Six months and 75 pounds later - pictures

You're making me feel BAD! I started in April and have only lost 68lbs so far!! lol Started at 245 and today set a new low at 177lb. But I just had to say NICE JOB! That is a big change in a short amount of time!

I wear a photo ID at work as well. It doesn't get looked at too closely by anyone so I'm keeping it as a reminder to myself of what was and what would be if I go back to my bad habits. I did update the picture that comes up if someone looks up my name in the company online database though.

I also noticed as I get close to my goal where I had stopped losing. So I am now at 1/2 lb per week loss and have started to lose again. I think you are an excellent example for everyone that if you change your diet and exercise regularly you can make big changes in a relatively short time! Again, very nice job!!

You should feel great, you've made incredible progress! I actually reset my target a couple times, as I realized that it actually was possible, and as I began to get anxious as I approached my goal and began to wonder if I'd be able to stay motivated to maintain it. Originally I wanted to get below 200, then it was 185, then 175. I was tempted to go even lower but my wife convinced me that I'm in a good place and I should be transitioning into strength training to maintain.

I'd say the two biggest factors are staying consistent in your calorie tracking (intake and burn, think of it as an equation, you have to balance both sides) and regularly update your workout, even small changes made every 1 to 2 weeks is enough to keep your body responding the way you want. When I first added pushups and sit-ups, I was doing two sets of 10 each after my cardio workout. Every week I added another one or two more reps, and eventually added more sets as well as squats and arm curls. Now I'm doing three sets of 25 reps each yet it doesn't feel any more difficult because I'm stronger now.

For me, starting slow and building up a little bit each week worked well, I was able to avoid injury and the frustration of trying to do too much too soon and being sore all the time.