Another 50lb down post 188 to 138 - with pics

Hello everyone! My name is Chris. I am 48 years old and 5'5" (and a c-section mother of 2 and grandmother to 6). I was going to wait to post until I hit goal, which is only a few pounds away, but the closer I get, I realize I'm still not going to be happy with the reflection in the mirror at 135. So, what the heck, 50 lbs is a success, right? So, here I am.

The top set of pics were taken in September of 2011. A month prior, I decided to lose weight for a cruise I was going on that November. I was wearing a size 17-18 pants and a 2X or 3X top.
The bottom set were taken this morning. I weighed in at 138.2. I now wear a size 6 or 8 pants and a large top.



I started out eating very little, probably averaged 900 calories a day. Then I added cardio and started eating around 1200. The beginning of this year I started lifting weights on a home universal gym I bought myself for Christmas.

I now do cardio 6X a week and lift 3X per week and I eat around 1500 - 1600, before exercise. I eat back some (1/2 to all) of my exercise calories.

Arm pics:
Top left, prior to lifting (December 2012)
Top right, 2 months in
Bottom, both arms 3 months in - not a big difference in the last month, but that's not stopping me.



I don't know what my goal weight is anymore. I just want to be firm vs. flabby and I have a way to go before I hit that goal. I am still a work in progress, but I'm happy with the progress I've made so far!

I also want to add that I do not advocate 1200 OR 1600 OR 2500 daily calorie intake. It's all about finding what works for you and obviously I'm still working on that. I do LOVE TO EAT, though and if I can eat, eat, eat and not gain, I'm going to!

Thanks for looking and good luck with reaching your goals!