WindyCityChick's Before and Current Photos
 

Hi all - having received a few nice requests to see progress photos, I am finally getting around to posting some pictures for your viewing enjoyment. The first picture is from my surprise 40th birthday party last August - I was about 275 at that point. The second is from about a month ago, and is from the half marathon I ran as my first official race. And the third was taken this weekend, at my current weight of 155. I'm weaing the size 6(!) little black dress that I'm planning to wear for a little reunion with my college roomates in NYC in a few weeks. Not quite to goal yet, but I'm getting pretty darned close!

Oh my gosh! How pretty!! Amazing progress!

You look incredible..like an entirely different person! Check out those leg muscles! Way to go!

You look fantastic !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOW! Holy crap? THAT WAS LAST AUGUST!? Woman, you're amazing!

You look great! I also noticed your awesome leg muscles in pic #2, I can only aspire to that someday!

OOOOOOOOOH WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE...YOU GO GIRL!!

Beautiful!

You look wonderful! What a great transformation!

Oh my goodness, you hottie!!! :cheer2: What a great dress, and what a beautiful woman in it!

I always like to see pictures of people who started around my weight (I started at 275 too!) and see how far they've come, and you're one of my running inspirations too, so thank you for posting these great pictures!

Wow! You look amazing!! Thank you for sharing.. :bravo: of your hard working efforts. Congrautaltions!!

Looking great!

:dance: :cheer: WOW! :cheer: :dance:

You look fabulous. Have a great time in your 'little black dress' at your reunion.

Check out your leg muscles in pic 2! How awesome!
You look amazing, and what a difference! It only took you a year as well?!! That's fantastic.
You're SUCH an inspiration.

You are ADORABLE - both before and after, actually. Looking forward to following you on this path. (And if you hadn't mentioned your fortieth birthday party, I would have guessed late twenties!)

Thanks for posting.

WOW -- what a difference a year makes! You look fabulous!!!! :carrot:

Woah! You are gorgeous! Congratulations on your success!

You look so fantastic and fit! WOW!

You look wonderful---and all in one year! I also have a function that I am striving to lose weight for -next July.
I hope and pray that I can do as well as you have. I started a little heavier than you, but a size 12-14 would make me sooo happy.

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Oh Rachel, you are one beautiful lady. I'm sooo happy to finally put a face to your posts. And what a face it is!!!! You are stunning!!! What a wonderful, incredible transformation.

I don't know what it is about the before and afters or before and progress/current pics - but they make me weepy. Yours was no exception. They just get me so darn emotional. :hug:

Keep up the great work. I know you will. I just know it. :carrot:

You look great. And you've come so far so fast!

Wow windy, you look great!!!!!

Congrats on your success and thanks for posting such inspiring pictures.

:congrat:

You look amazing. Congratulations. How did you do it?

You look toned, beautiful, healthy, and happy! Congratulations!

You should be so proud of yourself!

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Congratulations! I'm convinced you'll meet your goal! I love all the pictures but I find that the second picture reflects a woman who is empowered. And I really like the little black dress! I'm also wondering how you transformed your body like that!

Yo go girl!!! :)

Aw shucks, thanks everyone for saying such nice things! To answer the questions of how I've done it, well the second picture is a big clue! I discovered a long distance runner buried deep under layers of fat, and finding an athletic activity that I truly enjoy has been so instrumental to bringing me to where I am today. Even though I know that what I eat has a larger overall calorie impact than exercise, there's been something about running that has really changed my entire mindset toward my body. And it's been unbelievably empowering to find that I can run for long distances - I have 16 miler on tap for tomorrow, a year ago, I could barely make it down the block!

As to the eating part, well, I've approached that by calorie counting. I started logging everything I eat in Fitday, and just that act of writing it all down was a huge eye opener to me.

So, net-net, for me it all has boiled down to eating less and moving more. That plus time has brought me to this place on my journey.

Thanks again to all of you for your nice words of encouragement and support - the 3FC community has been wonderful, and I've learned so much and been inspired so much by the folks who post here. I can only hope to give a little of that back.

?? For Rachel (WindyCityChik)
 

Hi Rachel,
Congratulations on your AMAZING accomplishment.

I too, would like to find my inner runner. I am only 15 pounds overweight, but have ALWAYS hated my legs. They are fat, floppy and cellulitey. My question is, were your legs horrid to begin with and you turned them into those lean, muscular legs in #2? Or were your legs pretty decent to begin with and you turned them into awesome?? I see people much more overweight than I with much better looking legs. LOL.

Did you mostly run indoors or out?

You look beautiful!

Thanks.
Michelle

Thanks for your kind words Michelle! My legs have definitely improved a lot from running. They were definitely more flab and less muscle before I started running, and now I hardly recognize them, I've never had muscles like this in my legs before.

I am running some significant miles, averaging 35 miles a week these days to get these muscles - but I love doing it. It's not just about weight loss - I have discovered that I enjoy running as an end to itself. I'm an outdoor runner almost exclusively, I prefer getting out into the fresh air and only use the treadmill if it gets really cold outside (like below 20 degrees), but the treadmill is a perfectly valid option too...whatever works for you.

WOW.. What you did is truely amazing... really!! You are such an inspiration! I'm proud of you, amazed, and jealous all at the same time! LOL! I'm thinking that I can do it too! Thank you! See ya'll this is what persistance, dedication, and believing in yourself looks like!

Very inspiring... makes me feel like there is hope. :)

You look beautiful and strong!

What can I say??? You are amazing, and you did it in a year... You are an inspiration... Thanks so much for sharing... :)

WOW MS WINDY CHICK>>>>> help all of us
 

Your pictures are so amazing....Let me understand you went from 275 to 155 since August 2007?????

Please share how you did this.....step by step......please please......

You look so wonderful, fit and wow.....like i'm speechless other than screaming to find out HOW YOU DID THIS SINCE AUGUST>>>>>>>:dizzy::dizzy::dizzy::dizzy::dizzy::d izzy::dizzy::dizzy::dizzy::dizzy::dizzy::dizzy::di zzy::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug::hug:

WOW! You look so good. Congrats on your success.

my gosh, you look amazing! the work paid off big time and I'm glad you are enjoying it and living it up! great job! :)

Wow, what a wonderful difference. Congrats!

Oh wow!!! You are such an inspiration!