[SV] Finally hit the 50lb mark. F/33 5'0" - SW:230 CW: 179 Here's my story so far (warning it's long)

Sorry for the wall of text in advance but this is my story so far. If you feel like skimming - you can just hit the bold parts :)

Before I start here's my progress pic (it's hard to tell here and there was a post about it the other day but my boobs officially stick out farther than my tummy!) http://imgur.com/9Ii4wjr

I don't even know how I ended up where I was.....well that's not entirely true. I ate. I ate a lot of high calorie food. You know those tubs of philly cheese cake pre-made filling, I'd eat one of those in a day plus other shit.

I'm five feet tall, so 20lbs looks like 60; especially with my short little chubby legs.

I couldn't be sitting at home without something near me to snack on. Fast food, beer. Ordering pizza and chinese food constantly. Some of my vices.

I still have another 50 before I reach my final goal but in all honesty for me, I just take it one day at a time and I don't think too much about my gw.

I was trying to figure out what finally got me going and I think it was more like several things that all added up. I was in such denial. The scale was shoved in a closet somewhere because if I didn't see my weight it wasn't real.

I had booked a vacation to vienna, prague and budapest (I leave for this vacation in 3 weeks!) and being 33 and single I like to flirt but I had really lost all self confidence. So I figured even if I lost a couple pounds before Europe that at least I'd done something. Well here I am about to leave in 3 weeks and I'm down 50lbs and 3 pants sizes.

I think what really did it though was when it finally sunk in that I was avoiding going to the doctor because they weigh you! I was so ashamed that I literally didn't go to the doctor. That's so nuts.

Even when I started making an effort, I didn't make a "This is the day, my life changes now" soap box statement. It was just an oh....let's try and lose a couple pounds. Super casual and low key.

What's working for me:

• I think about smaller goals most often. I get most excited when I see a new 'decade of digits.' Like this morning seeing 179 instead of 180 (even though the difference was only .4 lbs) Even if it's just one day under my calorie goal, I do my best to be my own cheerleader, yay go me!! It's all about the small victories. When I first started I was happy when I just avoided the office candy dish.

• Using MFP to count calories

  • I generally eat the same things every day. Luckily I'm one of those people that doesn't get bored of the same food and it makes it so much easier to plan my day. In the morning I usually plug in breakfast, lunch and dinner then see what I have left for snacks and such.
  • Breakfast: Greek yogurt of some kind and 2 cups of coffee (black)
  • Lunch: A frozen diet meal of some kind at the office. Not the greatest I know, but it's easy and thoughtless.
  • Dinner:
    • Something I cook (like grilled chicken fajitas) I found these great 50 calorie tortillas - so good.
    • Most often though I have a tuna sandwhich. One can of chunk tuna in water, 2tbs light miracle whip, sliced up pickle and onion on 2 slices of sarah lee 45 calorie delight wheat bread. It's delicious and super filling!
  • Snacks: I'm a huge fan of cucumbers with fat free balsamic dressing and a sprinkle of goat cheese. Also a huge fan of those 100 calorie bags of popcorn. (Be careful when you buy these, some say 100 calories on the box but the 'popped' calories is more like 130)

• I lost about the first 30 lbs just counting calories alone. Then I added in jogging. I'm currently on week 7 day 2 of the c25k program. I never ever thought I'd enjoy running (actually to be fair, I just do light jogs.) I do though! It's free (I'm broke) and makes me really proud of myself. I went from barely making it the 60 second jogs to now doing 25 minutes straight. I needed to make sure that I eat enough calories though, at first with the jogging I was too low - so I wasn't losing weight. I over did it by running 5 days a week. Now I balance that out much more and am seeing much better results.

• I generally take one day off per week that I don't count calories. Now that doesn't mean I totally lose control, it's just that counting calories is exhausting and tedious. This is usually the day of the week that I go out with friends to the pub or whatever. If I know I'm going out for dinner or drinks or whatnot on cheat day, I don't chuck the entire day. I still eat great for as much of the day as I can. And you can bet I'm going for a run to bank some calories.

• PUT THE SPOON DOWN Seriously. Whenever I'm eating something - I take a bite and put down my fork/spoon. Chew, taste, swallow. Then pick it up for another bite.

• I don't come home and crack open a beer or two after work anymore. I still really like my booze! I love craft beer but I drink significantly less of it these days. Now, when I drink I stick to whiskey and red wine mostly.

• I still fuck up! I cave, I make mistakes and I have bad days. Things are still hard, I have hardcore cravings for pizza, cheeseburgers and bbq. And you know what, that's fine! If I make a mistake or have a rough day I just wake up the next morning and get right back on it.

• TWITTER I don't have a single follower (and I did that on purpose) but I used it as a place to vent, be angry, talk about my cravings, talk about victories, small and big. I use it a little less now but in the beginning, just TYPING OUT MY feelings was incredibly useful. If you really want to read it (be warned it's about 90% diet stuff and 10% random other shit): here you go: https://twitter.com/okayshure

Future Goals:

• Obviously eventually reaching and maintaining my goal weight. Which is somewhere around 125. I'm not trying to get there in a specific time frame, I'll get there when I get there at my own pace.

• Finding more meals that I can make for myself for dinner. It's hard cooking for just myself as a single lady. So far I make killer fajitas so I'll want to expand upon that.

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”