Winning this battle

Warning 1: It takes me a while to get to my point so I might be rambling a bit.
Warning 2: English is my third language. I will try to keep grammar as perfect as I can but you will likely see errors. I am writing on a forum and not sending emails / letters at work so I am OK with the errors.
Warning 3: Everything I say here is just my opinion and it is based on my personal experience and beliefs. I understand that people might not agree with some things I might say and that is OK with me. The world would be a boring place if we all agree on something, don't you think?


Losing weight is a battle that all of us face and that is why we are on MFP or that is why we started here. Today I think I have won that battle because I was able to not only lose weight but also have managed to keep it off for 2 years now.

When I first started, my goal was to be down to 125, which is the weight I was at in my early 20s. As I was getting closer to that goal, fear entered my life and I started to think: What if I can't keep it off and everything comes back. What can do I do to avoid failure? The answer for me was to adopt a lifestyle that was manageable and to not think of it as dieting. If you ask me today if I am on a diet my answer will be a big NO. Dieting to me means short term because more often than not, it is associated with deprivation. People on a diet avoid certain types of foods, workout strenuously and sometimes do things that are not healthy. I am flexible in my eating habits, I enjoy eating and drinking and in moderation this is not bad thing. This is how I have been able to keep the weight off for 2 years and knowing that what I do is sustainable, I should be able to maintain for a long time.

Short summary on how I got here. I used MFP for 90 consecutive days while I did my first round of P90X, 2 years ago. I reached my goal a couple of weeks after I finished the program . I stopped using MFP and my weight settled between 127 and 129. I came back to MFP on Jan 1, 2012 because I wanted to tone up and go down to 125 for a cruise I had in March. MFP is a good way to add some structure to nutrition and workout habits. As you can see on my ticker, I went over my goal and today I am around 117 - 118. I will continue to log my food and exercise because I like knowing what I eat on a weekly basis. I look at weekly averages because sometimes I am way over and sometimes I am under. My weekly avg is for the most part spot on.

Commitment to a balanced healthy lifestyle and having friends that share similar goals (not just weight loss and fitness but overall health) are the keys to success in my opinion.

Here are some pics that show where I was at on May 1st 2010 and where I am at today. I can't believe I let myself go for so long but what is important is that I took control back and I am winning this battle.

Front


Back


Side