What exactly did you do for all that success?

JosieMwa

I feel I'm not doing enough and I'm kinda scared with the short times others have had success......please tell me exactly what you did to lose weight, I could really do with a little inspiration coz this week's weigh-in I've only lost 500g

moushtie

500g is still a 1 lb weight loss. That's pretty good! I think what you'll find people do for all that success, is keep doing it every week. 500g this week, plus 500g next week, and in a month you've lost 2 kg. Try carrying 2 kilo bags of sugar around and see how much less you're carrying!

gdortiz

to take make things a little easy, i am not working out as I try to reach my goal weight. i am little here and there, walking, biking, etc. but nothign regimented. that is helping me focus on what i eat.

i also, at least for the first month did not eat anything that did not have a nutritional label.

how often are you going over your calorie goal?

AudrasAlly

I am on my first week, and I'm anxious about what my weigh in will be next week. But-I know that if I'm eating and exercising like I know I should, no matter what the scales say, I am working toward a healthier life.

Our bodies are so different, it's tough to compare to others, but I'm crossing my fingers that you'll see success!

Qarol

I made small changes over time. I didn't try to overwhelm myself with a whole bunch of changes all at once.

Sunshinema

i had good success initially then had surgery but now back on track. diet was key for me. I always was active but did not eat a lot or the right foods. Focus on each day and take each day as a step. If you make small changes (one a week) which is what i did for m y diet i found i stuck with it. just remember even if you fall off for a day or a few hours you can get right back up and each step forward is progress towards your goal

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I ate all my 1200 calories and exercised at least 1 hour per day at least 5 days a week, eating back 300 - 400 of those exercise calories. This was my routine March - June 1. After June 1 I was not as consistent with my exersize, but still 5 - 7 hours per week. Once I hit maintenance in July I moved to 1400 calories per day base and have remained there since, with a steady weight.

bcattoes

I just ate healthy (healthy fats, as little saturated fat as possible, whole grains, lots of veggies) and exercised (mostly aerobics with some strength training). I did not have a great deal to lose. I've lost 24.6 lbs so far and think I'll probably eventually drop another 5-10. I see that you just joined MFP this month. If that's when started trying to lose then 500 g is not bad. I actually didn't see any movement at all in the scale for 3-4 weeks, then the weight just started falling off. Just give your body time to figure out what you are doing and it will reward you. Good luck!!

I use this as an eating plan.
http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/pyramid/

redfroggie

I made small changes over time. I didn't try to overwhelm myself with a whole bunch of changes all at once.

^^^This^^^

JRMcCaghren

I'm a newbie here, but I just wanted to say your current physical status makes a huge difference. I don't know your age, weight, etc. but I've noticed several on here that lose weight very fast are very big people. After being on the plan 5 days, I had dropped 8.4 lbs, and I can tell you why.

1) I had been eating absolute crap before, and my stomach was always full, so a lot of it was just emptying my system
2) I am very overweight, young, and a guy - so I lose weight faster than pretty much anybody right now
3) I wasn't exercising at all, so when I started I was flushing my muscles of extra weight and toxins
4) I wasn't drinking enough water, so that again helped to flush my system

Now, I'm not saying this to brag. What I'm saying is 8.4 lbs is not true weight loss. I didn't lose that much fat, I lost that much because my body was flushing a bunch of crap. In the end, I probably lost about 1-2 lbs of fat, similar to you. If you were in good health (or even decent), then your first week's loss is true fat loss, and you are definitely on the road to success. Also, I've heard some stories where people are on a diet for a month without losing any weight. Then, one week they'll lose ten lbs. Sometimes it just takes a while for the body to catch up. You'll get there!

NovemberJune

I exercise about 40-50 minutes per day, and i log my food everyday. and I lost about 1 lb per week.

Lisa__Michelle

It is a SLOOOOWWWWWWW process! 500g is GREAT for 1 week! I have lost 37 lbs BUT it has taken me 11 months (ALMOST A YEAR!).

I do cardio and intense strength training at least 3x per week (sometimes 4 or 5 for cardio). I follow the program except for my cheat meals.

engineman312

this is a marathon, not a sprint. with that being said, you need to really dedicate yourself to losing weight!!! buy some new running shoes, a new bike, some weight loss dvds, some hand weights, and nice work out clothes. really invest yourself financially. that way you can say "well, i can't throw this money away, might as well exercise." at least, that worked for me!!

Pril2000

Hey!

Don't feel like you're not losing fast enough. This is not a race. I'm going to tell you that I wish I had lost my weight as quickly as others on this site. I started trying to lose weight in January of 2009. It took me 2 years to lose 60 lbs. My wedding in April 2011 was the final push to get me to lose the last 15 lbs in a short amount of time (6 months- not THAT short). So, in summary, it takes you as long as it takes you.

It took me a while to really get my eating under control. Once I found this site and figured it all out, I found it easier and easier to control what I ate, BUT I still made mistakes and ate pizzas when I was down. It's a learning process. I never thought I would be able to walk past a pizza place and not get a slice, even when I had the calories left over. I do that all the time now. You train yourself slowly over time to pick healthy options, to only have one serving, to get up off the couch and go do some exercise. Then, months later, you suddenly realize that you'd rather run than order a whole pizza for yourself. You'd rather just get a salad than a cheeseburger. Things like that.

Believe me, it will happen as long as you keep trying. No matter how many times you may think that you are messing up or overeating, as long as you keep making the right choices most of the time, eventually you will make the right choices almost all of the time and the small things you eat here and there will have less of an impact.

Now that I'm maintaining, I can eat a little more, I can have a treat now and then and I know that I'll eat right the rest of the day or week. I won't gain because the times I eat right far outweigh the times I don't. And you'll get there. Just don't quit. That's the only sure way that you won't succeed.

Good luck!!

daves160

I have focused on my foods, and cardio exercise.

At first, I ate oatmeal for breakfast and soup for lunch. Not filling but effective. I added snacks to increase my metabolism.

I was doing great for the first 4-5 weeks, anywhere from 3 to 5 lbs a week. and then it started to slow down to 1-2, maybe hardly anything. It is kind of demoralizing.

I talked to my taekwondo instructor and he gave me a diet that he makes his MMA fighters use. I have been doing that for about a week now and have dropped 4 lbs in five days! It is designed to lose fat and keep muscle

So now my success is; focus on my foods and cardio exercise. Yep- the same thing only different foods.

I eat greek yogurt, oatmeal, cottage cheese, eggs, almonds, grapes, apples, a high protein bar(Clif), lean meats, salads, veggies.(no white rice, pasta, bread or potatos)

Notice that it is a high protein, low fat, low glycemic diet? Still has fat, but they are the good ones.
My exercise consists of martial arts training and cycling(both intense cardio) 5-6 times a week.


Anyway, it is working well for me.
I hope this helps you. Keep up the good work and don't be discouraged.

theprices

maybe make your food and exercise diary public, that way if you want advice, those who are advising can see what you're currently doing. its much easier to make helpful, informed suggestions that way!

blizzy1

we are all different, we lose at the rate our body decides. its hard work. in the end, we are doing this for ourselves. HOW MUCH EFFORT ARE YOU WORTH???? I AM WORTH WHAT EVER AMOUNT OF EFFORT IT TAKES ME

Mom2rh

I think how fast you lose depends on a LOT of factors. When I started in March, frankly I didn't have a lot of "low hanging fruit." I already had portion control (for the most part), I exercised, I didn't have a ton of bad habits and my diet was healthy. I also didn't have a huge amount to lose. So for me it has been very very slow. I have lost 19 pounds since March. I'm close to my goal weight and struggling with plateaus. While I'd LOVE to see that first goal met and perhaps 5 or ten more pounds gone, I am looking at this as a lifestyle change. And trying to have the long term perspective. The number on the scale is just to keep me on track. It doesn't define me. (In theory...working on this.) I'm looking better, feeling better, more fit...lots of NSVs (non-scale victories) along the way.

chyloet

It takes time. I am very impatient with my progress and have to remind myself of that too. Are you doing strength training? Perhaps you are losing inches and not pounds because an inch of muscle weighs more than an inch of fat.? Try tracking measurements instead of weight maybe that will be more inspirational for you. Good luck

JosieMwa

Thanks, hv been tracking my calories daily and im always within, well mostly under the daily goal. i walk for at least 20 or 30 mins most mornings

JosieMwa

You guys thank you so much for the replies, very inspirational.....have checked out the harvard eating plan, it kinda matches the what i'm having. for now i will try and be patient:flowerforyou: