Size 20 to size 2! 145 lbs GONE!

When I started my weight loss journey using MFP, I viewed the success stories forum almost every day. I couldn’t wait to post my own success story the moment I hit my goal weight. It’s been about 3 months since then. What was I waiting for?


Here I am in 2009. This isn’t me when I initially started, but it is me at my heaviest weight, approximately 250 lbs at 5’4” size 20 pants/2XL shirts.

I started my journey In January 2015 at 200 lbs. I lost the first 50 lbs over a long period of time unintentionally by eating less. I began by counting my calories using the diary. I didn’t have a food scale when I started, but I quickly got one soon after. I set a target of no more than 1,400 calories a day, but most days would typically be about 1,200-1,300. At this point, I hadn’t made much change to my diet. I was eating frozen, pre-cooked/processed foods, little vegetables, non-diet soda, etc. I started partaking in light exercise. I already owned an elliptical, so I used that for about 15 minutes every day. I did not take many break days, because I was afraid a break would put me out of the swing of things. I also did some walking around the neighborhood a few days a week, and introduced light lifting 2-3 times a week about a month into it.


Here I am on July 2nd 2015, 6 months into my weight loss journey. I had lost 30 lbs since the beginning of the year at this point (170 lbs, 5’4”). I was still on track with eating approximately 1,300 calories a day, but by this time I had purchased a new elliptical with an incline (which I love dearly and still use to this day) and increased the workout time to 60 minutes, while still lifting and walking regularly.


This is me on October 30th, 2015, almost 10 months into my journey and down 55 lbs (145 lbs, 5’4”). By this time, I had increased my exercise time to 90 minutes, with lifting and walking regularly throughout the week. I worked very hard and was very determined to get to my goal.


Me on December 27th, 2015, 75 lbs from the beginning of the year (125 lbs, 5’4”). I admit that by this point I was obsessed with hitting my goal and was exercising on my elliptical for 180 minutes every day, running a half marathon each time. I was eating about 1,300-1,500 calories a day, and lifting about once a week.

It was March 2016 when I finally hit my final goal weight of 105 lbs, approximately 145 lbs lost from my highest weight, 95 lbs lost from January 2015 when I started with MFP. And here I am now…








So why was I waiting so long to make this success story post? In the first picture, I was at a botanical garden with my husband and mother. Just this past weekend we went back to that garden because I wanted to retake these photos for a proper before and after comparison.

Now my maintenance calorie goal is about 1,500 without exercise factored in (so about 1,900-2,000 calories daily to maintain). I exercise 5-6 times a week using my elliptical for an hour. Sometimes I do bike riding, jogging, walking, swimming, and gym time at my university, and I am still lifting regularly, about 2 times a week. My diet is much cleaner than it was when I started. Now my diet consists mostly of unprocessed meats, whole grains, and lots of fruits and vegetables. I do, however, drink diet soda, some pre-packaged snacks and treats (but I try to go for the more ‘healthy’ ones - Triscuits are one of my favorites) and go out to eat about 2-3 times a month (be it fast food or restaurant). I have been learning more at-home cooking, where I can control the calorie amount and still have a great tasting meal, so going out to eat has actually became less appetizing for me anyway.

To wrap things up here, I’d just like to add that losing weight was the most challenging thing I’ve ever done. It took serious commitment, dedication, and especially discipline over all. It was hard to lace up my shoes every day and workout, even when I didn’t want to. It wasn’t easy declining the free doughnuts and pizza offered to me plenty of times at work. But I was rewarded in the end. I couldn’t be happier and more proud of myself for following through. It is a life changer. It has changed me in more aspects than just my size and weight, it has introduced me to a new way of living and enjoying life. Thanks for reading my story!