5'2" and 22 lbs lost - I'm an MFP Lifer now!

I'm 5' 2", will turn 47 years old in August, and have 4 sons.

I have gained and lost weight more than once in my lifetime - including losing more than 50 lbs when my 3rd child was 3 years old - but since discovering MyFitnessPal (MFP), I know my weight will never yo-yo again.

My 'before' image is significant because that's the day I decided enough was enough. My weight had slowly crept up over 3 years and I was wearing a dress that should have been loose and drapey, but instead it was tight and clingy. I was attending a conference and had forgotten to bring the big wrap sweater I had been using for months to cover up my weight gain. I felt bloated, uncomfortable, and fed up.

A couple of weeks later in early December 2013, a family member recommended MFP to me. I downloaded it to my iPhone and started using it, along with the MFP website where I found the "Success Stories" were an inspiration to me. (Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to share their before, during and after images and personal stories on the Success Stories Message Board!)

After years of steadily gaining weight and blaming my age, gender, height, metabolism, hypothyroidism, back injury, blah blah blah -- lo and behold I lost a pound in my first week on MFP and realized none of those excuses were to blame. It turned out I was simply eating too much. My meal portions were acceptable but my daily snacking - especially at work - was out of control.

I set a goal to lose 22 lbs and steadily lost one pound per week every week for 20 weeks straight.

Watching my Progress graph drop down, down, down week after week was a huge motivator for me. Sure there were daily fluctuations and sometimes even spikes, but thanks to MFP, I didn't panic or get discouraged because I knew I was sticking to my daily calorie limit and trusted the graph would drop back down, and it always did.

The last 2 lbs took a little longer to come off, but I reached my goal of losing 22 lbs in 6 months. Now all my clothes fit comfortably and I no longer hide under big sweaters.

I am grateful to MFP for many reasons, but there's one breakthrough in particular I'd like to share:

My husband and I enjoy travelling with our kids. Before MFP, every trip would result in a 5 lb + weight gain for me.

Now when we travel, I take MFP with me and the result is weight maintenance - or sometimes even a loss!

MFP raises my awareness of how many calories are in my favourite foods, and helps me be accountable to myself. It also motivates me to focus on my fitness, especially on days when I want to earn a few more calories for a special night out at a restaurant or a piece of birthday cake.

No food is off-limits for me on MFP, but now I make better choices, and occasionally I plan ahead to ensure I stay within my daily calorie limit.

MFP works if you work at it, and if you are 100% honest with yourself 100% of the time. When it comes to weight loss, there are no quick fixes (at least, none that result in permanent change!), but even if progress is slow on MFP and you only lose 1/2 lb per week, a year from now you'll weigh 26 lbs less than you do today!

I'd like to thanks the creators of the MFP app and website for an *easy* way to manage my weight - as well as to the social media managers on the MFP Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest channels for all the excellent health and fitness information and daily inspiration.

I plan to stay on MFP for life.