Yay! PICS Y'ALL, hit my measurement goals!

Waist is now at 27!! I've never been this size before in my adult life

These pictures are a difference of almost 3 years, but just a 10 lb difference, size 12 down to size 6. Lost the last 8 pounds and 1.5 inches in the past two months using MFP! Woohoo!

The pictures on the right:
These were my original success pics in 2016 taken after 5 months of Weight Watchers/calorie counting only. Went to the gym on occasion. Ate a lot of WW approved processed/packaged foods, low cal and fat free everything, drank a lot of diet coke. I had lost 20-ish pounds, but I went from a size 14 to a size 12, and I didn't notice much of a change except for the scale.

The biggest changes have happened in the past 5 months: started eating cleaner, went for big hill runs, generally stayed around 155-152 pounds (my happy weight). Started eating more whole foods, tons of homemade meals. In general, I avoided low cal or diet anything, but until I started logging my foods, I didn't realize just how much bread I was consuming after a run (hahaha, so delicious)

The picture on the left:
I was happy with my body changes, but I really wanted that scale to move! haha, so 2 months ago I started MFP, started really tracking my sodium, sugar, alcohol and white bread (LOL, it's that dang bread!) and I lost 7 pounds (155 to 148) and felt that all that fat-burning exercise was finally making a difference!

Currently at 144 which I still can not believe!

In my BEFORE pictures, the amount of sugar, lack of nutrients, too many sugary drinks and lots of sodium/misc oils in ready-made meals were really holding me back from looking the way that I wanted which was having a little tummy. The scale seems less important now that I see the difference in my measurements between these pictures.

And sometimes I slip up, and it's okay. Sometimes it's a week. It's okay. I don't go crazy, my cravings have calmed down, but sometimes I put MFP down for a week and take some time to re-evaluate my mental state and prioritize.

I still drink beer (local, not commercial), go out to eat for date night with my partner, and I love a delicious cocktail, but overall I continue to cook most of my own meals with whole foods, olive oil and avoid fat free sauces or low calorie foods. I rarely eat/drink diet anything anymore. To avoid puffiness I drink lots of water with higher sodium meals and alcohol.

This is the biggest change I've seen in my belly in my entire life, and I'm still losing! My next goal weight is 140 and shaping those abs and thighs!

Keep going, it's not easy and it's a HUGE process to shape your body and get your body and mind healthy and in the right place. Eventually you will find what makes your body happy, but you have to keep going!