Six Months and 37 Pounds!

A brief summary for those of you who do not feel like reading:
Starting weight: 174
Current weight: 137
Goals: Probably about 130, gain muscle.
Height: 5’6”

I know this isn't a giant weight loss like some people post, but I lost 37 pounds in six months, and that's a big deal to me. I don't have amazing abs and I'm not a size two, but I'm proud of my progress. I couple days ago, I hit day 180. I never thought I could stick to this lifestyle for so long, or that I could fit into my old prom dress.
I have never been thin. I was a normal weight during high school, but never felt like I had a great body. I valued my personal health and fitness throughout high school, but never played school sports or considered myself to be athletic. When I started college, I started to get athletic. I ran, went to the gym, played sports with friends, etc. This ended when I found out my ACL had been torn for two years. I got it fixed after my first semester of college, and it was downhill from there. I got lazy and used my knee as an excuse to not exercise. I took the bus rather than walking. I started to date someone who did not value his personal health. We ate junk food all the time and rarely exercised. It's not his fault that I gained so much weight during the year and a half I dated him, but the during the relationship, my physical fitness went down the drain. I gained way more than the freshman 15. I wish I knew my weight entering college, but I must have gained about 30 pounds between my second semester and the end of my sophomore year.
This photo was a wake-up call for me:

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I was 19 years old, 5’6”, and 174 pounds. I hate how I look in this photo, and it will be displayed on the internet forever as I reminder of the time I earned a math scholarship, but looked really fat. I know the fit of my clothes and the angle of the photo may not have been ideal, but that’s what I looked like.
Here’s another picture of me at 174ish pounds:

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I started to use MFP in late May, after the semester ended. I monitored what I ate and exercised frequently.
In July, I ran a color run with my friends. I was about 162 pounds in this picture.

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I ran a few times a day, biked to work rather than driving, and continued to eat in moderation. By the end of August, I was 155 pounds.

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I was still unhappy with the way my stomach looked, but pleased with the shape of my legs. When I went back to school, people complimented me on my weight loss. I was worried that I would gain more weight like I did during the previous year of college. I started going to the gym a few times a week, running with friends.
Around homecoming in early October, I was 147 pounds.

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Last weekend, I went to a wedding. I wore a dress that hasn’t fit me in over a year, and accepted compliments from my extended family. I am now 137 pounds, happy, and healthy.

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I would still like to lose 10ish more pounds and do some toning with my arms and stomach, but I realize the importance of taking my time, eating healthy, and enjoying my life.
I’m a math person, so I enjoy using graphs and charts to represent information, so here is my weight loss graph. The reason the lines are so straight for late August-now is because I don’t have a scale at school. I would occasionally weigh myself at the gym at the end of the days with my shoes on, but the bigger drops are when I went home and used my parent’s scale in the morning.

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Look at the difference in my face!

164 lbs:

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137 lbs:

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Feel free to add me as a friend if you need motivation or support. I’ll try to answer any questions you have. I’m excited to keep progressing! More success story pictures will come later when I have hardcore abs! :)

Replies

  • ncfitbit
    ncfitbit Posts: 1,058 Member
    Thanks so much for posting your amazing success! Thirty-seven pounds is a lot of weight. I love that you lost it in six months time, too. I am relatively early on in my journey and I wonder if I'll be able to stick with it over the long haul. It seems like everyone wants to lose the weight quickly, but what I really want is to be able to do it without starving and to be able to keep it off! Thanks so much for posting all the awesome pictures, too. I'm so inspired!
  • Dawmelvan
    Dawmelvan Posts: 133 Member
    Congratulations!
  • jrek521
    jrek521 Posts: 25 Member
    Way to go!!
  • dieter75
    dieter75 Posts: 33 Member
    Great job.
  • MegzC321
    MegzC321 Posts: 152 Member
    You look Great!
  • fobs13
    fobs13 Posts: 1,080 Member
    Well done. You look great.
  • bryannakay
    bryannakay Posts: 198 Member
    This is awesome!!!! It's funny because to me....that much weight lost in 6 months seems impossible! But you DID IT!!! Hmmmm....maybe I could too!!!
  • Ni_kki
    Ni_kki Posts: 50 Member
    Well done!
  • 2bizzybee
    2bizzybee Posts: 23 Member
    Be proud of your weight loss! I takes a commitment
    to keep losing pounds. Great job!
  • Kelll12123
    Kelll12123 Posts: 212 Member
    bryannakay wrote: »
    This is awesome!!!! It's funny because to me....that much weight lost in 6 months seems impossible! But you DID IT!!! Hmmmm....maybe I could too!!!

    You definitely could! You just have to think about one week at a time and don't get discouraged if you don't see results right away. Just being able to see what I was putting into my body when I made my food logs changed the way I ate. Also, don't deprive yourself of foods you like, just eat them in moderation! I eat junk food A LOT, but I'm very conscious of when I'm eating it and I monitor what else I eat during the day.
    Good luck with your weight loss!


    And thanks for the kind words, everyone!
  • BlueEyedRedhead
    BlueEyedRedhead Posts: 5,169 Member
    You look great! Well done! :)
  • congratulations! you look great!!
  • sloseph
    sloseph Posts: 157 Member
    congratulations you've done brilliantly

    i love that you included your mfp graph in this, it was really nice to see the overall progress :smiley:
  • Kelll12123
    Kelll12123 Posts: 212 Member
    Thanks again, everyone!
  • NikonPal
    NikonPal Posts: 1,346 Member
    Fantastic -- 37 pounds in six months!! at 5'6" amazing job! Certainly shows hard work and dedication.
  • socalkay
    socalkay Posts: 746 Member
    Great work Kelli! (*) (*) (*) (*)
  • Congratulations! that's fantastic work - success!
  • RHPSgirl1984
    RHPSgirl1984 Posts: 436 Member
    Congrats! :smiley:
  • williamwj2014
    williamwj2014 Posts: 750 Member
    Nice. You look amazing. :wink:
  • libbydoodle11
    libbydoodle11 Posts: 1,351 Member
    What a superb accomplishment. Can't wait to hear about your next ultimate goal and how your maintenance is going.
  • fit4life_tbt
    fit4life_tbt Posts: 9 Member
    You look amazing! Youre stories and photos are very inspiring. Congrats on achieving your goals!:)
  • opalsqueak007
    opalsqueak007 Posts: 433 Member
    What a pretty girl before, but you look smashing now - well done :)
  • wow! awesome job, i definitely agree about trying to concentrate on being healthy and enjoying it, and obviously for you it has paid off big time! :smile:
  • chele402
    chele402 Posts: 128 Member
    Great story & progress! I'm the same height and started at 174 too. Right now I'm less than half way to my journey to 130 but your story is very motivating! I'm hoping to be able to get there by Memorial Day!

    Keep up the awesome work!
  • coueswhitetail
    coueswhitetail Posts: 309 Member
    Thanks for sharing your story and advice! I love the pic of you jumping up with happy on your leg! Cute! And thanks for posting your weight chart....it can be hard to keep at it when weight loss stalls....I just got through a 3 week (!) period where I didn't lose anything, now suddenly I dropped two pounds in two days. I was getting really worried, but seeing others who saw similar "stalls" and then success has helped.
  • ugenaric1
    ugenaric1 Posts: 33 Member
    That's great!!! Keep it up!
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