18.5kg (40.7 pounds) lost, progress story with pictures.

G'day boys and girls!

My name is Michael Bailey, I'm 23 years old, from Perth, Western Australia but currently living in Sydney after a recent move 6 months ago.

I first came across MFP on the iPhone when I was trying to find a decent calorie counting application, little did I know it would be such a handy tool to help me achieve my weight loss goal. I couldn't believe it's user friendliness, the huge database of foods and I don't think I have scanned a barcode for it to only come back with "food not found"

That brings me to my weight loss regime. For many years I have battled weight issues, with my scale reading going up, down, up down, up then up, up up....I became lazy, unfit, and generally an all round unhealthy bloke. Almost 15 weeks ago, my weight had reached an all time high of 113.5kg, I couldn't believe it. But it caused me to change, and change for the good. I began to eat less crap, healthier foods more often as well as exercise, and drink lots of water (especially coming into summer). This was the game plan.

I had to be very strict in the first few weeks, as I wanted to get into the cycle and get rid of the temptation of craving eating fatty take away foods and larger portions. I was also exercising with a minimum of a 5km walk a day that incorporated hills and the odd jog, with the utilization of the Nike GPS+ app. As I was able to track my progress in both distance, calorie burning and time, it was pleasing to see what I was achieving day to day and only wanting to strive further as time went on.

10 weeks into my diet, I had lost 13kg. People were beginning to notice my changing body and it was certainly a confidence booster with all the compliments I was receiving. But I was getting bored, I needed a good kick in the *kitten* to get me going again. So, I hit the gym. I was certainly hesitant at first as I was worried about coming face to face with my fitness levels but it seemed like the 10 weeks of walking had paid off. I have been back for almost five weeks now and I am five weeks into the Couch to 5k running program. I can feel dramatic improvements in my fitness already and I am ready to begin week 6 tomorrow!

So far, I have lost 18.5kg over 14 weeks and I am so happy with my efforts. I still wish to lose another 17kg or so and get to about 78kg but it isn't going to happen over night. I look forward to keeping you all posted on my progress and I can't wait to reach the finishing line.

Here are some before and after shots


Before







After