57 lbs gone - 1/2 way to goal!

heheh..... look at my butterfly.... I remember when it was at 0 ;-D

Nonafit, You look like you're well on your way too! Keep going girl!! You'll get there too ;-) Enjoy your progress and just keep on track and you will be there in a few months.... it goes fast.

Sandown, As you know, this is a journey.... life deals us some serious stressors along the way and if you're like me... eating when stressed or bored is such a natural thing to do. I'm fighting to keep it in check almost every day, though it is easier most days than it used to be. I struggled a bit to stay on track during Christmas... felt a loss of motivation.... it comes and goes and I'm sure it will come again. I just looked in the mirror, remembered how happy I was with my hard effort and knew that I'd be even more happy if I kept going, so I buckled down and am still working to stay on track daily. It's been harder since Christmas for some reason... not sure why, but I'm almost back and the weight's coming off, albeit more slowly now. You've done it once, you can do it again! That's the good part.... you KNOW you can! Keep going girl and thanks for your reply.

Hey Deedee! I usually try to leave about 250 cals per day in the green as a general rule. When I plateau, I up that to about 350. I will usually also try to exercise more and just wait it out. Oh... it's VERY frustrating.... but switching up the type of exercise and watching my salt intake usually help immensely. In fact, I'm not 100% sure if every plateau I hit wasn't instigated by too much salt. I'm on much less diuretic now and I've been off BP meds for the last 2 months (first time in 15 years!)... but when I have pizza... I can predict 2 days of stall or gain till I cut the salt back again. ZUMBA BABY!!! My newest love.... it's kicking my butt! LOVE it. It felt SO easy to pedal my bike the other day, it was ridiculous! I hadn't been on it in a few weeks since shortly after starting Zumba.... and LOVE Wii Fit Plus.... hula hoop...island biking...step aerobics....marching band... LOVE it!! Hang in there girl... you're going GREAT!!

Thanks Tarsha! I appreciate it. Go for it girl!

Hey Missy, Thanks for the post... not sure if you were speaking to me or Sandown, but yeah... just keep moving toward your goal again... you'll get there. I haven't had a regain since being on MFP, but I did regain 35 lbs after breast cancer a few years ago when I was on another plan and yes, it was frustrating. What I like about MFP and calorie counting in general, is that you can eat whatever you want.... you just can't eat as much as you probably used to (at least that's been my experience). If you've lost it once, you can do it again. Keep up the hard work. It will pay off.

Thanks so much Liliann! I am sure I'll be seeing yours one day soon too! You can do it too!

Hey Apple, Thanks for all the support! Yes, 57 lbs to me now sounds like nothing.... considering it was 114 just a few short months ago. When I think about all I've done, all the exercise, how much food I've given up, etc... it's pretty mind-blowing, but I have enjoyed the journey so much and LOVE how I'm looking now (except for the looseness of my skin...unfortunate side effect). I really do wish I would have done this years ago when I only had 57 lbs to lose. Back then, I remember that sounded like a HUGE amount of weight to me and I really didn't think I could do it. Now, I KNOW I can. Try not to put too much stress on the 7 months thing....you have a lot less to lose than I did, and it's slowing down considerably over the last few months. As long as you see a downward trend on that scale every 1-2 weeks, you're doing GREAT! I get so many compliments now, it's amazing.... so I didn't need to be 135 to accomplish looking better... about 20 lbs in, I started hearing that.... so focus on small goals and meet them. A bunch of small goals add up to 1 BIG goal and you won't feel as deprived or frustrated. LOVE the journey and the personal growth that comes from freeing yourself of the unwanted fat. You are a work in progress.....and an amazing one at that! ;-D Veronica