52 years old; lost 52 pounds in 52 weeks!

I did it! Beginning last year on April 5th I set out to lose "about 50 lbs" - which soon became my 52-in-52 for this 52 year-old - and here I am, one year later, and I made it! (I actually overshot it by a pound, but I know that weight fluctuates - for all intents and purposes I am at right at GOAL.)

How I did it: started on South Beach for about 2 months, then modified it on my own, but still following the basic principles - balanced diet, mostly whole foods, locally grown or raised whenever possible, and cutting back on the carbs; I am also fighting diabetes - a high post-meal sugar is what got me started on this, since both parents were diagnosed with diabetes in their 50's. I was disappointed a few weeks ago to find that I may not have completely escaped it, but by losing weight and getting in shape, I have escaped the official diagnosis (A1C of 5.7; diabetes is 6.0); my physician told me that had I not done what I did, I would almost certainly have been diagnosed now or by the next visit. (A caveat if you look at my food diary: don't believe about 2/3 of the brands listed - I only use exisiting brands on MFP for convenience. Many times - esp. fruits, vegetables, beef, pork and chicken - are local or home-grown and not the brands listed.)

Now comes the really hard part - maintenance. I'm a little unsure about this part; it is going to take some trial and error, I am sure, to get it right. I also have new goals - fitness goals, including a race I am running in August (running again since November after not being able to for the past 12 years...) as well as seeing if I can get my A1C down a bit...