Success without over the top workouts. Pics plz.

heatherjolly92

So I just started on a weight loss Journey after many years of trying to diet and no success. I have two small children and I'm constantly busy and it's hard to feed myself and them and my husband and please all. Is there anyone out there that has hit their goal and not had to do crazy workouts and quit eating everything they love. I really want to lose weight and keep it off this time and I would love some inspiration please post pictures

healthyhappy2017

I've lost 60 pounds just eating less and walking/light workouts. No foods cut, just less.

ElvenToad

I hit my goal weight 8 months ago after losing 142 pounds. I ate what I wanted that fit into my calorie goal and walked anywhere from 45-60 minutes per day. Coming up on my 3 year mfp anniversary now

60 pounds down




100 pounds down



140 pounds down



Have lost a couple more pounds since my last set of progress pictures, but I am far too lazy to take new ones haha
Anyway, I used a Fitbit, a food scale, and mfp to log log log!

heatherjolly92

ElvenToad wrote: »

I hit my goal weight 8 months ago after losing 142 pounds. I ate what I wanted that fit into my calorie goal and walked anywhere from 45-60 minutes per day. Coming up on my 3 year mfp anniversary now

Have lost a couple more pounds since my last set of progress pictures, but I am far too lazy to take new ones haha
Anyway, I used a Fitbit, a food scale, and mfp to log log log!

Thanks I'm just worried that I wouldn't get where I want to be by the way my schedule is and the budget we are on..

heatherjolly92

healthyhappy2017 wrote: »

I've lost 60 pounds just eating less and walking/light workouts. No foods cut, just less.

Thanks =}

ElvenToad

heatherjolly92 wrote: »

ElvenToad wrote: »

I hit my goal weight 8 months ago after losing 142 pounds. I ate what I wanted that fit into my calorie goal and walked anywhere from 45-60 minutes per day. Coming up on my 3 year mfp anniversary now

Have lost a couple more pounds since my last set of progress pictures, but I am far too lazy to take new ones haha
Anyway, I used a Fitbit, a food scale, and mfp to log log log!

Thanks I'm just worried that I wouldn't get where I want to be by the way my schedule is and the budget we are on..

Yes making yourself a priority can be challenging. I understand! I do my walking/jogging in front of the tv and have done that for the whole 3 years. I just don't have time for the gym or traditional exercise. I have a special needs child and barely time to shower everyday so I get it!

As for the budget, you don't need to buy special food. Whatever you are eating now or have always been eating will work. You just need to portion it properly by weighing out the individual foods and fitting them into your calorie goals.

If you want weight loss to be a priority you will find a way to make it work

cwolfman13

You can lose weight without any exercise whatsoever...I wouldn't recommend it, but exercise isn't necessary to lose weight. Weight loss/fat loss happens when you take in less energy than you expend...regular exercise has numerous health benefits and also has the added benefit of expending a bit more energy than you otherwise would.

And no...nobody needs to go nuts with working out. Unless I'm actively training for an event, most of my rides are between 30-60 minutes and I spend about an hour lifting 2-3 days per week.

callielizabethrocks

All bodies are different- and you will have success with things that other people don't. For me - it's watching my carbs and eating a balanced amount of protein and fats. But if I go nuts and cut them out almost completely I lose my mind and get loopy.

Listen to your body. Love yourself. Be patient and kind to yourself as you make progress and as you stumble, and with others as they begin to have feelings about your journey. They will have feelings and they will say things as you show progress. They will think its helpful " be careful not to gain it back (oh thank you that was totes my plan)" "oh you must be dating more now (as if you suddenly have value or are more desireable because there is less of you)". Their comments have more to do with their issues than yours.

You are awesome and can do anything.

heatherjolly92

cwolfman13 wrote: »

You can lose weight without any exercise whatsoever...I wouldn't recommend it, but exercise isn't necessary to lose weight. Weight loss/fat loss happens when you take in less energy than you expend...regular exercise has numerous health benefits and also has the added benefit of expending a bit more energy than you otherwise would.

And no...nobody needs to go nuts with working out. Unless I'm actively training for an event, most of my rides are between 30-60 minutes and I spend about an hour lifting 2-3 days per week.

Thanks I do workout a few times a week for about and hour but I don't go all out.

heatherjolly92

Just wanted to thanks to everyone posting supportive comments it's awesome to have a little help along the way!!!

Rhody_Hoosier

While I have made some serious changes to my diet (cut out most dairy and daily sugar) I have also allowed myself to keep a few of my favorites around in limited quantities (occasional pizza...chocolate...ice cream). I have dropped just over 60 pounds in the last 90 days. At first I was going 4-5 times a week to the gym and just doing recline bike and elliptical. I've changed my focus now, but want to say that you can do it in much less. 2-3 times a week with sensible eating. One thing that worked well for me was taking a walk first thing in the morning before breakfast to kick start my metabolism. Even 30 minutes at a moderate pace helped to "fire up the engines". Not always easy with busy lifestyles and work schedules, but if you can make that extra 30 minutes happen for a few weeks you will turn it into a habit and it will be easy to do every day. I wish you luck!!!

Before (280-ish July 2015)



AFTER: (226 February 2017)

jps2222

[/quote]

Thanks I'm just worried that I wouldn't get where I want to be by the way my schedule is and the budget we are on..[/quote]

The thing that helped me is realizing that I wasn't in any rush. The time is going to pass, and my weight can either go up, stay the same, or go down. So I set MFP for just 1/2 pound loss per week so I didn't feel deprived. I often exceeded that, but if I didn't it didn't matter - as long as I was heading in the right direction it was all good. I didn't cut anything from my diet altogether; just moderated how much I was having to stay within my calorie goals for the day.

As for fitting in exercise, you don't need to do anything crazy. As others have said, taking a walk every day counts, and should be easy to do with kids in tow. Playing something active with them instead of just watching counts, too. If you're watching TV at night, spend some of that time doing something active while you watch before settling in to the couch (on the rare occasions I have time for this, I'll do crunches, planks, and leg lifts, and I bought some exercise bands that I can use for upper and lower body training anywhere). And if you don't exercise every day, it's not a big deal - you do what you can, and on days you don't do much active you just stay within your calorie limits by way of your food choices.

Finally, you mentioned your budget. I recently bought an Instant Pot electric pressure cooker and it's making it really, really quick and easy for me to make healthy food for a fraction of what it costs to buy it prepared. I tend to make a bunch of things on weekends and then have them available all week for lunches and snacks, but it's also really easy to throw a dinner together in it without much attention late in the day. So I'll throw something in, go take my daughter where she needs to go, or do some work, or pay bills and sort through the mail, and then come back to dinner ready to eat. Might be worth looking into (especially if you can get the IP on sale).

FTR: I'm 5'5", 50 years old, and have lost just over 50 pounds since starting MFP 401 days ago (started around 170, now around 120). I weigh less than I did when I got my first driver's license, and am in the best shape of my life. :-)

You can totally do this! Good luck!

GemstoneofHeart

Here's a 20 pound difference over 4 months with eating 1400ish cals per day and jogging/walking 3-4 times a week.

Meganthedogmom

The first 50lbs I lost I didn't step foot in a gym. Just ate less and walked 3 times a week.

Meganthedogmom

meganridenour wrote: »

The first 50lbs I lost I didn't step foot in a gym. Just ate less and walked 3 times a week.

heatherjolly92

meganridenour wrote: »

The first 50lbs I lost I didn't step foot in a gym. Just ate less and walked 3 times a week.

You look absolutely beautiful... I was the same weight as you when u when I started... Very inspiring...

diroka

I've just recently started my journey, but I'm in the same boat as you.
I've got a 2 year old and a 9 month old, and a husband who likes to eat. So far I've been able to drop 10 pounds by watching what/how much I'm eating. I use MFP to count my calories, and my Fitbit to count my steps. I go for a walk on my lunch break, and do zumba or yoga dvd's a few nights a week when the kids go to bed. I also do zumba during the weekends while they're napping, or go for a run.
I'm still nursing too, so I don't have my calories set too low, but it's still working! Slow and steady wins the race!

Meganthedogmom

heatherjolly92 wrote: »

meganridenour wrote: »

The first 50lbs I lost I didn't step foot in a gym. Just ate less and walked 3 times a week.

You look absolutely beautiful... I was the same weight as you when u when I started... Very inspiring...

Aww that is very sweet! After that pic of me at 200 I lost another 40lbs after incorporating more exercise (running, elliptical, weight lifting). I've gained some back since focusing on weight lifting so I'm sitting at 172 now

orangecascade

I started my true dedicated working on my weight on January 1st this year. I track my foods on MFP and I try to max out all the circles on my FitBit. I do at least 45-60 minutes of cardio everyday, whether that be going to the gym after I put my daughter to bed, or after dropping her off at school or playing with her at the park on the weekend or even just talking a quick walk around the neighborhood. I've lost about 7 pounds so far, but gained muscle.


January 2nd on top, today (February 20th) on the bottom.

moose20fan

I DROPPED 113 LBS IN 10 MONTHS JUST CUTTING OUT EXTRA SUGAR (INCLUDING DRINKS) AND PORTION CONTROL I EAT ALL THE SAME THINGS JUST LESS. NO EXTRA EXERCISE EITHER.

pariskathryn

220ish to 165ish (I'm 5'5.5").
This was from eating within my calorie goals and jogging/walking 3 times a week. Sometimes in front of the TV. I gained a little back, and now I lift heavy and do some yoga but that's just because I wanna make sure I don't lose muscle as I lose fat.

I eat the same stuff, I just make...slightly smarter choices. Yesterday I had Starbucks, Dickeys BBQ, and ice cream. But I do an iced coffee with cream and vanilla flavoring rather than a latte (150 cals vs 340), chicken breast with 2oz barbecue sauce and a side cole slaw and Caesar salad from Dickeys instead of ribs or sausage and fried okra (600 cals vs 1000), and halo top for ice cream (240 cals for the whole pint). I had some fruit in there too. Idk. It's very easy for me now that Halo Top exists and I can eat it in place of my junk food cravings.