Guys-if I can, you can! 1 year, almost 70lbs w/photos

Hey guys (and girls) I just want to say if I can do this so can you. I'm one of the last people I thought would be able to not only loose a bunch of weight but also get fit at the same time (and quit smoking). I'm 47 and getting to be in the best shape of my life, i feel better now than I have in decades. I quit smoking on Feb 18 2 years ago and decided that no matter what I was going to stay quit - I was going to give myself 1 year to make it work - this resulted in a lot of eating and I was over weight to begin with. On my first anniversary of quitting it was the day to make the change, 1 year ago today I started on my journey to get healthy.

What I've done is not complicated, it's all small steps, one day, one week, one month at a time. I make weekly changes that I incorporate into my life and build on them. I started small, I was almost 300lbs and horribly out of shape, I started by just going for walks and slowly cutting back on 'bad foods'. As I progressed I would walk more often, then began working out. I eliminated fast food completely and began to eat more and more healthy. I did not cut out anything other then fast food but I changed my mentality, what I live by today - every day is this: "Moderation, not Deprivation - Everything is fine in moderation." I personally believe that depriving one's self only causes us to want something all the more and when the opportunity comes knocking we take it and sometimes abandon the great road we were on. The key to my success is eating in moderation, enjoying life (and food), being physically active and working out frequently.
I started my journey exactly 1 year ago at 298lbs and today am 229.6lbs. I have also lost countless inches including about 8" on my waist and 11" around my stomach. I still have a little ways to go yet until I meet my original goal weight but I am almost there.

The first picture is from December 2012


January 2013


November 2013


Feb 18, 2014