Progress pics!

sasbw27

You're doing great! Keep up the good work!

annielarson

Hi everyone! I'm amazed at the responses I received. I'm glad that my progress can inspire others, it makes me feel so good. As for the people who asked how I did it. It was a combination of 3 things, dedication, exercise, and portion control.

Dedication: It have always wanted instant results/success and its frustrating when it doesn't come right away. I felt like I needed a visual indication of my progress, even if it wasnt on my body. I bought a giant poster board, made a calendar for the month of July and bought stickers and drew check boxes next to each day. If I ate my calorie goal of 1200, I would get a sticker. If I exercised, I'd get a check mark. If I did neither, I got a sad face. The rule was, I could only get 3 sad faces in the entire 4 weeks. I also stopped drinking alcohol and drinking soda or juice and switched entirely to water.

Exercise: I tried to work out 4 times a week doing 45 min cardio and 15 min weights. I mixed it up so on some days I was doing treadmill, some days elliptical, some days bike, some days stair master, or I'd do a combination. In 3 weeks I felt stronger and actually wanted to be at the gym for longer than 1 hour! (make an awesome workout playlist!)

Portion Control: I tried to remind myself it's ok to have leftovers. I used to eat everything that was on my plate. It was hard psychologically for me to leave any food sitting there. I made an effort to pay attention to my stomach and stop the minute I felt full. I ate healthy at 1200 calories, but didn't deprive myself of the occasional treat. If you dont allow yourself a small indulgence, you (or maybe just I did this), end up binging. So when you go on a date for frozen yogurt, get non fat vanilla with strawberries versus chocolate with reeses! Its all about small choices that add up over time. I'm also a big believer in smoothies for breakfast and fruit throughout the day. I'd have 3 meals with two 100-200 calorie snacks between meals.

I lost 8lbs those 4 weeks, then lost the other 5 or 6 in the 2 months following. I haven't counted calories for the last month but am going to try to pick it up again so I don't maintain my current weight and finish the 6lbs I want off. It's sooo much easier to maintain than loose so I'm excited to get there. Hope that helps!