Almost there! Wasn't easy! (Pic heavy)

I have always always wanted to make one of these threads, although I'm not at my goal yet I'm definitely not far off and thought you might like to see how I've done so far.

I started my mission to lose weight in December 2008 when I was told by a doctor I was obese (harsh) and that I needed to lose at least a stone if I wanted surgery (not weight loss surgery, something irrelevant). The first couple of years were slow, slow, slow, until at the beginning of this year I discovered the 5/2, and well, you can see the difference in results below!

This picture was a good motivator (I hope I get these right!) - I was about 80kg/176lb
This was taken December 2008



So I was doing OK till I started uni about 10 months later - this was the beginning, I estimate I weight around 75kg/165lb
This was taken October 2009



And so first year of uni started and I ended up where I was before by the end (about 80kg/176lb).
This was taken Jun 2010



I started to kick myself into gear a little bit and get gymming, still found it hard. This is taken October 2010, again at around 75kg/165lb. Clearly I was doing this the very, very slow way, trying to compromise between the binging uni lifestyle and weight loss!



This is in Jan 11, so right after Christmas. I had been going to the gym alot more since the previous image and still trying to watch what I ate



Since the previous image my weight loss goals kind of slipped from my head, I stopped going to the gym and kept falling on my face at the food hurdle. This is August 2011 where I abandoned MFP so can't give an accurate weight, I estimate about 70kg/154lb (also I am at a wedding in this photo lol)



For the next few months weight loss was on my mind but I was also in my last year of uni so my other priorities took precedence. Then around January (as such things happen around that time of year), I decided to face the weight loss regime again in full force. But by this point I'd gone back up to about 73kg/161lb (as you can see, I had several years of just playing about with the same 10lb! Not exactly impressive)



Thankfully, I really did hit the gym hard but still had to try and mitigate that with the heavy drinking/takeaway uni lifestyle. Things got easier once I graduated and I had an intense cleaning job which helped me lose a great amount (that I unfortunately put it all back on). Here is me in July 2012, weighing about 68/150lb



Here's me a couple of months later, wearing a corset so cheating a bit. Don't have a record of weight on MFP but I had just finished my cleaning job and was onto standard office job so was starting to get a bit soft again



Anyway - here is the crucial part. I let myself go a bit the latter half of 2012, but I was again, full of determination Jan 13. I spent Jan 13 trying hard with the daily 1200 but just kept finding it hard. Then I stumbled across the 5:2 concept. Since i hadn't eaten yet that day i decided to give it a trail day and it became a habit for about a solid 7 months. Here's the results.
Beginning: Jan 13, 71kg/156lb (I'm on the right)



April 2013, about 68kg/150lb again, yay! Can definitely notice more collarbone, I like it!



August 2013, on holiday visit my dad in Costa Rica. Baggy clothes don't help to show that my stomach is flatter than it used to be by far (still nowhere near flat but there we go). About 63kg/139lb - biggest drop so far!
I stopped doing the 5:2 around this time as it was starting to weigh me down, though the principles I picked up from my experience fasting have generally really stuck with me, I try to have healthier options whenever able and I never really overindulge these days (my vice of the past) unless the occasion calls for it.



Only a couple of months later at my halloween party early November 13, again I'm wearing a corset which is slightly cheating, but the corset itself feels massive on me, my legs have definitely taken a turn for the better! Also slimmer arms, I'm so pleased!
Here I weigh about 61kg/ 134.5lb



Well, I have no decent body shot but this is the most recent picture of me, taken a week ago at my company's chrismtas party (forgive the paleness!!), weighing roughly 60kg/132lb. Christmas time again so my weight loss has stopped, going slightly on the up though! My goal is 125lb so once the festivities are over and January starts again I'm gonna kick myself back into gear, possibly 5:2 again considering how blissfully easy I found it over daily extreme restriction without wiggle room. I would really, really like to motivate myself to do some exercise, no cardio I want to tone. Though never have done such a thing before and therefore not made it habitual, I find the prospect rather daunting! When I reach my ultimate goal I shall update/make a new thread from beginning to end!



And so, although I'm about 3kg/7lb away from goal, I'm massively proud of how well I have done this year (the previous years were slightly pathetic attempts to be honest), and from the bottom of me heart I know I have 5:2 to thank, I know alot of people don't like it and it doesn't work for them, but for me, nothing could have done me better and I'm so so glad I undertook it. In the year I have been doing it (well, I stuck to it for 7 months and the rest has been me alone), I have lost about 12kg/26lb. So, if anyone out there is finding losing/staying to 1.2k calories a day solidly, I really recommend you check it out - it did everything for me!

Good luck, I really hope this has motivated someone else to do what I thought would never be a possibility!