My story: 1 Year on MFP - 62.2 lbs lost - lots of pics!

Today is my 365th day of logging into MFP. I also passed my original goal weight today! I can't believe I started this one year ago. And here I am. I'm writing a success story. I never thought I'd be one of those people. I used to look at the posts in this forum and marvel at how amazing everyone was. Here is my story, I hope it can inspire others!!

One year ago, I decided to get healthy. I thought MFP would be perfect for me because it's straight forward. It's got tangible data. It's something to be accountable to. I like clear cut goals and data. So this was the perfect place for me.

A little bit about me: I am a mom. I have a seven year old son and 4 year old daughter. I work full time. I have my own Etsy business as well. This year I started coaching my son's baseball team. I run my kids to swimming and gymnastics and any other events that come up. I'm a very active member of the PTA at my son's school. I'm as busy as can be. But I make time for me. I make myself and working out a priority.

I'm 5' 7". When I started, I weighed 222 lbs. I don't think that's my highest weight but it's what I weighed the day I started. I wore a size 18 pants and XL or XXL shirts. My BMI was 34.8.

Some before photos:





So, I joined MFP. I counted my calories. I measured out my portion sizes. I started walking on the treadmill or using the elliptical at the gym. EAT LESS. MOVE MORE! I kept at it. In March 2012, I began doing the C25K program. Again, another tangible program to follow. Clear cut goals. I struggled with it. RUNNING IS HARD. I have never, ever been a runner in my life. Even in high school (where I was also over weight and wore size 16) I would walk when our class was supposed to run a mile. I hated it. But I was determined to do this. When I had a hard week with C25K, I would do it over again. Then I discovered that if I bumped my speed down when I was running, I was able to complete the run better. So I focused on that. Instead of running at 5 mph, I bumped it down to 4.7mph. I wanted to build up my endurance. Then I would work on speed. I completed the C25K program and decided my first race would be in October 2012. The first time I ran a practice 5K, my time was 38:59. I was so happy to be under 40 minutes!! I kept training - I did intervals, I tried longer runs, I kept doing practice 5Ks. Last weekend, I ran my first race. I finished in 31:08 (that’s a 6mph pace!). I placed 31 out of 88 women in my age group; and 394 out of 900+ runners. SUCH A HUGE SUCCESS FOR ME!!! I can't wait to run another race!

After my first 5K, last weekend:


I started weight training more in April 2012. I was doing some light weight stuff up until then, but I started doing more at that point. On the left, April 2012. On the right, October 2012. Weight training is so important, so make sure you do it!!


I now weigh 159.8. (My original goal was to weigh 160). I wear size 8 or 10 pants. My shirts are size Small or Medium. My BMI is 24.9 (finally in the NORMAL range!) I want to lose maybe 10 more lbs and keep weight training so I can get even stronger!

More After Photos:






My BFF, Joyzy (who has lost 100 lbs!) and me – March 2011


Me & Joy in October 2012


I think what’s really important to remember here is that this is a lifestyle change. I still eat ice cream. I still eat chocolate. I still go out to eat! If you go into this thinking that the only way to succeed is to eat lettuce and carrot sticks, you’re going to fail. Don’t completely deprive yourself. But have some self-control. Enjoy the things you love, but do it less often. Make healthy choices. It’s all about portions and how hard you work. If you dedicate yourself to being healthy, you can still live your life and enjoy it. Trust me!

Thank you to everyone who has supported me along the way – my friends, my family and all of my WONDERFUL MFP pals!! You guys rock!! Get yourself a support system on MFP – having friends here that you can support and who support you makes a world of difference! If I can do this, anyone can do it! You just have to BELIEVE IN YOURSELF!