"Only" 21 lbs Lost (But 80 to go?)
wizzybeth
Posts: 3,578 Member
I didn't want to wait till I got to goal to post these, because I thought this would encourage some of the folks out there who have a lot of weight to lose and might be discouraged if they've only lost "a little."
These results are not strictly from calorie restriction. I have also been "somewhat" diligently working out at the gym on a fairly regular basis, 2 - 3 days a week for 1 - 1.5 hours each time - spin class 2x a week (though I missed 3 or 4 classes due to scheduling) and actually last night was my first time back at the gym for 2 weeks. I had done only minimal exercise during that time period (but I stayed within my calories for the most part.) I also have done some dog walking and sprinting but not every day and I never exercise more than 4 days a week for no reason other than I don't always make time for it.
What I'm trying to say is this has been a "fairly-dedicated-with-some-slip-ups" attempt at staying within my calories and macros, and a "slightly-better-than-half-a**ed" attempt at regular exercise. And these are my results.
FIRST, this is how I looked 24 years ago, before I got married and obviously before kids. This is my favorite picture of me, and my big brudder, whom I love dearly. People always complained that I was too skinny there. But I weighed about 124. I am 5'6". I was 21.
Fast forward 20+ years. I have no idea how much I weighed here, but it was taken near the end of 2012. I definitely weighed more than 245 lbs. Before I joined MFP I lost some weight trying to live on juicing and smoothies for most meals. It did help me shed some weight but I could not keep at it for long.
When I first joined MFP I weighed 245 and lost some weight...about 20 lbs... and gained it all back because I lost my focus and commitment. It was a gradual thing. I realized in January I was in trouble because I wanted to fit into a pair of jeans I was particularly proud of last summer, for a special occasion (David Cassidy Concert in Atlantic City. Yes, that's because I am a middle aged woman.) I COULD NOT EVEN PULL THEM UP. I was MAD. I got on the scale and yup, I gained all that lost weight back again.
NOW FOR THE "ONLY 21 LBS PART"
On January 25th of this year, I recommitted to MFP and this pic was taken when I weighed in at around 244. I had read somewhere to take monthly progress photos and I'm glad I did. Oh and this is when I started going back to the gym, too.
About a month later I had "only" lost 14 lbs. While I know it was good progress for a month, it was still disheartening, when I realized I still had like, 86 lbs to go. I still looked gross and obese. I wasn't going to take a pic but I did, and when I put it beside the yellow one up above, I was shocked.
There is no miracle other than I ate within my deficits and I worked out - I didn't do just cardio, I also used the weight machines at the gym, and even did squats and stuff at home - but like I said, it was all done in a "slightly-better-than-half-a**ed" way.
And today, I took my next monthly pic. This is at "only" 21 lbs lost. I realize I still have a long way to go...but here I am. I want to encourage everyone with a long journey ahead - take delight in every victory, no matter how small it seems. This to me is incredible.
These results are not strictly from calorie restriction. I have also been "somewhat" diligently working out at the gym on a fairly regular basis, 2 - 3 days a week for 1 - 1.5 hours each time - spin class 2x a week (though I missed 3 or 4 classes due to scheduling) and actually last night was my first time back at the gym for 2 weeks. I had done only minimal exercise during that time period (but I stayed within my calories for the most part.) I also have done some dog walking and sprinting but not every day and I never exercise more than 4 days a week for no reason other than I don't always make time for it.
What I'm trying to say is this has been a "fairly-dedicated-with-some-slip-ups" attempt at staying within my calories and macros, and a "slightly-better-than-half-a**ed" attempt at regular exercise. And these are my results.
FIRST, this is how I looked 24 years ago, before I got married and obviously before kids. This is my favorite picture of me, and my big brudder, whom I love dearly. People always complained that I was too skinny there. But I weighed about 124. I am 5'6". I was 21.
Fast forward 20+ years. I have no idea how much I weighed here, but it was taken near the end of 2012. I definitely weighed more than 245 lbs. Before I joined MFP I lost some weight trying to live on juicing and smoothies for most meals. It did help me shed some weight but I could not keep at it for long.
When I first joined MFP I weighed 245 and lost some weight...about 20 lbs... and gained it all back because I lost my focus and commitment. It was a gradual thing. I realized in January I was in trouble because I wanted to fit into a pair of jeans I was particularly proud of last summer, for a special occasion (David Cassidy Concert in Atlantic City. Yes, that's because I am a middle aged woman.) I COULD NOT EVEN PULL THEM UP. I was MAD. I got on the scale and yup, I gained all that lost weight back again.
NOW FOR THE "ONLY 21 LBS PART"
On January 25th of this year, I recommitted to MFP and this pic was taken when I weighed in at around 244. I had read somewhere to take monthly progress photos and I'm glad I did. Oh and this is when I started going back to the gym, too.
About a month later I had "only" lost 14 lbs. While I know it was good progress for a month, it was still disheartening, when I realized I still had like, 86 lbs to go. I still looked gross and obese. I wasn't going to take a pic but I did, and when I put it beside the yellow one up above, I was shocked.
There is no miracle other than I ate within my deficits and I worked out - I didn't do just cardio, I also used the weight machines at the gym, and even did squats and stuff at home - but like I said, it was all done in a "slightly-better-than-half-a**ed" way.
And today, I took my next monthly pic. This is at "only" 21 lbs lost. I realize I still have a long way to go...but here I am. I want to encourage everyone with a long journey ahead - take delight in every victory, no matter how small it seems. This to me is incredible.
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Replies
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Awesome!!! Thanks for the encouragement
You look happy and beautiful and isn't that what its all about?0 -
Those 21 pounds make a huge difference in your figure! Keep it up! (Plus, I really like that cardigan/blouse combo)0
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You look great. You can really see some shape in your waist now. Thanks for the motivation!0
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Wow! That is a big difference!! You look amazing, very encouraging 0
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Wonderful! Keep up the great work! And please keep posting your monthly, very motivating, pictures!0
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I'm in the same situation as you, i started off at 240 lbs and it's been an up and down roller coster of loosing and gaining weight but now I'm at 225 I still have a lot of weight to loose, my goal is to get down to atleast 170. Thankyou for sharing your story it was very inspiring 0
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21 lbs is a big loss, no matter how much more you need to lose. You look happy and healthier! And you are glowing too. Thanks for the inspiration!0
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Thanks everyone! I am just very excited - the pictures really made me go "Wow" whereas I keep seeing the same "huge" woman in the mirror every day.
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Yes pictures are awesome! This is such a great transformation already, keep the hard work!0
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Wow! You look amazing! Keep going, knowing it all pays off. I saw a pic once where someone was holding a glob of "simulated" fat. It was a pretty substantial amount and the caption said, "Still upset about losing ONLY 1 pound?" It kind of put things in perspective for me. But I also think we tend to see it less on ourselves when everyone else can tell we've lost some inches. That whole body dysmorphia thing is faily common with women in particular. Great job, Lady!0
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It really is disheartening, you just want to be there lickity split, oh the mental games we play. Great progress so far!0
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Yes!!!!!! It is amazing how mean we are to ourselves.
I am very proud of 21 lbs......esp. after looking at the pictures. You bet I'll be taking a pic every month now!
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Can definitely see a difference there! I am sure this is so encouraging for you. Keep up the good work!0
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NICE JOB!!!!0
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Those 21 pounds made a big difference. You look great!0
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Wow!!! Awesome job. You look great. I have a lot of weight to lose and your post has gave me lots of inspiration. I'm going to make sure I start taking a monthly pic of myself so I can hopefully see the results. I know the scale is moving in the right direction and my clothes are getting loser. I feel a whole lot better but every time I look in the mirror I see the same obese woman I've always been and I've always hated having my pic taken. Especially full body shots.0
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As someone who has avoided the monthly progress pics, you have definitely inspired me to take them. Your story is so inspirational. I have tried dieting in the past, never made it past 10lbs because I didn't see the progress. I actually started to think "you'll look like this forever even if you lose weight". As an obese kid, I've never had the privilege of even knowing what being a "normal" weight looks like. I'm so glad to have ran across your post. YOU LOOK GREAT and KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!!!!0
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These posts make me so glad I posted this! Keep at it ladies, chip away one bit at a time. You are ALL awesome!
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Way to get it!0
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Great job!! You look amazing!!0
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There's absolutely nothing only about 21 pounds! You should go to the store and grab a 20 pound bag of potatoes for reference - you'll see that it's a *lot*.
You look great!!! Keep it up!0 -
Thanks all!!!
AND I totally agree about there being nothing "only" about it - lol - that's a great image! Also, dog food...it's heavier than most huge bags of dog food!0 -
You look fabulous!! What an inspiration you are (and you make me want to take more progress pictures)0
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This really encouraged me to keep going! Thank you so much for posting 0
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Wizzybeth thanks for sharing your store i can relate. I just restarted my weight loss journey after about nine months of relapse. My mind set right now is that i don't even want to look in the mirror at myself. The reason being is i have 120 lbs. i want to loss and that seems so far away. But reading your story was great! the pics you toke every month showed me that any amount of weight loss is a successful step in the right direction. It's true what they say "pics speak a thousand words." I will start taking a pic of myself every month so i can see my improvement as i go.Thanks for the idea and encouragement Wizzybeth. I wish you continued success on your journey. We can do it!!
Mellymel0 -
Huge difference! Congrats0
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Wow!! I love this. Thank u so much0
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Fantastic post! Thanks for doing it. You look amazing! Incredible to see the changes in photos. When I started... I took weight and measurements but no photos as I steered cleared of all cameras at that time - they just made me feel bad. I should have done it, I'm 30 lbs down now and would love to see the visual journey. Maybe I'll take some now as I still have more to lose and muscle to gain! Cheers!!0
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This is really impressive! I read about other people doing the same idea but seeing your photos and the visible difference the weight loss has had on your appearance has motivated me to start doing monthly photos.
You are looking great and I love how the selfie poses are developing too!0 -
Very inspirational, thank you!0
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