"Only" 21 lbs Lost (But 80 to go?)

I didn't want to wait till I got to goal to post these, because I thought this would encourage some of the folks out there who have a lot of weight to lose and might be discouraged if they've only lost "a little."

These results are not strictly from calorie restriction. I have also been "somewhat" diligently working out at the gym on a fairly regular basis, 2 - 3 days a week for 1 - 1.5 hours each time - spin class 2x a week (though I missed 3 or 4 classes due to scheduling) and actually last night was my first time back at the gym for 2 weeks. I had done only minimal exercise during that time period (but I stayed within my calories for the most part.) I also have done some dog walking and sprinting but not every day and I never exercise more than 4 days a week for no reason other than I don't always make time for it.

What I'm trying to say is this has been a "fairly-dedicated-with-some-slip-ups" attempt at staying within my calories and macros, and a "slightly-better-than-half-a**ed" attempt at regular exercise. And these are my results.

FIRST, this is how I looked 24 years ago, before I got married and obviously before kids. This is my favorite picture of me, and my big brudder, whom I love dearly. People always complained that I was too skinny there. But I weighed about 124. I am 5'6". I was 21.





Fast forward 20+ years. I have no idea how much I weighed here, but it was taken near the end of 2012. I definitely weighed more than 245 lbs. Before I joined MFP I lost some weight trying to live on juicing and smoothies for most meals. It did help me shed some weight but I could not keep at it for long.



When I first joined MFP I weighed 245 and lost some weight...about 20 lbs... and gained it all back because I lost my focus and commitment. It was a gradual thing. I realized in January I was in trouble because I wanted to fit into a pair of jeans I was particularly proud of last summer, for a special occasion (David Cassidy Concert in Atlantic City. Yes, that's because I am a middle aged woman.) I COULD NOT EVEN PULL THEM UP. I was MAD. I got on the scale and yup, I gained all that lost weight back again.

NOW FOR THE "ONLY 21 LBS PART"

On January 25th of this year, I recommitted to MFP and this pic was taken when I weighed in at around 244. I had read somewhere to take monthly progress photos and I'm glad I did. Oh and this is when I started going back to the gym, too.



About a month later I had "only" lost 14 lbs. While I know it was good progress for a month, it was still disheartening, when I realized I still had like, 86 lbs to go. I still looked gross and obese. I wasn't going to take a pic but I did, and when I put it beside the yellow one up above, I was shocked.



There is no miracle other than I ate within my deficits and I worked out - I didn't do just cardio, I also used the weight machines at the gym, and even did squats and stuff at home - but like I said, it was all done in a "slightly-better-than-half-a**ed" way.

And today, I took my next monthly pic. This is at "only" 21 lbs lost. I realize I still have a long way to go...but here I am. I want to encourage everyone with a long journey ahead - take delight in every victory, no matter how small it seems. This to me is incredible.