Over halfway there! 40 pounds lost (pic heavy)

I hit 40 pounds lost yesterday, and thought I would share my progress.

25 years old, one pregnancy (c-section)
5’3”
Starting weight: 205
Current weight: 165
Ultimate goal weight: 130 or 21% body fat
Started my journey end of May/early June this year.

I religiously log all my food, even if it means I am over for the day. Complete honesty here-the only person I would be lying to is myself. I take measurements. I move my body at least three times a week. My exercise of choice is running (go couch to 5k program!) but I also have incorporated strength training and will be focusing on that during the winter months.

I am a huge, huge fan/believer of the eat more to weigh less group. I eat 1600-2200 calories each day, am never hungry and have been consistently losing. I lost the first 15 pounds on a 1200 calorie diet and then started reading up on TDEE/BMR, etc. I upped my calories slowly to a 1900 daily intake. Sometimes I’m a little less, sometimes a little more, but I never eat below my BMR.

I put GOOD LIVING FOOD (fruits, veggies, non-processed) in my body 80% of the time. I am a busy mom, and have a social life, so I leave room for enjoying myself and time crunches. But the calories you eat do matter. Bring leftovers instead of lean cuisines (hello sodium!). Pay attention to your macros. Make sure you’re eating enough protein to keep those hunger pains at bay. Rid your house of temptations. I find I don’t miss something until my lovely fiancé brings home a no-no. With that being said, nothing is a hard and fast no-no. I drink beer, eat birthday cake, bacon, dark chocolate, wine…but all in moderation. I am sure I could lose faster if I cut these things out, but MAN would life be boring.

My MFP friends have been incredible motivators. MFP is my little cheering section. Our successes and complaints/troubles may not resonate to the rest of the world that is not on a fitness journey, but we are all here to better our selves, in one way or another. If you need help/suggestions/someone to slap you in your face, hopefully your MFP friends are there doing just that. Don’t be afraid to ask!

And, now for the pictures….I apologize for the quality of the “befores”. I never intended to share them, but once I saw how inspired I was by others’ before and afters, I knew I could do the same for someone else.


Before (200-205 pounds)


Currently: (around 165)



First set of progress pictures (200 to 180)








Currently at 165:







If you are ever discouraged about how much weight you have lost so far, just pick up a couple of free weights representing the amount of weight you have lost, and you will realize how much FAT has left your body! Also, one of my MFP friends congratulates me on even ¼ pound losses…if you think about it, each ¼ pound is a stick of butter!




***I am open to friend requests, but please send a message with the request so I know what we have in common, or how we can motivate each other. I prefer quality over quantity with MFP friends!