Losing 100+ pounds

bella51708

Of everyone who has lost close to or more than 100 pounds. How long did it take? I just started my weight loss in April of this year and I have lost 28 pounds so far (only 14 on MFP). I have about 150 more pounds to lose and it gets so discouraging. I continue to eat healthy and workout 3-4 times a week, but the progress is sooooo slow. I do feel clothes fitting better, but as for outward appearance, you can't tell much because I'm still so big. I have considered getting lapband surgery to help with my progress. I have MFP set up for a weight loss of 2lbs/week, but I'm only losing about a pound a week. I don't know why. But, it's always been difficult for me to lose weight. I do love getting on here and reading your success stories though. They are very inspiring. I've been trying to use images in my head of a skinny me to keep me motivated, but often times I just feel like giving up. I figure it will probably take me about 2 years to lose this weight. I just wish it were as easy to lose as it is to gain.

mallorybriann

I have lost 70 and would like to lose 30 to 40 more. I have been at this since Oct 2010. Slow and steady def is the way to go! The weight came off FAST at first, now its slowed to a few pounds a month instead of per week.
I have always had my goals at 1.5 to 1 lb a week, 2 seems a little much.
Dont get discouraged. I lost a lot of weight before I had to buy new pants and clothes. Now I buy them every month it seems!
Just follow what MFP says and you will see results!
Good luck! You got this!

ATT949

In December, 2010 I weighed 295 pounds.

I ate less, exercised more.

Now I weigh 193 pounds (too low for me) and I'm running a half marathon on Sunday.



I cannot imagine having my body cut open and getting my parts re-arranged when all I had to do was eat less and exercise more.



My diary is open and my progress chart is here:

http://cbeinfo.net/weight.htm


Here's a pix of what I've lost:

http://cbeinfo.net/images/Doug-holding-pork-loin.jpg


I have had to have surgery (to fix things) but would not put my body through lapband, stomach stapling, liposuction, or whatever when there is a safe, zero-risk alternative.

horsepullerlovesme

i have over 100 lbs to lose and i no how frustrating it is when it seems like u are doin all u need to do and it like no results. i no cuz i feel that way as well. but ya no we didn't put this on over night and we will not take it off over night. hang in there and don't give up. we are here for u to help u and encourage u. keep ur head high and stay possitive

lyncccox1

I've lost 83 pounds, with about 15 more to go. It have taken me about two and a half years. But that time also includes a year of only working at losing weight about half of the time. For the past two months I have been taking my weight lose journey alot more seriously. I workout 5 to 7 times a week. That includes circuit training, spin, and zumba. I allow myself one cheat day a week. It is a slow process, but I know it will worth the wait. Don't give up, and keep fighting the fight. Feel free to add me as a friend and we can encourage each other.

paperboy

Hey Bella,

It took me about a year and a half to drop 90 pounds, sadly I've put about 25 back on because I'm an emotional eater and it's been a tough year.

Anyway, I read your post and then checked your food diary. For me, there were a few things that set off red flags.

1. No water. Are you drinking it and not logging it? If you aren't drinking water, I can promise you, your body is retaining it and thus you aren't seeing loss on the scale. That whole, you need to drink eight 8oz. glasses a day, yeah that's not a joke. And for a while, you're going to be running to the bathroom every 5 minutes. It's OK. (You can count that as exercise.)

2. Just from the one day I looked at (which I think was today) You might want to consider a Kraft Fat Free salad dressing which is like 50 calories for 2 tbsp. Keep an eye on your hidden calories. No one ever really thinks about the salad dressing and it is truly a diet killer.

3. Be a monkey. Truly, the apes have it right. By eating bananas, you help replenish your body's potassium levels which helps to lower your sodium levels. (And it also helps shed some of that water retention I mentioned before).

4. Sweat. It's great that you're lifting weights to build muscle mass, just make sure you're doing enough cardio to kick your metabolism into high gear. Don't be afraid to get your heart rate up.

Hope this helps. Keep your chin up. It doesn't happen overnight.

Rob

IamJustSanie

I am trying to lose at least 88 pounds, as of today I lost 12. 76 more to go. I feel the same way at times but then I about everything else in life that I have worked so hard to accomplish. Just don't give up and don't beat yourself up. There are going to be good days and bad days. Feel free to add me!

BerkleyEL

It really helps to have a support group around you, whoever they are.
I'm new-ish to this site, and it's an amazingly supportive group of people.
Never underestimate the power of positive thinking.. it can really make the trip to being healthier easier.

bella51708

Yes, I drink water all day every day, I just forget to log it most of the time. LOL

I absolutely cannot stand fat free salad dressings. For me, the dressing makes the salads. So, I figure if I can fit it into my daily calorie goal, I will stick to regular dressing and enjoy my salad.

Great tip on the bananas. I use to eat them all the time and then got burnt out on them. I think I'll go back to them as a snack. I also love to smash them up and eat them in a bowl (I do this for my son and it tastes great)

My workout usually consists of 45-50 minutes of cardio and weight training. I usually spend about 1.5 hours at the gym. That's about all I can afford with being a wife and mother.

Thanks for all the tips. They are very encouraging and provide much needed inspiration.

paperboy

Uh... 1.5 hours in the gym is pretty impressive. I seriously don't see how mom's do it... juggling kids, households, and sometimes a full-time job and squeeze in time for themselves to go to the gym, read, etc. You go girl. That's awesome.

As far as the salad dressing is concerned, I get it. ... sort of. I get that you don't like the fat free salad dressings, but the salad dressing shouldn't make the salad... the salad should make the salad. I am all about some tasty goodness on top of a bed the best, most colorful veggies I can find... but the veggies themselves offer alot of flavor too.

And again, sometimes it isn't necessarily the fat content of the dressing you're eating you should worry about but the sodium content. You're best bet with this one is to just read labels and watch the sodium and fat levels of what ever you're putting on top.

You're going to hit plateaus. You're going to want to give up. There are going to be times when you step on the scale and it will actually go up by a pound (or two). Don't get discourage. Don't give up. Keep pushing through. It's a journey. Just keep moving forward.

ansonrinesmith

Your diary looks good. I think sometimes we look for reasons internally to quit. If we aren't seeing dramatic loss/changes then we want to say "why bother".
You are doing the right thing and just need to stick with it! I find myself looking for excuses to eat or not exercise. My new motto is "No Excuses". Other than injury or sickness, there is no reason to stop. I'm moving and not able to run during my normal time, so I got up an hour early and did it.

STICK WITH IT! YOU CAN DO IT!

ArroganceInStep

Of everyone who has lost close to or more than 100 pounds. How long did it take? I just started my weight loss in April of this year and I have lost 28 pounds so far (only 14 on MFP). I have about 150 more pounds to lose and it gets so discouraging. I continue to eat healthy and workout 3-4 times a week, but the progress is sooooo slow. I do feel clothes fitting better, but as for outward appearance, you can't tell much because I'm still so big. I have considered getting lapband surgery to help with my progress. I have MFP set up for a weight loss of 2lbs/week, but I'm only losing about a pound a week. I don't know why. But, it's always been difficult for me to lose weight. I do love getting on here and reading your success stories though. They are very inspiring. I've been trying to use images in my head of a skinny me to keep me motivated, but often times I just feel like giving up. I figure it will probably take me about 2 years to lose this weight. I just wish it were as easy to lose as it is to gain.

What I would look at is things beyond just the number on the scale as signs of progress. It takes a LONG time to lose weight, and it's HARD, but it's worth it. On the way though, think of things that you can do now that you couldn't do previously. I'll use myself as an example, one of my subway stops ALWAYS has the escalator out of order, it's broken at least once a week. When that happens folks have to walk up what feels like 15 or 20 flights of stairs. Before I started exercising, at the top of the stairs my legs would be burning and I'd be breathing heavy and even sweating, I'd also have to go from my normal hopping two stairs at a time to slow and single steps at a time by about the halfway point. Now when I get to the top my legs still burn a bit and I'm still breathing hard, but not as hard and I don't usually break a sweat unless it's a scorcher out. Also I can make it about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way up before slowing down. That's progress, and is a sign of improving health.

Think of things that you can use on a regular basis that will tell you 'hey, you're doing great, keep up the good work!'


Good luck!

BRISAjustAltered

Bump. I wanna came back and post when I get there

projectreturns

I'm expecting to reach the 100 pound point within the next two weeks. I've lost 65 or so of that weight since February. You'll find there will be times of lost motivation and plateauing but use those weak points as a new opportunity. Generally, I've found cycling my calories can really help jumpstart my metabolism, so if I haven't lost much for a couple weeks, if I get really serious, the weight will come off relatively easily for a couple weeks. It gives your body time to reset but it won't last forever. Typically I will plateau again and do it all over.

Water is so essential as is detailed tracking. It is very easy to go over your totals without realizing it if you aren't always measuring and overestimating to be safe.

I've found fitness goals like 5k, 10k, half marathons have been very motivating from the exercise side. It gives you something tangible to work towards and also the more you workout, the less you have to starve yourself at the table and you can eat more normally after running 10 miles. You'd be surprised how easy running can become if you start run/walk and increase by 10% every week. In a few weeks, you'll be up there. Don't use weight training as the primary workout. It just doesn't consistently provide enough calorie burn. I used to do 90% weights, 10% cardio and find the opposite is much more beneficial to weight loss. Best case, you get like 20% weight training to keep your muscles moving your metabolism, but I do think running is by far the best way to burn a lot of calories. If not, then biking on hills.

Try upping your workouts to 5-6 days per week. If you can do it that often, your body will almost crave it and you might not even want to take off a day (although you should to heal), and you won't want to worry about that low calorie allotment when you don't. A good week might look like this for me... M-Run, T-Bike, W-Run, Th-Weights, Fri-off, Sat-long Run, Sun-Bike or weights. I still always include some cardio even on weight days. Do at least 30 minutes.

Take the kids running or biking with you and take a picnic every now and then to kill two birds with one stone so you can workout more often. Additionally, it is probably better to work out more often for less time if necessary than less often for more time because you want to stay in the habit of it and make it just as normal as eating three meals every day.

Additionally, you don't want your family to fall into the same mistakes we've made in our youth. Making exercising part of the normal family life, will teach them wonderful habits I never learned and prevent them from going through the same issues later in life. Even if they seem to be in shape, start the religious exercising habits now regardless.

It will take a while, but as long as you keep seeing progress, your motivation should be there. Again, don't only use weight loss as your motivation either. Have exercise goals like doing your first 5 or 10k to start. That way, even if you are plateauing, you can still be accomplishing different goals to keep going.

rjguipre

I've lost 95 in almost exactly a year. Keep to a 1200-1400 calorie diet, just make sure not to go below 1200 as it will slow down your metabolism. Salads are great lunches and fillers before dinner, especially with Walden Farms dressing (0 calories and tastes great), banana's and yogurt for breakfast, and a sensible dinner (smart ones or lean cuisine are great). Just make sure you get your hands on a good multi vitamin and calcium supplement, as the low cal diets often leave you vitamin deficient. As hard as it was, I completely cut out mayo and cheese during the past year. Had to ditch the beer as well (though MGD 64 was a good occasional treat that I've added back in the last few months). I reached my goal several months ago when I hit 205 (not to much being as I'm 6'4"), but I want to temporarily get to 183 (to hit the triple digits) and ultimately stay between 190-200.
Lots of cardio. Recumbent stationary bike in the winter and lots of walking in the summer (Runkeeper is a great GPS based app to help track walking/jogging/cycling (how far you've gone, how long, and calories burned)).
If I can do it, anyone can...

sonic_the_cat

When I started I tried not to think about the big "100" number. It seemed too overwhelming. First I concentrated on the first 10% then have mini goals along the way. I'm down 68 lbs in 6.5 months - right now I'm 8 lbs away from my next mini goal. I've noticed the closer I get to a mini goal the harder I try

Good luck to you! I know if I can do it anyone can.