Halfway there... looking for more friends! (pics)

Hello everyone!

I recently hit the halfway point on my weight loss journey. It's taken me a year or so to this point, though I only joined MFP and got serious about weight loss in mid-February. I'm also looking for new friends, particularly ones who are in Europe or active earlier in the day in the States... I'm an American living and working in Budapest, Hungary. I mainly use the metric system because that's what I live with here, though most of my clothes are US sizes, and sometimes my diary has some random Hungarian language in it.

I'm 174 ish cm tall, or 5'8.5" and I'm a broad-shouldered, "big" girl. Even in high school, when I ran cross country and wore a size 6, I still weighed about 145 pounds. So my plan is to get down to a healthy weight and then reevaluate to see how much further I want to go.

I ride my bike about 12 miles/19 kilometers to work (round trip) Monday-Friday, which takes me about an hour all together. I also exercise 4-5 days a week, usually: 3 days cardio, 2 days lifting, 2 days abs/core, 2 days long swims. Obviously I do some of those on the same day; I might combine a core workout with cardio, or go for a nice long swim after a good lift. I do heavy (for me) lifting and try to do compound lifts whenever possible. I eat my exercise calories, since I'm set as sedentary even though my lifestyle is probably more "lightly active" since I'm a city-dwelling teacher.

I log my food most days, though often not on the weekends, and try to eat "real food" as much as possible.

High Weight: 260 lbs/ 118 kg (or so)
Starting Weight: 245 lbs/ 110 kg
Current Weight: 202 lbs/ 91.5 kg
First Goal Weight: 163 lbs/ 74 kg (right in the "healthy" bmi range)

More important:
Starting Pant/Trouser: US size 18 (snug), European size 48-50
Current Pant/Trouser: US size 12 (comfortable), European size 42-44
Goal Pant/Trouser: US size 8, European size 38-40
Shirt has gone from XXL to L, and a whole new range of styles has opened up because bra has gone from 38DDD to 36D!

MOST important:
Body fat has gone from 44% to 34%, and my resting heart rate, cholesterol, and blood pressure have gone from borderline to fantastic! I have gone from not being able to run AT ALL to running 3K without stopping. I can walk up the hill to my house without taking a break. I can run up the stairs at work and not be out of breath. My bench press has gone from 20 lbs (for reps) to 70 lbs. My resistance on the cardio machines has gone from 5 to 15. I can touch my toes. I'm not so sweaty all the time. Even my skin, hair, and nails are better.

I just feel, overall, so much better. I just had my 26th birthday and I finally feel like a girl in her twenties!

August 2011, high weight ish


Christmas 2011, probably 250/113 ish


March 2012, about a month after really starting, 235/106.5 ish


June 2012, 209/95


July 2012, 207/94


August 2012, still 207/94, but lower body fat



Now, September 2012, 202/91.5



Thank you for taking the time to read my little story.