What a difference a year makes....

so we went to maine last july for our annual family vacation...i was into my 3rd year of my journey and had lost about 37lbs since i started in january 2008 so i was about 217lbs when my family there saw me last in person....since i was in maine last july i have lost just over 43lbs more LOL - almost 80lbs total since i started in 2008 and almost 90lbs from my highest in 2005....anyway i was looking back at some pics of our trip last year (i also went to my 20 yr class reunion) and holy shiiiiittttt do i look different....so here are a few pics to compare.....PS - i feel amazing and can not wait to shock them when they see me in person cause pictures do not do justice to what i have accomplished over the last year lol....

here is the new summer dress i bought in june 2011 - 177ish


here i am last july at my class reunion - 217ish


here is our family pic from father's day weekend 2011 - 177ish


here is a family pic from last july at fort knox - 217ish

How hard is this really????

okay so everyone has tried at one point in their life to lose some weight right???

i know i have...many many many times since as far back as high school even...

BUT i have never lost more than 56.4, which i did when i was on jenny craig over 13 months from september 2005 to october 2006 by eating their foods and exercising daily...

after i had my daughter in sept 2007 i gave myself 3 months of post partum whatever and then in january 2008 i RECOMMITTED myself to getting healthy - for real this time....

i wouldnt say i went on a diet per say but more of an "okay it's time to change how i do things"...i set up goals for the new year that included getting to 199 by 12/31/08....

i didnt make it that first year but i did lose and keep off just over 23lbs....when i didnt reach my goal of 199 and the new year rolled around i didnt give up, i just readjusted my goal to reach 199 by 5/09...

well guess what? i didnt reach it then either LOL....BUT i was still losing weight just more slowly than i liked at the time...i was active in biggest loser competitions with some local friends and that kept me motivated and on track....i readjusted my goal of 199 again to 12/31/09...

when 2010 rolled around i had only lost 7lbs in 2009 BUT I WAS STILL DOING THIS...i was down about 30lbs and i was making eating healthy and working out a PART of my life...i was working towards my goal of getting to 199 no matter what - 199 was not my final goal weight, i just wanted to be under 200 before i moved onto any other goals......

i had been using the loseit app on my iphone since fall 2009 but did not find it encouraging or actually even helpful...i had to enter soooo many of the things i ate and it got annoying....i did a search for calorie counting apps and found MFP....i started using the MFP app in february 2010 and then became active in the online community starting in june 2010....

when i say using this app and finding this community have made ALL the difference in the world to my progress I AM NOT LYING....the proof is in the pudding....

in febuary 2010, when i started using MFP i weighed 222.6lbs...in february 2011, right around my 1 yr anniversary, i weighed 190.4...i had lost 32.2lbs...

i reached 199 at the end of december 2010 a full 2 years after my initial goal date but the difference this time is that i hadnt given up.....

i currently weigh 175lbs and have a bit more to go to reach my goal of 140-150lbs....BUT right now i am relishing in being the smallest i have ever been in my entire adult life...none of my friends from florida, where i moved in 1996 or even my husband have ever seen me below 190ish...

i wear a size 12 and can probably move to a 10 soon, i can run for 3 miles straight without having to have a bear chase me - i'm even signing up for my 2nd half marathon for february 2012 with the goal of running the entire 13.1 miles, i drink 12 or more cups of water a day and have cut back on my diet soda intake although i do still have one or two when i want, i eat balance nutritional foods that fill me up but also indulge with chinese takeout once a week with my hubby.....

the difference THIS time is that it is EASY...it really, truly, honestly is......when you do the work and YES there is work to this, it's not hard.....

simple math folks: calories in versus calories out.....if you eat crap, you'll feel like crap and look like crap.....if you eat well and move your ass you will feel amazing....

start slow like i did....make changes you can live with....add water or exercise to your daily life slowly.....i think the difference THIS time is that i'm not on a diet... i am doing things i can live with for the rest of my life...

do i miss the burger king drive thru for the sausage, egg and cheese croissant, large hash brown and diet coke i would get 3-4 mornings a week AFTER eating my breakfast from home in the car on the way to burger king? GAWD NO....i was like a crackhead with my greasy breakfast but i couldnt control myself....at that point in my life i was addicted to that kinda food and that WAS EVEN WHEN i was committed to making the new me...

but something happened....i'm not even really sure what it was but i guess i realized i was better than that and here i am today - 88lbs less than my heaviest weight in 2005 and 78.8lbs down from when i started this final journey in january 2008...

i will never ever go back to where i was....this time it truly is for life...

so back to my original question - HOW HARD IS THIS REALLY?????

IT'S NOT...

you just have to want it and do the work to get it....

so do the work and get happy with your life people, i am :)