I DID IT!!! 50 lbs lost, reached my goal!

WOW! I'm blown away by all of your kind words! Where to even start....

Several people have asked my stats and how long it took --

I'm 32 and 5'4". SW was 180.4 and my original GW was always 130.4 (back to what I weighed when I got married 7 years ago). Now that I have reached my original GW, I'm planning to lose 5-10 more but I'll take it in 5 lb increments. Either way, I'm really happy with where I am now and feel comfortable in my own skin again! My before picture was one that my brother had posted on FB after a family reunion and I was horrified - that wasn't how I saw myself in the mirror at all. Last night, I thanked him for posting that picture.

How long did it take me? The short answer is that it took me 2.5 years - much longer than I ever anticipated it would take. I did have a tibial stress fracture mid last year and was in a boot for two months and pretty much fell off the wagon for a few months. I gained 15 lbs back over that summer so then I had to re-lose that.

How did I do it? I started by limiting my calories. It was incredibly eye-opening to discover how much I had been over-eating. I had a very distinct "Well... no wonder you gained so much weight!" moment. I bought a kitchen scale and use it consistently. That's probably one of the best things I've done along the way. Typically, each night before I go to bed, I plan what I will eat the next day and put it in my diary. I leave a buffer of calories unallotted. Then, when the day rolls around, I pretty much stick to it and am not making decisions just on a whim or based on what I WANT to eat as opposed to what I SHOULD eat.

How many calories do/did I eat? I tried 1200 calories and quickly discovered that was going to make me go bonkers. So, I upped it to 1400-1450 and still lost so I stayed there for a while. Eventually, I plateaued so I tried upping my calories to 1600. My motto is everything in moderation - I'll still eat some chocolate and I won't completely deprive myself of things I enjoy. I try to limit my processed foods, eat more whole foods and lean protein. If I eat it, I log it.

What's my exercise regimen like? My favorite thing to do is run. I started with a 5k and it felt like torture. But I kept at it and I've since done several 5ks, some 10ks and 8 half-marathons. I'm currently training for the spring races and then, ultimately, for a full marathon in the fall (Woohoo!!! Something I can mark off of my bucket list!). I work in the bike and elliptical as well. I've done some of the 30-Day challenges I've seen on Pinterest. Typically, I work out 3-6 days a week.

There you have it!! Thanks again, guys!!