CALLING ALL 125lb ladies!!

BluthLover

This is my goal. I'm 5'3.

What did you do to get to 125?
What did you set your calories at to lose/maintain?
What were your workouts like?

Any help is appreciated!!! Thanks!!

Cp731

Im not at 125 but I started at 138. Im 121.
I ate mostly clean diet of Tilapia, Broccoli and Rice Cakes for 3m. I loved it for that long.
I averaged 1300-1400 cals daily which worked for me then.
I worked out on the 2nd mnth in. Started w/Julian Michaels and got back into running.
Every day I did @ least 20-30 mins of something.
Gradually increased workouts
I started to see a diff after the 3rd month.
I took it real slow

BluthLover

Thank you!!

eevincheezburger

I'm also 5'3"!

I went from 140 to 125 in three months by not eating very much (mostly sugary carbs) and running.

I was skinny-fat, zero muscle definition (which was ok to me at the time), but looked decent in clothes (bathing suit... nnoooooo).

Two months later I gained 20 lbs back when I couldn't take it anymore and started binge-eating.

Would like to get back down to 125, but I'm doing it the right way. It's taking way longer!

alison590

I'm 5'3 and currently around 125. My goal is 115. My highest was about 160 2 years ago. I got serious about weight loss about 5 months ago. I was 137 then. I eat between 1300-1500 calories. High protein. I noticed the most results with lifting.

acogg

I am 5'5" and lost 40 pounds. The story of my weight loss is in my profile, much too long to post here. Right now I am concentrating on getting in lots of protein and weight lifting. I have stopped doing cardio because I couldn't eat enough to support it, so weight lifting is a perfect fit right now.

swillybay

I'm at 123, 5', 3", and, for me, the biggest weapon I have is patience. I decided THIS time I was going to NOT starve, just eat healthfully, but have treats too, and make sure I exercise. I started at 134, but started here at MFP at 133. My goal is 117. I have been doing this for 5 months, and I don't imagine I'll make my goal until the fall, but that's fine with me. I love MyFitnessPal - it is the only thing that has really helped me stick with a plan and not get too down on myself if I have a "cheat" day. What always surprises me (although it shouldn't, I guess) is that I am losing weight without ever feeling deprived or starved. I have my baseline goal set at 1350 and I eat most, if not all, of my exercise calories back. It really works for me, but, again, I'm losing slowly but steadily.

Best of luck to you!

RoadsterGirlie

I'm 5'9". I started out with Weight Watchers at 215 lbs. My initial goal was 136, but I didn't really focus on that until I got very close. Once I hit 136, I increased my daily intake from around 1400 to 1700, and still continued to lose. I finally leveled out at 125 when my calories increased to around 2100 per day.

While I was losing, I was working out 5x a week for an hour with both cardio, strength, and HIIT training at home. Since hitting maintenance, I have decreased that down to 4x a week. It's pretty easy to hit that target, and still have a life.

Kalee34

Hi! I am 5'5", I started here on mfp at 155 and am currently maintaining around 123-125. I ate at around 1300 cals and worked out 3-4 days a week until I hit my original goal weight of 127. I maintained that for about 5 months eating at around 1500 - 1600 cals. In January I decided to see if I might could lose a few more pounds. I started looking around and found EM2WL. I upped my calories to 1700 and I did P90X. I dropped 4 more pounds. Right now I am working on upping my calories slowly to my TDEE to maintain. Just upped them to 1900 cals this week. I try to work out at least 5 days a week. I use fitnessblender.com workouts on youtube and I am getting ready to try Supreme90Day. I have also recently started jogging. I usually walk/jog on Saturdays and a few evenings during the week if our family schedule allows for it.
Also, I try to eat as good as I can, but with a family of 7 we are on an extremely tight food budget, so I usually eat whatever I want as long as it is within my calorie goal. I tend to treat myself, so that I won't sabotage myself. I love chocolate and I have found if I keep something small in the house like Hershey's kisses or m&m's and just have a few a day I do good, instead of binging on sweets because I never have them.
Good luck you can do it!

AA1ex

Hey I'm 4'10" and have been maintaining 121-125 since the beginning of the year. I lost about 25 lbs last year. I have been wanting to lose more but I was working out m-f minus w. I was doing circuit training of some sort (jm, a lot of bb programs) I was doing yoga fairly regularly. I think some are great warm ups and others are great cool down stretching. I was also walking a lot as well with school work, I just put my books on the treadmill and walk for hours at the highest incline. The biggest thing to why I think I have lost and maintained is that I realized I didn't gain weight over night so it wont fall off over night either... I took steps like replacing sugar as truvia in my coffee b/c I was consuming (net cal goal 1200) a third of my calories in cream and sugar. I eventually kicked the creamer all together. I bought a 32 oz water bottle and carry it everywhere I go. I stopped sodas too buy going from 4 a day (on top of my coffee) to 3 then a week or two later down to 2 then 1 then none. I think cutting out soda did something where I don't really crave sweets anymore except that one time a month deal. I have been averaging since moving (moved at the end of dec) about 1500 calories. I do little exercise now, I can't keep with a program with life right now being busy. I do make decent choices food wise but have been drinking more lately as well. So if you do drink (even on weekends) try limiting yourself because last year it went from 2-4 bottles a wine a week to a drink on Friday and a drink on Sat.

summery79

Want to start by saying what ended up working for me might not be what works best for you.

I'm 5'7 and 123, I started out in the 180s last summer. I did 1200s-1400s cal wise every single day until I hit my goal, and didn't cheat. (I was really determined! lol) Now I eat around 1900-2100 for maintenance, and that seems to be doing a good job keeping me where I am. I always ate whatever I wanted, as long as it fit in the calories. I didn't exercise at all until I hit 150s or 160s. Then I stopped exercising for awhile again, plateaued at 142 for about a month, and broke the plateau by reintroducing exercise.

For workouts, I started with Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, then did Ripped in 30, then completed the c25k program. Currently my exercise includes running, long walks, pilates DVDs, and some of the Chalean Extreme workouts. I am trying to mix things up, because I end up injured when I just run, for instance. Good luck!

Cp731

I really like that these woman all said they are taking it slow.
There is certainly no reason to rush.
Instant Gratification will not ever equal the results from a healthy diet and working out.
Not over doing it, slow and steady is key.
Protein is so important to our bodies. I cant stress that enough.

purplewalls

I know nobody wants to hear this...buuuuut.....I cut my intake as low as possible (I'm 5'2" and I consume 800-1100). When I start getting headaches, that's when I know I am eating too little (in which case, I up the calorie intake...for example, 6-700 is way too low for me). However, since I don't allow myself a high caloric intake, this means that I stay full by drinking LOTS of water, eating lots of high-volume/low-calorie foods such as vegetables, (some) fruits, etc., and making sure that I get enough protein. While it's not "natural" protein, things like Cliff Builder Bars, protein shakes, and SmartDogs are good for ensuring your body is getting enough protein. The less hungry you are (the more protein you eat), the more likely you will be able to stick to it.

I am very into running, but I would rather eat less and lift than allow myself to eat more and do heavy duty cardio. I also see significant results with lifting. There is also some evidence that doing steady rate stamina exercises (running, swimming, elliptical, cycling) can lower your metabolism. Essentially, your body adjusts to the cardio and makes sure that your body won't disappear by burning fewer calories. Don't fall into the trap of sweating your a** off on the elliptical.

Essentially: Do a lot of eating healthy and eating much smaller portions (but if you slip and eat a cupcake, who cares, move on), a little bit of cardio, and a lot of lifting.

Seriously. Gain muscle and let that muscle burn the calories for you.

BluthLover

Wow! Thank you so much everyone for the responses! I really appreciate it. I know what works for some wont work for everyone. However I feel like getting a bunch of advice is always helpful. Thanks ladies.

amd429

Bump

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I did a little of this and a little of that to be honest. In the beginning I did no exercise. I ate 1400 calories per day. I added walking after having lost a little weight (I started at 170ish) and then I added pilates. For the last 15 lbs I changed my calorie goal so that I had a smaller deficit (changed MFP to lose .5 lbs/week) and I started lifting heavy (the timing was coincidental, I was waiting for doctor approval because of health issues). When I hit 130 I started ramping up to maintenance but lost another few pounds along the way.

My advice is to start lifting now so that you can keep your muscle instead of losing it, and eat enough calories to support your activity.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I know nobody wants to hear this...buuuuut.....I cut my intake as low as possible (I'm 5'2" and I consume 800-1100). When I start getting headaches, that's when I know I am eating too little (in which case, I up the calorie intake...for example, 6-700 is way too low for me). However, since I don't allow myself a high caloric intake, this means that I stay full by drinking LOTS of water, eating lots of high-volume/low-calorie foods such as vegetables, (some) fruits, etc., and making sure that I get enough protein. While it's not "natural" protein, things like Cliff Builder Bars, protein shakes, and SmartDogs are good for ensuring your body is getting enough protein. The less hungry you are (the more protein you eat), the more likely you will be able to stick to it.

I am very into running, but I would rather eat less and lift than allow myself to eat more and do heavy duty cardio. I also see significant results with lifting. There is also some evidence that doing steady rate stamina exercises (running, swimming, elliptical, cycling) can lower your metabolism. Essentially, your body adjusts to the cardio and makes sure that your body won't disappear by burning fewer calories. Don't fall into the trap of sweating your a** off on the elliptical.

Essentially: Do a lot of eating healthy and eating much smaller portions (but if you slip and eat a cupcake, who cares, move on), a little bit of cardio, and a lot of lifting.

Seriously. Gain muscle and let that muscle burn the calories for you.

You can't do the second thing if you're doing the first thing.

ChristinaR720

I know nobody wants to hear this...buuuuut.....I cut my intake as low as possible (I'm 5'2" and I consume 800-1100). When I start getting headaches, that's when I know I am eating too little (in which case, I up the calorie intake...for example, 6-700 is way too low for me). However, since I don't allow myself a high caloric intake, this means that I stay full by drinking LOTS of water, eating lots of high-volume/low-calorie foods such as vegetables, (some) fruits, etc., and making sure that I get enough protein. While it's not "natural" protein, things like Cliff Builder Bars, protein shakes, and SmartDogs are good for ensuring your body is getting enough protein. The less hungry you are (the more protein you eat), the more likely you will be able to stick to it.

I am very into running, but I would rather eat less and lift than allow myself to eat more and do heavy duty cardio. I also see significant results with lifting. There is also some evidence that doing steady rate stamina exercises (running, swimming, elliptical, cycling) can lower your metabolism. Essentially, your body adjusts to the cardio and makes sure that your body won't disappear by burning fewer calories. Don't fall into the trap of sweating your a** off on the elliptical.

Essentially: Do a lot of eating healthy and eating much smaller portions (but if you slip and eat a cupcake, who cares, move on), a little bit of cardio, and a lot of lifting.

Seriously. Gain muscle and let that muscle burn the calories for you.

Please get help. What you are doing is very unhealthy. Food is fuel for your body. It's not the enemy. Work on developing a better relationship with food and be good to your body. It's the only one you have.

AllonsYtotheTardis

I know nobody wants to hear this...buuuuut.....I cut my intake as low as possible (I'm 5'2" and I consume 800-1100). When I start getting headaches, that's when I know I am eating too little (in which case, I up the calorie intake...for example, 6-700 is way too low for me). However, since I don't allow myself a high caloric intake, this means that I stay full by drinking LOTS of water, eating lots of high-volume/low-calorie foods such as vegetables, (some) fruits, etc., and making sure that I get enough protein. While it's not "natural" protein, things like Cliff Builder Bars, protein shakes, and SmartDogs are good for ensuring your body is getting enough protein. The less hungry you are (the more protein you eat), the more likely you will be able to stick to it.

I am very into running, but I would rather eat less and lift than allow myself to eat more and do heavy duty cardio. I also see significant results with lifting. There is also some evidence that doing steady rate stamina exercises (running, swimming, elliptical, cycling) can lower your metabolism. Essentially, your body adjusts to the cardio and makes sure that your body won't disappear by burning fewer calories. Don't fall into the trap of sweating your a** off on the elliptical.

Essentially: Do a lot of eating healthy and eating much smaller portions (but if you slip and eat a cupcake, who cares, move on), a little bit of cardio, and a lot of lifting.

Seriously. Gain muscle and let that muscle burn the calories for you.

OP - please don't do this. It rarely, if ever, ends well.

crazebeck

I'm down to 121 and all I did was eat within my calories from mfp and ate back exercise calories. When I plateaued for a few weeks I upped my calories and that triggered weight loss again.

I go to the gym 2 to 3 times a week, 3 miles total of jogging/walking, sometimes weights and kettle ball. I also do tae kwon do twice a week. I try to stay active and log everything.

I even have 1 "cheat" day on the weekend but still log, this way I don't feel deprived, ever. It works for me

brigidy

I am 5'3, started at 155 and now I'm at 129. I did this by increasing fruits, veggies and grains. I would eat a banana for breakfast (which worked for me since I normally don't like breakfast), yogurt or small salad for lunch, apple for snack. At dinner, I would eat a grain, lean meat such as a turkey burger, salmon, etc and a steamable veggie or salad and for dessert a fruit or fruit cup. I switched from drinking sweet tea (my addiction) to unsweetened tea. I wasn't hungry ever...if I did feel a hunger pang I just ate some fruit or more veggies instead of junk. I walked, worked on elliptical or did an aerobic video each day. I guess I kept my calories between 1200-1400. I tried to focus on eating healthy instead of diet. Good luck!