Just wanted to do another check in. As of today I am just about halfway to my goal. I actually want to lose a total of 42 lbs since my weigh-in in October (when I first started) I was at 167lbs.

As of today, I am 19 lbs lighter! I honestly didn't think I would have been able to do it. Especially with my thyroid problem, but now I know that it really does take a LOT of dedication. Now that I'm almost at 20 lbs lost there is no turning back now. Gotta keep it up.

October 1, 2011: 167.9 pounds
November 10, 2011: 157 pounds
December 31, 2011: 152.5 pounds
Today, January 23, 2012: 148.8 pounds

I did start taking progress pics when I was at 152 pounds and will continue to take more pics. That way I have some good before & after pictures when I do my final post.

The picture on this post is a before & after. I found the pic on the left on my iPhone and it shows when I was at my heaviest ever since I developed hypothyroidism. Left side was about 7 months ago at about 165-167 pounds. Right side was taken on Friday 1/20/12 at 149 pounds.

I have been adding a lot of people on My Fitness Pal. We can all use the support, join me!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/jroseonline

I hope that my weight loss journey will motivate and help others to start on their own journey. I thank all my supporters for cheering me on since I started. I'm not there yet, but I will get there!

Until next check in!

How did you spend your New Year's Eve? Partied hard and got drunk? Stayed home and watched the ball drop on TV? Let me tell you how I spent my New Year's Eve.

I kept it simple with my FOTD. Just foundation, eyeliner and one of my fave MAC lipgloss, Electric Fuschia.

If you have been following me on Twitter or have added me on MyFitnessPal, you may have already been getting updates on my latest weight loss project. As the year is winding down, I put together some before and after pics. They are not quite progress pictures as I never really took the time to take any. But as I was looking at these pictures, I sort of see quite a difference. Do you?

Left side: Befores, Right Side: Afters

Anyways, as of right now here are my stats:

October 1, 2011: 167.9 pounds
November 10, 2011: 157 pounds
Today, December 31, 2011: 152.5 pounds

So far a total of 15.4 pounds lost. After losing the initial 10 pounds I lost that first month, it was very difficult losing the last 5. Only because the holidays was upon us and I had quite a bit too many "cheat days". Now that the holidays are over, there are no more excuses. I plan to go hard at this. I have 27.5 pounds left to go to hit my goal weight. My goal is to lose that by the first week of May. Can I do it? I hope I can!

All I know is that I need to be really dedicated in the way I have been eating. No more of these multiple cheat days!

The one thing I did notice after losing these 15 pounds is that I can finally wear shorts when I go to the gym. When I first started working out, I would wear shorts to the gym. But in the middle of my work out, my thighs would start to chafe and it got pretty bad that I had to wear pants every time I would work out. I'm assuming that most of the weight I lost, aside from my face, was my thighs because I can now wear shorts and actually be comfortable!

So of course, my #1 new year's resolution is to lose 27 pounds. Here's to the new year, new goals and hopefully new accomplishments! Thank you for joining me in my latest journey, Project: 40 Pound Meltdown.

Do you have any weight loss tips to share with me? I am always open to new ways to help me lose the weight.

Project: 40 Pound Meltdown (Read my first story)
Need inspiration or support? Add me on MyFitnessPal.com: jroseonline@gmail.com

In this photo: Some of my favorite ladies! Posin' at our annual holiday party. The theme was Red & Black - Dress to Impress!
L to R: Tia, Kat, Lupe, me (the hostess), Genny, Jacky, Erin & Jackie
love these gals!

Photo Taken: December 2011

Photo Op of the Day is another J.Rose Online series. It will be of photos that I have in my collection that I've taken in the past or present. It is just another way for my readers to take a look into my life and get to know who J.Rose is and what J.Rose is all about.