365 Days Today! Thanks To All of You!

Here I am on my 365th day of logging on MFP. It is been a great year. I have lost 90lbs, 120 in total. I started at 300lbs (morbidly obese) in early July of 2012, lost 30lbs and then started on MFP on September 30th. Now I am 180, (just a couple pounds shy of a healthy BMI) as I am 5'11".

I started slowly, with Aquafit classes and a recumbent bike and slowly built up to using an elliptical, then C25K, kickboxing and just recently: weight training. This is the first time I have successfully lost weight since I first started gaining years ago: from a combination of a sedentary lifestyle, terrible eating habits and then quitting a 25 year smoking habit in 2007.

Random people sometimes ask me what I'm doing and I always get these dumbfounded looks when I say I'm just eating at a calorie deficit and exercising. It's like they're waiting for me to tell them some elaborate fairy tale about magic pills, green coffee beans, raspberry ketones, how I only eat 'clean' or cut carbs or went low fat or high protein, cut out sugar/dairy/gluten/MSG/HMOs/'junk' food, ate six meals a day to 'rev' up my metabolism, had no carbs after 6pm, never ate "these five foods" or discovered the "old weird trick" ....or whatever other Dr. Oz related Facebook feed nonsense that they've been bombarded with lately. They always seem disappointed that it's so simple and they don't believe that I didn't have to give up anything.

I love that it's that simple and I never realized it WAS, until learning about it on here. Thank you for that. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

The secret to weight loss, of course, isn't really a secret: Calories in, calories out for weight loss. Meet macros, fiber and micro nutrient goals for body composition and overall health. Then, for optional bonus points: exercise for fitness (and you get to eat more). With this knowledge before me, I did not feel deprived one single day in the past 365 days. I simply kept a sustainable weekly average deficit (aiming for a loss of 2lbs a week at first, then recently down to 1lb). Most days I plan ahead and log my food the night before. I always leave room for treats and I never feel guilty if I overindulge and put myself back at bit. I have finally realized that fitness and moderation should be lifetime habits, so there really is no finish line and therefore, no particular hurry. Seize the day and enjoy, no matter where you are on your journey.:drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

I am so grateful to the people who I've met on here: the ones who've motivated me in the challenges I've played: from the very first one: Weapons of Holiday Mass Reduction to the current ones: Zombie Survivor and Adventures to Oz! You've all made this so much fun. Thanks for being my friends!:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

What truly amazes me about this site, is the same thing that amazed me about Wikipedia. Everyday for the three years I spent writing local history articles on there, I was always surprised at the dedication of the writers and the editors, who spent so much time sharing their knowledge with the world, for absolutely no charge.

Many of the people who post on the forums here have that same dedication, spending hours researching and discussing health and fitness issues so they can help others find answers to their questions. These same people are tirelessly busting the same myths and misconceptions over and over again, and then freely sharing the secrets to their own successes to those who are just starting out. You guys are awesome and you are making an enormous difference in people's lives... I hope you know that! Thanks for teaching me so much. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:

Okay, now for pics: Here's me in July 2012 at about 300lbs. Hiding behind a pile of puppies.:ohwell: There are NO existing pictures of me at that weight, unless I was hiding behind something. :frown:



Here's me in late October of 2012, starting pic for the Weapons of Mass Reduction Challenge at about 255.



Mid December at 240ish:



A couple from April 25th at 199 (ONDERLAND!!!), going to a Motley Crue Concert. Not hiding behind the dogs anymore, they just like photo bombing.:laugh:




Late August at 184:






No other current pics, but my next big goal is to post some on this thread here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1096001-halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky

..... maybe on my 500th day or 730th :bigsmile: Have a great day everyone!