Nearly 50 pounds before I turn 50 with pictures

Today I feel 15 years younger. I'm as thin as my thinnest as an adult, but much more fit. I started MFP last June or July with a rocky start on a trip. I got the hang of it and just passsed my one year mark of consistantly logging on. I keep trying to pick "cleaner" and eat "better" but I eat what I want, and try to work around it. It caused me to skip as many drink calories and use water (who knew I was so dehydrated?) I weigh and count out my food into portions. I cut most bread and butter out because I wanted more food! It used to take me hours in the store reading packages. It's easier, now. Keep trying new things. I had forgot how much I like foods that are healthy because I made room for the crap and it pushed out the good stuff. Now I try to do the opposite. A little crap food maybe, but the good food takes up all the space and sounds better. This program naturally makes you modify your food choices because you want to eat enough food! Bad choices rob you of food and make you hungry. Along the way my oldest daughter lost over 50lbs on here, and half way through my time here my husband began to exercise and log food, losing over 50lbs. (the computer dude with cheetos on his chest and coke in hand changed!!!). Beginning in my slippers and PJ's doing 10 minutes on my Nordic Trak ski machine, working up to 45 minutes or more, Doing Biggest Loser Cardio Max next, then Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout, then Wii Zumba. I got up the guts to try 30 Day shred with Jillian, I'm trying to continue with those programs. I just sold my ski machine because we got a treadmill (instead of joining a gym). I said all along " I'll do XXX, but I'll never be a XXX kind of person". I lied every time. I completed that 30 day shred and felt so strong! Running was on my "never" list, and I started walking/running in the Spring, that killed me for a month or so! (I didn't stretch and ran uphill - duh), but now I can run up to 45 minutes! Who am I now?? How did I become "this" person? I started out saying I was used to eating crap and being unfit and fat, so I can't tolerate crap food like I used to, now I realize I was used to feeling crappy. So I notice quick when I eat bad and treat myself bad. It's not so acceptable now! The last straw was me getting chest pain and not being able to haul my Azz upstairs, or bend down to pick something off the floor without it being a big deal. Let me explain something. I have asthma, I found out half way through this year I'm pretty darn anemic (women stuff). I've had 4 babies and thought I'd move into middle age and teetering on older adult with health problems I can't afford! But I thought how could I change much at my age and with my health problems? I was trying to be realistic. But honestly I was only trying to give myself excuses. All the things I told myself were lies. Every single one. I thought I had bad knees, for example (but I worked up to it very slowly and can do anything I want now). I have a mitral valve slight prolapse and asthma, so how can I run now? I have stress incontence from having 4 babies so how could I exercise and drink lots of water? Excuses and lies to yourself. Work up to it. No matter how slow you go you are lapping everyone on the couch. Keep going, keep going, keep going, then do a few minutes more. Log in every single day no matter how bad it is in your head. You might be surprised it's not such a disaster, and it's almost always better than your "old" days. So you blew it one day. Don't wash out the whole day, start right then and now every time. It's the long haul that counts. That doesn't mean you get to say "well eventually".and slack, it just means you get to keep choosing every single hour what you can do better. Check out my profile for changes I noticed along the way.
Here's me when I felt exhausted all the time right before I started. These are the pictures I haven't destroyed because I thought I might look "skinnier" in them than I was at the time.





Shrinking I took pictures every 5 lbs and it was dramatic! Each time I thought I was sooo skinny! Then it was my former pudgy picture! I'm down to a size4-6 now and sm or Xsmall instead of size 14-16 pants and XL tops. I'm at the middle of my BMI, but tend toward the top half of it (muscles!) and my body fat is on the lower end of normal instead of me being in the "obese" category. My waist to hip ratio is healthy now! Changes per inches lost: neck-1.8", chest-6.5", waist 9.5", hips-7", thigh-4", calf-1.5", upper arm - 1.5"






I'm not ever going to be done, because I want to keep feeling like this. Logging in is reality check and exercising makes me feel good. I lost as much as this! or try hauling around a 50# sack of dog food all day! How exhausting!


Thanks for reading. I wanted to let you all know it is DEFINATELY worth all the trouble to change. Keep going!! You will think like the "new you" and look back knowing you never want to be that other person again!