1.5 million calories in 775 days.

That's about what I've consumed in the past 775 days on My Fitness Pal. The first six months, while I was losing weight, I ate about 1350-1600 plus exercise calories, for a total of about 1700-2000+. I'm currently eating between 2000-2300 when I log my food, and a little more on weekends when I don't log. I've been maintaining a little over a year and a half. Let's just say an average of 2000 a day for the past 2+ years.

I love it. LOVE! I never thought it could be this way. I thought I had to deprive myself and starve to lose weight. Holy frickin' crap, was I wrong! I still eat (and ate while losing) pizza, pasta, bagels, potatoes, garlic bread... pretty much whatever I want, with an eye on my macros. I'm talking award winning eating.



I was wrong about a lot of things. I thought the number on the scale mattered. My progress wasn't always linear. I gained a few here and there, lost some more, gained a few more, etc. No official bulk and cut cycles, just periods of more mojo than others. Flu? No mojo. Halloween coming up? Lots of mojo! But I'm able to wear the same clothes, so I don't give a flying fart what that number says any more.

Seriously. I'm like 100 pounds MORE in the second photo here!!!



No, but really... the scale means diddly. I was 14 years old and 110 pounds when I bought these absolutely hideous jeans in 1986. I kept them even when they didn't fit. I kept them when I thought the only way they'd ever fit again is if I got the plague. But I'm 25 pounds heavier now, my lean mass ALONE is about 110 pounds, and they fit again. Not saying I'm going to WEAR them, but I could if I wanted to burn out someone's retinas.



I was about 120 pounds ten years ago, when I had really bad TMJ problems and couldn't open my mouth or chew normally. I'm about 15 pounds more than that now.



I was six pounds more in the same Halloween costume this year as last.



And I rocked the hell out of this costume that I made and last wore as a 110 pound 19 year old.



Or I could just illustrate it here with this timeline. I look a lot different at 135 now than I did when I first got to 135 in June of 2011.



And you know why? That other thing I was wrong about. Strength training. I didn't think it would make me bulky or look like a man. I was more worried, as someone without boobage, that it would make me look like a boy. I may not be the curviest woman on the planet, but I sure as hell ain't no boy. And my mind is still blown by what a difference switching to free weights did.







And I have some more crow to eat, too. (Tastes like chicken?) I thought to look, feel and be able to do the things I do (run a sub 25 minute 5k, bench press 75% of my body weight, overhead press more than 50% of my body weight, squat and deadlift 1.2x my body weight), I'd have to practically LIVE in the gym.

You know what? I don't even BELONG to a gym. I run outside, typically three times a week (30-60 minutes each time), and lift at home, with weights I picked up on sale at Sears and Dick's, often while watching Ellen, three times a week for about 30-45 minutes. All told, I typically exercise less then 4 hours a week. About the same amount of time I devote to watching the Daily Show and Colbert Report. Probably less time than I used to spend playing Farmville on Facebook. Definitely less time than I spend on these highly addictive forums.

So, if you want my advice, not that you asked for it... don't make this too hard on yourself.

You don't need to cut calories to the bare minimum. You don't need to cut out foods you love, either. Just eat a healthy balance of mostly whole foods.

Don't look at exercise like a burden or punishment, think of it as a way to show your body and mind that you care enough to do things that might not be all that pleasant. Just like flossing your teeth. No one LIKES flossing. You do it anyway. Because you're an adult. Treat exercise the same way. Eventually, you might even come to enjoy it.

Be patient. It's not a linear process. You'll hit snags and roadblocks and detours. Just keep plugging at it, and you'll make progress.

Don't get hung up on that scale. You're not the same person you were in high school, before kids, whenever... but you can still be as awesome as ever.

And most importantly... keep an open mind. As the saying goes, if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll get the results you've always gotten. Realize that you might be wrong about... well, damn near everything. I know I was, and I'm thrilled to death that I was proven wrong!