How Wrong I Was! 600 Days of MFP. Lotsa pics.

ShayWolfexo

You look great!

SydneyBristowe

Great post!. I particularly like the two photos that show you at 130lbs without the lifting and with. Amazing difference

a1schwei

one of the best posts i've ever read on here congratulations on your awesome inspiring journey you look amazing!!!!

vabchloser

This is probably the best success story post I have ever seen. Great job on your very hard work! I was looking in the mirror yesterday wondering if my cellulite would go away, even with weight loss. I still shake my head no, but I guess maybe it will.

I can't wait to succeed too!

mariagabriella

you are amazing. well done!!!!

DBiddle69

I too am approaching the 600 day mark....591 today!

Awesome job! You look wonderful! Great dedication!

0MissErin0

Thankyou so much for sharing this

Amazing

jetscreaminagain

Love when you share your story. Hope folks understand eating sufficient food and lifting produce great results

Baloostika

Wow! Wow! Wow, am blown off by this, this can go for a documentary I tell u. God has really been gracious to u and I pray He gives me ur kind of mindset and determination. I love everything u have said and u look wonderful, keep it up. Am highly inspired and motivated. I have 33. Pounds to losse and am doing it ur way, I can see alllllllllll the changes each step of the way.mpls what kind of weights did u lift cos am told my breasts will disappear if I do so much, my breasts are small on my 5"8 frame, way too small and. Four babies have dealt wit it, lol. Am adding you to my friends list. So excited about ur achievement, pls I need ur support.

LorinaLynn

Wow! Wow! Wow, am blown off by this, this can go for a documentary I tell u. God has really been gracious to u and I pray He gives me ur kind of mindset and determination. I love everything u have said and u look wonderful, keep it up. Am highly inspired and motivated. I have 33. Pounds to losse and am doing it ur way, I can see alllllllllll the changes each step of the way.mpls what kind of weights did u lift cos am told my breasts will disappear if I do so much, my breasts are small on my 5"8 frame, way too small and. Four babies have dealt wit it, lol. Am adding you to my friends list. So excited about ur achievement, pls I need ur support.

I'm not really following a set program for lifting... just doing the basic moves (bench press, overhead press, squat, etc) for three sets of 8, as heavy as I can manage and adding more when it gets easy. I started off doing machines at the gym, but quit about two months ago and bought a set of free weights for home. That's made a HUGE difference:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/744311-free-weights-vs-machines-holy-crap

I never had a lot of boobage to start with, but lifting sure hasn't hurt. With better posture, they look better, and lifting gives my body more curves all over.

ABrideToBE

Congrats! Very inspiring!

MrsNika

You look GREAT!! I was just thinking how much I HATE my thighs....UGH. They look so jiggly. Are you telling me that if I start lifting that my body will tone up and I will lose the jiggle?!!! I'm about to get a trainer ASAP!

michie27

Great story, thank you for sharing. Now I really can't wait to start lifting. You look amazing!!

irisic

Absolutely AMAZING!!!! thanks for sharing, very inspiring

wbruni14

BUMP!

kiaramcarthur

YOU LOOK Amazing!!!!!!!!

kathiehughes

bump

auntiejack

WOW just the inspiration I need only joined today but my head is now soooo in the zone.

LorinaLynn

Double holy crap... I never thought this thread would roll!!! But since it has, here's the first post.

Today marks day 640.

Holy crap. I’ve logged into MFP for 600 days in a row. I actually registered on the site on December 20, 2010, so it’s actually 607 days that I’ve been here, but I didn’t start using it right away. In fact, when I signed up, I really didn’t think I’d lose weight at all. Every past attempt to lose weight failed miserably, or just plain left me miserable, so why would this be any different?

Let’s go into the Wayback Machine, Mr. Peabody.



Uh… maybe not that far back. But that’s me at age 11. I was a skinny kid. A very skinny kid. I’m pretty sure our dog Bandit outweighed me by a good 20 pounds. I stayed skinny through my teens and early 20s. Gained a little weight when I got a desk job, met my husband, and discovered Ranch dressing. On everything. Lost weight when I had a jaw joint problem and couldn’t chew. Gained it when my mouth worked normally again. Tried to lose by cutting calories too much and failed. Gained when depression and anxiety took a hold on me after losing both parents and my job within a year.

And that lands us in late 2010.

I knew I needed change. All I wanted to do was be healthy enough to run a 5k. I accepted my size and weight as fact, certain that I had a bad metabolism and that weight loss was just not going to happen, but I knew I could still be healthier. And I thought, if I can run a 5k, then I’d be healthy, no matter what the number was on the scale. I started Couch to 5k and MFP.

This is how I looked in July 2010. Not bad, but not as good as I wanted to look.



This is how I looked yesterday. A slight bit better, I’d say.



In more clothes…



So why did this work? Because I finally stopped following what I always believed to be true, and tried something different. I kept an open mind.

I used to think, “I’m just not a runner.” I was the kid picked last in gym class. I was a geek and a nerd, not an athlete. But… my brother and his kids were athletic. AND smart. I’m not so genetically different from them. Why can’t I learn to run?



Oh, hey… look at that. Little Miss Always Picked Last with my first gold medal in a 5k. I’ve since picked up another gold, plus a silver in a 10k.

I used to think losing weight was supposed to be uncomfortable. That it meant cutting calories, avoiding your favorite foods, being miserable. I remember my Mom dieting when I was a kid and eating ice cubes as a snack.

Now, I know that it doesn’t require major deprivation. Just eat less than the total number of calories you burn. So if I use about 2300 calories in a day, I don’t need to eat a half or third of that to lose. Just cut a little bit off. I ate a total of 1800-2000 calories the entire time I lost weight.



And I still ate food I loved. Like a post race donut. Pizza at least once a week. Pasta, garlic bread, potatoes. If it fits my macros, I’ll eat it. I aim for at least 100g of protein a day, but pretty much let the rest fall where they may.

I used to think the scale was the best way to track progress. Once I get to my goal weight, everything will be fine, right? Wrong. Keep muscle, lose fat, and you’ll reach your goal body before your goal weight.

Or to illustrate it further… these are the size 8 jeans I was so happy to fit into when I lost weight 5 years ago and got to 130 pounds. Eating under 1000 calories a day. And on top of them are the size 5 (in juniors… in misses, I’m a 2 or 4) jeans I’m wearing now. Eating twice as much.



And this is me those five years ago at 130 pounds, and me this Spring at 133 pounds.



Then, I still had double chins, back fat rolls, muffin top, ginormous thighs. I lost weight, but too much of it was muscle, so I was a big pile of Marshmallow Fluff.

Screw the scale. Track your progress through fitness goals (Woo! I can lift heavier! I can run further!), measurements, how clothes fit, and most satisfying… through photos. You won’t see changes in the mirror. You see yourself every day. It’s like watching grass grow. Put photos side by side, and you’ll see the difference.

I used to think of exercise as punishment for a slothful life. “Ugh… I gotta undo the damage I did! I hate my body! I have to get rid of this gut, these thighs, that *kitten*…”

Now, it’s something I enjoy. I realize that it’s a gift I’m giving my body. Something I do because I love myself and want to feel strong and beautiful. Well, to be honest, I don’t always enjoy it. Sometimes it’s not fun. But I consider it just part of my basic maintenance and grooming, like washing my hair, flossing my teeth, shaving my legs. I wouldn’t say, “I just don’t have the motivation to shower anymore.” You do it because it’s your routine.



And crossing that finish line always feels amazing.

Weight lifting. Ugh. I wasn’t afraid that lifting weights would turn me into Arnold Schwarzenegger in a push-up bra. I knew that the hugely muscled body builders did that professionally and I was in no danger of looking like that from casual use of weights. But I did think that weight lifting would make me lose my curves and look more boyish.



Huh. Wrong again.

I did have some concern that weight lifting would make my arms bigger. I hated when I would find a shirt I liked, and it would fit just fine, but the sleeves would feel binding and constrictive.



You guessed it. Wrong again. Strength training made my arms smaller and more shapely.

I used to hate my big thighs. Even look back at the first photo, of the super-skinny 11 year old. Even then, I had meat on my legs. When I was little, my mom used to have to add elastic to the back of my jeans because if it fit my legs and bum, it was huge in the waist. I still have that problem.



But now, I love my big thighs. They’re powerful. They can propel me up steep inclines when trail running. They can lift heavy things. They look good in a tight pair of jeans. Better in a short skirt. And better still in even less. I no longer think, “Oh, ****. These jeans are too small for my giant *kitten*.” I think, “My waist is tiny!” I’m curvy, strong, fit, and healthy. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

I used to think dieting was temporary. Eat less, lose weight, then go back to “normal.” I was right about that. Dieting is temporary. And so are the results. Eating right and exercising is for life. That doesn’t mean you have to kill yourself at the gym or eating perfect all the time. Just do an amount of exercise and eat in a way you can see yourself doing for the rest of your life.

I’ve been maintaining my weight for over a year now, within 10 pounds or so. It’s no different than when I was actively trying to lose. I have a little more wiggle room, and I don’t always log my food (and never on weekends or holidays), but I’m mindful of what I eat and still run three times a week, and lift weights two or three times a week. One or two weekend days are for rest. And now more than ever, the scale is meaningless. I’m up about 8 pounds from my low weight in October, but I can’t see any difference in photos and my clothes fit the same. Said it before, and I’ll say it again. Screw the scale.

The TL;DR version:

Don’t starve yourself.

Eat at an appropriate deficit for the amount you have to lose.

If you’re using MFP to calculate your calorie goal, eat most of your exercise calories.

Exercise regularly.

Lift heavy things.

Don’t stress over the scale.

Take pictures.

Love your body.

Have patience.

And a couple follow-ups.

Changes since hitting my goal weight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/LorinaLynn/view/it-ain-t-over-when-you-hit-your-goal-423924

And just two months after starting free weights: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/744311-free-weights-vs-machines-holy-crap

Sandytoes71

Amazing!!!!

ksuther13

This is the most motivational post I have read so far. Thank you for writing it and having awesome progress pics to go with it. You look amazing. Congrats.

Nix143

Love it, I've seen this thread a few times and you make me smile huge ever time. Well done, thanks for sharing X

JenGranzow

Great work! Isn't it amazing what lifting heavy can do for your shape? I've been using MFP since April 2011, so I am over 500 days. Like you, I started with just cardio and while that helped, nothing really changed my shape quite as much or as effectively as adding heavy lifting in with the cardio.

Let Lorina be a lesson to you ladies who are wondering if lifting is worth it. IT IS!

jnoire

Great Work! This is so motivational! :happy:

ashleystetzer

Very insightful..great job! Love the same weight comparison pictures!

mtwudfit

Awesome! Awesome! Awesome!

Boolahboo

I think you're awesome!! thank you so much for sharing!

AZiegenhorn

Congratulations!

hopefulsheena

The most inspirational post yet! I loved seeing the difference of your 130# pics. Really puts it into perspective. Thanks for sharing!

k121777

Usually when I see a post like this that's more than a paragraph, I don't even read it.....blah blah blah.....but YOU are amazing and I couldn't stop reading this! You rock. You are an inspiration!!!! Thanks for posting this! Lisa