Progression Pics of my 44lb loss over 1 year (and preview of my Valentine's Day dress)

Hello Friends!

I started my weight loss/fitness journey last year in March. I had let my long hours at work lead to poor food choices and a life of stagnation which lo and behold made me gain so much weight over the years. The weight gain was slow and stealthy... seemed to just creep up out of no where. Until before you know it, I was waddling instead of walking. Out of breath after one small flight of stairs. Buying plus sized and flowy clothes. Hiding behind other people in pictures. Eventually my body revolted and I ended up having all kinds of health issues eventually landing me in the hospital and having surgery. Ughhh this is not the kind of life I imagined!

Before starting, I thought to myself, "OK I need to just give up my love for food and everything delicious." But how wrong I was. I consulted a physical trainer on how to get started and after that picked it up on my own. At first yes, going cold turkey on pizza, donuts and other comfort foods was stressful to say the least. The cravings were horrible. But after the first hell month, it got better little by little. Finding the compromise and balance between total deprivation and total indulgence was the most difficult part and it took much trial and error. Turns out there WERE in fact things I liked that were healthy like cucumbers, apples, almond butter, salmon, yummy frozen protein shakes, steak salads, any vegetable with cheese on it lol....

I learned the difference between Emotional and Physical Hunger, how to meal prep a balanced day and what kind of proportions to use, even the difference between the best and worst types of fruits and veggies (see photos below). As you will I am sure read in many forums, weight loss is at least 70% diet. For cardio, all I did was walk or hike whenever my schedule would allow. Over time, the fat started melting away and every now and then I would need a new pair of jeans when the old ones started falling off again. What a great feeling!

Here I'm posting my progression photos here to show that once I decided to really focus on my food choices amazing things happened. My husband was supportive so I was very lucky to have him to help me through the process, but if you don't have anyone in your life, there are so many people here on MFP that are here to cheer you on! It's an excellent resource on so many levels. I still had my binge days and cheated now and then, but I also learned to forgive myself and move on to the next day afterwards.

In the progression pictures, the last photo is the dress that I am going to wear this Valentine's Day and hope to really WOW hubby! I can't even believe it's a size Small and fits me. I used to be at least an XXL!

There were 2 phrases that would be in my head throughout the hardest parts (especially when I would be making up all kinds of reasons why I should be able to skip the gym that day or how carrot cake was really still nutritious b/c it has carrot in it).

1. CONSISTENCY YIELDS RESULTS
2. STOP MAKING EXCUSES AND JUST DO IT

Find your own phrase to tell yourself when you want to give up, and remember WHY you are doing this. If I can do it, you can too!