5’-5’3” girl success stories before & after

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  • IheartPGH
    IheartPGH Posts: 39 Member
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    plumwd wrote: »
    plumwd wrote: »
    I started 4 years ago at 133 (first photo).
    ll9kc4v7ycem.jpg


    [Edited by MFP Staff]

    Why was my photo edited to look like I posted something inappropriate when I did not? I'm wearing a bathing suit! I don't like at all that this implies as if I posted something that goes against Terms of Service. There is nothing sexual or pornographic at all about this photo.

    Some of the things that are censored or removed from MFP threads are baffling. I mean how else is a man or woman supposed to show their progress? Are swimming trunks and bathing suits so inappropriate that they need to be removed? Really? With all of the filth on the Internet? Anyway, I agree, lol.
  • IheartPGH
    IheartPGH Posts: 39 Member
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    TxTiffani wrote: »
    @plumwd idk why they’d censor a bikini…I see loads of bikini pics

    Exactly. What's inappropriate is MFP censoring and removing so many pictures and posts.
  • AbiMartel207
    AbiMartel207 Posts: 6 Member
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    Hey ladies, I'm getting quite close to my goal of 130lb from 154lb (about 6lbs away) which is awesome but..... I've been here before and slowly put it all back on over a year. I think my biggest challenge is maintenance so I'm more worried about maintenance than loss. I've finally figured that my maintenance calories are probably 1500 but of course the world is designed for 2k calorie diets. I'm 5'4'', 40 this year and live with my three teenage sons and husband whose maintenance is 2-2.5k. I'm looking for tips from those who have families and cook family meals (we sit down for dinner together most nights and eat the same meal). Any advice greatly appreciated x
  • AmyDahlTorres
    AmyDahlTorres Posts: 91 Member
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    AbiMartel207 wrote: »
    Hey ladies, I'm getting quite close to my goal of 130lb from 154lb (about 6lbs away) which is awesome but..... I've been here before and slowly put it all back on over a year. I think my biggest challenge is maintenance so I'm more worried about maintenance than loss. I've finally figured that my maintenance calories are probably 1500 but of course the world is designed for 2k calorie diets. I'm 5'4'', 40 this year and live with my three teenage sons and husband whose maintenance is 2-2.5k. I'm looking for tips from those who have families and cook family meals (we sit down for dinner together most nights and eat the same meal). Any advice greatly appreciated x

    Hi Abi!
    I hear you re: family meals. What I am doing in the short term is consulting a certified dietician to help me with all of my meals. I had my first consultation last week and some of her suggestions are inspired! (add dark cacao powder to my nonfat sugarfree yogurt... whaaaaattt? Delicious AND lowers blood pressure? I'm IN!)

    Otherwise, in terms of my dinner, I keep a close eye on portion control and start with a big green salad with lowfat yogurt dressing to fill me up before the main event. We live in Southern California and grill most evenings; many nights I'm eating a different protein than the rest of the family, i.e., salmon instead of steak. I'm no longer worrying about eating at the same time; if I'm hungry, I need to eat. I can still sit down with the family during their dinner time.

    Best of luck!
  • judypriv
    judypriv Posts: 206 Member
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    These are all great. Back to trying to get healthy. I'm 5'1 (almost 2) and 48. I'm proud of you all!
  • MaggieGirl135
    MaggieGirl135 Posts: 977 Member
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    @AbiMartel207 I have some ideas for you, in regards to sharing meals with your family. I don't think any are profound and you may do these anyway, but here they are:

    1. The easiest and quickest, eyeballing: Make a plate for you (from the family meal that you made) for what you think is appropriate for you (to maintain weight) and then remove a bit from every type of food. Meaning, scape off your plate about 15% of the potatoes, veggie, protein, etc. So incredibly simple, but I find it hard to do! Judge how well you do this by your body weight and adjust accordingly. This can get you down your last few pounds.

    2. The most precise, counting all the calories, eating the same food as your family: Count the calories by weighing everything you make, even if it is a combined food, like a casserole. Weigh each ingredient before using it and log it under breakfast for tomorrow. When done, make it a meal (be sure you save it) by using the "..." on the right side of the breakfast section (to the right of "add food"). When the meal is all pulled together and cooked, weigh the food. If it is 1,000g and you eat 250g of it, then, when you add the meal (under "My Meals") under today's appropriate meal section, change the serving to 0.25 (from 1). Weigh your dish beforehand to make it easier. Some people use "Recipe Builder"; I never have. Then, delete tomorrow's breakfast. I log the foods in tomorrow's section when creating a meal, just to be sure I don't mess up any of today's already logged foods.

    Many people say it is quick and easy to do all this and it is easy. It is quick, but it is not always quick enough, if you need to get the meal on the table NOW. I have had an empty nest for many years, but I do remember those days well!

    3. A totally okay way, estimate calories: If you make rice with some veggies and don't know the weights of the individual items, just weigh your portion and eyeball it. If it looks like 75% rice and 25% veggies, record 75% of the weight as rice and then pick one veggie that you used and log that for the other 25% of the combined weight. You'll be close.




  • justanotherloser007
    justanotherloser007 Posts: 578 Member
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    AbiMartel207 wrote: »
    Hey ladies, I'm getting quite close to my goal of 130lb from 154lb (about 6lbs away) which is awesome but..... I've been here before and slowly put it all back on over a year. I think my biggest challenge is maintenance so I'm more worried about maintenance than loss. I've finally figured that my maintenance calories are probably 1500 but of course the world is designed for 2k calorie diets. I'm 5'4'', 40 this year and live with my three teenage sons and husband whose maintenance is 2-2.5k. I'm looking for tips from those who have families and cook family meals (we sit down for dinner together most nights and eat the same meal). Any advice greatly appreciated x

    I like to cook the meals with lean meat, cooking the meat totally and completely separate to the rest of the food. The carbs/oils add up fast to outside a regular short girl range. I will put 8 oz of chicken thighs on my plate, and then weigh out the pasta/rice/sauce/whatever. Also, this satiates me, and I do not feel hungry - which is important.

    The reality is the hubby should eat more like me since he is diabetic, but everyone else looks at my huge plate of food (mostly protein) and doesn't understand how I can eat "all that food". So far this has worked for me, I do have to keep the protein separate, but it works. No casseroles, which I know are pretty easy go to's for most families. Because if I make the casserole too light, the family starts losing weight (they are all normal BMI) can't have that. If I make it too calorically dense, I gain weight (can't have this either). This is one strategy I have used.

  • AbiMartel207
    AbiMartel207 Posts: 6 Member
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    MaggieGirl135 wrote: »
    @AbiMartel207 I have some ideas for you, in regards to sharing meals with your family. I don't think any are profound and you may do these anyway, but here they are:

    1. The easiest and quickest, eyeballing: Make a plate for you (from the family meal that you made) for what you think is appropriate for you (to maintain weight) and then remove a bit from every type of food. Meaning, scape off your plate about 15% of the potatoes, veggie, protein, etc. So incredibly simple, but I find it hard to do! Judge how well you do this by your body weight and adjust accordingly. This can get you down your last few pounds.

    2. The most precise, counting all the calories, eating the same food as your family: Count the calories by weighing everything you make, even if it is a combined food, like a casserole. Weigh each ingredient before using it and log it under breakfast for tomorrow. When done, make it a meal (be sure you save it) by using the "..." on the right side of the breakfast section (to the right of "add food"). When the meal is all pulled together and cooked, weigh the food. If it is 1,000g and you eat 250g of it, then, when you add the meal (under "My Meals") under today's appropriate meal section, change the serving to 0.25 (from 1). Weigh your dish beforehand to make it easier. Some people use "Recipe Builder"; I never have. Then, delete tomorrow's breakfast. I log the foods in tomorrow's section when creating a meal, just to be sure I don't mess up any of today's already logged foods.

    Many people say it is quick and easy to do all this and it is easy. It is quick, but it is not always quick enough, if you need to get the meal on the table NOW. I have had an empty nest for many years, but I do remember those days well!

    3. A totally okay way, estimate calories: If you make rice with some veggies and don't know the weights of the individual items, just weigh your portion and eyeball it. If it looks like 75% rice and 25% veggies, record 75% of the weight as rice and then pick one veggie that you used and log that for the other 25% of the combined weight. You'll be close.




    Thank you so much - this is super helpful and something I feel I can take forward. ATM I pretty much do No.2 i.e. weigh and record everything. My concern was that as I reach goals and step away from micro managing my meals it would slowly creep back on - But I think if I start incorporating the other ideas, I'll be able to keep control. I really appreciate you taking the time to reply. Thanks :-)
  • vlwicks1949
    vlwicks1949 Posts: 2 Member
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    I am in the category of, 5'2. I just started my fitness pal and am not sure how this works yet. I am grateful to find a place to start. My doctor told me I have to practically cut out all carbs. Not sure how to track that (yet). Please let me know how to do this. I have low blood sugar and that is why she said to cut out the carbs. Sadly, I don't like protein that much but she said I need to eat mostly protein and veggies...Where can I get the right kind of recipes for this program? Looking forward to starting on 5/6/2022 early in the morning. Thank you for your kindness and support.
  • vlwicks1949
    vlwicks1949 Posts: 2 Member
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    I forgot to mention, that my doctor suggested I start this program on my fitness pal. That is what brings me here.
  • AmyDahlTorres
    AmyDahlTorres Posts: 91 Member
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    vlwicks1949 wrote: »
    I am in the category of, 5'2. I just started my fitness pal and am not sure how this works yet. I am grateful to find a place to start. My doctor told me I have to practically cut out all carbs. Not sure how to track that (yet). Please let me know how to do this. I have low blood sugar and that is why she said to cut out the carbs. Sadly, I don't like protein that much but she said I need to eat mostly protein and veggies...Where can I get the right kind of recipes for this program? Looking forward to starting on 5/6/2022 early in the morning. Thank you for your kindness and support.

    Welcome to the community! I'm new here too. :)

    I suspect that what your doctor wants you to cut are refined carbohydrates like white bread, candy, cakes, etc. I am reading an article in Men's Journal called How to Cut Carbs When You Suffer From Hypoglycemia that may be of interest to you. There's a sample hypoglycemia meal plan that is surprisingly similar to my typical meal! https://www.mensjournal.com/health-fitness/how-cut-carbs-when-you-suffer-hypoglycemia/
  • AmyDahlTorres
    AmyDahlTorres Posts: 91 Member
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    @AbiMartel207 Another quick tip that I've learned is to use a 9 inch plate instead of the typical dinner plates. In the 1950s, plate sizes were 9 inches. Nowadays the average plate size is 11-12 inches. Here's a transcription of a podcast about food psychology, optical illusions, etc. with source notes!! :)

    https://happyherbivore.com/podcast/how-to-eat-less-feel-satisfied-plate-color-food/
  • AbiMartel207
    AbiMartel207 Posts: 6 Member
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    vlwicks1949 wrote: »
    I am in the category of, 5'2. I just started my fitness pal and am not sure how this works yet. I am grateful to find a place to start. My doctor told me I have to practically cut out all carbs. Not sure how to track that (yet). Please let me know how to do this. I have low blood sugar and that is why she said to cut out the carbs. Sadly, I don't like protein that much but she said I need to eat mostly protein and veggies...Where can I get the right kind of recipes for this program? Looking forward to starting on 5/6/2022 early in the morning. Thank you for your kindness and support.

    I agree with Amy, I think it may be refined carbs you need to cut back on - its certainly a good place to start. Hopefully your Dr will refer you to a nutritionist or dietician for actual advice. Fruit and Veg are carbs so you definitely need more medical guidance if you have a medical condition. The internet is a mine field with people in every corner passing themselves off as experts and willing to give you their unqualified opinion. Even if you end up having to pay a registered and qualified person for advice the return on investment will be worth every penny - and you deserve to invest in yourself and your health. Good luck, we're all in your corner x
  • tasha201618
    tasha201618 Posts: 1 Member
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    Allgaun wrote: »
    I'm curious, does anyone get more than 1200 calories a day?

    I'm 5'2" and if I put in I want to lose a lb a week, I get 1200 calories.

    If I input .5 lbs I also get 1200!

    I have 50 lbs to lose so it's not like I'm close to my goal weight.

    Hey there! I'm 5'3, 215, and I'm eating 2000 calories! It's only been 5 days and I've dropped 1.5lbs already. I couldn't belive my eyes
  • justanotherloser007
    justanotherloser007 Posts: 578 Member
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    I remember the maintenance calories, because I took a maintenance break for a couple weeks for Easter:
    5'3" 48 yo sedentary calories to maintain 160: 1690
    calories to maintain 150: 1660.

    So if you do the math I will not be losing a lb a week, unless I exercise and don't eat the calories back. There may be days I am that motivated, since January I haven't really cared how long it takes. I have been holding the line, and losing weight very well. However, the less I weigh the more the "1200 calorie limit" phenomenon kicks in. I currently have weight loss as .5 lbs a week, because at =20% calories I can gain some of the muscle I have lost over losing weight. (I want my muscle back, so that when I get to goal I can eat 200 calories over 1350 calories!)

    So for a month, maybe more, it will look like I am "maintaining weight" even though I have been shrinking sizes. In my journey, this has happened before when I really picked up the exercise/strength training. I am a medium now (In fact when I began Easter maintenance, I lost a size on top, even though theoretically I shouldn't have). Depending on my muscle gain, I might end up being an extra small at 130 lbs. Which I know such sizes exist, and it is what it is. I am currently size 8, so I don't really want to pretend to know what size I will be at goal. This is quite freaky for me in general, I was class 3 obesity for 25 years.

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