2 years on MFP today

You've probably read this kind of post a thousand times already... but it's quite incredible to be here for the first time myself! I would n't have believed this could have been possible just 2 years ago.

I decided to join My Fitness Pal on May 28th 2012, exactly 2 years ago. It was hot, almost summer, and I was in a very, very bad place. I was attending the second year of university in Milan and moving from my hometown to here had quite a few bad consequences on me. I was already overweight, I've always been. But I guess things started getting more and more serious after I turned 18 or 19. I used not to weight myself at that time, and I think I didn't even realize how fat I was getting everyday. I've always had problems in controlling myself over food, and not just around food actually. I've grown up to be a young, very impulsive girl. I used to think that eating was too beautiful and life was way too short to limit myself and suffer by dieting. Which is something I still think, even if I've found the strenght to make a step and change my life.
Even though I don't like to talk about it I ended up messing with my food habits even more by developing an eating disorder. I reached a point in which I didn't like myself and my own body at all, but I thought it wasn't worth fighting for it anymore. Until I couldn't take it anymore.

On May 28th of 2 years ago I decided I would have really tried to lose weight for the first time. I was determined, but I didn't know for how long I would have been so strong. I started off anyway, which is something I'm really grateful for now. Joining this website made a whole DIFFERENCE.
I learned how to lose weight in a healthy way right away. I instantly absorbed the concept of "counting calories", eating a reasonable deficit (even if at the time I was eating 1200 net calories - well... at least I was eating my exercise calories back!), I started buying really healthy foods and I didn't take so long to get used to it. It was hard to crave more food at the end of the day, but I resisted. I decided to also try some exercise, because I had gotten to a point in which even going out for shopping and walking the whole evening would have made me dead tired. I started by walking on my way to university, 40 minutes each day, even in July, when the sun was hot and I was so tired. I ordered a stationary bike and started with 15 minutes of cycling - it seems such a small effort right now!

But eventually, things started to work. I started losing weight. I started feeling like something was REALLY going to change.
I've been struggling, I've been improving, I've been hitting plateaus - but fast forward to the last months: I had set my goal to the highest weight in the healthy BMI range. I reached it, and I am now on my way to lose more weight to become more and more fit everyday. I'm able to run for a few minutes in a row, I'm able to walk everywhere, carring my heavy grocery bags twice a week. I'm able to bear a bit of exercise, at least as much as a "regular" person (who hasn't been overweight) would. I've started improving my muscle endurance on Dec. and I'm now completing the "30 days Shred" program by Jillian Michaels.

I can still see SO much space for improvement, of course... but I'm better than I've ever been. I would have never imagined I would have come so far. I would have never known I could have reached such goals.

And all of this has been possible because of the strenght, the support and the constancy I've found and learnt on this website. Such a small, simple tool has been able to help me so much through it, at the point that I think I've completely changed my life.

This is how I used to look:



edit: pictures get cut here's the full link: http://i57.tinypic.com/5nohhf.jpg

and this is how I look now:



link: http://i59.tinypic.com/2gua7wp.jpg

I've started off at 165 cms, 83 kgs, and I've managed to get down to 64 kgs. I lost 19 kgs in almost 2 years, even though my loss hasn't obviously been linear.

And this is how I've chosen to celebrate:



link: http://i61.tinypic.com/vzy32d.jpg

Will you guys help me to find out to log it now?

I just wanted to share my experience with you all guys. I guess my success hasn't been as big as some of yours, but I'm so young, and I still feel like what I've managed to do is incredible. I never thought I could have been this strong, dedicated and determined.

I wanted to say thank you to all of my lovely, helpful friends in my FL - you've helped me from the very beginning and you're always motivating me and supporting me when I happen to whine too much! You guys are AMAZING and you deserve all the best in life.

I hope you can all feel more motivated to pursue your goals now - if I did it, you can do it too! Stay strong guys!