Week 15/Final Update!

Well, well, well.  Here I am at the end of my weight loss challenge and I can't believe it's finally over!  For the past 15 weeks I have been working my butt off (literally) to try to lose 15 pounds.  It all began with a giant wake-up call in the form of me stepping on the scale one day and deciding that enough was enough.  Things were getting out of hand, and my health and happiness were on the line.  It was that moment that made me decide to get myself in gear and make some serious changes, and that's exactly what I did.  I set a realistic, yet challenging goal for myself: lose 15 pounds in 15 weeks.  With Memorial Day weekend beach plans with my friends looming in the distance, 15 weeks was exactly how long I had to get myself ready for bikini season.  My plan was simple - move more, eat less.  I tracked my food intake, counted calories, and worked out regularly.  In the end, I was more than successful at achieving my goal, and now I'd like to share my final results with all of you!

I didn't post my weight on this blog when I kicked off the challenge, mostly because I was so embarassed.  Now that it's over, I'd like to give everyone the full scope of how much my body has changed over the last 15 weeks:

Starting weight: 163 lbs
Ending weight: 147 lbs
Total weight loss: 16 lbs - that's 10% of my body weight!!!

Starting BMI: 28 (overweight - 30 or higher is obese)
Ending BMI: 25.2 (Still technically overweight, but just over the line from being "normal" [18.5-24.9])
Total BMI lowered by 2.8

Starting body fat %: 28
Ending body fat %: 23 
Total body fat loss: 5%
(Average body fat percentage for women is 25% - 31%, "Fitness" level is 21% - 24%)

To put this all in perspective for anyone out there reading this who doesn't know me, I'm a 25-year old female and I'm 5'4".  Also, because I know that this is what a lot of people were hoping for, I decided to swallow my embarassment and give you some before and after photos as evidence of these changes!

"Before" photos taken: 2/2/13
"After" photos taken: 5/19/13

The bottoms I'm wearing are part of a bikini that I was really hoping I would fit back into in time for my beach getaway this coming weekend, and thanks to my efforts I'll actually be able to!

So there you have it - I wanted to lose 15 pounds in 15 weeks, and in the end I managed to lose 16!  I also drastically reduced my body fat percentage and lowered my BMI.  Now I'm right over the line from having a "normal" BMI, and I reduced my body fat by FIVE PERCENT!

I'm also very proud of the fact that I did this completely on my own.  By that I mean that I didn't have a personal trainer, nutritionist, or chef, I didn't do any cleanses or fad diets, and I didn't take any supplements or mystery pills; all I did was get a gym membership.  Pure diet and exercise is what it really comes down to when you're trying to lose weight. 

All in all, I just feel so much better after having finished my own personal weight loss challenge.  This was really about so much more than just a number on a scale, even if that's what my impetus was for getting things started.  I've made so many positive changes in terms of my diet and exercise habits, and I hope to keep those healthy new habits and use them to maintain my body the way it is now.  Maybe in the future I will challenge myself once again and try to make more changes in my body, but for now I'm so perfectly happy with all that I have achieved over the last few months and I fully intend to enjoy my renewed sense of happiness and well-being throughout the summer!  Cheers!