365 DAYS ON MFP - BEFORE & AFTER PICS

So today I have officially logged into MFP for 365 days in a row. It feels great! It's been the most amazing journey, I have made the most incredible friends and I've discovered Jillian Michaels, who I am sure I will have a long standing love affair with for many years to come

I always found people's before and after pics inspiring to me as I scoured pages and pages of people's posts, dreaming of the day that I would finally be able to post my pics and say I'd reached my goal weight.

Well I did reach my goal weight, about 5 months ago now, and have managed to maintain my weight since. I now work out 6 days a week and log my diary every single day. It keeps me 100% accountable. I never ever want to gain weight and struggle to lose it again.

My story begins with gaining 16 kgs during pregnancy, which was within normal range, I lost 8 kgs with the birth and was so sure that I would lose the remaining 8 kgs through breastfeeding. Alas - I was not one of the lucky ones and breastfeeding seemed to have the complete opposite affect on my body. I couldn't lose a single kg. No matter how hard I tried. Finally, after 1 year of breastfeeding, my baby weaned herself, and I finally felt that I had the opportunity to lose the weight, once and for all. I have always had to work to keep my weight down, and used to gym 4 x a week - even up to 36 weeks pregnant. But, I have never worked this hard and I've never been in as good shape as I am now either. I've surpassed my pre-preggy weight and managed to reach my ideal goal weight. I still have some toning to do (particularly on my tummy), but for the most part, I'm really happy.

So here we go:

Before: 68 kgs / 150 pounds (I'm 5 ft 4"):



After: 54.5 kgs / 120 pounds (and a total of



This is what I did:

Stuck to 1200 cals a day (except for the odd special occasion / most Saturdays, but even then, don't generally go higher than around 1600)

Gym: Cardio 3 x a week - treadmill, step & spinning in conjunction with the following programmes (plus walking most afternoons):
30 Day Shred: 2 rounds
Ripped in 30: 2 rounds
A mix of 6 Week 6 Pack / No More Trouble Zones & Banish Fat Boost Metabolism for a few weeks
30 Day Slimdown (specifically designed by Jillian combining 3 of her videos)

From here I'd hit goal and my husband's work hours changed, so I am no longer able to workout twice a day:

30 DS again
90 Day Full Body Revolution
Plus walking most afternoons

And that brings me to now, where I've just started my second week of Insanity :bigsmile:

I still face serious food addiction issues, and have to focus every day to ensure that I don't gain weight. But now at least, I have friends who offer an amazing support structure and motivation every day, and by logging my diary every day, it keeps me completely aware and accountable.

:flowerforyou: