WOW!

colombiana444

So it's been a long journey. Not just for me, but many of you, and i am one pound away from goal weight... and well... i wanna cry. It's very surreal when you have been overweight all your life. I weight 116, that's less than what i weight when i was 8 yrs old. To be 164 lbs at my worst and only being 5 feet tall, was tough.... specially when all your family is petite, eat greasy food all the time, only limited to drinking coke and have ridiculous beach bodies. But i have set my own path... and I'm almost there.... so i posted a before and after picture on my profile if anyone would like to see the change I've been through. (The after picture is of me at 125 lbs) it is my most recent one but I'll post one once i hit goal weight


MFP Thanks for all your great advice, tools, motivation, and everyone that has been through this battle and never given up. YOU ARE ALL INSPIRATION AND YOU ALL HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A STRONGER, HEALTHIER AND HAPPIER YOU.

THANK YOU

dgweisblatt

WOW is right! Amazing achievement!!! :flowerforyou:

Now, I'd like advice from you...Since you're starting on the "maintenance" portion of our show, please tell me how you do it (or how you will do it). I'd lost more weight last year, but got lazy and stopped tracking my calories and gained back a few kg. Now I'm back on track, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to maintain it like last time!

(BTW, is that a picture of you now? )

colombiana444

Once You loose weight, it can be a great challenge to keep it off. It is the hardest part for many including many of us that get comfortable. That's why it's crucial that you continue to monitor your weight, so even if you do slip a little, you have time to mend it instead of realizing 3 months later that you put on and extra 15 lbs after all that hard work.

Make sure you have a balanced diet and continue to eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day to keep you metabolism going. Think of it like an engine, don't feed it gas when its about to run out. Keep it running and you'll have no problem maintaining your new weight.

Also, adopt some of your new habits permanently. Remember this isnt a short "dieting phase". Its a long term commitment to yourself. If you adopt your old habits back... guess what? Old You is Back!.

Try to stay active, even if your are not particularly straight edge on the gym. Have a nice walk for 25 minutes when you wake up. Put some music on and dance to your favorite jams. Go to the mall and walk around, even if you have a sedentary life style, you are gonna have to find some room for exercise.

Oh and it's ok to treat yourself and don't feel guilty about it. Last week i had chocolate cake 3 times! (separate days; it was everyone's b-day at my job last week) but you know what i did? I drank a full glass of water and then i had a small piece to satisfy my sweet tooth. I was actually quite full after and the i had a fruit salad 2 hours before bed and i still lost 1.5 pounds last week.


This is the MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL I think of the health I have now and my future health EVERYDAY. I really want to enjoy my older years and I want to be healthy.

Best of luck.

colombiana444

ps: Yes that my after picture (at 125 lbs) i will post a more recent one when i reach goal weight.

FloridaGranny

Great results! Fantastic picture!

Care to share your success plan? What kind of exercises did you do and how often? How many calories did you eat daily (average)?

I, too am barely 5 foot tall. When I gain 5 pounds, it's like 10 pounds to a taller person. So, I know what you mean.....

Good luck & stay on track! That extra pound will melt away,

Carol

colombiana444

Well My Diet for the most part constitutes of 1200 calories. I consume alot of fiber. Anywhere i can get it since i have suffered from constipation and was very irregular. Only drank water or soy milk (or fat free). Had very small meals throughout the day, and i really was barely ever hungry that way. Everything i ate was organic, low sugar and low sodium with an occasional splurge on a dessert I dont eat 2-3 hours prior to bed time. Ate lots of green apples, never any juice, unless it was a replacement meal smoothie.

Sometimes i would eat like every 2 hours intead of 3 but lke i said very small meals. (an apple, a granola bar, one egg, slice off toast, one yogurt, a banana, hummus) and i had my main 2 meals breakfast and lunch.

I slept on average 9 hours, so i always had good energy. I walked a lot!!! not on purpose to exercise but because my job isn't sedentary (luckily). I work 6-7 hr shift and i'm constantly walking. Once i wake up i don't sit until its bed time.

As far as workouts, i would recommend working out in the morning but i never did. i go at night to a 24 hour gym. i only did cardio workouts. i found that i burn more calories speed walking on full incline than jogging and running out of breath all the time. I recently started adding strength training (once i was 10-15 pounds close to goal weight) helped me tone up a bit. i go to the gym 4-5 times a week. and i also like to do stairs, which helped define my legs. Now that ive lost alot of belly fat ive been doing abdominal workouts everyday for 15 minutes....


and... yeah that's about it

hope some of this info helped

Sparksfly

when did you start???

colombiana444

i lost all the weight in a matter of 10 months more less.