4 Stone lost (56lbs), 5 dress sizes and a nomination

I'm so incredibly happy today for a number of reasons. I'm so happy in fact that I would like to shout from a mountain top... but there are no mountains nearby so here seems a good alternative.

I've been on this site for over 431 days now and I've gone from obese to petite! Literally. I started out in May 2011, weighing 196lbs with a BMI of 35 and a body fat % of 42%! I was in poor health to say the least and I knew I had to do something but I had 60lbs to lose and I never thought I'd manage it at the time.

I'm now just 4lbs away from my goal weight, but to be honest, it doesn't feel as urgent any more and the scale doesn't matter as much as it used to. I'm fitter than I've ever been (swimming 100 lengths is one of my proudest fitness achievements!) I have dropped from a UK size 18 down to a UK 10, my bra size from a 42GG to a 34F (saving me from breast reduction surgery) and my body fat has dropped from 42% to 29%. My BMI is a little over 25 but I'm confident that I'll reach a BMI of around 22 at some point.

On top of all of this, my weight loss blog (http://beyondthebathroomscale.blogspot.co.uk/), which I've been using to document my journey as well as share recipes and reviews of various fitness books and games, has now been nominated for 'Best Lifestyle Blog' in the Cosmopolitan Blog Awards 2012! (You can vote for it here if you like, it only takes a second: http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/blog-awards-2012-vote).

I have four weeks until my holiday, which I'm no longer feeling self-conscious about and I may even consider buying a bikini instead of covering up in my one-piece or tankini. I never thought last year that any of this would happen and I want to thank every single one of my MFPs for supporting me all the way! You're all amazing and I couldn't have done it without you!