The Difference 3lbs Can Make (w/ before & after pics)

[Disclaimer: this is my first time posting photos, so if I don't do it correctly, I apologize! Still a n00b over here]

I'm a bit nervous about sharing pictures of myself in a bikini with total strangers, but I feel like I have a message worth sharing. I still have a ways to go from my final goal, but I wanted to share my progress so far. Over the past 2.5 years, I've only seen the slightest shift on the scale... losing a total of 3lbs. It's been discouraging at times, but I have taken a few pictures here and there to remind myself that the scale doesn't give you the complete picture.

THE BACKSTORY:
I first starting getting serious about losing weight after my freshman year of college when I was diagnosed with PCOS. I wasn't obese, but at nearly 170lbs, I was not an a healthy weight for my height (I'm just shy of 5'6). I've always tried to eat healthy, but I would frequently find myself struggling with binging / emotional eating. At the time, I didn't exercise consistently and just generally didn't take great care of myself. I can't find a picture of when I was at my absolutely heaviest, but here's a picture after I first started losing weight and was about 165lbs:

By the end of college, I was down to about 145lbs. Sure, it took me almost 3 years to lose 25lbs, but with a slow and steady approach, I was losing weight while also gaining a healthy lifestyle that was sustainable. I was able to get off my PCOS meds and saw a huge improvement to my health both physically and mentally.

However, I still wanted to lose a final 10lbs to get down to my goal of 135lbs!

LOSING 3LBS:
After college, I found losing weight was A LOT harder. All of the sudden, I was working full time, which meant sitting... sitting all day. Plus, since I was no longer overweight, the weight didn't come off as easily (I mean, not that it ever really came off *easily*). After a couple of years, I didn't really seem much of a change in, but I did see a decrease in my physical fitness. In September 2011, I decided to set my health as a priority, get back into the shape I was when I graduated college, and then finally kick off those final 10lbs!

Well, I didn't lose 10lbs. In September, I started training for a half-marathon, and by November I was able to complete 7-mile long-runs and dropped a couple pounds. However, I plateaued in November and didn't see any more weight loss, even after I ran my first half-marathon in February. I found that while cardio kept my physical endurance strong and prevented me from gaining weight, I wasn't seeing much more tone or weight loss. So, I kept up exercising regularly and eating healthy, but kind of gave up hope of losing more weight.
This past September, I started getting more into heavy lifting. After a couple months of lifting, I decided to start taking pictures more regularly, since the scale wasn't bunching but my jeans were getting looser!

So, since September 2011, I've only lost 3lbs. It sounds pretty pathetic, and honestly, it gets me down sometimes. However, I feel like looking at this pictures proves I'm getting stronger and healthier!

I apologize that these aren't the best before & after pictures - they're taken awkwardly in my mirror and in slightly different ways, no to mention that I have no shots from 2012! haha. I never planned to share them with anyone, but when I saw my latest results, I felt compared to share. The number on the scale is just one aspect of weight loss!!

I'm not at my final goal yet, but I feel like I'm making progress towards it, even if the scale isn't budging!