing. Thank you for your story you are an inspiration. You prove that we don't need expensive gyms or equipment and expensive foods just a normal life. All the best for the future.0
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Wow! This is amazing! I have a similar journey to make (216 now, want to be 130), and to see how fast you were able to lose it (less than a year!!!) is really amazing and inspiring. It gives me hope that one year from now, maybe I will be close to goal. Thank you for posting!0
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Absolutely amazing you have done fantastic work and your babe is adorable 0
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wow you are my insparation i am currently 212 and i have 10month old daughter - if you can do it with 3 kids then so can i! xxx0
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Congrats! I've always been so impressed with your consistency, and I love seeing these photos. You were gorgeous before, you're gorgeous now, but it's obvious that you've implemented changes that make you healthy and beautiful. You're setting an awesome example for your kids and you look incredible!0
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Congrats! You look amazing! I am in a similar situation myself; trying to reach my goal by my birthday in December. I'm more than halfway there and I just signed up for Fitness Pal a couple days ago to keep motivated. Posts like yours are inspiring!! Keep up the great work! 0
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You really look spectacular! What wonderful progress! I'm just starting so it's great to see someone who has actually stuck with it and gotten the job done.
Stay on track!0 -
I love your post=) great work. Before and after you are beautiful!0
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You are an unsoiration!!!! I have 10 lb to lose since the baby and I cannot seem to do it right, as I have poor progres...0
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Fantastic!!!0
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you look amazing and SO so healthy! truly glowing! thanks for the tips!!0
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AWESOME!!!!!!!0
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The motivation I needed to see this morning. I started eating a more vegan diet. While I'm not totally 100% (more like 45-50%) I feel SO much better already. And to top it off, I lost .6 pounds in 2 days! Thanks so much for your inspiring post! 0
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Awesome job you look fabulous0
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You are my inspiration. Things are going very slowly for me, but I like the website too. My profile puts me at 1200 calories a day. Most days I stay within that, but I have just plateaued at 158 lbs. My goal was 135. I don't have time to exercise really, but I do work in the yard a lot. I am always on the go. Any suggestions for me? I am 57 yr old and am 5'4". Your pics are wonderful. Thanks for posting and giving hope!
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Erika,
thank you for sharing your experience, I just grabbed a glass of water!)
All the best for you and your family!0 -
OMG! Thats totally awesome, I've never been more motivated now! WOW!! you look amazing!!0
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Amazing and inspiring! Thanks for sharing and congrats on all of your hard work paying off. 0
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Thank you for posting! I was feeling a little discouraged today but your pictures and tips are giving me inspiration to carry on. You look fantastic!!! Congrats! Your baby is beautiful, too! :flowerforyou:0
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