Me today. 220lbs. Down from 294+lbs Feb 2011.

Size 14. 90lbs left to lose, but I feel GREAT for the first time in years.

I’ve been through therapy and am on medication for my depression and I think that’s helped me feel like I’m more than my weight. 

THIS FEELING IS THE REAL PROGRESS PICTURE.

A few more from today:

I actually like that my butt looks like a butt and not just a huge blob. THIS IS NEW.

Me at my high weight:

290s vs 210s (the side DURING pic is actually from when I was in the 220s a month or so ago.).

1 year.

Eating clean. Running. Swimming. Elliptical. Weight machines. Strength/Cardio circuits.

I’d still like to lose 80 more lbs.

This is me now in the 210s. I wear a size L shirt and size 14 pants - and these are some outfits I’ve worn out over the past few weeks. I still have about 80lbs left to lose to get to my goal weight.

This was me a year ago at 294+lbs:

I was talking to some friends and they didn’t believe I was over 200lbs still. The only thing I could say to them was STRENGTH TRAINING. Seriously. I’m almost OVER the scale at this point, because my measurements are decreasing faster than my weight at this point and I’ve gone from a size 18 to a size 14 barely having lost any actual WEIGHT.

I legit cannot believe I’m posting my lumpy ass and back rolls on the internet, but here it is!

This is me in the 220s. 

I started here in the 290s (that baby is my niece btw. I don’t have any kids):

So yea. I think one lumpy ass shot is alright in comparison.

Me now:

I still have 90lbs to lose, but if it means that I can see even MORE progress than I have, I’m in for the long haul.

Clean eating, running, strength/cardio circuits, and low weight/high rep weight training on gym machines. I plan to add swimming in the next month.

290s vs 220s.

70lbs down. 90lbs to go.

I’m getting there. SLOWLY… through clean eating, running, strength/cardio circuits, weight machines (low weight/high rep because I’m a beginner), and TIME.

Weighed in at everything from 221-223 today. I REALLY need to stop weighing myself multiple times a day, but I can’t help it.

That puts me within 8lbs of the halfway point of my weight loss journey (at the halfway mark, I will have lost 82 of the 164lbs I want to lose total). It’s kind of nuts to think about having lost this much weight because I still don’t feel great about myself.

Maybe once I’m out of the 200s, my feelings about myself will change. I’m happy with my progress, but I’m SO FAR from being happy with myself. 

I still have some body weight exercises to do tonight before I go to sleep, so I hope those make a difference in my weigh-in tomorrow.

And re my earlier post, YES, I did the sociopathic thing and went to the gym sick. I just didn’t want to mess up my momentum. I only ran a mile on the treadmill (I probably walked just as much because I feel like hell), and did 5 rounds of low weights/high reps on the machines.

I would really love a great weigh-in tomorrow. 220lbs or better would literally be INCREDIBLE!

And I guess I’m just feeling ambitious this week - posting so many pictures - but I dont’t think I’ll post this with this kind of frequency going forward. Maybe in another 15lbs - or once I find more pics at my high weight, I may post some current pictures for comparison.

I think I can see my body shape coming back, which is incredible - after years of just being ROUND.

Here’s me in 2010 and 2011 in the 290s - the kid is my niece. She’s almost 2 years old now.

This is the sequel to the post I made (in a fit of insomnia last night) with the front shots (I think the difference in those is slightly more pronounced, but this shows the changes in my body pretty well, too).

HONESTLY - I had no idea. NO IDEA.

290s vs 225ish.

Pictures really make all the difference. I thought I hadn’t lost any weight in my stomach area - but apparently I have.

I’ll retake these photos in the same clothes as the high weight pictures.

This makes me happier than you could possibly know!

I can’t wait to take more photos as my weight continues to drop!!!!

290lbs vs 225lbs.

When I get discouraged or start hating the way I look or think myself into a downward spiral about how far I have left to go…

I have to remember how far I’ve come.

I’m retaking these - maybe tomorrow? - in the same high weight clothes so I can get the full effect.

And I’ll post the side comparison shots some time tomorrow.

EDIT: This is being done through clean eating (no processed foods/carbs, no added sugar. Very little dairy. Lots of lean protein, fruits, and veggies. Cardio - mainly running, but some elliptical. Body weight strength training at home and low weight/high rep rounds at the gym. I’m 5’6,5 and my goal weight is 130.

Fitness is freedom.

The latest in my series of fitspo inspirational quotes featuring women of color…

Post workout pictures today.

I weighed in at everything from 224 to 228 today - so even knows.

Either way, I’m at 70lbs lost and my weight is dropping everyday. 

I ate clean, did only a mile on the treadmill, BUT - I did a ton of low weight/high rep rounds on the machines - and plan on doing lots of body weight stuff tonight before I go to sleep.

Let’s see what tomorrow holds! Hopefully a pound (or two!) down!

I’m 12lbs from being at the half way point of my weight loss journey (82 lbs out of 164 to lose total) - and 35ish lbs from not being obese. 

I can’t wait to reach those milestones!

AAAAND - I really do see my old body shape TRYING to emerge - somewhere between an hourglass and a pear (a skittle). But maybe it’s just me. As I continue to build lean muscle and lose excess body fat, I hope I can REALLY see it coming back.

EDIT: because I’m putting this in the weight loss tag, here’s where I started: 294lbs

I’ll be making many more of these with black girls. I rarely see them… and I NEED some.