GOAL! 11 months, 91 pounds lost! BEFORE / AFTER PICTURES!!!

I MADE IT!!! 245 TO 155 IN JUST UNDER 1 YEAR!!! Well… 154.9 as of today!

I started my weight loss on September 17, 2012 at 246 pounds, my highest weight ever! I am 5 foot 10, so, I am pretty tall! I had never been at a normal weight as an adult, so I had no idea what weight I would be happy at... I STARTED AT A SIZE 20, AND i AM NOW FITTING INTO A SIZE 4! This, in just under 1 year!!!

I am a 33 year old mother of 5 kids, between the ages of 15 and 7. I am married, and also a full time student. I am also "mom" to 2 dogs, and 4 cats. My husband was injured in a head on car accident in 2009, leaving him with a fractured spine, putting a lot of extra responsibilities on myself. My 13 year old son has a heart condition along with asthma, which leaves us with many doctors visits, ER trips, and hospital stays. My 4 daughters are avid softball players, and so I am shuttle for them to all their practices, games, team parties, etc. My point... IM BUSY!

My original goal was 199. I just wanted to be out of the 200's... I reached that goal on December 31, 2012, just 3 months after beginning. I then decided to make a goal of 185, being so tall, I figured this might be a nice weight. Well, I hit that weight, and still was not content... I then set a goal of 175, however, that goal was met, and I knew there was still more to lose. I set my goal for 155, and just recently met that goal. I am actually happy at this weight, however, with it being a 91 pound loss, I think it would be neat to be able to say, I lost 101 pounds! So, my new long term goal is to reach 145, and no lower. At 145, I will have lost 101 pounds, and that sounds so cool to me! I am happy with my 91 pound loss, in just under 1 year, and still cant believe I made it!

I had tried to lose weight numerous times before, however, I always lasted only a few weeks, then gave up. I have an all or nothing personality. I don't just want 8 chips and 1/2 bowl of salsa at a Mexican restaurant, I want more! Id rather eat a small amount on most days, just to have 1 day where I don't have to watch my intake, or count calories. With this in mind, I designed my own plan, that worked great for me. It fit my lifestyle, and kept my husband and kids happy by still allowing them days where they didn't have to live in my low calorie world.

HERES WHAT “I” DID... THIS IS WHAT WORKED FOR ***ME***

-1200 calories per day, food always measured and weighed... MFP set me at calories which were a couple hundred more each day, but I chose 1200, and mentally use the extra calories on my 2 crazy binge days each month.

- Work out 4-5 times per week, however, I do NOT eat back my exercise calories. I run about 2-3 miles per day M-F. Along with my cardio, I strength train for about 30 minutes, 3-5 times per week.

- Every other Saturday, I take a break from "dieting" and eat as I please. I still log, just so I know the "damage" I did (lol) I eat an average of 4500 calories on these 2 days per month. This gives me the opportunity to satisfy my cravings, have fun without calorie counting, and plan special occasions... for me, its like a mental reset, make it 2 weeks at a time, instead of looking at it as a long road of “dieting…”