Half-way to success!

I recently reached the half-way point to my goal. I started at 247 and am down to 191. To get there, I've logged my food to the point of being annoying and have stayed within my goal every day. Today is the 4 month anniversary of joining the local gym. I have been twice a day every day but Sunday when I go just once. I have had to move some days around but I've been 13 times every week since we joined. I do cardio in the mornings. In the evenings, I do a little cardio for warm up and cool down and alternate upper body and lower body weight workouts. Like many others, I still don't see any difference when I look in the mirror but I can see the difference in my clothes. These pants fit me at the start of this:

I've been awful about taking pictures; I had to go back to last November to find any kind of "before" picture and, according to my 16 year old daughter, I'm a horrible selfie taker but here's what I have:


MFP has been a huge help. I refuse to eat anything that I can't log and I carry a portable scale in my purse so I can weigh things on the go. I got a Fitbit Charge HR for my birthday and I love having such a complete record of my calories burned. I think the most helpful thing has been learning that nothing is off limits if I stay within my calories. While I've almost completely cut out crap food, I was able to work in a piece of birthday cheesecake on my daughter's birthday and I have an occasional piece of bread or really good piece of chocolate. Moderation is key.

For any newbies out there, take before pictures and progress pictures. It will help you see your how your hard work is paying off. Also, take measurements. I didn't take measurements until a month had passed so I don't know how many inches I've lost. I also recommend an activity tracker. The Fitbit has made it so easy to track my workouts.

This site has been so inspirational. I appreciate others sharing their stories.