172 pounds lost - Before and after

farmgirlrrt wrote: »

Is this just with myfitnesspal? Regardless of the answer...your progress is astounding! What do you think some of weaknesses were when you started your journey and how did you turn those around?

Myfitnesspal certainly helped in that it made it easy to track my calories. Basically, for the first 6 months, I tried to stay around 1200 calories, then I upped to 1500 calories, now I'm at around 2,000 calories. The hardest part was having the motivation to know that I had the power to make the changes I needed to make and stay with them. I knew what was possible when I started this journey, and I had to begin with the end in mind. When I started, I knew that if I maintained this lifestyle, I would lose the weight. After the first month, I had lost 30 pounds, and that was all the motivation I needed to keep it up. Now I am trying to find a balance and maintenance calorie amount that I can maintain the rest of my life. Pinterest was and is my friend. It's where I have found 90% of the recipes me and my girlfriend cook. No more fast food at all, and limited eating out. But now if I do go out, I usually get a greek salad or something like that. My palate has completely changed. I eat lots of lean proteins, tons of fruit and vegetables. I am looking forward to my annual physical later this month to take blood work and surprise my doctor. Last time I saw my doctor was September of last year when I was 350. All my blood work was good then, but I knew it was only a matter of time before my health started declining because of my poor lifestyle.