I made it! 166 lbs to 135 lbs (5'6" female) - with pics

arussell134

NextPage wrote: »

I love your post. I'm about the same height (5.5 1/2) and your starting weight is my current weight (now down 30 lbs). I'm a lot older so 145 may be better for me than 135 but I'll reassess when I get there. Your approach of combining a reasonable calorie deficit, cardio and strength work is good to hear since it has been my approach also. Your pictures show me that slow and steady progress is worth the wait. You look fantastic.

Thank you!! I will say, I felt AMAZING when I hit 145. That's when I had really felt smaller and stronger. I knew for me, 135 was where I could be and where I wanted to be. I noticed a dramatic improvement in my running time by losing those last 10 pounds (I went from running over 10 minute miles to my fastest is 8 now). Given my fitness goals, lighter is where I want to be for now.

Good luck on your journey!!

haffykhat

Omg so inspiring. I am the same height as you. Weight is 160 now and my goal weight is 130 so almost similar numbers. You look fantastic

astrose00

You look awesome! Congrats and enjoy!

CassBurgos83

Very inspiring! You did an amazing job

legowrangler

(*) So awesome!!!!! You look amazing!!!!!!!

AnitaCRice

Congratulations! Very inspiring. I am the same height as you, with an ultimate goal of 135. I would be pretty happy with 140-145, but I would LOVE to make it to 135. You look great!

jonjhayden

arussell134 wrote: »

I can hardly believe I've made it here! But, here I am. A little bit about me: up until having children, I was in really great shape. Worked out regularly, ran marathons - weighed right about 135 lbs. After my oldest son in 2006, I was able to get back down to 140 lbs after a bit of work. Then, I got pregnant with my daughter. After her birth, I struggled off and on for the next several years with my weight. I'd tried a number of things including veganism, going on low carb/low calorie type diets, trying special workout programs, but nothing really worked.



Finally, I realized this spring I had to do something. I was at my heaviest - 166 lbs (the pic above was taken at Easter of this year). Maybe not a huge number for some folks, but for me - that meant I was officially "overweight." I was fast growing out of my size 12 pants and feeling really down. Even worse, seeing myself in pictures I saw how badly I'd let myself go.

It's not even like there was this moment where I'm like "let's do this!" because really, nothing in me wanted to start this process. I knew it would take a long time. But, one day in late April, I laced up my running shoes and squeezed into my tightest running shorts and ran 2 miles. Then I did it the next day, and the next, and the next. It really sucked, because in my prime, I'd run 8 milers practically in my sleep - and this was hard work now! But, I tried to be patient with myself and pressed on. On a whim, I decided to sign up for a 12K in mid-June. (Maybe this was foolhardy, given I was just starting out again!) At this point, I'd lost 10 pounds and was starting to feel better. I ended up completing my run with a decent time, and was able to run the entire thing.



After the race, I found that my weight just wasn't budging much. That's when I decided to come back to MFP more seriously and started tracking calories. I quickly ditched the "recommended" 1200 calories realizing that was just not sustainable. I bumped it up to 1550 and then over time over 1650 calories per day.



While the weight was coming off slowly, I was amazed at how easy it was! I didn't adhere to any particular diet per se, but I found that tracking my calories naturally makes me want to make better choices (you get the better bang for your buck, so to speak). One of the best bits of advice I got from the forums here at MFP is to do what you intend to do long term! This is so key. Don't crash diet - be sensible & patient in your approach & trust the process. The picture above was me at about 145 pounds, this summer.



A couple days ago, I realized I'd made it. The scale said 135.6 and I could hardly believe it! After 7 months, I've actually stuck with it and made a change. The best part: not only am I at my goal weight, I'm fitter than I've *ever* been. Last week, I clocked a 5K in 26:24 (and there were HILLS!). I had always considered myself a 10-min/mile runner! I've incorporated heavy weight training, circuit training, speed drills, and long distance running into my week. I workout 6 days a week now and I strive to keep my workouts varied. Oh, and my SIZE 8 jeans are now getting loose! Funny how a few months ago I could barely squeeze into my size 12s!

Where do I go, from here? At this point, I may want to drop a few more pounds to improve racing time. I also want to work on body composition, and incorporate more strength training (I truly believe it had a big impact on my running improvement). I plan to continue to log for the indefinite future, to ensure my hard work is not undone.

There is soooooo much more that I can say about food, fitness, and this process, but I'm already teetering on a novel at this point. I will say: if anyone has questions, please ask away. I'll do my best to answer.

Best wishes on all your journeys - may you find success.

OMG! Huge difference. Congrats.

BABYLILAC

Well done

thinbi

Great story! Congratulations!

LeighannG5

Awesome job! I'm 5'5 and tend to go between 157 and 160 when I'm at my heaviest. Just a couple years ago I was 148 and felt great! Looking to get back down to that point, maybe even closer to 140. Loved reading your success story. It's so nice to see that you can continue to enjoy your wine and cheeseburgers (because Lord knows I need these things in my life to keep sane!). Thanks for sharing!!!

Pandapotato

Holy smokes, you look like you went from 35 years old to 24 or something! You look fantastic! (And your running times are encouraging--- I ran a lot last year and got down to about 10 min/miles and figure that was just my speed.... how great that you cut so much down on your 5k time!

Sabine_Stroehm

Perfect!

firstsip

I love posts of women who advocate eating more, focusing on fitness, etc. You looked great at 145 and definitely look great now.

Would you mind sharing your measurements, if you took any throughout the process?

libbydoodle11

You have achieved so much!!! Your stats are very inspiring, great work!

Bretto

Great job on your success. I am 5'7" and my starting weight this round (Sept 2014 was 174) with my highest weight ever being 180 (2013). These last 3 months have been hard,, but I am now down to 157. I too have a goal weight of 135. I do agree with you, I could be happy at 140 or 145, but at 135 I feel amazing. I am trying to do it the healthy way.

I have acouple questions for you. I will be ramping up my half-ironman train starting at the end of December. I am really concerned I will not be able to lose while doing endurance training. (15 hrs a week with one really long 4-6 hr workout). Did you notice anything when you were doing your longer trainings? Did you watch you carbs on your long workouts or not worry about it.

MoHousdon

firstsip wrote: »

I love posts of women who advocate eating more, focusing on fitness, etc. You looked great at 145 and definitely look great now.

Would you mind sharing your measurements, if you took any throughout the process?

↑ This and I'm hovering between 135 and 131 and I don't look as good as you did at 145! I've gotten a lot of criticism for counting calories and working out from some people so it's hard to stay positive. You and I are about the same size (height and build) so it's extremely encouraging to know that I can get in great shape without having to lose a bunch of weight, not that I want, or need to.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and for the awesome visuals to go along with it! Keep up the great work.

arussell134

Pandapotato wrote: »

Holy smokes, you look like you went from 35 years old to 24 or something! You look fantastic! (And your running times are encouraging--- I ran a lot last year and got down to about 10 min/miles and figure that was just my speed.... how great that you cut so much down on your 5k time!

I have something to add on this thought... I think a lot of the reason I was stuck at 10 minutes per mile is because it's how I thought of myself. "I'm just a slow runner." "I just want to finish." As part of my weight loss journey, I've challenged myself to think better and bigger things for myself. My new goal is to break a 25 minute 5K. And when I get there, I suppose I'll set a new goal. Good luck!

arussell134

firstsip wrote: »

I love posts of women who advocate eating more, focusing on fitness, etc. You looked great at 145 and definitely look great now.

Would you mind sharing your measurements, if you took any throughout the process?

You know I am *HORRIBLE* at taking measurements! lol I do believe my waist was a 36" when I started and is now right around 29". I know I lost a ton of inches around my hips and thighs too. I *am* one of those people that ends up with a thigh gap when I'm at my smallest - and I'm pretty well there now. (Not making ANY statement about thigh gap vs/ no thigh gap b/c I know that's a heated issue - it just happens to be a visual change I've noticed on my body over the months to know I've lost serious inches).

I went from my size 12's being too tight to now getting too small for size 8's. I bet I'm right around a size 6 at this point.

arussell134

MoHousdon wrote: »

firstsip wrote: »

I love posts of women who advocate eating more, focusing on fitness, etc. You looked great at 145 and definitely look great now.

Would you mind sharing your measurements, if you took any throughout the process?

↑ This and I'm hovering between 135 and 131 and I don't look as good as you did at 145! I've gotten a lot of criticism for counting calories and working out from some people so it's hard to stay positive. You and I are about the same size (height and build) so it's extremely encouraging to know that I can get in great shape without having to lose a bunch of weight, not that I want, or need to.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and for the awesome visuals to go along with it! Keep up the great work.

I have been told I have a naturally athletic build. I have broader shoulders and my body responds really well & quickly to strength training. It could be just the way I carry my weight.

If you ever go to mybodygallery.com it reinforces the idea that you can have several people at the same height/weight and they look very different. Every's personal best is different.

(If I can later, I'll take current measurements and report back!)

arussell134

Bretto wrote: »

Great job on your success. I am 5'7" and my starting weight this round (Sept 2014 was 174) with my highest weight ever being 180 (2013). These last 3 months have been hard,, but I am now down to 157. I too have a goal weight of 135. I do agree with you, I could be happy at 140 or 145, but at 135 I feel amazing. I am trying to do it the healthy way.

I have acouple questions for you. I will be ramping up my half-ironman train starting at the end of December. I am really concerned I will not be able to lose while doing endurance training. (15 hrs a week with one really long 4-6 hr workout). Did you notice anything when you were doing your longer trainings? Did you watch you carbs on your long workouts or not worry about it.

First off - that's amazing. I've been toying with the idea of a half-ironman myself at some point. You should know, I am firmly ANTI-"low carb" diets for endurance athletes. Maybe this is just my personal experience, but I find my performance is just not good without carbs! I do enjoy pastas, and breads, and the like - I just ate a bit less of them to stay at a deficit. Days where I will do a long run of 8-12 miles I definitely eat more. I'm less concerned with how many extra calories MFP says I can eat and try to go more off of how hungry/full I feel.

you are definitely working out a LOT more than me though - and might want to pose your questions in the food/nutrition section or elsewhere? I think it's a solid enough question that other people may have more expertise on than me. (I've only done half and full marathons - not half-ironmans!). Good luck!