I made it! 166 lbs to 135 lbs (5'6" female) - with pics

I can hardly believe I've made it here! But, here I am. A little bit about me: up until having children, I was in really great shape. Worked out regularly, ran marathons - weighed right about 135 lbs. After my oldest son in 2006, I was able to get back down to 140 lbs after a bit of work. Then, I got pregnant with my daughter. After her birth, I struggled off and on for the next several years with my weight. I'd tried a number of things including veganism, going on low carb/low calorie type diets, trying special workout programs, but nothing really worked.



Finally, I realized this spring I had to do something. I was at my heaviest - 166 lbs (the pic above was taken at Easter of this year). Maybe not a huge number for some folks, but for me - that meant I was officially "overweight." I was fast growing out of my size 12 pants and feeling really down. Even worse, seeing myself in pictures I saw how badly I'd let myself go.

It's not even like there was this moment where I'm like "let's do this!" because really, nothing in me wanted to start this process. I knew it would take a long time. But, one day in late April, I laced up my running shoes and squeezed into my tightest running shorts and ran 2 miles. Then I did it the next day, and the next, and the next. It really sucked, because in my prime, I'd run 8 milers practically in my sleep - and this was hard work now! But, I tried to be patient with myself and pressed on. On a whim, I decided to sign up for a 12K in mid-June. (Maybe this was foolhardy, given I was just starting out again!) At this point, I'd lost 10 pounds and was starting to feel better. I ended up completing my run with a decent time, and was able to run the entire thing.



After the race, I found that my weight just wasn't budging much. That's when I decided to come back to MFP more seriously and started tracking calories. I quickly ditched the "recommended" 1200 calories realizing that was just not sustainable. I bumped it up to 1550 and then over time over 1650 calories per day.



While the weight was coming off slowly, I was amazed at how easy it was! I didn't adhere to any particular diet per se, but I found that tracking my calories naturally makes me want to make better choices (you get the better bang for your buck, so to speak). One of the best bits of advice I got from the forums here at MFP is to do what you intend to do long term! This is so key. Don't crash diet - be sensible & patient in your approach & trust the process. The picture above was me at about 145 pounds, this summer.



A couple days ago, I realized I'd made it. The scale said 135.6 and I could hardly believe it! After 7 months, I've actually stuck with it and made a change. The best part: not only am I at my goal weight, I'm fitter than I've *ever* been. Last week, I clocked a 5K in 26:24 (and there were HILLS!). I had always considered myself a 10-min/mile runner! I've incorporated heavy weight training, circuit training, speed drills, and long distance running into my week. I workout 6 days a week now and I strive to keep my workouts varied. Oh, and my SIZE 8 jeans are now getting loose! Funny how a few months ago I could barely squeeze into my size 12s!

Where do I go, from here? At this point, I may want to drop a few more pounds to improve racing time. I also want to work on body composition, and incorporate more strength training (I truly believe it had a big impact on my running improvement). I plan to continue to log for the indefinite future, to ensure my hard work is not undone.

There is soooooo much more that I can say about food, fitness, and this process, but I'm already teetering on a novel at this point. I will say: if anyone has questions, please ask away. I'll do my best to answer.

Best wishes on all your journeys - may you find success.