This is what 24 pounds can look like.

I see a lot of people on here who are stuck on the numbers on the scale- who only see the measure of their success by pounds. I can't say that I was any different. When I started this, i really just wanted to be able to say that I weighed 140 lbs. My goals have changed, and now I don't really care if I weigh 140 or 160. Now I'm after a body. And it feels kind of good to be free from that stupid scale, to eat what I want (within reason) and know that i'm doing good for my body and fueling it instead of trying to limit what I eat. I started living healthier to reach a number. And it didn't take me very long to realize I wanted more than that. It became a lifestyle and constantly morphing goals as I achieved more and more of them. It turned into wanting to change my body composition and not just a number.

I do a ton of HIIT, run and left heavy 2 or 3 times a week. Kickboxing and zumba are sprinkled throughout my week, too. The muffin top is gone, my legs are smoother (i.e. no cellulite, dimples, etc). My butt is starting to look like I HAVE one (I never knew flat *ss was a condition of being out of shape. I thought it was genetic. lol) And....my bf has started calling me "two-pack."

I wanted to post these to show people how big of a difference a small-ish loss can be when you're really focusing on the overall picture and not just how much you weigh. Some of the things I did to encourage myself when I stopped losing weight was taking measurements and pictures. PICTURES! Take them! When you look in the mirror it's hard to tell the differences between yesterday and 2 weeks ago. But side by side, after all is said and done, you will see the changes. I recorded my measurements when I started and am still kind of surprised. I didn't think I HAD 6 inches to lose in my waist. Or 4 on my hips. I had this self image of myself when I was still in high school and was kind of shocked when I had my bf take my first pics.





I never realized I looked like this.




And I never realized I COULD look like this.



I mean I'm the laziest person in the world. But I had a health scare that I thought was caused by my creeping weight and it really motivated me. Additionally, I had noticed feeling sick and nauseous after eating. I had GERD symptoms for over a year. Like my body was telling me something was getting out of hand. I had never felt sick after eating before and it was kind of worrisome. I started exercising and then it snowballed. It turned into something I couldn't control. I quit smoking 4 months ago and my addiction to nicotine transferred to running and exercise in general. I told a friend who said she was proud of all I did that "If exercise wasn't good for me, it would be really, really bad, because it is absolutely an addiction."


I guess what I'm getting at is, don't give up. Do this for you, and no one else. Once you get where you're going, stay there. or go beyond it. Don't ever go back. Make this a true and lasting change in your life.