How Wrong I Was! 600 Days of MFP. Lotsa pics.

So I think this may be the 3rd or 4th thread with pretty much this same pictures and same story, and thus the 3rd or 4th time that I've said way to go. I get wanting congratulations for your awesome work because you look great (and I myself will fish for compliments in a heartbeat), but why not just bump your original thread for that instead of making multiples? I always get on the success board to see people's success stories because it gives me hope and motivation and it's slightly frustrating to click a new thread and just have it be the same thing I've already seen 3 or 4 times.

That being said, you have done great and you should be proud.

Well... My "I just don't care anymore" thread from February keeps getting bumped when new people discover it, but I have little control over that. I don't want to just add new photos to an old thread, because most people just read the first page, not every page. And I know myself, I don't always often go back to topics I read before and posted in.

Plus, there's new people here all the time. Keeping that in mind is pretty much the only way I stay sane through the countless "do I eat my exercise calories" and "will weight lifting make me bulky" threads. It's always someone's first day here. It's always new information to someone.

And, I'll admit... it's hard sometimes to stay motivated once you're in maintenance. Just as hard as getting started. Just as hard as losing. It's hard to not see much changes in your appearance and you start to think, "What the hell am I doing this for? Why am I spending a half hour to an hour, three times a week, picking something up and putting it down? Why am I running 3-6 miles three every other day? It's not making a difference!" I feel amazing, but I have just as much self-doubt and insecurity as anyone else.

And I gotta say... y'all are making me misty. It absolutely amazes me that people find me inspirational. In my head, I'm still the skinny little shapeless and dateless dork in gym class, hearing, "Lorina's up to bat...everyone move in." :blushing:

Besides... 600 days in a row is a pretty decent milestone. I could have just posted a "NSV, I've logged in 600 days!" post, but I wanted to make it something special. I spent a few hours this morning writing this up, trying to put more than a year and a half of knowledge and experience into a humorous, educational and thought provoking post. I used some new photos that I took yesterday and the day before. Of course the basic story and before photos are going to be the same... if I could go back in time to change my past, I'd have never needed to join here in the first place! :laugh:

Heavy is relative. I'm actually lifting less weight now that I'm doing at at home, because the machines made it easier. Plus, I don't have a squat rack, or a spotter, because my husband has a bulging disc in his neck and is on all kinds of restrictions, so I have to make sure I don't go too nutty.

I'm bench pressing 50-60 pounds, deadlifting up to 80, leg extension and leg curl 50 (could go higher, but then my *kitten* hurts too much running the next day), barbell curl and overhead press are at 30 ... I could go up but I need more smaller plates. I can't make the jump from 30-50. And for squats, without a rack, I have to do front squats, and I'm only doing 30 pounds. Same as above... I could go higher, but I don't want to try to increase by 20 pounds.