40 pounds down- inspiration with lots of pics

Hey everybody,

I know it can be so hard to stick to clean eating and exercising so I hope my story can give you some strength to push through. In the end, it is so worth it!

Three and a half years ago I gave birth to my beautiful daughter. She was a huge baby and after my pregnancy my body looked like a battle field, stretch marks and flabby fat all over. I had gained over 35 pounds. After ignoring the mirror for a couple of months and taking the time to rest and get to know my child, I started walking a lot and joining a pilates class for moms. Myfitnesspal helped me restict my calorie intake and eventually change my diet. Breastfeeding made it managable to lose the first 15 pounds in a pretty short amount of time.

After about a year I started doing the free workout videos on fitnessblender.com, starting with a level 2 working my way all the way up to a level 4/5. Now I also run with runtastic and runzombie, do some inlineskating, cross training, HIIT, yoga... you name it! I love to keep my body guessing and my mind interested.

Here is my secret:
Take it a day at a time. Every day, try to do your best and if you fall off the horse because of birthday cake, caramel crunch ice cream or because you also have a life besides working out and eating right, don't give up. One day or one week or even a month of not doing the right thing does not mean that you've failed or that you can't do it. Every day marks a new chance to change your life. For me, change was a very slow, gradual thing but it is important to realize that it does not move in a straight line, but in waves. I had weeks during which I was sick or had to work a lot and ate crappy foods again. I gained weight again during those times. That is normal. Just get back on track as soon as you can. For me the periods of falling back into old habits got smaller and smaller and now I eat healthy and exercise on a super regular basis and if I don't, my body tells me I should. Usually, I feel bad mentally and physically if I go back to crappy foods even if it's just for a day. After three years (!!) it is a part of me now. I did it. Slow. Steady. But with chocolate in between And so can you!!!

Here the facts:

Height: 5'7
Starting weight: 190 pounds
Goal and current weight : 150 pounds
Food: Vegetarian diet. Vegetables, fruits, eggs, nuts, grains, milk products, tofu etc. Cutting out most prcessed foods, eating as natural as possible on a daily basis. Carbs are not my enemy. In the beginning: calorie deficit of 500 calories/day, mostly due to working out. Now I eat about 2500 calories a day with an active life style.
Exercise: Walking and pilates/yoga, then running/HIIT/strength training/active life style (walking, going by bike, playing on the playground, swimming in the lake etc.)
Time: about 3 years




















Me now: