The gym didn't see me coming! 90 pounds lost forever!!

Hi!

I started to lose this weight back in August of 2011 and have lost 90 pounds so far! I have less than 20 pounds to go to get to my goal. This is by far the best thing I could have ever done for myself! I was out of control and knew that I needed to get healthy. I wanted to post this when I got to 50 pounds lost and when I didn't do that, I thought oh when I hit a year, well that didn't happen so here I am at 90 lost, so I will post it now to remind myself that I can do this and I will get there, there is no stopping me now! Feeling good today and finally figured out how to post pics!

I started at 237 lbs and my goal is 130. I am 5'3" and 42 years old.

My measurements:
Hips were 54 inches, now they are 39 inches.
Waist (below belly button) was 44 inches and is now 32 inches.
Weight was 237 and I am now 147.
I wore a size 1X and 2X in tops and size 18/20 and 22 in pants.
Now I wear a size Medium and some small in tops and a size 6 and 8 in jeans/shorts. I love these smaller clothes, who knew??!!

I am not a runner at all, not my thing, but I always thought it would be neat to complete a 5K. Mainly because I never thought I would do it. So I jogged my 1st 5K in February of this year. I planned on stopping and walking when I needed to.. but I never did, I ended up jogging the whole race and never stopped! The feeling I had when I was done was simply amazing! I completed it in 43 minutes and signed up right away for my next one which will be on April 13th, the Color me Rad one, I can't wait!!

When I started back in Aug 2011, my main exercise was using the elliptical at the gym. I thought I would die when I did just 2 minutes on it, lol! I built up over time and could easily do an hour if I wanted to. I have since moved on to the Crossramp cardio machine as it really challenges me, and it is a great calorie burner. I still like the elliptical, just had to change things up. I went to the gym 5-6 days a week and have done so ever since. I would go 7 days and have but have to force myself to take a rest day at times!

Nowadays, my routine is like this, I do hour-long spin classes 2-3 times a week.. that is my toughest workout, but love it because it kicks my butt! I do Zumba for an hour 2-3 times a week, my favorite! I go to aqua aerobics classes for an hour once a week, love it more to be social these days, love the people in the class, but a great little workout! I do the Crossramp for cardio on days I don't do spin or Zumba, usually a half hour, sometimes to just warm up for weights and sometimes longer. I also do strength/weights 3-4 times a week. I am trying to venture more into the weightlifting section now, slowly but surely, I want to do it!!

While I can't help watching the scale, I have recently up'd my calories and will try to focus on losing more body fat. I sure like fitting smaller clothes! I am trying to appreciate the tape measure more than that scale.

If I can do this.. you can do this! Just let there be no excuses, just go out and do it, and tell yourself that you are worth it, every day!

Thank you to all my pals, your motivation and encouragement are what gets me through each day! You all rock!! :drinker:

Now for the pictures! Before and after (OK During, cuz I am not done yet!)

Thanks,
Michele