1 YEAR. 75LBS. Size 20 to size 8. PICTURES!

I'm so excited to finally be able to post in here. I've read so many posts...and so many of them kept me going! Now its my turn to hopefully encourage someone else! IT IS POSSIBLE...YOU CAN DO IT!!!! I am 33 years old. I've been heavy my entire life (heaviest was around 245). I have 4 children. I am 5'4. I was a size 20 and now I am a size 8. I used no products at all. My success has been from calorie counting and exercise alone. If you have any questions just ask! My diary is open to friends but please be aware...I'm not very consistent with logging right now. What is logged is very accurate...but lately I have missed logging a bit...however...I'm still keeping track...just not always on MFP.


365 Days. Today marks 1 year from the day I chose to change my lifestyle. I remember thinking that it was going to take forever. I remember doubting I could do it. I remember close friends asking me if I really thought I would stick with it. But every week the scale dropped. Every week my body changed. Every week I got stronger. Every week...I kept going. It is hard work. It's hard mentally, it's hard physically, and it's hard emotionally. It's hard to push the plate away. It's hard to order healthy when there are so many greasy, cheesy, doughy, sugary temptations. It's hard to train. It's hard to run. It's all hard...but it's all so good. I'm still the same woman I was 365 days ago. I'm still a precious daughter of the one true King who was beaten for me, who died for me, and is coming back for me one day. I'm still the wife of an amazing husband who has been by my side every hard step of the way encouraging and supporting me. I'm still the momma of 4 great kids who are learning how to be healthier along with me, and I'm still the friend I was who prays earnestly and loves hard. But I'm so much healthier and stronger. I'm a better version of that woman. I've lost 75lbs by counting calories and exercising. I'm proud of that but I've gained so much more. I went from not being able to run half a mile to completing a half marathon with someone I put on the back burner and left for dead but who stood by me even in my most selfish moments and reeled me back in when she knew I needed it , I've gained a love for fitness, I've gained more confidence, I have more energy, I've done things I never thought I would be able to do.... and I'm not finished. I've gained friendships with many wonderful people who have motivated me to do more simply by doing more themselves. I remember being so afraid of my first fitness class..."but those women are so much more fit than me"...and they are but those women are so encouraging and supportive. I've gained a training buddy who pushes me to be better each week ...and we have a trainer who has helped us reach new heights and taught us to suck it up because its earned not given. I've learned a lot about food and fitness the last 365 days. I've learned a lot about how strong I am. And I'm so thankful that I didn't quit. I have bad days...everyone does but even the bad days make me stronger. Fit is not a goal...it's a lifestyle and one that I'm so glad I chose.

Pictures are marked in hopes of no one copying them to use for personal gain.