Almost 1 Year MFP Anniversary - Progress Pics

NOTE: Sorry about the photos. You can view the album at http://imgur.com/a/eYPRB. Trying to get them posted properly.


I am sure my story is similar to many of yours. I have creeped on the message boards at progress pics for quite some time, so I thought I would contribute. Monday will be 365 days of MFP logging for me and I can't tell you how grateful I am to have found this site. I have never been thin. I am lucky enough to be with someone who thinks I am beautiful, no matter my size.

I started using MFP when my boyfriend expressed concern about my future health. My family has a history of diabetes, high blood pressure, and stroke. To be totally honest, when I started, I didn't think it would work. But I felt I needed to try. Then it started working! Yes, I have struggled to stay on track at times and yes, I indulge sometimes, but I know I can keep this up for the rest of my life. This is not a fad diet. I have lost just over 50 pounds this year. The past three months I have been gaining and losing the same 2 or 3 pounds, but at least I seem to be maintaining, if nothing else. I never let my weight stop me from shopping and being fashionable, but after losing weight, I have so many more options and am loving shopping even more (which is not easy on my bank account)!

My biggest advice to anyone starting out is to build yourself an MFP family and make your diary public. Seeing everyone's updates and knowing they can see everything I eat and do is my biggest motivator. Track absolutely EVERYTHING you eat. Measure your portions. Drink lots of water. Set yourself up for success. Stock up on fruits and veggies and keep the junk food out of your kitchen. Exercise. You may not love it, but you will learn to love how you feel. I find that I lose more weight when I am consistently exercising, even if I eat more calories. And I am loving see my tiny little biceps beginning to develop! If you are looking for tasty, healthy recipes www.skinnytaste.com, www.eat-yourself-skinny.com, and www.hungry-girl.com have great options. If you can't afford (or don't want to join) a gym, youtube has great workout videos and fitsugar.com is a great resource. Your local library may offer DVDs as well.

I know how easy it is to make excuses - I don't have time. My family eats junk food around me. It is too hard. If you want it bad enough, you can do it. And you may be surprised how quickly you can change your lifestyle, and how much better you feel. I know most of you probably just looked at the pics and moved on (like I have done on many of these posts), but if you are looking for an active MFP friend for support, please feel free to add me. I wish you all luck on your weight loss journey and I hope to be back posting soon when I reach my goal weight!