A small thank you..... (pics)

A year ago today was significant to me because it was the day that I started doing my research. I didn’t want to just lose weight but I wanted to keep it off. After 24 years of being obese, I really had reached a point where I was ready to change but I wanted to do it the right way. I didn’t want to yo-yo anymore. I weighed 275 pounds then.




I wanted to see what other successful people on MFP had done to keep the weight off, so I entered the forums for the first time. I began to see a trend as I did my searches and read the forums.

Many of the men that were posting had shirtless avatars. Many of the women were in sports bras. I was curious about this. It didn’t take me long to realize that not everyone on here was obese like me and trying to lose weight. A lightbulb in my head went off when I realized MFP wasn’t "only" a weight loss site. These advice givers were taking time to talk to people "like me” about ways to optimize my fitness! In fact, many had previously been obese. I couldn’t ignore this.

I realized then that I didn’t want to just be UNFAT anymore (which was my goal in all prior weight loss attempts). I wanted to be FIT! A fire was lit inside me and I really tried to talk myself into believing that I could do this.

In addition to the resources I found on MFP in my search, I also found a bodybuilding site and I plugged in my stats. I clicked on a picture of the healthy body type that I could only dream about. Well, it told me that it would take me 120 weeks to look like that girl.









…….yeah, that was rough. But after I paused on that, I thought….well, the computer generator didn’t tell me it was IMPOSSIBLE!









So, I got to work. I made a plan. And I’ve stuck with it.






I wanted to come here to at say thank you to the men and women who take time to educate on the MFP forums. Thank you for changing my mind. Thank you for helping me dismantle all I thought I knew about losing weight. Thank you for showing me that the there are many ways to fix all the things I thought I failed at. For teaching me the difference between weight loss and fat loss, the importance of muscle mass preservation, and most especially for teaching me that even the “fittest” still have to make daily choices to stay there. For showing me that this will never end, so let's just all have fun!..... as we keep going and as we keep living life. An even larger and heartfelt thanks to my MFP family who’ve truly been there for me in every sense. Some of these friends let me in early on and haven't let me go. Others are newer but so much fun. I love my support system….each and every single one of you who take a moment each day to make me smile. I appreciate you because you are the best parts of my "big picture". And the biggest thanks of all goes to my husband who has loved me at each phase of my life since we’ve been together. I think he is really enjoying this phase of my life the best, though

If you have any questions, feel free to message me. If you want to read more of my story, especially my challenging and emotional struggles over the year, you can read more at 120weeks.wordpress.com. I just “came out” to my family and FB friends about this blog that I’ve been keeping for a year under the radar. I was just really scared about not being successful at this but I’m realizing I am absolutely successful because I SHOW UP every day. I show up at the gym. I show up to log food. I show up to treat myself kindly every day by saying, “You are not perfect and no one expects you to be”. This isn’t about losing weight. It’s about changing my life and 52 weeks in a row of consistently making improvements and being aware of how choices affect me HAS changed my life.





120 weeks isn’t a milestone to hit. It isn't a goal. There won't be an award for me at the end. I didn't realize it until recently, but... 120 weeks was just a key to opening the door of what is possible.

Thanks for reading.

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Here is my plan:
I eat about 1900 cals a day and I wear a fitbit with a goal to burn 2400 calories a day. Basically, I eat enough to lose 1 pound a week. I strive to eat at least 130 grams of protein a day. I do a high intensity stairmill warm-up 5 days a week for 10 minutes followed by a 40-50 minute weightlifting routine targeting individual muscle groups. A couple of times a week, I go to a boxing gym for a 30 minute workout. On the weekends (usually rest days), I do fun things with my family to hit my fitbit goal such as hiking, a long walk, dancing, etc. I’m a mom of two and work outside of the home. A few hours a week just for me hasn’t been a sacrifice to my family. They reap the benefits of my boundless energy and enthusiasm for living. There is no magic in the plan. The magic happens every day when I look at the mirror and look into my heart and see progress. I wholeheartedly believe that anyone can be fit. But they have to learn true patience first. At any given moment you have the power to say that this is not how your story is going to end.