De-Lurking to Post my One-Year Success Pics!

How motiviating!
I'm just a smidgen over 5'4" and I don't think I've been under 120 lbs since 5th grade! I'm well over that now and was shooting for 145...but maybe I can do better than that.
Thanks for posting!

Thanks! I'm so glad to hear that you found my story motivating. When it comes to goals in this sort of journey, I think it's important to both shoot for the stars and not be so unrealistic that you set yourself up for failure. (I've found it hard to balance between the two during my journey so far.) Remember that every body is different and 145 on you might well look like 120 on me. Find what makes you happy and what you can sustain long term.

Super pictures, thank you for sharing them. Wonder if I will ever be able to get both legs in an old pair of my trousers, must keep one pair!

I would definitely recommend keeping one pair and getting rid of *everything* else. I'm an organised, anal packrat, so I keep things "just in case". But this time, I told myself there was no "just in case" for my old clothes. I was *not* ever going to need them again. The day the Diabetes Association came and picked up the five garbage bags filled with old clothes was one of the highlights of my journey so far. (Even when I was feeling sentimental, I just reminded myself that by giving them away like this, I was potentially enabling someone else on a journey like mine to pick up a nice bargain to help them on their way down to a healthy size.)

I never imagined that I would be one of those people who lost enough weight to stand in one trouser leg, but I tried it anyway, and here I am. That one pair of jeans and shirt that I've kept serves as a reminder of where I came from and lets me take silly pics like the one that I posted--which is great motivation in those discouraged moments.

Congratulations!!!!
I would like to run again, but I frequently get pain in my hips/legs/knees after workout at the gym. Been thinking of trying to change my running form to midfoot striking (chi running for example). I wonder if I am too heavy to let go of cushioned shoes (BMI 29,9). At which weight did you start using your Vibram shoes?

Thanks.

I bought them when I was 167lb and had a BMI of 29.2 (so I'd just gotten out of the obese range and into the overweight range). I started C25K with them and have never run in any manner except with a midfoot strike. I definitely caution you to start out slowly; you can really hurt yourself if you go too quickly and don't give your muscles time to get used to the new motion.

When I bought the Vibrams, I was told to wear them around the house in 30-minute doses to start getting used to them. If you're already a runner, you shouldn't jump into your regular speed/length with the Vibrams but should build up in small increments as though you were a new runner again. As I understand it (though I'm far from an expert), the midfoot strike allows your calf muscles to absorb the impact as they were designed to do, helping prevent strain to hips/legs/knees. But if you strike wrong in the Vibrams, you'll have less padding to absorb the shock and could make it worse for your hips and knees.

I'm not running right now, but I wear the Vibrams at the gym for all my workouts (including to fencing class, where I get some strange looks, lol), and I'm seeing more and more people doing the same.

The store I bought them from let me buy them and try them out (as long as I didn't wear them outside) for a week to see what I thought of them; maybe you could find somewhere that would allow you to do that? Best of luck!

Wow o.O Im currently 5'5 and weigh 194.8 as of last week 3/7 Wednesday, hopefully I can succeed as you have My goal is 130, havent weighed that much since high school.

I gained alot of my weight when I was pregnant with my son & never bothered to hit the gym afterwards, he's 5 now and my weight just kept going up, I hit 198 & decided I didnt want to be over 200 pounds. So I've been going to the fitness center Monday-Friday completing 20+ miles a week, (includes workout classes that are converted into miles)

It sounds like you've come up with a challenge that works for you. I think the most important thing is finding activities that you enjoy and a lifestyle that you can maintain; it doesn't do us any good to do something completely unrealistic that we can't continue with, because then we'll put all the weight back on. Keep up the great work!

Thanks, everyone, for your positive feedback! It's what I love about this site and why I spend so much time on the success stories threads.