I did it with ARBY's.

Hell yes folks, I have reached my goal weight. (My ticker is a liar BTW... I like to track two pounds above for water/angry girl week fluctuation).. I'm not gonna lie to you and claim it was steamed veggies and fish that helped me get there, cuz I only ate salmon once and I didn't love it.

So what did I do might you ask? Well, refer to the topic title. LOL!

Honestly, I started out all salads, clean meals, nuts and lean meat. All it did was frustrate me and forced me to plateau so many times I wanted to lipo to save myself the trouble. It wasn't until I stopped stressing over wanting french fries and cheese cake that the pounds fell off like warm butter on that dinner roll I often talked myself out of having.

I mean sure... I still have a salad for lunch. BUT... I LOVE Bleu Cheese Dressing so the green leafy stuff is justified. And what exactly did I lose?

Between January (when I really started tracking) and today? I am down.... *drum roll* .....31 POUNDS!!!! NOW, my journey isn't over unfortunately. I'm about to embark on the next destination, enter... heavy weights! From here I have the task of slowly increasing my caloric intake and getting my lazy *kitten* back into the gym to tone those muscles I had hiding under my winter warmth. I'm rather excited about it really, not something i would have said 6 months ago.

I attribute this step in to a better me to the following:

Arby's... for always having a hot mega roast beef ready for when I wanted a serious protein boost.
My Fitness Pal... For keeping me accountable to every damn morsel. Jerk.
Hummus.. You make a brilliant chip dip.
McDonald's... Placing cal counts on your drive through menu was PURE GENIUS.
Tic Tac's... My sweet tooth appreciates your sugary low calorie alternative to woofing down an entire cheese cake.

And last... Everyone on MFP who said diets are stupid... that LIFESTYLE is the only way to successfully lose/maintain. Don't get me wrong? "Vegiketoatkinaleogan" probably works for some people who can deal with elimination diets, and more power to you!!

But me?

I like french fries, cherry pie, mini donuts, hamburgers, and pizza WAY too much to not have them for months at a time... I learned how to fit them into my calorie goals and I was HAPPY though out my entire "diet".

Oh, and did I mention I barely hit the gym?

Anyway here's a before/after pic:



The two larger photos are today, the smaller ones are from the beginning and middle of my journey. So, wish me luck in the next phase!! And if you have gone from skinny fat to fabulous? I can use all of the friend/support/advice I can get!

THANK YOU MFP!!!