Anyone 25 and under, what's your story?

abbyrosestevens

What's your story? What keeps you motivated? What other weight-loss programs have to tried? Do you use any apps to help you other than myfitnesspal? Do you think calorie counting is truly effective? What's your activity schedule or what do you like to do for activity? Do you have any good recipes to share? Anything!!!

xcalygrl

I'm currently 25. I lost all my weight when I was 17-18 though. I maintain a 60+ pound loss. I wasn't a big kid until about 8 or 9. I was chunky (and bullied) all through middle and high school, until my senior year (which is when I started losing weight).

My story (the short version): I was obese. I wanted to throw discus and shot for the track and field team. To do that, i had to have a physical. I went to my doctor to have her sign it. She refused unless I got some blood work done for weight related diseases (diabetes, thyroid, cholesteral, etc.). I agreed, but her requesting that blood work was a wake-up call for me.

What keeps me motivated: being healthy and being able to do events I enjoy (Spartan races, road races, GORUCK, etc.).

I tried just about all of them: Southbeach, Atkins, Slimfast, Weight Watchers, not eating except for dinner (my own screwed up way of thinking I would lose weight, which I did, but once I couldn't do that anymore, the weight piled back on.)

I have a FitBit, so I use that app. I also use my Garmin GPS watch. I use MapMyRun too. I also use Happy Scale.

Yep. Calorie counting is what has helped me keep my weight off. (I lost most of my weight on WW, but I've kept it off through calorie counting and learning portions.)

Workout schedule: (I work a desk job)
Mon: heavy lifting and either run, jog, bike or walk
Tues: run or bike
Wed: heavy lifting and either run, jog, bike or walk
Thurs: run or bike or rest
Fri: heavy lifting and either run, jog, bike or walk
Sat: rest
Sun: run or ruck

I find a lot of my recipes on allrecipes.com or pinterest. I get the idea from there then alter it to fit into my macros and calories. (For instance, if a soup calls for whole milk, I will use 2% since that is what I have on hand and drink.) Other than that, I make up my own things. Most of my meals are a lean protein, a carb, and veggies. Sometimes I skip the carb or the veggie depending on how lazy I'm feeling.

Oh, sometimes I eat pizza, burgers, and have beer and wine. And I eat chocolate daily. I just like it and can make it fit in my calories, so I do. I don't limit what I can/can't have because I wouldn't be able to be as successful if I did.

BeTheChange352

I'm almost 24 and have spent the years constantly trying to get my weight under control. I was a chunky kid, a fat teen, and in high school I went on WW with my Mom and lost 40 pounds. In college I lost an additional 20 with MFP but I eventually gained it all back, so I'm back for round 3. I recommend calorie counting to absolutely everyone. It is the easiest and most sustainable. I'm pretty sedentary because of being in school but I have a stationary bike I use every day for exercise. I'm 35 down with another 50 or so to go.

MarziPanda95

I'm 19 and have been overweight/obese since the age of about 7 or 8 because of overeating to try to deal with losing my hair to alopecia and the resulting bullying. I've lost 43lbs so far with 28lbs to go! Yes, calorie counting works. I also own a Fitbit Flex, and I use MapMyRun for when I go running. What works for me is eating what I want in a calorie deficit.

noexcusesjustresults2014

abbyrosestevens wrote: »

What's your story? What keeps you motivated? What other weight-loss programs have to tried? Do you use any apps to help you other than myfitnesspal? Do you think calorie counting is truly effective? What's your activity schedule or what do you like to do for activity? Do you have any good recipes to share? Anything!!!

I have always had a healthy weight but losing a few more pounds (to lower end of healthy BMI range) should help my running performance.

Of course calorie counting works. I keep my caloric deficit small (and combine strength training with my running program) in order to preserve as much muscle as possible as I complete my cut. I generally work out 6 days a week, often multiple times per day.

I am not a great cook. I eat whatever I want and find a way to make it fit my macro targets.

steveko89

Just caught me on the high end of the scale (turn 26 in April).

My build was typically justified as "husky" growing up; I was probably 10-20% overweight until I started to slim down naturally early in high school but was still a little paunchy. I always liked and played sports quasi competitively but never really excelled due to some of my physical limitations (speed, agility, etc.). Before my senior year of high school I spent three weeks away from home at an engineering design/collegiate preview type program which truly changed my life and how I view the capabilities of my physique. I had a set schedule, meal plan, and mandatory intramural sports/activities (didn't hurt it was the middle of July in Indiana) and lost over 15lbs over those three weeks alone, dropping from an estimated 200-205 to 185lbs and 36" to 34" waist. Having always been a snacker growing up, not being able to do so for that long curbed my appetite considerably, leading to losing around another 15lbs before school started in August (about another three weeks). This put me at a comparatively svelte 6' 170lbs, now in 32" jeans. The reaction I received from my classmates when school went back in session amazed me and my confidence skyrocketed. Luckily in college the friends I made and lived near in my freshman dorm were almost all former high school athletes and maintained a very activity-filled lifestyle, always going to the gym, playing intramurals, running, biking, etc. and it kept me on track. I avoided the freshman 15 and was easily in the best shape of my life at the end of my first year, having plenty of time to stay active with an easy gen-ed freshman course-load. Over the next few years I maintained fairly well with the obstacles of a heavier, harder course-load, on-campus job, and a spike in cheap beer intake now in play. At graduation I was roughly the same weight as when I arrived as a freshman and probably in better shape (healthier body fat %, though just a guess, didn't track body fat at the time).

My first job out of college in 2011 was what ultimately led me to MFP. I worked as a project engineer and found myself traveling 75% and eating on someone else's dime. It didn't help that my most immediate coworker and frequent travel companion did and still does eat rather poorly and voluminously leading to his 5'9" ~250lb 35% body fat frame. By Christmas of 2011 I was back up to around 185-190 lbs after months of frequenting Cracker Barrels, IHOPs, Steak N Shakes, Taco Bell, Applebees, Chili's, Outback, Rock Bottom, etc. and not giving a second thought to loading up on burgers and steaks nightly. I don't remember how I came across MFP but I remember needing to and wanting to make changes, and I feel like I was given the right tool at the right time. Getting back on the road after Christmas my coworker and I had a conversation about me wanting to make a change and he too felt he'd let his waistline get away from him a little since starting to work together only months prior. With it being my first foray into calorie tracking my eyes were opened to the myriad of possibilities of how to cut calories. Combined with a borrowed copy of P90X and MFP my coworker and I both lost the weight we'd gained on the road and have largely kept that weight off. I share MFP with anyone I encounter who wants to make a change and love meeting people who also use it/have used it to lose weight. At 57 I even convinced my Dad to start using it around this time last year and he's lost almost 30lbs.

That was my long-winded way of saying I think calorie-counting works. The key component for me was how it educated me about where my calories were coming from and what sustainable choices I can make to make a difference; i.e. mustard instead of mayonaise and forgoing cheese on sandwiches, bowl instead of burrito at Chipotle, and how easy one trip to the vending machine can blow your calories for the day.

I recently changed jobs so I no longer have to travel, though that change has presented a challenge in finding a new workout schedule that works for me. Between the holidays and a bout with the flu, I've not been as active has I like and my bathroom scale would be the first to say so. My wife and I both run a bit (5-10ks every few months), I'd like to try a Tough Mudder, I've tried P90X and P90X3, though I feel that an everyday program is tough to stick to from a time-commitment standpoint (I know, I know, don't find time, make time for something that's truly a priority), and like to stay functionally active with Tennis, Golf, and the occasional prop lightsaber fight (yeah, you read that correctly). We also have a spin bike and a set of BowFlex SelectTech weights, both of which I used with some regularity. I'm currently around 15% body fat and would like to get down to single digits and add a little muscle on top.

In addition to MFP I use MapMyFitness (includes MapMyRun) with an UnderArmour39 Heart Rate monitor (you might be able to find a coupon to get one for $30, highly recommended at that price, not at retail though). I also have a Homedics body composition scale I recently bought from Bed Bath and Beyond. It's not bluetooth or anything and was only like $40, so far it seems pretty solid. It does body fat%, water content, and BMI. I've also looked at apps such at Fitocracy for workout variations and motivation but haven't found one that really does a whole lot for me.

Probably on the verge of a TLDR situation at this point. Good luck and don't be afraid to reach out to other MFP members (as you're already doing) as you continue this path.