oh hi!

mshippiequeen

my name is leigh and in june of 2013, i finished my 183lb weight loss journey on healthy eating alone, taking me from 318.5-135.5. that same week, i was still kinda in the "moving mountains" mode and since i really shouldn't lose any more weight without going all rachel frederickson, i chose to give up smoking and swiftly put on a chunk of weight with that bittersweet success.

i've gotten back to 155 and i'm working to get back to 140 by the one year anniversary of my goal.

i love love LOVE to inspire people on their own journeys! i am a proud member of the joy fit club featured on the today show - my episode aired september 30. i was also featured in the huffington post and i just completed and interview with health magazine on friday and my photo shoot is coming up in a few weeks!!

i would love to help inspire you! and get inspiration from you! and maybe swap recipes, tricks and healthy cheats!

(sorry for all the exclamation points. i really do get excited and pumped up about healthy crap.)

annael25

I overuse exclamation points as well... it's okay.

Welcome to MFP and congrats on your weight loss! I gave up smoking in 2012 and gained a lot of weight. I was at 230 before quitting, which was awesome for me. That means I lost about 50 pounds. After quitting, I gained it all back and then some. My mom passed away in October, so I have put on an additional 40 pounds from stress eating.

I started my weight loss journey in January and have lost about 8 pounds. I have a LONG way to go, but am hoping this continues.

You are an inspiration to me! 183 pounds... wow.

mshippiequeen

a long way to go, minus 8 pounds

p.s. enjoy the ride!

annael25

Thank you!

KylaDenay

Hey there!! Big big big congratulations to your success!!! I love to hear success stories. I wish I had one of my own, but I am having a really hard time. I have only gained 20 lbs, but for 5'3 and 164 that is not a good weight for me. I am very curvy though. I would love to get down to 140 as well. I did Insanity for a month and gained 8 lbs (I started at 156 lbs and am 164 lbs after Insanity). It is bad for my shins and knees so I had to stop. Now I will be starting the 21 Day Fix program and would like to try a paleo lifestyle. Any way food is the hardest thing for me and I would love to have any support on MFP that I can get. Your story is an inspiring one!

PamelaJ413

Hi Leigh!
Please add me! You're story is so inspirational ! I would love to see/hear what you're doing to keep yourself motivated.
But more importantly I have a secret yen to add exclamation marks after every sentence; I counter the urge by connecting thoughts with a dot dot dot...
Pam

mshippiequeen

thank you very much, kyla! pfff...i've seen the infomercials for insanity and it makes me sweat! i wish i'd done some sort of exercise while i lost the weight, because i'm pretty flappy now. so three weeks ago i promised myself that i would walk 4 times a week, at least 2 miles. and it is so fun that i actually went all seven days this week and a total of 26.5 miles! i found the right music and tempo and i flail my arms like a lunatic (in my head, i look sexy) and if i feel up to it, i jog a little, but there's no pressure to jog. it's nice on my knees too! i call em my "funouts" instead of workouts because i am a total dork.

i'm pretty in the dark about paleo. is that like gluten-free? food is so hard for me some days. usually like tues-thurs, i sit at my desk just thinking about food. but if i ever get "the hunger," i go to the fridge and have a dot of mustard off my finger and it is so salty, it just shocks me and i'm good to go again. do you have any tricks?

mshippiequeen

hahaha pam! i try to do the ...'s to balance myself too

and thanks! a few things to keep me motivated - i keep 14 rubber bands and i yahoo one every morning after an honest no-cheat day around a can of southwest airline water i got on my trip to the today show. i've always said, if you can make it 14 days without cheating, you've GOT this. so i go 14 days, after 14 days, after 14 days. and if i cheat, they all come off. i also keep a paperclip chain, one for every pound and i diligently add and remove as necessary.

i know these things sound a little ocd-crazy maybe, but the closer you are to your goal the harder and stricter everything is. it's such a balance, so i keep myself in check in a lot of ways

signed, your fitness pal friend!

KylaDenay

thank you very much, kyla! pfff...i've seen the infomercials for insanity and it makes me sweat! i wish i'd done some sort of exercise while i lost the weight, because i'm pretty flappy now. so three weeks ago i promised myself that i would walk 4 times a week, at least 2 miles. and it is so fun that i actually went all seven days this week and a total of 26.5 miles! i found the right music and tempo and i flail my arms like a lunatic (in my head, i look sexy) and if i feel up to it, i jog a little, but there's no pressure to jog. it's nice on my knees too! i call em my "funouts" instead of workouts because i am a total dork.

i'm pretty in the dark about paleo. is that like gluten-free? food is so hard for me some days. usually like tues-thurs, i sit at my desk just thinking about food. but if i ever get "the hunger," i go to the fridge and have a dot of mustard off my finger and it is so salty, it just shocks me and i'm good to go again. do you have any tricks?

Walking is great! I put dance cardio on Pandora and walk to the beat. I enjoy it alot. I have a hard time with food. That is my current struggle. At my office I have a mini fridge, so I would keep greek yogurt, nuts or protein bars near me. I realized that with eating 5-6 meals a day helps curve hunger. Since I will be going paleo I can eat what I want whenever I am hungry. It is veggies, fruits, meats, and nuts. No grains, sweets or alcohol. It is okay though cause I can still have sweet potatoes and butternut squash, which I love.

Also if you are needing to tone up the best way I am learning now is weight training. Maybe get some free weights (3, 5 and 8 lbs) and use them at home for a good workout 3 times a week. After I complete the 21 Day Fix Program, I will be into weight training only. After a lot of research, I am realizing weights are the best weight for toning and getting a lean body.

mshippiequeen

thank you for the great tip! and i'm definitely trying out dance cardio. i always forget pandora has preset stations. you sound fantastic