72 pounds lost with LOTS of pictures!

I’ve shared my success story once before, but I had to start over with a new MFP account so I thought I’d share again! Long story short: I was extremely active during my childhood and teenage years. I played soccer in middle school and tennis in high school, and danced for 15 years - 6 of those years on a competitive team. I ate whatever I felt like and was physically fit without really having to think about it. When I went to college, I no longer had tennis and dance practices to keep me active but I kept up the same eating habits. Throughout my 4 years of college, I slowly put on a lot of weight. After seeing some AWFUL pictures of myself at Christmas parties and New Years Eve in 2010 (see below), I decided it was time to make a serious lifestyle change. I bought a scale and weighed in at 215 pounds, which was a huge reality check. In some ways, I think I'd been blind to how overweight I'd become. However, I couldn't deny the number that was staring back at me on the scale, so I got down to business.

Summer 2010



Fall 2010





Annual PJ Christmas party with my girlfriends, 2010





NYE 2010




I'd never had to workout in a gym before and I was extremely out of shape, so it was really rough at first. I couldn't run 0.25 miles without stopping, I was out of breath after 5 minutes on the elliptical and I had no idea how to use any strength training equipment. I joined MFP in January 2011, logged all of my food and committed to working out 4-5 times a week. I did the Couch to 5K program and discovered a passion for running. Since I don't have my old account for reference, I'm really not quite sure how quickly I lost weight. I think by the time I graduated from college in May 2011, I was around 180 pounds. In my opinion though, specifics of how quickly the weight came off isn't really important. As they say - It's a marathon, not a sprint. I am currently 143 pounds, a total weight loss of 72 pounds since January 2011 and I feel amazing. I've run three 5Ks and I've pushed myself to do things that I wouldn't have thought myself capable of a few years ago. I no longer have a double chin, and I don't constantly worry about my flabby love handles or how I look in clothes. I feel so much happier and more confident. Working out and running has become an important part of my every day life and I look forward to my workouts. There are no secret tips or tricks - Put in hard work and you'll get results.

My ultimate goal is to get down to 130 pounds, but I'm not as concerned as I once was with specific numbers. I want to focus on toning my body and feeling great about myself. I am thankful to my supportive MFP friends and I'm always open to adding new friends who are POSITIVE and committed to logging.

Now for the fun part - 'After' pictures!

I can now wear cute clothes!







With my best friend after a 5K we ran this spring!



Swimsuit shot while on vacation in January of this year... I've lost a little more weight and toned up since then but still proud!



Some before and afters:





And finally, just being happy!