Halfway there (with photos)
jobee3
Posts: 35 Member
Hey, MFP friends!
I am sure I am not alone in that I'm feeling a little "grr, holiday weight!" recently. Which is my own fault, but still. A friend recommended I put two photos next to each other to see how far I've come, so I thought I'd share it here.
MFP SW - 232 (heaviest was 243)
Before picture weight - probably high 220's, as this was taken not long after I started here
After picture weight - 190
CW - 193
Goal weight - officially, I think I put 140 or 150 here, but I never thought I'd get under 200 again, so part of me can't fathom getting down that low! But I am sure as heck going to try!
I'm 5'4", if that helps.
The pic on the right was my first time wearing skinny jeans...it took a lot of talking me into those and I still don't feel comfortable wearing them, but it was a fun purchase.
Brief backstory - my parents were both heavy, I learned NO good eating habits growing up and learned very young to turn to food for comfort. Both of my parents died far too young of obesity related diseases, and I quite simply don't want to follow in their footsteps. I topped out at 243 a few years ago after I was laid off and just sat around and ate all day while I applied to a million jobs. That was a bad summer! Life is pretty good right now.
Weight loss has been slow but steady, and as long as the numbers keep going down I'm fine with that. I'm not doing anything special or crazy - just eating less and moving more. Challenging myself in the gym to learn and try new things - I even learned how to swim recently, as I had never learned as a child.
I have my good days and I have my bad days, but using MFP is the first time I've always gotten back on track before it gets out of control. I am very grateful for this site, app, and the people here.
Anyway, I just wanted to share. When I'm having a bad day I always come into this section for inspiration, so I thought it was time I share.
I am sure I am not alone in that I'm feeling a little "grr, holiday weight!" recently. Which is my own fault, but still. A friend recommended I put two photos next to each other to see how far I've come, so I thought I'd share it here.
MFP SW - 232 (heaviest was 243)
Before picture weight - probably high 220's, as this was taken not long after I started here
After picture weight - 190
CW - 193
Goal weight - officially, I think I put 140 or 150 here, but I never thought I'd get under 200 again, so part of me can't fathom getting down that low! But I am sure as heck going to try!
I'm 5'4", if that helps.
The pic on the right was my first time wearing skinny jeans...it took a lot of talking me into those and I still don't feel comfortable wearing them, but it was a fun purchase.
Brief backstory - my parents were both heavy, I learned NO good eating habits growing up and learned very young to turn to food for comfort. Both of my parents died far too young of obesity related diseases, and I quite simply don't want to follow in their footsteps. I topped out at 243 a few years ago after I was laid off and just sat around and ate all day while I applied to a million jobs. That was a bad summer! Life is pretty good right now.
Weight loss has been slow but steady, and as long as the numbers keep going down I'm fine with that. I'm not doing anything special or crazy - just eating less and moving more. Challenging myself in the gym to learn and try new things - I even learned how to swim recently, as I had never learned as a child.
I have my good days and I have my bad days, but using MFP is the first time I've always gotten back on track before it gets out of control. I am very grateful for this site, app, and the people here.
Anyway, I just wanted to share. When I'm having a bad day I always come into this section for inspiration, so I thought it was time I share.
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Replies
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Congratulations on your weight loss. You really can tell a big difference! Do you have any tips for newb's?0
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Congratulations on your weight loss. You really can tell a big difference! Do you have any tips for newb's?
Thank you!
My tips are probably nothing you haven't heard before, but what worked for me:
- invest in a good HRM. Once I got one the weight came off more quickly because I had a more accurate idea of what I was burning. Even if you do the same workout your intensity may be different, and I was just blindly trusting whatever MFP was calculating for me. In some cases it was way off.
- I never do the same two workouts in a row. I get bored very easily. Of course I repeat workouts, I'm just not one of those people who goes to the gym and plods away exclusively on the elliptical for several days a week. I will do 20-30 mins on one machine and then do something else.
- find a workout/activity you enjoy! Sure, I learned how to swim but I don't like it, lol. It will be my go-to when I'm injured, but not something I seek out regularly. I have learned that I LOVE the stair master, but again, I don't do it every day so I don't get sick of it.
- don't beat yourself up if you have a bad day or week. The last couple months have been rough and I gained back a few pounds (new job, got the flu from hell, holidays, etc), but what matters is that I learn from it and keep going. Today is a new day, and today I am choosing to not sit in front of the TV and eat all day.
- track everything. EVERYTHING. Be honest with yourself. Make your food diary private if you need to. Even on "bad" days, I still track every single piece of food that goes into my mouth so I can't sit there and be surprised if I have a gain on the scale that week. Of course I did, I was over on my calories every single day! If I forget to finish my diary, I complete it the next morning.
- I weigh/measure everything. Heck, even if I'm eating not so great food I'm still measuring it. If I'm eating out at a restaurant I find the closest thing I can in the MFP database, and tend to assume the worst and round up if I'm not sure which one to pick.
- I could probably eat better, and I slowly but surely have changed my ways, but I just eat in moderation. Now pizza is a every 1-2 month thing as opposed to every week. It's a reward I look forward to.
That's all I can think of at the moment. Hope that helps!0 -
What a big difference! You look wonderful and I love your tips ... most of them I've heard before but I absolutely love to hear what worked for others!
Keep up the good work and you said it best ... BE HONEST WITH YOURSELF!
Its the best medicine.
MEASURE EVERYTHING and DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP!0 -
Nice Job! You have done well and it shows. Thanks for the inspiration!0
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Good job! It's hard to break really deep habits like that, but you're doing it!
And swimming is a heck of a workout.
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Congrats!0
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wow you look awesome!! You look really cute in those skinny jeans too btw!!0
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You look amazing! Keep it up!0
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You are looking GREAT!!! AND, the skinny jeans, look AWESOME on you ... Keep up the fantastic job, It all shows up at:happy: the end of your weight loss journey.... As SUCCESS!!!!!0
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Wow - Amazing!0
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You're doing great. Keep up the good work!0
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You look great! You have come a long way and you have a great attitude! Good luck with the rest of your journey!0
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you're a true inspiration! keep it up!0
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Congratulations!!! You look great in your skinny jeans!!! I am 5'4, and weigh in the low 200's. I will now get a pair of skinny jeans when I hit 190!!! Enjoy the slim you!!0
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Why are you scared of skinny jeans? They look amazing on you! 0
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Wow! As someone who is floating around my halfway point, I really appreciated the update right now. We've accomplished a lot, and there's no reason we can't keep going! You look great! WEAR THE SKINNY JEANS!!0
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Oh wow, thanks guys. So, you all are saying I shouldn't wear the skinny jeans?
Thank you to whoever bumped this - I needed to read this today, and you all are so encouraging! You guys rock!0 -
You rock the skinny jeans!!!0
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