Look 15 pounds lighter, in 2 easy steps: Eat and Lift

Achrya

I won't bore you with a long set up. Got fat, tried eating way less (1300) and running til my legs fell off. Awful. Ate more (all of my weight has been lost at 1650+, eating at 1825 right now) and lifted heavy weights. Not awful, but rather awesome. I am able to fit into pants I haven't fit into since I was at my goal weight (And I'm not at my goal weight now, obviously) and I'm happier than I've ever been, thanks to eating all the food and lifting all the weights. Also added benefit of feeling like a bad *kitten* while squatting over 2/3 my body weight.

I have a big butt and big thighs. They haven't gotten bulky yet (I hear a lot about big thighs getting bigger around these parts) but I remain hopeful. Cause big butts and big thighs are awesome.

Early May



Now





Bonus pictures: Shorts I haven't worn since I was at my goal weight. They could be a little looser in the front but they gap in the back cause *kitten*. You gotta make due.






And that, my friends, is how you look lighter than you actually are in two easy to follow steps.

ShrinkingKitt

Awesome job!@!! Go girl!!

cleotherio

The truth is here. You look fantastic and strong!

Samoa_Moni

very very awesome!!!!!!!! Been trying to get to lifting but I'm afraid of looking too bulky but I think I have seen enough stories where people have lifted and it helped them lose weight and inches. Big difference in front and back!! Keep up the good work=)

karenertl

You're looking great! Keep up the awesome work!

brillmer

great job!!

such great advice

WillLift4Tats

You look amazing!! Keep up the <obviously> great work!

Dark_Roast

Woohoo!!! Rockin!

hannahjames295

Great work! You look like you lost more, you've really toned up, absolutely gorgeous
Well done and keep lifting!!

kelseyhere

you're a badass chick!! way to go!

juiletflt

Wow! Those results are amazing!

MsAnn07

Nice to see what I could actually look like !!
Keep up the fantastic work!

ash8184

You look GREAT!!! Awesome work

TribeHokie

Damn girl! High five!

vtotheicky

Great work! You look like you lost like 30 pounds. It's amazing what lifting can do.

Iron_Feline

smoking :smokin:

elawoman72

Look at you - AWESOME!!!

randomtai

Woot.... This is why we are friends. :flowerforyou:

jenniferfiedler

You look great!

maryinnc

Wow, you look great! There is a board on Pinterest called "Strong is the New Skinny" and you have shown us exactly what that is. Congratulations on your effort.

TeriLynnSpano

AWESOME!!!!!!!:bigsmile:

lforsyth95

you look awesome thanks for the inspiration. your story sounds a lot like mine. If cardio doesn't do it, weight lifting does. Of course I try to balance the two. GREAT JOB!

kerend123

You look lovely--- strong, fit and healthy - well done!

_chiaroscuro

You are just endless awesome. SO proud of you Chell! Oh and btw, hotnessssssss!

Achrya

very very awesome!!!!!!!! Been trying to get to lifting but I'm afraid of looking too bulky but I think I have seen enough stories where people have lifted and it helped them lose weight and inches. Big difference in front and back!! Keep up the good work=)

I'm glad you're able to see that bulking isn't something to be scared of. Eat at a moderate deficit and life heavy, for you, and there is no logical reason to get bigger. I've lost inches all over and dropped most of my back fat. I'm also much smoother and tighter overall than I was when I was 15 pounds lighter.

MrsBrit2007

You look AMAZING! I've been contemplating starting some lifting, but to be honest, I'm pretty intimidated. I currently do a combination of Zumba, C25K, 30DS and some kettlebell workouts, and I'm not seeing the results that I thought I would by doing a lot of cardio. (And as I read more threads on MFP, I'm seeing that that's pretty normal, and the best results have been through lifting and eating more.)

If you have a moment, would you mind sharing what your workout routines look like for lifting? And how did you start?

Congratulations again! You look great!

Mia_RagazzaTosta

Pamela_in_Progress

You've done an amazing job! Keep up the good work!!

Achrya

Woot.... This is why we are friends. :flowerforyou:

You are just endless awesome. SO proud of you Chell! Oh and btw, hotnessssssss!love

Thank you ladies, I couldn't have done it without you!

Which reminds me, it's actually 3 steps.

Step 3: Find amazing friends and learn from them, let them encourage you, let them push you, and let them occasionally tell you to take a damn rest day. There is something really amazing about this website and the fact I can get up on days when I just wanna sit in my pajamas and watch TV all day while eating pizza, and seeing that someone else has gotten their 1/2/5/11 kids up, dressed, and out the door then went and busted their *kitten*. It makes you want to be half as strong and together as those people. I really and truly believe that without my wide array of friends I couldn't have stuck with it.

Achrya

Wow, you look great! There is a board on Pinterest called "Strong is the New Skinny" and you have shown us exactly what that is. Congratulations on your effort.

Thank you! :happy:

I've never really been skinny (Even at my low weight I'm technically 'heavy') but I've always wanted to be, but not I'm realizing that I want more than thin, I want amazing. I want...strong, I want impressive. I want people to say "Damn, did you see that girl's powerclean/deadlift/bench" and also "Damn, did you see her butt?"

Achrya

You look AMAZING! I've been contemplating starting some lifting, but to be honest, I'm pretty intimidated. I currently do a combination of Zumba, C25K, 30DS and some kettlebell workouts, and I'm not seeing the results that I thought I would by doing a lot of cardio. (And as I read more threads on MFP, I'm seeing that that's pretty normal, and the best results have been through lifting and eating more.)

If you have a moment, would you mind sharing what your workout routines look like for lifting? And how did you start?

Congratulations again! You look great!

I started with New Rules of Lifting for Women, which is a great book for beginners and was rec'd to by someone here on MFP. I've also heard Starting Strength is a good book to check out. I did the first stage of NR and it went well, but the next stages were kinda overly complex for me so now I'm doing Strong Lifts 5x5 3 days a week.

Workout A
Barbell Squat 5x5
Bench press 5x5
Barbell Row 5x5


Workout B:
Barbell Squat 5x5 (5 sets with 5 reps)
Overhead press 5x5
Deadlift 1x5 (1 set with 5 reps)

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/4601-stronglifts-5x5-for-women Stronglifts group here.

And then I do body weight work outs 2-3 days a week, with 1 or 2 rest days depending on if I feel like doing stuff. It comes to maybe 3-4 hours of exercise a week, so nothing excessive. Besides that I'm kind of sedentary, but still eat a far amount. I've averaged 1700+ calories since June (I use a spreadsheet to track my average, I find it insightful)