35 lbs later and I'm FINALLY there :).

Hey all! So, I started my weight loss journey at the end of May 2012. So, assuming that I began around June 1st, I've officially been on my weight loss journey for 5 months. I started around 175 lbs, probably a little more. I ate A LOT and I didn't exercise at all. I'm a hard worker, and I put all my effort into my school work. Everyday after school, I would come home, eat a big meal, and then fall asleep before starting hours of homework. And I denied that I was gaining any weight.

Needless to say, in the past three years, I put on a lot of weight. But, after hard work, I finally got it off.

If you're asking how I did it, it's all about time and dedication. This past summer, I worked at the YMCA. After work, I would work out for an hour and a half to two hours. I would run on the treadmill, USED THE STAIR MASTER, built up leg muscle with the elliptical, and tried out a lot of cardio-type machines. I also participated in weekly (sometimes daily) spin classes. I really like them because they motivate me to get my butt out of bed so I can impress all the other people in the gym .

I ate normally. I didn't watch my carbohydrates or my sugar or blah blah blah. I ate back my exercise calories (I had to! I was burning 1,000 a day). I ate rice. I ate bread. I ate candy if I had extra calories. The one thing I did change tremendously was my eating habits. I cut down on everything. When my friends held summer parties, I didn't touch any of the cookies or sweets. I didn't eat out at restaurants because I always tend to splurge when I do. I stopped eating when I was full and I most importantly stopped the grazing. MFP really helped me keep track of the extra calories I was eating as a result of it.

I really love running, and when I started this journey, I was really out of shape. I've brought my mile time down a total of 5 minutes. It's now at 6:58 (on a good day). On August 18th, I ran my first 5K with a time of 24:59 (it was a little less than 3 miles). On October 27th, I ran my second with a time of 26:19 and I placed 3rd in my division (yay for getting a medal)! Everyone at my school has noticed about my weight loss, and it's a great feeling when other people acknowledge your success.

NOW FOR PICTURES!

AFTER (because I look best in these)







BEFORE