Expectations vs. Possibility (Fitness Models)

ElizabethMcCathern

After going through some of the posts here (and being incredibly inspired) I began to wonder what kind of results in reality I can actually achieve.
Currently i'm 28, 5'6", 197 lbs and my BMI is 31.8 . I'm clinically obese.

I wonder if it's possible, given my having given birth 4 times and stretching my skin so much coupled with a horrific diet, to get "fitness model" results. Trim, taut, defined (though not over muscled )

Has anyone ever gone from Fat to Fitness Model?

UT00143

I am defintely not the fitness model yet, but I can tell you that just since the first week of November I have lost 11 lbs. by changing my eating habits and adding a little exercise a couple of times a week. I am 41 and started at about 55 lbs overweight. Once I realized this is more of a lifestyle change and not a diet things just clicked for me. Good support from family and friends is essential. If I can do this, anyone can.

ashlee954

There is a woman on here whose name is june_warner. I just requested her as a friend. But not added yet. She went from 320 to 145 and has a super tight and fit body! Go look for her and add her. Very inspirational!!! Go to the Community tab and then click the tab underneath that says Find Members. Then enter the user name june_warner. She'll pop right up.

Meg28

Of course it's possible! All those things are so easily changable (except the having kids part). You've managed four births and children at 28, so a little diet and exercise change will eventually seem easy. Once you've been on this site for a couple of weeks, you will just become so much more knowledgable about what you eat. Its easy to know that fried food and ice cream are bad, but you will really see just how much they impact you when you start logging in. As for fitness, I'm not sure abou the plan you referenced, but nothing beats cardio. If you can walk, you can do the eliptical, if you can do the eliptical you can run...

Good luck!

ElizabethMcCathern

Congrats on what you've done so far! That's great!

I am more motivated than I have EVER been before thanks to the people on these boards! He'res to continued success!

ElizabethMcCathern

Thanks!
I did look at that profile mentioned and HOLY FREAKING WOW!!!!!!!!!! :noway:
That's exactly what i'm looking for!

I'm so excited to see the changes in store for me!

SHBoss1673

Check out a few of our members, specifically Tamtastic and Tamishumate come to mind. Both were very obese to begin with and both are now gorgeous women.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tamtastic
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tamishumate

There are tons of success stories on MFP, and the proof is absolutely there, if you put in the hard work, you can achieve your goals as long as they are reasonable goals.

ashlee954

Thanks!
I did look at that profile mentioned and HOLY FREAKING WOW!!!!!!!!!! :noway:
That's exactly what i'm looking for!

I'm so excited to see the changes in store for me!

WELCOME!!!! And good luck to you babe!

CakeFit21

I think it's totally possible. I've had one child by c-section and I am shocked at how far I've come. I started out with a BMI of 28 and now I am at 22! I am at the point now where I depend/crave my workouts and this fit lifestyle is FUN. I NEVER thought I'd be one of THOSE people. It's possible. I think that we think the reward will be our new body, (and it is surely part of it) but it's really our new way of thinking about the exercise=result/ work=reward cycle. The reward is how you feel when you've accomplished the goal and EACH workout + EACH healthy choice. If you think of each healthy thing you do as something to be proud of it keeps you going. It also makes it easier to get back to it if you make a mistake.
Good luck! We are all here to help and cheer you on as you work!
Feel free to add me!

beqy12

Food for thought - I am a fitness model.... and I'm still waiting to look like one. I think it's important to remember that it's not always what it seems.... because I used to try really hard (too hard, actually, and not always the healthy way) to look how the photographers end up making me look. I love my final shots mainly because they look better than I do. Everything has been edited to perfection...

That being said, there are some amazing, inspirational stories on here that lead me to believe that anything is definitely possible! Best of luck with your goals! I hope you find your own fitness model in you.

ElizabethMcCathern

Thank you!!
I actually had my 3rd c-section back in september so it's done......strange things....to my tummy. LOL I'd proudly show off my scars if my tummy were flat!

SO TRUE about being one of "those people"! Hahahahaha Never in a million years did I think i'd want to have that kind of figure! I would have just been happy NOT being fat, but now.....well....I can be so much more than not fat.

ElizabethMcCathern

Food for thought - I am a fitness model.... and I'm still waiting to look like one. I think it's important to remember that it's not always what it seems.... because I used to try really hard (too hard, actually, and not always the healthy way) to look how the photographers end up making me look. I love my final shots mainly because they look better than I do. Everything has been edited to perfection...

That being said, there are some amazing, inspirational stories on here that lead me to believe that anything is definitely possible! Best of luck with your goals! I hope you find your own fitness model in you.

Thanks for that.

amycal

I just bought "The Eat-Clean Diet Recharged" at Target yesterday for 17.95 according to the author, Tosca Reno your physique is defined 80% by your nutrition. Only 10% genetics and 10% fitness. She went from overweight to GORGEOUS at 50 and a mom. She has had implants but her arms, torso and legs are all very shapely too. IT is a fun book to read - I am not encountering anything new that I didn't know because I have also read Ultra Metabolism by Dr. Mark Hyman and my mom has followed an anti-inflammatory diet by a local naturopath, but her book is colorful and interesting.

Sweet13_Princess

You can do it! It will take time... maybe a long time to get a fitness model body, but I really believe anyone can do it if they stay in the game!:-) I don't want a model body, but I would be happy with flat abs.:-)

Shannon

TateFTW

I think too many people make the mistake of thinking they can only look "better" and not truly look the way they want to look. Of course, there are issues to keep in mind, such as stretched skin and natural body proportions. Personally I always wondered why I had love handles, only to realize that my hip bones are wide. Now, being quite lean and muscular, I still have those hip bones and always will, which means the thinnest part of me will be above my hips and not at my waiste, which is where mean would prefer it to be.

However, I'm still working towards being extremely muscluar and lean, 6-pack and all. When I was really fat, I just wanted to drop 30 or 40 lbs, and NEVER thought I'd have the ability reach the levels I've reached wtih my physique. Now I'M the one that others envy, I AM the goal, and things are only getting better from here!

So it's important to be realistic (I'll probably always have a little extra skin around my belly button), but you CAN set and REACH very lofty goals if you combine patience and effort.

ElizabethMcCathern

Thanks everyone!

I do realize that i'll never look like Adriana Lima or whatever, but I think being the best ME I can be is a pretty worthy goal. I'm not expecting to be 120 in a year or anything (although that would be frickin' awesome haha)

What's that saying? It works if you work it?

You guys have made so much amazing progress! Congrats to you!!!!

lkm111

There is a woman on here whose name is june_warner. I just requested her as a friend. But not added yet. She went from 320 to 145 and has a super tight and fit body! Go look for her and add her. Very inspirational!!! Go to the Community tab and then click the tab underneath that says Find Members. Then enter the user name june_warner. She'll pop right up.

I read her post and if I remember correctly, she credited P90-X and Insanity for really toning her. She had lost weight before starting those programs, but I was inspired by her pictures and want to add those to my fitness regimen soon!

beqy12

There is a woman on here whose name is june_warner. I just requested her as a friend. But not added yet. She went from 320 to 145 and has a super tight and fit body! Go look for her and add her. Very inspirational!!! Go to the Community tab and then click the tab underneath that says Find Members. Then enter the user name june_warner. She'll pop right up.

I read her post and if I remember correctly, she credited P90-X and Insanity for really toning her. She had lost weight before starting those programs, but I was inspired by her pictures and want to add those to my fitness regimen soon!

My trainer has also recommended P90-X for toning - their muscle confusion theory is spot on. If you want to look toned - this is GREAT! I like yoga.

musclebuilder

After going through some of the posts here (and being incredibly inspired) I began to wonder what kind of results in reality I can actually achieve.
Currently i'm 28, 5'6", 197 lbs and my BMI is 31.8 . I'm clinically obese.

I wonder if it's possible, given my having given birth 4 times and stretching my skin so much coupled with a horrific diet, to get "fitness model" results. Trim, taut, defined (though not over muscled )

Has anyone ever gone from Fat to Fitness Model?

It is good that you are setting high goals for yourself. Why settle for anything less. Setting high goals makes it a greater challenge and a more rewarding journey. it is not a question of is it possible to achieve the physique you mentioned. It is just a matter of are you willing to do what it takes to achieve it?

TrainingWithTonya

See my profile pic? That stomach is after 2 children, 3 miscarriages (so a total of 5 pregnancies), and 4 abdominal surgeries (none of which were related to the pregnancies). So, Yes, it can be done! It does take time and a lot of hard work though to maintain.

At my highest weight, I was at least 235 pounds and a size 18 with 46% body fat. My ideal weight according to my lean body mass and 20% body fat is 175, which will still have me as overweight for the BMI charts. But for me, that is still a size 8 because of the muscle mass vs. fat mass in how they take up space. I lift a lot of heavy weights (except right now when I'm injured) and do cardio 5-6 days a week (again, except right now while I'm injured) along with daily stretching (which I'm still doing through this injury). I haven't weighed in since my injury, so I don't know what I weigh right now, but I'm not happy with it because I'm in size 10 pants. After I recover, though, my goal is a defined 6-pack. Wanna join me in achieving it in 2011?

alantin

From fat to fitness model?

june_warner is pretty darn close if you ask me!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/142533-before-320-now-145

ElizabethMcCathern

See my profile pic? That stomach is after 2 children, 3 miscarriages (so a total of 5 pregnancies), and 4 abdominal surgeries (none of which were related to the pregnancies). So, Yes, it can be done! It does take time and a lot of hard work though to maintain.

At my highest weight, I was at least 235 pounds and a size 18 with 46% body fat. My ideal weight according to my lean body mass and 20% body fat is 175, which will still have me as overweight for the BMI charts. But for me, that is still a size 8 because of the muscle mass vs. fat mass in how they take up space. I lift a lot of heavy weights (except right now when I'm injured) and do cardio 5-6 days a week (again, except right now while I'm injured) along with daily stretching (which I'm still doing through this injury). I haven't weighed in since my injury, so I don't know what I weigh right now, but I'm not happy with it because I'm in size 10 pants. After I recover, though, my goal is a defined 6-pack. Wanna join me in achieving it in 2011?

You know what? Count me IN! There is no reason whatsoever that I can't get amazing results this year! I just took my "befores" and after seeing myself on film...well i'm more determined than ever!! With a little guidance I CAN DO THIS!

Thanks you guys for motivating and inspiring me to just go for it!

:happy: :happy: :happy: