Ladies: Were u once 200+, now at/close to UGW(w/o surgery)?

xSirensSong

If you've clicked on this, I want you to know that I'm reaching out for motivation, advice, tips, recipes, lifestyles, EVERYTHING.

I have seen quite a few women, around my age (20+) who have been around my size (215+) and are now at or EXTREMELY close to their goal weight. Being a bigger woman, it's so hard to envision myself at 135. It seems absolutely impossible, but seeing these stories, I'm all like "Holy crap. It IS doable... But the question is, can I do it?"

SO! My questions for you ladies... When you were considered 'bigger', what did you do for exercise? What did you eat? How many calories did you eat? How often did you work out? I specifically want to know this junk from when you first started and were losing your first 20-30 pounds.

My reasoning is this: when I normally ask these questions, all you skinny-minnies usually tell me what you do now with your new hot bods. Right now, I cannot run 5 miles. Heck, I can't even RUN 1 mile. My knees are bad, so it literally makes me cringe to do squats, my knees pop & rub and it's literally like nails on a chalkboard.



I enjoy lifting weights. I like the machines at the gym. I like to walk in the cool crisp mornings outside, but struggle when it's cold. I know losing weight isn't 'rocket science'. I know it's calories in vs. calories out. I'm not someone who is looking for a quick fix or an easy answer - all I'm looking for are women who have done this journey and are living proof that their plan worked.

So, spill the beans, all you sexy ladies! Give me the deets, share before & after pictures, friend request me to get my butt motivated & in gear, because Lord knows, I would NEVER turn down motivation.

Thank you in advance. Now, go go! :flowerforyou:

adioschubs

Bump

Kaitlyn811

I was at one point 215+ pre-baby, dropped to 140, got pregnant and reached the over 200 again. I was 210 I believe at delivery. I'm not at an uncomfortable 155-160, and my goal weight is 140-145. It's do-able, hard but do-able.

Now I eat a lot of whole foods, work out 5x a week (mostly running or elliptical) with some strength/cardio a couple times a week. I'm a single mom so squeezing in time is rough and most nights I don't get enough sleep. I buy a lot of organic stuff, and TRY to cut out processed junk. NO SOY. I try to stay away from soy as much as possible, even though TONS of products have traces in it.

I'm STILL a slow runner. I was sick for quite a few months, had surgery, recovered and now I'm getting to where I was. I'm at about a 12-13 minute mile now and do 2 miles when I run outside. Or when I'm at the gym I do 30-45 minutes on the elliptical. I use the workout trainer app for my morning routines. (:

RunHardBeStrong

Yes, I started at 270. Lost 40 lbs before MFP by just walking 5-6 times a week started with 30 minutes worked up to 60. I ate 1800 cals a day of whatever I wanted just kept it with in 1800. Joined MFP, started lifting weights, running and kickboxing still ate 1800 cals but became more diligent about cutting out most (not all) processed foods. Got pregnant gained 25, lost it right away afterwards and continued with my plan lost an additional 42. So 107 lost in total without surgery just diet and exercise. I did become extremely lazy last winter on top of some major 'female/hormonal' issues and gained some back. So I'm working at it again. I just finished my first half marathon so my last 5 months really weren't about weight loss but lots of running/training and some weight lifting, eating 2000-2200 cals to fuel my runs. Now that goal has been accomplished, I am switching back to transformation mode and concentrating on heavy lifting, some cardio and eating 1800 cals/day again! Good luck! You can do this, this site is full of 1,000's people that have!

tryttej

I am still a big girl, but when I was at my biggest, I started with Jillian Michaels for beginners, and worked my way through many of her programs. I liked that they were relatively short, combined cardio and weights, and showed modified moves for those who needed them (ME!). I went from the beginners series to Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism, to 30 Day Shred. All the videos have levels to progress through, you can do it at home with no one watching you (a biggie for me), and the weather doesn't matter. I successfully lost 2 pounds a week while using these videos.

maracuya23

I started in February at right around 200. Mostly walking (on the treadmill when it was awful out), or the elliptical, a few zumba classes, 30DS, and some general bodyweight exercises like squats, pushups (modified, and slowing working towards full ones), etc. I like Curvy Yoga as well, and some of the workouts posted on Tone it Up are pretty good ones.

Honestly, though, most of my 20ish pound loss thus far has been diet alone. My rate of loss might seem slow, but I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and some nutritional deficiencies right when I started, and it's taken a while to get them all balanced so I'm like a normal person!

What I ate/eat: I pretty quickly figured out my TDEE, and even went to a local University lab to get my RMR tested to confirm. (Why, yes, I am a science nerd!) Turns out my TDEE when I began was about 2400/day, so I did my best to stay at least 500 net under that a day. I've adjusted that number every few pounds, and it's been working pretty well for me thus far.

I took the advice to eat 1g protein/ lb lean body mass to heart, and work hard to hit that macro every day. I also aim for at least 50 grams fat/ day and lately that's mostly from avocados, coconut oil, nuts, eggs, and whole milk. I make sure to take a really good quality multivitamin to help with nutrition. I cook nearly everything I eat, though I love to eat out a few times a month as well. Definitely feel free to add me and ask about recipes/ nutrition for hypothyroid- I love to cook!

You definitely don't have to do the 1200-a-day diet and 2 hour hard core work out to make it happen. Just keep doing something right every day (eat at or under maintenance, hit your macros, go for a 10 minute walk, try planking), or make the next decision a good one, and you'll get there!

TheFitHooker

Hey there!

I'm 5'1.5 and started out at 250 lbs. I've lost 132 lbs...



I'm not sure how much help I'll be since my story is a bit different. In 2009 I was at my heaviest, 250 lbs. I was in denial of how big I was. Until after Halloween that year, a friend posted the first top photo of me on fb, I was not happy to see that, I thought it was a cruel sick joke. Late 2009, early 2010 I found MFP (this is a newer account because I lost my access after I gave up) I logged a little bit, then in April of 2010 I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. Thing is back in 2009 I remember this conversation with my grandmother and dad like it was yesterday, my dad and I were telling my grandmother (his mom) some symptoms we were having, she sore we both were diabetics. I didn't find out till my pregnancy but my dad had a heart attack September 2009 and also found out he was diabetic at this time. Since my dad was a diabetic I was tested in my first trimester, sure enough I was also diabetic. I lost 70 lbs in my pregnancy and was on bed rest for most of my pregnancy so no working out.

After she was born I had gained 25.5 lbs back because I was no longer a diabetic and could eat what I wanted and being a new mom got in the way.

September of 2011 I got fed up, almost a year after my baby was born and I gained so much back, I remembered about MFP and made a new account. I begin by eating 1600 a day and my workout was walking, zumba or Wii fit games. I started out working out 2 or 3 days a week, mainly cardio. Once I hit my 100's I found the 30 day shred by Jillian Michael's. I found myself really sore, I couldn't do it the way it was suppose to be done, I did 3 days a week because I was so sore. It hurt my knees, it reminded me of how out of shape I really was. I ended up quitting into level 2. I tried it again once I hit my mid 100's, Again quit in the process of level 2. Even though I didn't finish it back then, I still seen some amazing transformations. I've done Slim in 6 and it seemed easier but effective. I did power 90 not all the way through because I had lost some of the disc ...

I did a little bit of insanity, but quit because it was too hard for me to handle. I then started working at my last job, quit working out because I was on my feet a lot and was tired a lot, I let it become an excuse, while I was still losing weight, I wasn't working out. Toward the end of my days there, I decided to start the 30 day shred again. I finished it this time, I did it all the way through how it was suppose to do and I seen great results. I decided to do insanity after that, I made it to the last month and quit because T25 came in, and that's where I'm at now. I have 1 week left after this week is done. I now workout 5-6 day's a week.

My food went from eating in moderation, the only thing I eliminated was fried food and soda's. I drink 10-12 glasses of water a day. I didn't really watch WHAT I ate, just how much I ate. I don't believe in depriving myself, this is a life style change.

Now that my weight loss goals are pretty much met (I changed my weight loss for another 8 lbs but not hung up on it.) I try to eat cleaner, I eat as clean as I can, I do not make prepackaged food. I do have candy once in awhile and honestly not often at all. Once a week I allow myself 1 meal that I might not normally eat, like taco's or something like that. My favorite is gumbo. I refuse to deprive myself from that. However I don't eat it all the time and it's once in awhile. I also drink Shakeology, it's a meal replacement shake.

So that's what I've done and what I do. I do hope that helped some.

molliethehyena

I started in mid-March. I tell everyone I started at 200 but technically was 210, the first 10 was water weight and dropped literally overnight so I never even counted it. The first few months, I was using Diet to Go, I loved it! The food was good (IMO) and all totally measured and portioned out to be 1300 calories. The only downside was cost, so after a few months I had to cancel it, otherwise I would still be using them. Since then, I have been calorie counting, keeping 13-1400 as my goal unless I exercise that day. I will allow myself anything that fits in my calorie budget, but some things I know I can't buy because I don't have the willpower to limit myself just yet. I do find myself leaning more towards healthier choices, mainly because I can eat a larger volume of healthy/low calorie foods than junk, and it keeps me fuller for longer.

As far as exercise goes, I have done almost nothing. When I first started I did hula hooping for a while, never got very good at it, so I got bored and stopped. I recently picked up the hoop and tried it for the first time in months, and was surprised I did pretty good, I think my big belly had been making it hard to keep the hoop afloat. Other than that, I have taken the dogs hiking a couple times a month and the past 2 weeks have been walking them for 45-60+ minutes a day. Sadly, my main motivation is the fact that this allows me to eat more calories. haha

I want to try incorporating weight training or yoga, but no funds to put towards equipment/dvds at the moment.

I thought I was 5'3" but recently had my friend measure me and I came up only 5'2" But either way I was 200-210 lb, size 18-20 'apple' shape. I'm currently 144 size 9 'banana' shaped.

jolene_ca

I started at 199. (likely more...I avoided the scale). I'm 25yo, 5'7" and I have 5 children (6 pregnancies, I lost a child) before kids I maintained at 144, but then had many back to back pregnancies and it slowly crept up. After our 5th was born (6th pregnancy) I had postpartum depression and was still dealing with losing a child right before conceiving my youngest. I went from 181 to 199+. I was basically eating as much as I could all day long.

When I first started I set my calories to 1500. (probably could have gone higher) I eat absolutely whatever I want as long as it fits in my calories. I try to stick with a 300 calorie chicken salad for lunch, that I really enjoy and I can indulge a bit more during our family dinner. When I started I cut alcohol out completely. I have only had 2 drink since Dec 27, 2012. Starting out for exercise I was doing 20 minutes on the treadmill. When I started I couldn't run. Speed walked. After couple weeks I started jumping on the elliptical after the treadmill. I did that for a few months and then had an injury and didn't work out March-July other than I religiously walk my kids to/from school. (10 miles a week) I started T25 in july. Mostly to add some muscle sculpting.

I'm now 131 lbs. Still losing at 1500 calories a day. I've actually noticed when I go over, my body drops weight it had been holding onto on the following days. I think I will slowly add calories when I get to 125lbs.

if I can do thid while taking care of 5 kids, my youngest is special needs, ANYONE can do it. My avatar is a Before/recent pic. Feel free to FR me.

Serah87

I am 5'2, starting weight was 230 pounds, current weight 138.5, goal weight is 110 pounds. What I did at the beginning was a lot of walking, first I started out slow about a mile and than worked myself up to 5 miles. Calories I started 1200, once I learned the TDEE, I went up to 1500 calories, now I am doing 1600-2000 calories. I still do walking but I now do weight lifting (started back in January). Good luck and you can do this. :flowerforyou:

FrauHaas2013

Like many other Moms here have mentioned, I gained a lot of my weight with pregnancies. I never knew how to eat correctly, and I found now that I was completely clueless about portion control. Once I gained all that weight, I pretty much maintained it all of these years. Now I'm ready to be done with it!

I started my journey here on September 15th at 286.4 lbs. Today, almost 3 weeks later, I'm at 275.2 . I have health reasons that hold me back from doing anything too aerobic or lifting anything more than 10 lbs...but I can walk. I started out on very short walks - across the street and around the corner. Then I just kept adding more distance once my stamina improved. I also have an elliptical so when it's too dark, cold, rainy, or whatever outside I can still walk. Having the TV on or listening to music completely distracts me and I find that I wind up walking a lot farther than I thought!

Sometimes you've just gotta start with those baby steps and keep increasing/going farther as you're able. The important thing is that you've got to start moving.

Lavidarachel

Hi,

I started at 238lbs, and have lost 28lbs so far. When I started, I had shoes I couldn't fasten myself, and I couldn't walk far as my legs would rub together and bleed. I have hormone issues, and so losing weight has always been a struggle, and to be fair the excuse I used to tell myself when I gave up each time.

It's taken since January, and I have done a mixture of things. I started off just tracking my food through MFP. We moved from the UK to South Africa, and I left my business behind and can't work here, so I had loads of time in my hands. I started doing exercise DVDs at home, and lost about a stone or so that way.

The last 6 weeks I have been doing Drop 2 Sizes, which I love, as its weight lifting, and I can see my self getting better all the time. Although she says in the book to throw away the scale and just use clothes as a gauge, I still weigh myself and have lost about 6lbs since starting, but also got a lot fitter. Still cant do a press up, but I can do a plank and some other stuff I never thought possible!

I keep reading that the best way to get weight off and keep it off is strength training (muscle burns more fat, or something technical like that :-) so I am happy doing it this way and really enjoying it. I follow the meal plans a fair bit, but also have a treat if I want, and try just be sensible.

You can do it :-)

FrauHaas2013

I started in mid-March. I tell everyone I started at 200 but technically was 210, the first 10 was water weight and dropped literally overnight so I never even counted it. The first few months, I was using Diet to Go, I loved it! The food was good (IMO) and all totally measured and portioned out to be 1300 calories. The only downside was cost, so after a few months I had to cancel it, otherwise I would still be using them. Since then, I have been calorie counting, keeping 13-1400 as my goal unless I exercise that day. I will allow myself anything that fits in my calorie budget, but some things I know I can't buy because I don't have the willpower to limit myself just yet. I do find myself leaning more towards healthier choices, mainly because I can eat a larger volume of healthy/low calorie foods than junk, and it keeps me fuller for longer.

As far as exercise goes, I have done almost nothing. When I first started I did hula hooping for a while, never got very good at it, so I got bored and stopped. I recently picked up the hoop and tried it for the first time in months, and was surprised I did pretty good, I think my big belly had been making it hard to keep the hoop afloat. Other than that, I have taken the dogs hiking a couple times a month and the past 2 weeks have been walking them for 45-60+ minutes a day. Sadly, my main motivation is the fact that this allows me to eat more calories. haha

I want to try incorporating weight training or yoga, but no funds to put towards equipment/dvds at the moment.

I thought I was 5'3" but recently had my friend measure me and I came up only 5'2" But either way I was 200-210 lb, size 18-20 'apple' shape. I'm currently 144 size 9 'banana' shaped.

YOU DON'T NEED TO BUY ANYTHING! CHECK YOUTUBE - THERE ARE A TON OF FITNESS VIDEOS AVAILABLE! AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE WEIGHTS - YOU CAN USE RESISTANCE BANDS IF THAT MAKES IT EASIER FOR YOU. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

Barbonica

SW=224, CW=173, UGW=155. I am quite a bit older than you (51), but this might help. I started by working out with a personal trainer 30-minutes 2X/week, walking every other day, and attending a tennis clinic 1X/week. Trainer kicked my butt - lots of pain for the first 2 months, but I am stubborn so kept with it. Food consumption - I didn't count calories at all, I just started eating those things that are good for me (or neutral). Fresh veggies, fruit, meat, red wine, very few starches (rice, potato, pasta, bread). By very few I mean 1x-2x per month. I consider white wine and freshly ground peanut butter (no added sugar or oil) neutral. I slowly increased walking to 5 miles a couple of times a week for time. Was not able to get below 64 minutes, so decided to start adding a little running. Recently ran my first 5K at 31:40. I didn't lose weight for about a year although I maintained and body composition improved. This year, started focusing again on weight loss, eating same stuff, but managing portion size to stay within calorie target. Still working with trainer for strength, cardio, and added yin yoga for flexibility. I enjoy competing with myself, so am never thinking about calories burned with the exercise. Good luck! You can do it - remember, it is a marathon, not a sprint (no pun intended)

MinnieInMaine

My starting weight in October 2009 was 260.

I've done a whole bunch of different things for exercise. Mostly walking the first year but I also did some strength training and other cardio machines and workout DVDs. I think I may have even attempted 30DS for the first time that year. My 2nd and 3rd years, I introduced running and worked on going farther and faster. This year I didn't end up doing much running and sort of went back to the beginning - have done more walking and strength training.

The thing about exercise is that there is no perfect program for everyone. Sure there are things you "should" do to get the right physique, improve fitness, etc. But ultimately the goal is to get your butt moving, right? As long as you're enjoying what you're doing, you're going to stick with it and THAT is was really matters.

P.S. I think at first I worked out 3-4 days a week but by that summer I was doing more like 5-6 days per week because I was training to walk a 10k. And I've pretty much stuck with 5-6 days a week since then. Some weeks are less than others but that's my average.

P.S. As it's been a couple years, I couldn't tell you for sure what my calorie goal was at the time but from the beginning I've been eating the foods that I love. I enjoy take-out at least once a week and if I really want chocoalte, I have a piece or two. It occurred to me that deprivation was the root cause of why I failed so many dieting attempts before. Not only because the cravings were torture but because I tried to live on rabbit food. No more of that! My weight loss may be slow but it's managable and healthy and I haven't given up yet (whereas every other diet only lasted a few months at best). Everything in moderation.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy

Yup, I started at 233 in September 2011. I'm not sure what my goal weight is anymore, but I know for damn sure that I'm getting closer to my goal body

When I started it was all about diet at first.....for probably the first 4 months. Then I started walking on my treadmill. Then I started doing some JM DVD's and then Zumba. Then I decided to throw around some dumbbells for a bit following workouts from the book "The Women's Health Big Book of Exercises" then I decided to get serious about weights and started StrongLifts. Fell in love with heavy lifting and also this year decided to give running a go. Just finished my first 10k program.

There have been lots of bumps in the road....lots of why's, how's, when's......it sometimes takes time to figure it out but just make small changes and put one foot in front of the other and you will get there!

Good luck!

MMulder68

I started April 22, 2013. Today I logged 150 days. I have lost 26 lbs. I am 5'4". I started at 260 and my goal is 150. I look great at 170 but am shooting for 150. I have dieted all my life but this time I am doing it healthy. I don't starve myself. Just don't do it. It isn't worth it. I do the calories that MFP recommends with 1 lb lost per week. However, I did change my macros to 45 Carb, 35 Protein and 20 Fat. I exercise 4x a week. Two days I do spinning class and do some extra cardio after class. If I miss spin class I do about 70 minutes of cardio with about 10 mins on the treadmill, elliptical, ARC, rowing machine, Stairmaster and etc. I do not do endurance I do HIIT (1 minute as hard as I can go then 1 minute at a regular speed) for the full 10 minutes and then move to next machine. I can't run because I have a knee replacement in my right knee. So everything I do is non impact and it hasn't slowed down my losing. Two days a week I lift weights with my hubby. I think this is important because you burn so much more by lifting because your body keeps burning even after you stop. I also eat 5 to 6 meals a day with them being about 300 calories each. I am not near my goal but I felt I could give you a little help because I feel I am doing it right this time. I see tons of girls on this site starving themselves...it is so sad. My motto: Exercise to Eat....Eat to Live! And by the way, I eat all my calories back! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!!!

MelRC117

I have never, ever said this to people, but at my heaviest I weighed 306. THREE HUNDRED AND SIX EFFING POUNDS. The lowest I got was 216. I then got a new job and stopped working out 4-5 days a week. I then ate all day long at my new job. Then I got pregnant and BAM...gained a **** load of weight. So I was never close to my goal weight but I never imagined I could fit into size 14 jeans. I never imagined I could shop in a "regular" store. I never had so much confidence. I also never felt so damn proud of myself. I've had a baby, I'm a year away from graduating with my masters, but losing that weight is still my personal proudest time.

I lost that weight by working out 4-5 days per week doing atleast 30 mins of cardio (love the elliptical) and also challenging myself by running on the treadmill. I also ate low carb. I did eat bananas, berries, and nuts though, but I cut out bread, cookies, cake, etc. Portion control is not easy thing for me and low carb worked great. Now, I'm trying to do low carb/low calorie...I honestly haven't been doing good. I want that feeling I had again when I lost that weight. I don't know if I don't "want" it enough but each day is a struggle for me and I can't find my groove.

chelstakencharge

I was once that girl you described

akp4Him

bump to answer later

302cupcake

I started at 302 pounds - could not exercise much, but I did use a recumbent bike for 20 -30 minutes at a time and about every day. By the time I lost 100 pounds, I was cleared for walking and I've built up to 6-7 miles, 6x per week. I have damaged knees, but the walking is making them stronger. I added swimming this summer and I think that swimming laps got me from the 160's to my current 140.

I do a lot of gardening which has involved a lot of lifting and digging, but I will probably start a more formal lifting program once I get through a series of shots for my knees and the doc gives an okay.

There are photos in my profile of me at about 275 lbs and me at about 145 pounds - when I look at the first photo, all I see is the pain from walking around in that body - when I see the current one, I feel strong.

Doingit145

I just started MFP on 9-23 and I was 250.6. The 1st week I lost 9.4 pounds and I am down to 241.2. I'm currently in my second week. Now for me, I hit the track and do at least 2 miles. You don't have to be a runner, just walk as fast as you can around the track. I also do Aqua Zumba, which is great on the joints, because where I attend, its done in a heated pool. I will be starting Pole Dancing classes this coming Saturday. At one point I was doing hot yoga, but I am taking a break and will revisit that the beginning of next year. I personally hate the gym and have to find things outside of the gym that will keep me interested. This is the heaviest I have EVER been in my life. I was a small child, teen and young adult. Started having weight issues 10 years ago when my mom died, I'm going to say it was from the depression I went through. Now at the age of almost 42, I am struggling to get it off, but I love MFP and feel that I will be successful with this program. Don't over do it, just find what exercises work for you without hurting yourself and stick to them. Walking is always key and just as good as running.

1yoyoKAT

I was up at the highest end of 200 when I started on MFP and I'm only 5'1". BTW, I'm also 55. When I first started, I could only walk for about 5 minutes. So, that's what I did. I walked in 5 minute increments a few times a day. I also broke out the old Wii Fit and tried to do 30 mins on that every other day. Little by little, I built up to more activity. I parked father away when I went to the store, I walked around more when I was in the store, etc. I made lifestyle changes that could help increase my fitness, including what and how much I ate.

The biggest change was how I treated myself. I forgave myself for what I had done in the past and committed to make my health a priority.

I still have more to go, but I'm the lightest now I've been in decades and I feel great. You can do this! :flowerforyou:

I also have more photos and the story of my first year, as well as finally moving out of the obese category on my profile.

omma_to_3

I still need to lose another 10 to 20 lbs, but I've made great progress. From my highest, I'm down around 100 lbs.




When I started, I only tracked my food (no exercise). I used MFPs suggestions and I think I was started at around a net 1460 (though at the time I wasn't working out, so that was the gross amount as well). I lost around 25 lbs in the first 5 months. Then I started walking on my treadmill for exercise. I did this so I could eat more. I started walking 3 days a week for about 30 minutes each time (maybe a little longer, don't quite remember). Then, over time, I started walking for longer times, and at faster speeds. Then more often (4 or 5 times a week) and finally, I added hand weights to my walking to get a better calorie burn.

About 5 months after I started walking, I started Couch to 5K. I have never been a runner. NEVER. And it was HARD. It's an 8 week program and it took me about 13 weeks to complete it (completion meaning I could run the full 30 minutes). However, I was slow and couldn't go 5K in that 30 minutes. It took me a few more weeks after that to be able to run an entire 5K.

Since that time, I also added biking to my workouts, and this past January started strength training. I know walk, run, bike, and lift. I still follow MFPs guidelines for the most part. I'm currently set to lose 1 lbs. a week and it gives me a net 1240 calories to eat. I do only record 70% of the workout calories my HRM shows and I do tend to go a bit over most days. My weight loss has slowed to an almost non-existent crawl the last few months. The big change was a LOT of stress and my running time was basically cut in half due to work. Trying to figure out how to fix that now!

But all in all, I've had great success. My advice is to work hard, accept that you will make mistakes, and keep trying.

Doingit145

Your story is awesome, congrats!

JamieM8168

I went from 250 to my current weight 158. Goal is between 150-155.

Originally I started by just changing my diet. Then I included walking. I walked maybe half a mile and first and worked up to 4-5 miles walking my son outside in his stroller.

Once I got around 200, I started going to the gym once or twice a week all while maintaining my diet yet allowing myself one meal per week to eat out somewhere and I eat chocolate....a lot still lol.

I now do personal training and bootcamp 1 hr a day for 5 days/week

Buckeyegirlbritt

Exercise is meant to be fun, to make yourself feel good, not to be dreaded.

My peak weight was 268 lbs. just before I got married. EMBARRASSING!!!! That was my breaking point. I started lifting light weights, doing yoga postures, and walking 3x or more times a week. I didn't calorie count at the beginning, I used my judgement based on what I heard about portion size (a piece of meat should be about the size of a cassette, etc.) and ate when I felt hungry. I got to roughly 215 lbs. before I got pregnant with my daughter. Through my pregnancy, I peaked at 236 lbs. and exercised daily doing kickboxing moves. After I had her, I dropped to 210 lbs. Between the time I had her and I got pregnant with my son 2 years later, I dropped to 190-195 lbs, and sporadically doing pilates, kickboxing and slowly weeding out the crap food. Then I got pregnancy with my son. I tipped the scales at 215 lbs. and jogged when I felt up too it. After I had my son, I went back to my 190-195 lbs.. I told myself, "This is it. You need to lose the weight and be more active if you want to keep up with these two."

When I start MFP I was 195 lbs.. I exercised 3x a week. I picked up C25k. Then I increased it as I felt fit enough too. I'm out to work my body not injury myself or over do. I've ran a couple of 1/2 marathons, but those days are over now. As far as my diet, I try to eat healthy, buy organic, and make a lot of my own foods like bread. Do I fall of the wagon? You bet, but I get back on keep on trying knowing each day is new.

I reached my goal weight of 180 lbs. 4 months after I started MFP. My lowest weight was 172 lbs. (and I looked aneroxic, pencil thin as my family put it). Currently I'm 20 weeks pregnant and weighing in at 200 lbs. (don't look it or feel it). I try to exercise (free weights and walking) and eat healthy daily. So if I can do it, I know YOU CAN DO IT.

marie_2454

I'm not at my goal yet, but I'm close (12.8 pounds to my first goal weight of 145, but I will probably try to lose another 5ish pounds after that). I started somewhere between 205-215- I didn't like the scale at all so I'm not sure what my actual highest weight was. I'm 5'9 and never had a weight problem until my last year of HS due to some injuries and personal issues. Anyways, I went from 155-160 to my highest weight in about 2 years, then I lost the first 35-40 pretty quickly in a little less than a year. I didn't know anything about how much I should be eating, so I would kinda yo-yo and have periods of eating probably close to 1000 calories, then periods where I'd eat closer to 2000+. Not healthy, but I was young, dumb, and doing it on my own. I joined a local Curves type "gym" and would occasionally do circuits, but spent most of my time on the elliptical. I'd go 4-6 times a week for 1-2 hours (total overkill, but once again I was young, dumb, and on my own lol). During the summer I switched to rollerblading and would go 4-5 times a week for 45-90 minutes.

I lost another 10-15ish pounds by doing more weight lifting (actual lifting on machines and free weights instead of using the resistance machines at Curves), and some cardio, like lifting for an hour 1-3 times a week and cardio 2-4 times a week. My diet and exercise "routine" was really sporadic and all over the place, but I've maintained about a 55 pound loss for the past 2-3 years and am now (once again) trying to "get serious" about losing the last little bit and getting into better shape. Now to lose weight I lift 3 times a week (almost always hit this) and run 1.5-3ish miles a few times a week. I also enrolled in a 90 minute kickboxing bootcamp and do that 3 times a week. It's a 6 week program and this is my 3rd week, but I've lost almost 5 pounds since that started. It's a crazy seriously awesome workout and lots of fun. My calorie goal is set to 1600 and I don't eat back my exercise calories. I've got some fitness tests for a PD in 2 weeks, but after that I'm going to start gradually increasing my calories to 1800 as I know that I'm not currently eating quite enough for all of the workouts I'm doing.

Looking back I can see all of the mistakes I made and what I should have done differently, the biggest one being I should've been eating more consistently around 1500 calories with about half as much cardio and some weights. Good luck and feel free to add me :flowerforyou:

Also, I've found that a higher protein "diet" works best for me. My current goal is 120 grams and I make sure to get at least 100 (if you look at my diary just be aware that I was sick for a while last week and then only felt like eating some foods for a few days after- which is why some days are pretty low calorie and little protein). Some of my "diet" staples are: Greek yogurt, protein powder, PB2, strawberries, bananas, frozen blueberries, apples, cottage cheese, precooked grilled chicken breast strips, Lean cuisine pizzas (I add chicken to the spinach and mushroom ones), breakfast pizzas (not especially healthy, but super delicious and I find ways to budget them in some days), turkey sausage, sugar free syrup (I could live off of blueberry protein pancakes!), fiber bars, almonds, and protein bars. Now that it's fall I can start buying spaghetti squash again and make spaghetti squash alfredo with chicken...so good!

TheRunningGuppy

Currently, I am at 214 and only 5'2", so by no means am I a skinny minnie. But what I have done to lose 65 lbs is walk and run. Yes run. I ran 8.3 miles last Saturday. I've been running on a regular basis since last April. So that means I started running when I was about 240. If you like the idea of running, try it. If I can do it, so can you. Try the C25K app, it's good. I personally didn't use it, but I basically did the same thing on my own, intervals of running and walking.

The thing that has made me successful so far is to constantly have a small goal in mind. I try to have monthly goals that don't have anything to do with the scale. This month, my goal is run 80 miles, with two 9 mile runs, and bike at least 10 miles a week as cross training.
Another major reason for my success so far is that I don't beat myself up over a day of poor food choices. I look at it and say "yep, today sucked. Tomorrow will be better", and I move on.

So, obviously not at my goal weight (130), but I've been steadily losing for 9 months. Lots of exercise, lots of water, and good food.

frommetobetterme

I'm no where near goal yet (I started at 230lbs (125lbs on MFP) and not am at 214lbs). I thought I would write anyway for the exercise part.

I have a lot of issues that hinder certain exercises. I have a bad wrist because I had repeated sprains and a cyst that required surgery. I have mid back pains from a car accident years ago and lower back and hip pain from suffering from sacroiliac joint dysfunction due to my pregnancies. I also have bad knees due to repeat sports injuries and recently developed an inflamed bursa on my left knee. So talk about having things to work around to get healthy!

I was fortunate enough to be able to splurge on a trainer and found one that has a degree in kinesiology that has been wonderful about working around my injuries. I just wanted to give you examples of the things she has me do that I can work on around my issues. I love that depending on how I feel when I see her, we work around whatever is bugging me. So some days we'll work on the lower body, but if one day my knees really ache, we'll work out more the upper area.

Instead of the treadmill (my trainer doesn't want me to walk or run on it because of my knee issues), I do the stationary bike at the gym... she had also encouraged me to use elliptical and other elliptical like machines but even those made my knees act up. I very much dislike it, but it's better than not moving and on weekends I sometimes go out with my son, which makes it more enjoyable.

She has me working on a lot of weights to help correct some of the issues I have. Plank (on knees and elbows) are making my core stronger and helping with my back. I also do posture correcting exercises (being top heavy doesn't help the back issues either) and exercises focusing on my upper back/shoulder/pectoral areas. I do squats on days that I can, but other things on days where I can't. Supermans are good for your back too. I'm mentioning a lot of back exercises because I found that having a stronger back and belly and having a better posture have changed the way I walk a big and helped alleviate some of my knee pain.

I don't go to the pool, but swimming is another activity that would be easy on your knees. I also do yoga, which has helped stretch out tense areas and being slightly more limber has also helped with a lot of my aches and pains. You can find a lot of yoga videos on-line.

As for eating, I didn't change anything drastically as I have done that before and I found it demotivating and I would constantly quit. I am now changing things slowly. First working on portion sizes, not the type of food, then went on to add more liquids to my diet. Now I'm slowly working on increasing protein and eliminating the tons of carbs I would eat (hubby is half Italian, so that doesn't make it easy!). I find this more sustainable and less of a shock to me, which makes it easier to cope with.

Good luck on your journey! Keep up the good work.

Zelinna

I started at 210 and I am now at 155. My goal is to maintain between 145 and 150.

I started by getting up early everyday and using our treadmill. I used the preset programs for calorie burns, so lots of inclines, and I would adjust the speeds up/down as I needed. I did this for a couple of months and then started doing run/walk intervals and gradually increased to full on running. After about 6 months, I started doing more weight work in addition to the cardio.

I have to keep changing my workouts but found that running and using the Nike Training Club App for weight work has helped me the most.