MAINTAINERS Introduce Yourselves!

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YAY! With so many successful MFPers this new area is definitely needed. How about posting a before & after photo along with:

Age
Before & after weight
Start & goal reached date
Best strategy for removing weight
Current strategy for maintaining the weight

Just a suggestion...any inputs?
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Replies

  • SJVZEE
    SJVZEE Posts: 451 Member
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    YAY! With so many successful MFPers this new area is definitely needed. How about posting a before & after photo along with:

    Age
    Before & after weight
    Start & goal reached date
    Best strategy for removing weight
    Current strategy for maintaining the weight

    Just a suggestion...any inputs?

    Fun :)

    -Age: 34/female
    -SW 170s/27.9bmi
    -CW 122.5lbs/19.8bmi
    -Started last fall, end of October
    -Hit goal weight of 135lbs in March, and as I transitioned to maintenance I continued to lose/still losing a bit here and there. -Eventually I'll figure this whole thing out lol.
    -I did alternate day intermittent fasting for my weight loss plan
    -I don't really have a maintenance strategy right now. I've recently transitioned to a whole foods, plant based diet and that's been keeping things in check, and has actually caused some more weight loss. I do still weigh daily and keep track of it on an app I have on my phone.
  • 55in13
    55in13 Posts: 1,091 Member
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    YAY! With so many successful MFPers this new area is definitely needed. How about posting a before & after photo along with:

    Age
    Before & after weight
    Start & goal reached date
    Best strategy for removing weight
    Current strategy for maintaining the weight

    Just a suggestion...any inputs?
    54

    225 -> 170

    12/27/2012 -> 8/1/2013

    No week day snacks, light breakfast, light lunch, normal family dinner, run 3 times a week

    Pretty much the same for maintenance except allowing a few more treats and some heavier lunches
  • Sweetsugar0424
    Sweetsugar0424 Posts: 451 Member
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    YAY! With so many successful MFPers this new area is definitely needed. How about posting a before & after photo along with:

    Age
    Before & after weight
    Start & goal reached date
    Best strategy for removing weight
    Current strategy for maintaining the weight

    Just a suggestion...any inputs?

    33 yrs old
    SW - 203 lbs (over 50% BF)
    CW - 153 lbs (20.4% BF)
    Start date - January 1, 2012
    Goal reached - July 27, 2013
    Strategy for losing - Eat whole foods and cook at home most of the time, but don't deny yourself treats...everything in moderation. Exercise (both cardio and weight lifting are equally important in my eyes) and making sure you get enough healthy foods are really all that's necessary. I have followed the TDEE thinking for almost a year now.
    Strategy for maintaining - I don't currently have any advice as I'm just learning, but I've upped my calories to approximately TDEE and we'll see what happens as I only weigh myself once a month now, give or take.

    2cdtttj.png
  • perrinjoshua
    perrinjoshua Posts: 286 Member
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    61 years old
    SW - 168 pounds
    CW - 130.8 pounds
    Start date - April 4 2013
    Goal reached - August 8, 2013
    Strategy for losing - 5:2 fast program - two non-consecutive days at 500 calories (recommended for a female) and healthy portion control and choices on the other days. Exercising on most days, increasing as I gained more energy and commitment to the plan. Logging everything and drinking my water.
    Strategy for maintenance - Just decided to start maintenance today! I'm on the 5:2 plan so will be now fasting one day a week only to maintain the no-pain benefit and uping my caloric intake on other days. My new calories for maintenance are around 1500 plus any exercise calories burned. I will have to monitor things and see how my body feels going with the one fast. If need be, I will fast on two days and increase my calories more on the other days. The anti-inflammatory properties from this plan are too important a benefit to lose.
  • The_Enginerd
    The_Enginerd Posts: 3,982 Member
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    33
    SW 215
    CW 170
    Start Date: February 2011
    Goal Reached: November 2011
    Strategy for losing: Eat under my TDEE
    Strategy for maintaining: Eat my TDEE
  • richardheath
    richardheath Posts: 1,276 Member
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    Age : 46, male.

    Before & after weight : Max was about 210 lb. Maintaining at about 168 (+/- about 3 lbs) for 1 year.

    Start & goal reached date : Started losing weight about 2 years ago

    Best strategy for removing weight : Eat and drink less; move more. Cutting down on the beer was a biggie for me, but I never cut it out completely. I eat relatively low carb due to pre-diabetes but other than that I'm IIFYM.

    Current strategy for maintaining the weight : Lift some weights, do some cardio, keep eating right. I don't log anymore - I kinda know now how much to eat to keep my weight and sugar levels OK.
  • Melissa26point2
    Melissa26point2 Posts: 177 Member
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    YAY! With so many successful MFPers this new area is definitely needed. How about posting a before & after photo along with:

    Age
    Before & after weight
    Start & goal reached date
    Best strategy for removing weight
    Current strategy for maintaining the weight

    Just a suggestion...any inputs?

    Age: 32
    SW: 161 CW: 127
    Start date: 2/1/11
    Goal reached: October 2012
    My strategy for losing was clean eating and running. I trained for a 10k and a half marathon during this time and kept my calories between 1,500 and 1,800 with 90% clean eating.
    I have been weight training and running to continue with maintenance. I will forever and ever eat clean. Currently I am following The New Rules of Lifting For Women.

    Yay for maintenance :bigsmile:
  • Brummig
    Brummig Posts: 94
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    42
    SW 198
    CW 123
    Start Date: Sept 2010
    Goal Reached: March 2013
    Strategy for losing: My first motivation was to lose 40lbs for my 40th, spurred on by that years holiday snaps. I joined Slimming World, started doing Wii Fit, reached that 40lbs in 5 months. Stayed at SW, started jogging, lost another stone. Joined a gym and after a year of maintaining decided to try for the last 10lbs to reach a 'normal' range. Went back to basics on SW and started working with a PT and using MFP.
    Strategy for maintaining: never thought of it as a diet that would end when goal was reached. Still log regularly, though not every day, weigh in every week, exercising lots.
    [img]*http://i1289.photobucket.com/albums/b517/helenpatching/d06d6dd6-1436-418f-b8a5-5b83656bc8bc_zpsd3d492c6.jpg*[/img]
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
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    Age: 41

    Before & after weight: 75kg -> 62kg (skinny fat to athletically lean)

    Start & goal reached date: March 2012 -> September 2012

    Best strategy for removing weight:
    Eat a calorie deficit but keep protein levels up; throw in a heavy lifting routine and regular exercise (choose your poison)

    Current strategy for maintaining the weight:
    This is an interesting one.
    Since December 2012:
    Strength training: I've been continuing with my lifting and gymnastics training, developing my strength and body control.
    Exercise: I cut down on most but kept the tai chi training going. Started playing tennis for fun once or twice a week.
    Food-wise: I now carb/calorie cycle. On lifting days, I increase my carbs to around 200g a day and my calories hit around 2600 otherwise I try to limit my carbs to around 150g a day and my calories to 2200.
    The result? I now weigh close to what I weighed over a year ago (weighed myself a month ago and it read 72kg). :laugh: HOWEVER, I'm not skinny fat any more. I look more muscular, athletic and basically more healthy than I did 6 months ago. Because I'm cycling cals/carbs, despite growing muscle, I haven't put any fat on. Or none that's noticeable.

    My on-going goal is to continue to develop my strength as well as my gymnastics ability. I want to deadlift double my bodyweight. Additionally, I want to do this kind of stuff: http://youtu.be/WC9RshZ3NJQ (Or maybe I should grow up.)
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,655 Member
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    I'll play. :smile:

    Age: Between 40 and 50
    Height: 5'5"
    SW: 172 (November 2012)
    CW: 130-131 (reached mid-June 2013)

    Strategy for removing weight
    Eat real food. Eat less and do more. Fitbit for tracking. Use HRM, but don't take its burn stats as gospel. Walk a lot, and walk some more. Also jog, row, lift (on machines for now). Don't log strength as cardio. Moar protein, moar weight.

    Strategy for maintaining weight
    Eat real food. Keep logging and tracking. Net calorie goal is a small deficit (e.g., TDEE-80). Keep doing stuff. Do more of it. Start running in earnest. Add free weights and combat when I feel ready to take the plunge. Moar protein, moar weight.

    Working on striking a balance to avoid backsliding and avoid obsessing over daily scale fluctuations. Right now, I'm thinking if I hit CW+3 on an upward trend, I'll drop back into weight loss mode. But also watching to see what kind of weight it is. I've gained almost half a pound in the past month, which would concern me except it reflects a gain of 2.2 pounds LBM and a loss of 1.8 pounds fat. I think I'm ok with that, at least for now.

    Sorry, no pics to share at present. Didn't let many "before" pics survive, and haven't taken any "after" pics. I'm not into bathroom selfies and I'm kind of a privacy zealot. Maybe sometime this month.
  • sandeerah
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    AGE: 36, female

    HEIGHT:165cm

    SW: 88kg

    CW: trying to keep it under 62kg

    START AND FINISH DATE: Started October 2011, goal reached December 2012

    STRATEGY FOR REMOVING WEIGHT:
    I counted calories (numbers given to me by Calorie King), exercised and drank my water. Find an exercise you love doing and eat foods you love. Heck if you don't love salad, find something else or you wont stick to it.

    STRATEGY FOR MAINTAINING WEIGHT:
    Like the previous poster (whitebalance) I am "Working on striking a balance to avoid backsliding and avoid obsessing over daily scale fluctuations"
    I have also changed to a 5:2 fasting eating plan (or 6:1 for maintaining) but I am still finding maintenance a real struggle. I am glad they have a maintenance forum.
    Right now I am exercising 6 days a week, 3 running days and 3 yoga days. I still drink my 2 litres of H2O, I find it helps a lot.

    Sandeerah
  • pkw58
    pkw58 Posts: 2,039 Member
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    YAY! With so many successful MFPers this new area is definitely needed. How about posting a before & after photo along with:

    Age
    Before & after weight
    Start & goal reached date
    Best strategy for removing weight
    Current strategy for maintaining the weight

    Just a suggestion...any inputs?

    Age 54
    Before 174, Goal 128
    Started December 2011, reached goal June 2012
    Dukan Diet , all 4 phases with on line coaching and Nike Fuel Band, and LOGGING!
    Following Dukan diet phase 4, logging and upping activity
  • RoadsterGirlie
    RoadsterGirlie Posts: 1,195 Member
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    So glad there is finally a forum for folks who have made it this far!!! I'm Tina, and I've been on MFP for almost a year. I've maintained a 90 lb loss for over a year.

    Age: 37
    Starting weight: 215
    Current weight: 125
    Best strategy: Tracking food and counting calories/WW points
    Allowing oneself a treat now and then and to not feel deprived. Structure your meals with foods that add volume, but not calories.
  • larnsperger
    larnsperger Posts: 161 Member
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    Age: 54
    Height: 5'6"
    SW: 172 May 2012
    CW: 135
    GW: 150

    Began Maintaining December 2012

    Best Strategy: I log everything I eat! Love the app and how easy it is to log meals. I don't give up anything I really enjoy, I just enjoy in moderation. WATER WATER and MORE WATER!

    I did give up Diet Coke as I realized it made me crave snack foods and I suffer from migraines and I don't really need to be consuming artificial sweeteners.

    Lost eating 1200 calories per day, and I maintain at 1500 -1600 calories per day.

    Exercise: Walking and Pure Barre
  • Seesawboomerang
    Seesawboomerang Posts: 296 Member
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    Age 42
    Height 5'8"
    SW: ~72kg (158lb) in Jan 2011
    Began Maintaining ~ Oct 2011 at 59kg (130lb)
    CW: 63.1 kg

    Best strategy for removing weight - log everything, exercise often, have a little of what you like and a lot of what's good for you. Portion control, healthy choices and lots more water were the biggest lifestyle changes for me.

    Current strategy for maintaining the weight - as you can see I've fallen off the maintenance wagon but will not take long to shed the few extra lbs that crept back. Best strategy is stay accountable. For me that won't be logging calories for the rest of my life, but will be to keep an eye on how clothes fit, and keep up the exercise regime as well as limiting bad food choices (limiting their frequency and/or quantity)

    Lost eating 1200 kcal per day, then upped to 1400, maintain at 1600-1700

    Exercise - cycling and walking, plus fairly easy weights for squats
  • JeanneTops
    JeanneTops Posts: 2,594 Member
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    At last, a forum for maintainers.

    Age: 61
    Height: 5'6"
    SW: 242.5 (December 2009)
    CW: 152 (reached August 2011)

    Strategy for removing weight
    Didn't do anything I wasn't willing to do for the rest of my life. Focused on one day at a time. Logged in everything, did an hour of cardio 6 days a week. Kept my calorie level at my future maintenance level. Since I weighed more than that, I lost weight. I was willing to have it take time since my whole approach was to use the time while I was losing weight to learn how to not gain the weight back. Found a really great support group here on MFP.

    Strategy for maintaining weight
    The exact same thing as when I was losing weight. I've learned though that there's a lot more to maintenance than there was to losing. It really is harder mainly because life doesn't change, I am the same person with the same set of problems. Maintenance is about learning how to deal with those problems in a different way than trying to eat through them.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I feel a little bad because I haven't lost as much weight at most others, but I have been maintaining and leading a very healthy lifestyle for ~ 3 years

    Male
    Age 39
    Started at a soft 185, lowest was 165, currently 173-174(purposely at this weight from lifting)
    Started May/June of 2010, dropped about 10-12 lbs in 3 months. As I continued to run, I went all the way down to 165 during marathon training cycles. After my last one, I started stepping up the wieghts and like my current size/weight. I do plan to try and cut a little more, probably taking me to 170, while keeping my muscle.

    Best strategy for removing weight:
    At first it was all about education and portion control. Realizing how many calories were in things I didnt need and in things I drank. Since I was running a lot, I had to carry a small deficit and that worked very well to balance energy & weight loss. As I progressed, I started cutting out more and more processed foods.

    Current strategy for maintaining the weight
    I no longer count calories and hopefully never will have to start. I have found that eating as many whole, real foods as I can makes it extremely hard to over eat. I exercise a lot both running and strength training, so I'm sure that factors in. I have begun doing small expiriments with things to tweak, mostly out of curiosity. I've greatly reduced my dairy intake, I feel better for doing so. Far less bloating & stomach issues. I've greatly decreased my wheat/grains too.That seems to have more of a neutral effect. But i have never been that big on bread & pasta, so I'll just go along with it. Pretty much the only sugars I get are thru fruit, which i do eat a lot of. My next trial is Intermittent Fasting. Nothing too crazy, going to follow the 16 hr fast per day & see how that goes.
  • kristina1709
    kristina1709 Posts: 119 Member
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    Age 31
    Before & after weight Highest 205-
    Current 130
    Start & goal reached date- Which time? ;) This last time I started after I gave birth in June 2011 at 194 lbs/ reached goal in May 2013 (this is not my first weight loss rodeo)
    Best strategy for removing weight - running and writing down EVERYTHING i eat.
    Current strategy for maintaining the weight- I am still trying to figure that out LOL
  • saxmaniac
    saxmaniac Posts: 1,133 Member
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    Age: I'm 41 now.

    Weight: 215, 38/40 pants (12/2009) -> 163, 31/32 pants (7/2011). So, two years maintaining with only slight fluctuations.

    How I lost: Most of the weight was lost before joining MFP and tracking... I changed the composition of my meals (macros) and that caused a calorie deficit, even though I wasn't tracking. I very intentionally ate a lot more protein, vegetable, and fruits... hoping that the more calorie-dense carbs would automatically "fall off", and it did. I'm a big believer in changing habits, a little bit at a time, until they become easy and natural to follow.

    How I maintain: This is easy since the habits are set but I have to watch to make sure I don't fall out habit. I weigh almost daily (and understand my normal water fluctuations), and keep track of how my clothes fit. If I get towards 170 or feel bloated, then I start tracking calories and macros bit more intently. Otherwise, I'm fairly loose about it.
  • grimendale
    grimendale Posts: 2,154 Member
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    Age: 29
    Starting Weight: 285 lbs (40% bf)
    Current Weight: 195 lbs (19% bf)
    Start Date: December 2011
    End Date: March 2013
    Best strategy for removing weight:
    I worked with a dietician to combat a history of unhealthy dieting and overeating. Learning to log everything I eat was the bog game changer for me.
    Current strategy for maintaining the weight:
    I just finished up 2 months of Insanity to cut body fat (I went from 23% to 19%) and am now doing stronglifts to build some muscle mass. Once I get to a good place with my lifting, I'll switch back to a cut to remove the fat I'll put on during the bulk.