From 169 to 130 (with pics, hopefully)

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Edit: having trouble with pics, but hopefully they're working now.

Ok I have been very nervous to put these photos out there, so be kind. :P

I started out after I saw some unflattering photos of me. I have a lot of health issues (lupus, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrom, chronic migraine) that left me feeling pretty lousy most of the time. I couldn't do a lot physically, so most of what I did has been focused on diet. I did start walking though right off the bat.

My husband and I had been planning our wedding but circumstances dictated that we needed to go ahead and get married on paper right away (for the Navy). So we went to a minister who married us on a weekday morning with very little fuss. She had a friend of ours take some photos and when I saw them I realized just how big I had gotten. Later that week my doctor's office weighed me at 169 pounds (I'm 5'4"). This is actually the most flattering of those photos, because I deleted the rest.



I came to MFP a couple of weeks later. This was two years ago. It's taken me a long time to get where I am because I took a couple of long breaks. So I lost about 20 lbs before our actual wedding ceremony.



After the wedding I meant to lose more but I had a long plateau. It was about 3 months of logging with no progress. I just gained and lost the same 2 pounds over and over. That's when Helloitsdan told me about full diet breaks, and I decided to take one. I ended up taking a longer break than I intended, but it was good for me. I didn't lose any progress. When I came back I lost another 10 lbs. In May 2012 my husband took this picture. I actually thought I might be done at this point.



I took another break while we spent 3 weeks moving from Connecticut to southern Georgia. My husband deployed a couple of weeks later. While he was gone I decided to try to get a little leaner. I was feeling a lot better physically at this point so I added more exercise. Still not a lot, but I started doing pilates and going for long walks. A few weeks ago I hit 130 pounds. I bought size 6 jeans for the first time in my life.



So this is where I am right now. I'm not totally happy with where I am, but when I compare to where I was two years ago I'm proud of my progress.

So, in summary, be patient with yourself. It's true that it took me 2 years to lose nearly 40 lbs, but I have friends who have lost that much and have already gained it back in the same amount of time. My motto has always been not to change anything unless I could do it forever, and that has worked for me.

purplecharm

Congrats on your success! BTW, the pictures are not showing up.

vnovit

canrt c pics

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Think I fixed it, let me know.

RllyGudTweetr

It worked! Congratulations, you look great!

Iron_Duchess

Wow! You look awesome! Congratulations!

nxd10

The difference between the last two pictures, in particular was fantastic.

A lot of us go from your first (not that heavy) to your middle range pictures and say 'yay! I made it!' and quit. But you obvious were really proud of yourself in that second to last picture and then kept going and you can still really see the difference.

Congratulations! You look wonderful.

Zumaria1

You look so good! You are working that bikini girl! :bigsmile: Congrats on the progress you've made, its so encouraging to see other women achieve their goals :happy:

amandapye78

You look GREAT!!!!! I hope one day I will look as good in a bikini as well.

Dulcemami4ever

I thought you looked beautiful in both pics actually. Good job though

jillmichelle

You look wonderful! And your story is really helpful for me - and I'm sure many others - who get frustrated and quit...and never return. So your ability to come back, stick with it, and reach your goal is amazing. I hope you are very proud of yourself!

What were your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Lilpixie39

You look great.

nczuczu

Congratulations on your weight loss. You stick with it even in spite of your health issues. Awesome job!

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

You look wonderful! And your story is really helpful for me - and I'm sure many others - who get frustrated and quit...and never return. So your ability to come back, stick with it, and reach your goal is amazing. I hope you are very proud of yourself!

What were your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?

Biggest challenges:

1. Impatience. At the same time I started counting calories, a lot of people I knew started HCG and lost a lot of weight really fast. It was hard to stick with what I was doing.

2. Illness. Being chronically ill makes everything difficult.

3. Cutting calories too much. In the beginning I was doing 1200 calories, like most women who tell MFP they want to lose 2 lbs. I learned from the road map thread that cutting so much wasn't helping me. I believe that's at least part of why I stalled out for 3 months.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

jearehart32

I am so proud of you! You look awesome....Thank you for sharing your photos with everyone.

LoggingForLife

Wow. You should be very happy with the way you look. Awesome work.

zselph

amazing, great work

verptwerp

Absolutely gorgeous ....... thanks for sharing :drinker:

acogg

Are you 5'5" tall? I am also 130 and size 6 and am 5'5". You look great! Congrats!

JellyRabbit

Amazing well done

rainbowbow

You look great!!! I'm not sure if its my monitor but in the first picture i thought you had a wild hairstyle until i realized there was a plant behing you. Haha!

Anyway, fantastic progress!

lcolpo

That is such a great story! It's very difficult to get motivated and stay motivated when you have chronic health problems. Great job - and you look fantastic in both the before and after pictures.

rbl1225

You look amazing!!!!! Way to go!

shimmergal

You look fabulous! Thanks for sharing.

RhinestoneRocky

You look absolutely wonderful! Your hard work has definitely paid off!

inspirem

Fantastic! Love success stories!

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Are you 5'5" tall? I am also 130 and size 6 and am 5'5". You look great! Congrats!

I'm 5'4", so very close.

ksgetfit

Great job! I just started yesterday and am looking forward to losing the extra weight. Congrats, again!

Jamcnair

great work! cute swimsuit!

quirkytizzy

*jaw drop* HOLY CRAP WOMAN YOU LOOK AMAZING!!!! Stunning pictures! And a LOT OF WORK - this is so inspiring! I really hope to be in a bikini just like you!

WOW!

Feisty_Red

Awesome! totally cute bikini too!!!