One Year and 50lbs Later

   Today, I hit 365 days of making a serious attempt at losing weight. Every day for the past year, I have used a site called MyFitnessPal (MFP) to help me lose weight. MFP is a calorie counting site with a social aspect added in. I keep a food diary of each and everything I eat almost every day. I have lost almost 50lbs. I feel like a new woman. It all happened very gradually, but now that I am here it feels like I have come so far. I am now a size 8 (US), and I started at at size 16. I have lost 25 inches and 13% body fat. I eat "clean" about 80% of the time. Believe it or not, I am eating more now at 156lbs than when I weighed 205lbs, but I am eating healthier foods. I can run for 2 miles without a break. I can hike 10+ miles in a day without a second thought. Sometimes, I even get bored on hikes and challenge Nick, my boyfriend, to a race to the top, instead of having to take several breaks to catch my breath. I don’t even have to ask him to open jars for me anymore. Also, I still believe in and have a few "free" days each month, when I don't log at all and allow myself to indulge.

    I joined MFP in June of 2010. I had just moved to Denver, and my life was completely up in the air. After losing about 6lbs or so, I lost focus and gave up. Honestly, it was hard for me to see myself logging each and every calorie every single day. It seemed too monotonous for me.

    For the next 10 months, I struggled to gain control of my health and my life in general. In early 2011, my self-esteem and self-confidence were at an all time low. I felt so disgusting and insecure. It was affecting my relationships, my confidence, and my drive. I hit rock bottom after a weekend trip to the mountains with friends. I felt so down about being overweight that I couldn’t even enjoy my trip. Being uncomfortable in my skin consumed my every thought and feeling.

    The day after I got back from the trip I decided to give MFP a serious try. I was 209lbs. Five pounds heavier than when I had initially joined in 2010. Most of my old friends on the site had deleted me, with the exception of a few. I had been open with my mom and Nick about how unhappy I had become. They were both very encouraging when I told them I was fed up and needed to get my life under control. My mom even offered me some incentive. She said would pay me $100 for every 10lbs I lost. This definitely gave me some motivation. 

   At first, I didn’t pay attention to net calories or macro-nutrients. I had no idea what TDEE or BMR meant. I can honestly say I wasn’t being totally truthful with my logging. I would forget to log things like butter and oil. Likewise, I had a terrible nighttime binging problem. It took me awhile to get going full swing on exercise too. I did a little hiking at the time. I have been a hiker my whole life, but it was a chore while weighing 205lbs. I could barely make it 100ft up a steep hill without having to take a break.

   About a month later, I joined a gym. I mainly stuck to the elliptical and some light weight training. I dabbled in yoga, but anyone who has done it while obese knows it is very difficult. Also, I joined the Colorado Mountain Club and began hiking more. Along with my mother, my father has supportive in his own fatherly way. He bought me some essential hiking gear and my first pair of hiking pants. However, it was disheartening when I had to get the biggest size they made for women at REI, size 16.

   By the end of July, I lost 20lbs and was exercising most days of the week. Nick and I were hiking just about every weekend. I was beginning to feel a bit better about myself. I still took a few days off a month, where I ate and drank whatever I wanted. We took a long vacation to San Francisco, and I didn’t log at all. However, this time around, I didn’t seem to struggle with getting back on track. Each time I reached another goal, lost another pound, or remembered when I was called “fat”, was told “you could lose 30lbs”, or “you have such a pretty face”, it just made me more determined.

    As Fall arrived, I began to learn more about balanced nutrition, eating back exercise calories, and properly fueling my body after workouts. I was very reluctant at first, as many are. I had it engrained in my head my whole life that I just needed to eat less. However, gradually, I began eating more and more to fuel my faster metabolism. I did have my fair share of plateaus, as most of us do, but admittedly those were mostly from too much slacking off.

   In September of 2011, I went on a backpacking trip with my Dad and covered nearly 14 miles in one day. This was the longest I had ever hiked in a day. Also, I completed my first 5K with the encouragement of a MFP friend, who lives in Denver. We walked the whole thing, but I still felt like it was a big milestone in my life. I finally was beginning to feel like I was a fit person.

    I wanted to reach 40lbs lost by New Year’s Eve 2011, but I hit a plateau right before. At this point, I realized placing dates on my weight loss was arbitrary and potentially detrimental to my motivation. I made a whole new set of non-date oriented goals for 2012, including several non-scale goals. Likewise, I was becoming a more driven person overall. I started to set and write down goals for my personal life, my schooling, my career, etc. I had become determined to persevere and succeed in every aspect of my life.

   In January of 2012, as extra incentive along the way, my mom bought me my first pair of running shoes, and I began running outside. After some difficulties with my gym, I had to quit. Running and hiking became my only methods of exercise. At the end of January, I finally hit 40lbs lost. As a reward, in lieu of money, my mother bought me a bike trainer, and I began biking indoors on days it was too snowy to go outside. Likewise, I bought 30 Day Shred and began to incorporate more exercises like push ups, squats, lunges, etc, into my workouts. I continued with my sporadic yoga, and to my pleasant surprise it was much easier and kind of fun 40lbs later.

    Today, April 10, 2012, I have reached one year of being dedicated to MFP. I have met some incredible people on the site. Also, I have inspired some “real life” friends and family members to join. Honestly, I’m sure I would not have been as successful without my wonderful support system. I am beyond thankful for Nick, my boyfriend, best friend, and hiking buddy. He has been more than encouraging, and tells me I am beautiful every day, even when I weighed 200lbs+. He has also gotten into the best shape of his life during this past year. I am grateful for such a kind hearted mother. She saw, and I’m sure felt the sadness I was experiencing, and she helped motivate me to make a change for the better. Likewise, I am grateful for my father, who has lead by example and motivated me to become a knowledgeable, tough, prepared, and driven outdoors woman. I am lucky to have a sister, two brothers, and two sister-in-laws who have given me several compliments and words of encouragement along the way.  Likewise, many of my friendships have become stronger thanks to my new found self-confidence and happiness. Not to mention, I have made some very substantial friendships along the way, including all of my amazing MFP friends.

    Through losing 50lbs I have gained so much. If I could offer encouragement to anyone who is new to losing weight, who is feeling defeated, or who is trying to overcome any obstacle, I would tell them to keep trying. Keep trying no matter what. If you have a bad day, week, month, or year, you must not give up. The only thing holding you back is yourself. Try to do something good for yourself today, something that makes you happy. In one year, you will look back and marvel at what all those little things have added up to.