Lost 100+ pounds with pics!

Oh where to start? Well my journey began about 16 months ago on January 1 2012. I decided that I wanted to be healthy, lord knows I wasn't before, so I started making some life changes. A little about me, I'm currently 22 and a university student. Also, I am no health expert in any way. The things that I talk about are all from personal experience and have helped me, but everyone is different.

Exercise: So as far as working out goes I started very slow. There were lots of out of breath moments, and stretchy pants! I was going to a different college at the time- where I got my associate's degree. I used the gym on campus because it was free for students. I walked some and attempted lifting some weights. I also got on the eliptical because I was scared of breaking the treadmill lol. I usually worked out for 30-45 minutes. Anyways, the weight started really coming off- mainly because I went from a completely innactive lifestyle to working out about 5 days a week and eating better. I did this for about 5 months then I graduated from college!

The next part of my exercise journey was going to bootcamp over that summer. For two months I went to a local bootcamp thing and it was intense. I was proud that I went, and it really helped with my conditioning and endurance. I didn't lose a lot of weight over the summer, but I lost a lot of inches. I gained muscle and lost fat!

Last fall I started university. I started using the gym there, because it was also free. I remember being so nervous. Going to a new gym is really intimidating, especially when a majority of the people in there are super fit hot guys! Anyways, by then my fitness level had increased dramatically! I could lift weights, run, and use both the eliptical and treadmill for half-hour intervals.

Now let me explain my current situation. I still have about 30 pounds to lose and I have recently been solely focused on cardio. I warm up with a 15 minute walk, followed by 45 minutes of either racquetball or tennis, and finish with some time on the eliptical like 20-25 minutes. I also supplement my weekday workouts with running on the weekends. Well, that about sums up my exercise story lol.

Diet: Oh man, here is the big one. I cannot stress enough how important diet is to losing weight. Weight loss is 70% in the kitchen and 30% at the gym- true story. So my sad tale begins with me eating everything in site. I could sit down and easily put away seconds and thirds. I was a volume eater!

My first step was to cut portion sizes. Instead of eating two plates, I would eat one plate and also a salad or some veggies or something. The important thing for me was to feel full. I couldn't simply eat less, I had to replace the large amounts of bad food with smaller amounts and also fruits and veggies!

Currently I am sticking to a 1300 calorie intake a day plan. I use myfitnesspal to track my calories, and I highly reccomend it. I've gotten to where I don't log on too much anymore becuase I used it for about 13 months and know what my portion sizes should look like.

Oh yeah, don't get it twisted, I do have cheat meals and I enjoy them to the fulleset. One of my biggest guilty pleasures is honey chipotle chicken crispers from chilis....they are so bad but so good.....

I really hope that this helps anyone who wants to get healthy and lose weight. It's the most difficult thing I have ever done in my life but beyond worth it. I still have more to go and I won't quit! Slow and steady will help keep it off in the long run. Good luck!!

My highest weight is 320 pounds, I am currently floating around 215. I'm 6'0 and looking to get down to at least 180. I stumbled upon this magical number by calculating my BMI. 180 is the top of a "healthy" body weight for someone my height. Once I reach this goal I'm sure I'll want to keep going; I think that 165 may be a good number. We'll see, all in due time ;-)

---

Here are two before pictures. I'm around 320 in both of these pictures.





Here are two after pictures. I'm around 215 in both of these pictures