Yep...I have knees and wrists now!

Good for you, Michelle!! I cannot even imagine trying to lose weight under those conditions! Keep up the good work!!

.

Those little cellulite bumps on my thighs have all but gone away, just one stubborn one left..but I'm so happy!

I LOVE reading all your success stories, their so inspiring!

I've started to notice my pants don't fit at ALL anymore. I wear a lot of dresses to avoid this awkward phase and avoid purchasing new clothes.

I decided to see how many inches I've lost since I began this journey on 3/31. I think I'm doing pretty good! I've been recording them once a month. Here's the change:

Neck: -.75
Bicep: -2.0
Forearm: -1.0
Chest: -4.5
Waist: -4.25
Hips: -5.5
Thigh: -2.5
Calf: -2.25

To me, it's a big deal...especially the waist and hip inches lost! Tonight I'm going to wear a dress I haven't been able to wear in two years. It's a size 12 from Express.... Very Exciting!!!

Congrats, posters! Luckygirl, way to hammer away at that waist and hips :)!

I wore a bikini for the first time ever last week on our trip to the beach. Always bouncing back and forth between 10-40 pounds overweight, I was waaaay too self-conscious to even try before and had a really bad body image, probably worse than how I actually looked. So this year it was a real treat not only to lose those last pounds, but to lose the mental hangup. A relative sent me a ton of pics last night and I'm actually proud when I look at them, instead of cringing :).

Well done everyone! I am loving reading this thread. I bought my first pair of jeans in YEARS the other day. Walked into Next, picked a pair of size 14 (petite) off the rack, tried them on ( a wee bit loose around the waist, but a belt fixed that) and bought them! I felt so normal! I wore them on Friday and got called 'foxy' by a male colleague!

And just on a side note, my guy can't seem to keep his hands off me these days :D

Keep up the good work everyone, this thread makes me smile...you should all be very, very proud of yourselves!

I'm enjoying reading everyone's little successes, too. Way to go, people!

I noticed this morning that I'm able to squat down, with my heels on the floor, and stay that way long enough to pick up a whole bin's worth of Lego. I couldn't do that a few weeks ago because A) I wasn't flexible enough, and B) the fat around my middle got in the way so much I couldn't breathe properly.

I keep wanting to feel around my ribcage, because it's not so squashy any more. It's neat to feel how it is now. I reach back and can't grab big handfuls of flab like I could few weeks ago.

Yay!

Also, what's cool is that I'm now officially closer to "healthy weight" than to "obese". That feels good!

You are an inspiration to me - Sometimes I just don't feel like I can keep this up. Thanks for posting your success story!

Deanna,

I remember reading a few of your posts where you mention being weak or tired, or something like that. Are you getting enough sleep and enough nutrition? If either of those are lacking, it gets really difficult to keep up. When I'm sleep-deprived, (which seems to happen a lot, being a mom), my natural inclination is to start mindlessly snacking.

Thought I would search through my first fitday posts, loved the positive feeliings after 10 pounds, hope you all do too! Ten months have just whizzed by, and I am healthier, happier, sexier, and my shape is even better than before I got fat!

HTF did that happen :)

Please newbies, commit and be accountable.......there really is no stopping you if you do!

Starting weight was 207, right now on 140. 67llbs and it really hasn't been that hard once I got my mind right.

Little achievements, note them, love them, acknowledge how good they make you feel.

And congratulate yourself often on your little successes. Way to go!

What a wonderful thread! Thanks so much for all the motivational reading!

I love it that now I can look at pictures of myself without feeling awful. I enjoy seeing the "new"me". Before I hated pictures and how I looked, but now I am starting to look like a normal person! Yay!

Fantastic thread!

20 lbs lost in four months. Successes for me:

Like the OP, I recovered my cheekbones - feeling womanlike again!

Fave snug cap-sleeved T is now a cowl neck tunic. Am buying clothes in M instead of L/XL for the first time in years.

Inner thighs looking shapelier. Amazing. Unpredicted.

Seeing a photo of myself in July and thinking, 'different person'.

Got back on the wagon, despite being knocked back twice, by a foot injury and a long bout with bronchitis, in which time I ate abominably.

Being measured about my approach to all this. I've gone gung ho in the past and paid the price - this time round, I'm pacing myself.

Great, this is great!

I have a few old pair of pants/shirts from my very first job (when I was 16, almost 10 years ago) that almost fit now.

I remember at my fattest I got out of breath walking up 1-2 floors of stairs, now I can "jog" up them and still not be winded.

Also I used to have a hard time bending down and standing on 1 leg to put socks/shoes on, and now I can easily touch my palm to my toes.


That stuff sounds really bad now, but at the time it all seemed "normal". Denial is a powerful thing I guess.

Wow, well done guys, amazing successes! And it is so encouraging to see your changes pay off... they become easier and easier as time goes by. Kudos to everyone, little achievements lead to BIG successes in the long run :)

Took a bath the other day, first time in a long time. Didn't have any bits sticking up out of the water :p

Did some "closet shopping" today. I found some 2x shirts that fit pretty well, though I tend to be a 2x chest and 3x around the belly. I should probably get rid of the 6-8x shirts and size 60 Levis I was wearing back in May.

Can't button my size 44 Levis yet, but in a month or two I'm sure they'll fit.

Luckily I have clothes in all sizes (most in L and XL) packed away. It's always an adventure to see what fits.

Oh, got a 2x Lands End down vest for Christmas and can actually snap it (a bit snug around the belly, but it snapped nonetheless).

Regards,
Michael

Im a returning member. I feel off the wagon and im back on track now. wow...congratulations on the weight loss...besides the 1500 calorie limit...what else are you doing?

Hey, welcome back. And thanks for the congrats, though I still have a long way to go to get to my ultimate goal.

Counting calories is pretty much what I do. I stay between 1500 and 1600 a day. I try to keep carbs/fat/protein around 40/30/30% on average. I avoid simple carbs and don't do any sweets (which are one of my downfalls). Drink plenty of water and do some sort of exercise daily (now that I can walk more than a few feet w/o stopping to rest).

That's pretty much it. Only another 125 pounds or so to go!

Regards,
Michael

That is awesome, I sure hope I have the same success as you do. I have about 170lbs to lose..ughh. :-)

Merry Christmas Michael, I see you're in the 200's. Awesome work :)

Thank you very much--it feels good and is a good start.

I know I've got to ramp up the exercise for the new year. I'm just trying to get myself motivated to get the weight bench dusted off and start pumping some iron. There's just something about the winter (cold, dark when you leave for work, dark when you get home) that makes one want to get home and just veg in front of the TV.

Regards,
Michael

I'm a little late in noticing this thread, and while I've only lost 15 pounds- I have a jawline! Second chin is gone! :D

little things
 

The first thing I noticed was my stomach:eek::eek: growling... haven't felt that in a while!

Instead of a full blown spare tire, I now have love handles and a little pooch belly.

Hey! great thread! Since 6/22/10 i have lost 28 pounds - 12 more to go!

Anywho- i have noticed a bunch of stuff- i have more energy, i am more confident about what i can do physically, and i have gotten rid of TONS of clothes.

And the biggest stinker is that i can not afford to buy clothes right now so most of my pants have to stay until i buy new ones.. so i am wearing these work pants that do not fit correctly- they sag and are unflattering. I cant wait to reach my goal and go on a shopping spree!!

I started this process the beginning of the year. I guess the first thing I noticed was that my jeans were looser. When i was going out to work in the cold i was able to leave a pair of sweatpants on under my jeans. :D The second was when the scale dropped... 5.7lbs so far. :)

I had traded in my wedding band for a new one because it had gotten too tight. . .I noticed it seemed looser and tried the other one back on and it fit! Then this week, 34 lbs gone since last May. . .I noticed the old wedding band spinning around loosely on my finger when my hands got cold.

That felt more substantial than the numbers going down on the scale.

Good for you! It's a nice feeling, isn't it?! :D

Regards,
Michael

PS Welcome to the forums!

Me TOO!
 

I wanted a thread like this too and my awsome cheek bones are coming back and I hated how round my face looked at Christmas!

Small accomplishment for the day: .2 pounds woohoo!

Wedding bands
 

:p Funny... I have started wearing mine on my right hand. Because I am right handed my fingers are a little bigger. A couple of weeks ago before I switched hands, it slipped off while I was dumping a big pile of garden clippings. I ended up having to dump one of those giant wheely trash bins in order to find it :eek:. But I did.

I am waiting for the last 10lbs before going to get it refitted for good. Then I'll have an added marker and incentive not to gain those hard fought pounds back!

I planned on cheating today for breakfast, all week by eating a doughnut for breakfast and I didn't! I had whole wheat cereal, skim milk, and a banana instead and I am not even craving the doughnut. This new lifestyle has finally been accepted by my brain!

I just noticed that when I stand with my knees together, my ankles actually touch. When I started, my feet would still be a couple inches apart when my knees were together. Yay for vanishing leg fat! :D

Just a week in to it, now. Started at 160lbs, goal is to lose about 35. I'm Aussie and go by kgs, so I think that's right - 72.9kg to start, goal 52kg.

To set up, I have ditched all the rubbish I used to eat, cut out the bread and obvious carbs and started to eat tonnes of fruit and vegetables for all meals and snacks. I'm also aiming for 1.5 to 2 hours of exercise per day.

Small accomplishments for this week:
Muscle definition in my thighs, calves and triceps
Feel stronger
Can easily refuse ice cream and biscuits (cookies) - still got a ways to go with chocolate and wine, though!
Can walk from the shed to the house (about 100m) and climb the stairs at the end without puffing and panting
Can dance around with my baby boy for longer
Might just be my imagination, but a little less cellulite? I'm gonna say that's right, 'coz it makes me feel good to think it is
'Pointy' thighs gone!
Cut down from about 10 cigarettes a day to about 2-4, simply because I don't want them.

A meagre week can do so much when you're committed to getting yourself healthy again. I'm weighing once a week, so tomorrow I will see if I have actually lost any weight. If not, I don't think I'll be discouraged - I feel so much better already.

This thread was a fantastic idea. I read every post and just got all goosebumpy at the achievements everyone has made and how happy you all sound. Keep up the good work!

Just weighed in at a 3.3lb (1.5kg) loss. Woo!

I started this thread back just over a year ago, and I know my posting style is somewhat frivolous, but the theme was for real. Starting this journey it seems like such a long road ahead, and it is the little things that mean so much and keep us going.

A huge well done to everyone on achievements big and small. Never give up, you can achieve your ultimate goals. But the little ones are what gives us the encouragement and incentive we need to keep going!

nice to see that you check in on this side from time to time.

This thread has been quiet for a while, so:

Went to Wally World the other day and noticed winter clothing marked down to half price. The 3X quilted shirt w/hood I bought in the fall was getting pretty baggy so I tried on (never imagining it would fit) a regular XL one. Yup, it zipped right up :D. Now, it is a big snug when I sit down and my fat expands but very wearable. A far cry from the 6x jacket I was wearing at this time last year!

Let's hear some more little achievements!

Regards,
Michael

Getting catalogs for summer clothing is actually an enjoyable experience instead of a guilt trip of shame...and I even went straight to the bikini page this year :o.

Today I was able to wear a suit I have not been able to fit into this winter. My other clothes are also more comfortable. I joined Fitday in January because all my clothes were getting too small and I had thrown out all my larger clothes in 2006 when I lost weight. I WAS NOT GOING TO BUY BIGGER ONES AGAIN!!! There are several other items in my closet I hope to be able to wear before spring. Mary

I have an underbust corset which was looking rather unflattering on me (think eeeew-age from top and bottom of said corset). Two days ago, I tried it on again (last time tried Jan 2011) and now I need a smaller corset. That is a very good feeling, indeed.

Also, when looking side-on in a mirror, I have a butt going down to a small 'between-butt-and-hamstring' area of fat and then my hamstrings, which are quite nicely curved, if I do say so myself. A month ago, it melded from butt to hamstring and nothing between but a big blob of fat, indiscriminate from butt and hamstring. Woo for me!

And then there's the unmistakable attention from my better half. Can't go wrong there!