75+ lbs down

Hey MFPers! I've always enjoyed looking through the Success Stories and seeing the incredible work that people have done. Never thought I'd post one myself... and certainly not this early into my weight loss journey, I'm definitely still a "during" and not an "after" yet. :happy:

But today I decided I needed to go through my clothes and get rid of the many many items that just don't fit me anymore. As I was trying on pretty much everything in my wardrobe, I realized I still had the outfit I was wearing in the photo that really kicked my butt into gear. So I thought I'd try those clothes on, take some photos, and compare it to that original photo.

Turns out I didn't even remember the right pair of pants - the one I'm wearing in my "before" photo are actually a size 30, and the ones I tried on today were 28s... but you can still get the picture.

The "before" photo was taken on January 1, 2014. I just spent a great evening with my amazing friends at a "hiker's hut" - we had to backpack up to the hut, which is on a ridge with an amazing view. I remember the walk up was tough, the hike starts with a mile straight uphill... which, at 300+ lbs, was hard, and wearing a totally full backpacking backpack made it even harder. I knew there was a time in my life, not so many years ago, that the hike would not have been quite so difficult, but I convinced myself that hey, at least I made it up there, so I was still doing okay. But then after seeing that photo, I was so depressed at how *big* I was, especially compared to my friends. I've *always* been overweight, but the last 5 years or so I had really just let myself go.

I decided that day it was time to start making some changes. I got a Fitbit on January 9 and started logging my food on MFP on January 15. It's been slow and steady ever since, going from averaging about 3000 steps a day to now usually getting around 20,000 steps. I've completed the Zombies, Run! C25k app and now am in Season 2 of the regular app. I still love hiking but now have very little difficulty climbing some pretty major hills and putting in quite a few miles. The boyfriend and I bought kayaks and regularly paddle for miles.

I am not anywhere close to "done" yet. I started at over 300 lbs (didn't have a scale in the beginning), and am now down around 225. Hoping to get to 175 lbs and will re-evaluate from there. Still very much on this journey, and I know it's an entire lifestyle change that I need to keep for my entire life. But at this point, I think I might actually be able to do it. :drinker: