Success Pictures and the Stories to Go With Them
JFsNewLife
Posts: 52 Member
A picture says a thousand words! I have only lost 23 pounds so far, so my picture is not showing much difference. I can't wait to see what it will be like a month from now, a year from now, and even years from now.
Please share your journey! I would like to hear about how you got to where you are now. Please share any tips for newbies, like myself. Fill free to friend me. I can use all of the friends, and motivation that I can get.
Also, if you could share the beginning weight, and more current weight, along with your height. Thanks!!
Please share your journey! I would like to hear about how you got to where you are now. Please share any tips for newbies, like myself. Fill free to friend me. I can use all of the friends, and motivation that I can get.
Also, if you could share the beginning weight, and more current weight, along with your height. Thanks!!
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Replies
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This is only a " success so far" story. I'm still in the process of losing. When I started, I wanted to lose 201 pounds. I've lost 87 so far. That's in a 6 month time period. My most immediate short term goal is to reach the halfway point before the year is out.
SW:381
CW: 294 (YAY!)
GW:180 (I'm tall… 180 would look good on me)
I started watching The Biggest Loser mostly out of curiosity because all my co-workers were obsessed with it. It encouraged me to see extremely overweight people lose large amounts of weight through only diet and exercise. I knew I wasn't going to lose weight at BL speed and I was okay with that. It was just encouraging to me to know it was possible to lose it without surgeries or special pills. So, I started looking up specifics of what I would need to do to lose weight (calories I needed to maintain my weight and how much I needed to cut that in order to lose). It surprised me how doable it seemed. I started doing the math about how long it would take me if I could lose 2 pounds a week. 2 years was also very doable to me considering I'd just gone through a different kind of overhaul that took 5 years. When I realized I could do it… it became a "well, why not?" I've never noticed health problems because of my weight… due mostly to good genetics and youth (although there was always the lurking fear in the back of my mind of when my lifestyle would catch up to me). And I was not miserable (either emotionally or physically) because of my weight. So, it really was just a "why not?" moment.
I just made small changes one at a time that I could live with… starting with what I knew would be the easiest change for me to make. And I just went from there. I still eat whatever I want… just less of it. But I have found that "whatever I want" has changed over time. In fact… I found something on Pinterest that I thought was just a good laugh, but now, it's actually become true. To the tune of "My favorite things" from Sound of Music…."Sweat drops on muscles and veggies with chicken. Dumbbells and water and heart rates that quicken. Bright colored running shoes laced up with strings… these are a few of my favorite things."
Anyway… and now for the pictures. This is 87 pounds down. The pic on the right was just taken this past weekend.
The race bib on my shirt tells a story all of it's own. Because the girl on the left would never have even considered a 5k. But the girl on the right not only did it… she loved it. And wants to do more. (FTR: I walked the entire thing… but I was ahead of all the other walkers. Behind the runners, but ahead of the walkers!… Something that the girl on the left could NEVER have done!)0 -
Great job!
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Thank you! Your story is so inspirational! I can relate with saying, "why not!" I cannot believe the transformation you made. It is absolutely amazing. Way to go!!! Can't wait to see more of your journey. 87 so far is incredible, and it's an accomplishment. I love your song...
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Incredible! One of my goals is to be able to run a 5k. I'm the one who figures I can jump on a treadmill and run it right out the gate (read: I'm impatient). Your journey sure is inspiring!
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jamieaferguson wrote: »A picture says a thousand words! I have only lost 23 pounds so far, so my picture is not showing much difference. I can't wait to see what it will be like a month from now, a year from now, and even years from now.
Please share your journey! I would like to hear about how you got to where you are now. Please share any tips for newbies, like myself. Fill free to friend me. I can use all of the friends, and motivation that I can get.
Also, if you could share the beginning weight, and more current weight, along with your height. Thanks!!
I see a change! Keep up the good work!0 -
@cincysweatheart You are doing amazing!!0
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At kmarie7, thank you. I am looking forward to hearing more and more inspirational stories. I know so many people can remember what it was like to be back in the beginning of their journey, like me. I found cincysweetheart's story to be very encouraging! I too want to be able to do a 5k.
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Me at my heaviest 220ish.... 14 years ago I did lose weight for a while but have yo-Yoed between 170 and 200 for many years. I decided jan 2014 that I had enough and have made pretty steady progress. It has slowed way down the closer I have gotten to goal. I am 10-15 lbs from goal currently.
December 2013 195lbs
December 2000 220lbs
April 2014 177lbs
July 2014 165lbs
I'm down 5 more lbs from July but can't seem to find any recent pictures. Probably because I'm always the one with the camera:)
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Also I wore a size 22 at my bravest and am down to a 10/12:)0
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Incredible. Way to go! One day I will be there. If you have any tips on how you did it, please share. 0
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I had a health scare when I was 16 years old. I wanted to participate in track and field, but my doctor refused to sign off on the physical form because of my weight. We made an agreement that I would get bloodwork done and if it came back ok, she would sign the form. That scared the crap out of me. At 16, I did not want to have weight related diseases affecting me. I decided then and there to lose weight. I originally lost 97 pounds, but the weight I got to was too small for my frame. It was hard for me to maintain and caused me to lose my period. I have since put some weight back on, which sometimes frustrates me. I'm currently working on changing my body composition though, so I do bulk and cut cycles. I'm currently cutting at the moment.
Pic on the left: 5'8, 16 years old, 240 pounds.
Pic on the right: 5'8, 25 years old, 175 pounds.
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Only change 1 or 2 small things at a time. Make all your goals achievable and don't quit over a bad day or two! I recommend Leslie sansone DVDs for a good work at home option.0
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@xcalygirl you did exactly what you needed to do! You look great!0
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Thank you for your suggestions! I will do that. Sometimes my tendencies are to do all, or nothing, and I forget that there is a middle.Only change 1 or 2 small things at a time. Make all your goals achievable and don't quit over a bad day or two! I recommend Leslie sansone DVDs for a good work at home option.
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@kmarie7 congratulations on becoming healthy! You too are an inspiration.
I do not understand the bulking, and cutting, but I am not near there yet.0 -
Me eitherjamieaferguson wrote: »@kmarie7 congratulations on becoming healthy! You too are an inspiration.
I do not understand the bulking, and cutting, but I am not near there yet.0 -
I guess all u need is self will and patience with ur body ....lots and lots of patience.ive been on this for a year and lost 46 pounds so far....so if you do the math thats like 5 pounds a month...slowly but surely....Im giving myself time...my heaviest was 235_240now I am 189---...I also found to get rid of the scale at home and have one at work...that way..u dnt lose water weight n start messing up ur diet thinking I already lost more than wat Ithought.Iit helped me0
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Mybe even less a month lol0
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jamieaferguson wrote: »@kmarie7 congratulations on becoming healthy! You too are an inspiration.
I do not understand the bulking, and cutting, but I am not near there yet.
Haha, I didn't understand it either for a long time. The short version:
It is hard to build muscle mass in general, almost impossible when you're on a deficit, especially as a woman. To build more muscle mass, you have to eat above your maintenance calories (gain weight) and lift heavy weights. This provides the nutrients needed to add muscle to your body. Once you've gotten to a point where you want to lose again, you eat in a deficit and continue lifting weights. The outcome should be that you put on muscle while eating more food and then lose the fat covering the muscles when you cut.
Bulk/cut cycles are mainly for people (both men and women) who are already fairly lean but want to increase their lean body mass (muslces) and decrease their body fat to get a more defined physique. Think body builders/physique competitors, though you don't have to take it to that level unless you desire to.0 -
cincysweetheart wrote: »This is only a " success so far" story. I'm still in the process of losing. When I started, I wanted to lose 201 pounds. I've lost 87 so far. That's in a 6 month time period. My most immediate short term goal is to reach the halfway point before the year is out.
SW:381
CW: 294 (YAY!)
GW:180 (I'm tall… 180 would look good on me)
I started watching The Biggest Loser mostly out of curiosity because all my co-workers were obsessed with it. It encouraged me to see extremely overweight people lose large amounts of weight through only diet and exercise. I knew I wasn't going to lose weight at BL speed and I was okay with that. It was just encouraging to me to know it was possible to lose it without surgeries or special pills. So, I started looking up specifics of what I would need to do to lose weight (calories I needed to maintain my weight and how much I needed to cut that in order to lose). It surprised me how doable it seemed. I started doing the math about how long it would take me if I could lose 2 pounds a week. 2 years was also very doable to me considering I'd just gone through a different kind of overhaul that took 5 years. When I realized I could do it… it became a "well, why not?" I've never noticed health problems because of my weight… due mostly to good genetics and youth (although there was always the lurking fear in the back of my mind of when my lifestyle would catch up to me). And I was not miserable (either emotionally or physically) because of my weight. So, it really was just a "why not?" moment.
I just made small changes one at a time that I could live with… starting with what I knew would be the easiest change for me to make. And I just went from there. I still eat whatever I want… just less of it. But I have found that "whatever I want" has changed over time. In fact… I found something on Pinterest that I thought was just a good laugh, but now, it's actually become true. To the tune of "My favorite things" from Sound of Music…."Sweat drops on muscles and veggies with chicken. Dumbbells and water and heart rates that quicken. Bright colored running shoes laced up with strings… these are a few of my favorite things."
Anyway… and now for the pictures. This is 87 pounds down. The pic on the right was just taken this past weekend.
The race bib on my shirt tells a story all of it's own. Because the girl on the left would never have even considered a 5k. But the girl on the right not only did it… she loved it. And wants to do more. (FTR: I walked the entire thing… but I was ahead of all the other walkers. Behind the runners, but ahead of the walkers!… Something that the girl on the left could NEVER have done!)
294 looks good on you! Goodness! Amazing transformation already!0 -
Thank you. I had heard talk about this, but did not know what it meant.jamieaferguson wrote: »@kmarie7 congratulations on becoming healthy! You too are an inspiration.
I do not understand the bulking, and cutting, but I am not near there yet.
Haha, I didn't understand it either for a long time. The short version:
It is hard to build muscle mass in general, almost impossible when you're on a deficit, especially as a woman. To build more muscle mass, you have to eat above your maintenance calories (gain weight) and lift heavy weights. This provides the nutrients needed to add muscle to your body. Once you've gotten to a point where you want to lose again, you eat in a deficit and continue lifting weights. The outcome should be that you put on muscle while eating more food and then lose the fat covering the muscles when you cut.
Bulk/cut cycles are mainly for people (both men and women) who are already fairly lean but want to increase their lean body mass (muslces) and decrease their body fat to get a more defined physique. Think body builders/physique competitors, though you don't have to take it to that level unless you desire to.
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Wish i was more creative to put my thoughts to words.... Amazing inspiration everyone.0
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jamieaferguson wrote: »A picture says a thousand words! I have only lost 23 pounds so far, so my picture is not showing much difference. I can't wait to see what it will be like a month from now, a year from now, and even years from now.
Please share your journey! I would like to hear about how you got to where you are now. Please share any tips for newbies, like myself. Fill free to friend me. I can use all of the friends, and motivation that I can get.
Also, if you could share the beginning weight, and more current weight, along with your height. Thanks!!
I see a change! Keep up the good work!
I can see a change already! Good job and don't give up!0 -
...ONLY 23 lbs ?! ( I keep losing and gaining the same 3 lbs ..grrr...) You've done Great!!!
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@xcalygirl. Thx!0
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freshstart wrote: »Great job!
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I know how hard you have worked to get where you are today. I have struggle myself to lose weight and to keep it off. What tips can you give me.0
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Hello I have lost 21 pounds and more then 11 inches in six weeks. A short amount of time
SW: 302
CW: 281
GW:150
I'm also 5'7
My Story:
For a good decade I was struggling, I was lazy and I didn't follow through with sticking to a program. For some reason I just couldn't psychologically get there. My mind was blocked so to speak at the idea that I had 'given up.'
I went to see the Primary Care for a referral to do Bariatric Surgery: She simply told me no after looking at my highest weight of 302 on the scale.
I asked her why?
She said something so wise: "Because unless you change your ways, you change your mind, you change your outlook on being healthy by exercising and eating right and you do this all in your head then you will succeed. If you don't change your way of thinking about living a healthy lifestyle then, no pill, surgery, or diet will work."
She was right! So I went to the gym I belonged too to meet my parents and talk to them about seriously signing me up with a personal trainer. Liz has been awesome, she teaches me that if I eat poorly the night before I won't train well with her the following day. I also signed something not legal or anything just a promise I wouldn't drink anything but water,juices rarely and milk and the gym stuff they sell the Alpha Amino Acids. Which do help after an intense training session with her!!
My advice:
Keep doing what you are doing you look awesome and you can notice. Never give up and remember you have to really want to change in order to change!
Lisa
In the above photo on the Right I went from 302 on the left too 288
In this photo I weigh currently 281
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lisaducharme54 wrote: »Hello I have lost 21 pounds and more then 11 inches in six weeks. A short amount of time
SW: 302
CW: 281
GW:150
I'm also 5'7
My Story:
For a good decade I was struggling, I was lazy and I didn't follow through with sticking to a program. For some reason I just couldn't psychologically get there. My mind was blocked so to speak at the idea that I had 'given up.'
I went to see the Primary Care for a referral to do Bariatric Surgery: She simply told me no after looking at my highest weight of 302 on the scale.
I asked her why?
She said something so wise: "Because unless you change your ways, you change your mind, you change your outlook on being healthy by exercising and eating right and you do this all in your head then you will succeed. If you don't change your way of thinking about living a healthy lifestyle then, no pill, surgery, or diet will work."
She was right! So I went to the gym I belonged too to meet my parents and talk to them about seriously signing me up with a personal trainer. Liz has been awesome, she teaches me that if I eat poorly the night before I won't train well with her the following day. I also signed something not legal or anything just a promise I wouldn't drink anything but water,juices rarely and milk and the gym stuff they sell the Alpha Amino Acids. Which do help after an intense training session with her!!
My advice:
Keep doing what you are doing you look awesome and you can notice. Never give up and remember you have to really want to change in order to change!
Lisa
In the above photo on the Right I went from 302 on the left too 288
In this photo I weigh currently 281
Looking good! You are on a great path!0
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