No More 'Skinny Fat!' - 1 year progress (Pics)

Vtron9

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share my progress so far.



My entire life I've struggled with some mysterious digestive issue (the doctors STILL can't figure out what's going on) that makes me intolerant to dense protein and oils. Since I've avoided meat and eggs for as long as I can remember, I've found it very difficult to get enough protein in a day. I also have asthma, which made it very difficult to do any exercise at all.

The result was that my diet consisted mainly of carbs, caffeine and sugar and left me lethargic and hungry ALL the time. I had the typical 'skinny fat' body and was never fully happy with the way I looked.

This year I decided to change all that - I started reading about nutrition and health and I joined MFP to really see if my diet was as healthy as I thought it was (it wasn't haha). I found protein sources I could eat, and really changed my entire lifestyle around. I started by doing strength training, then added in small amounts of cardio, and just kept increasing my threshold...

Now I do HIIT 2-3 times a week, and combine cardio with strength/resistance training. I rarely get asthma attacks anymore, and the doctors say my breathing is back to normal! I feel SOOO much stronger, more alive, more AWAKE! I've never had this much energy in my life!

I just wanted to say thank you to everyone on MFP too, because seeing you guys achieve your goals has really kept me motivated.


*EDIT: I forgot to mention my height is 5' 7" - I realize I'm underweight... I'm recovering from a particularly bad bout of stomach problems for the last 2 months that really limited my ability to eat enough to maintain my muscle. My goal for the next few months is to gain at least 3-5 lbs of muscle

kr1stadee

Wow amazing results!! You don't look anywhere near a D cup! haha
Everything looks so toned! Great work!!

amann1976

congrats... any before and after pics

Vtron9

Yeah I know haha, part of it is because I have a small band size, and part of it is the squish factor from the sports bra

Vtron9

congrats... any before and after pics

Sorry! Had to resize my picture. Works now

sammyjeanp

Awesome job! So proud of you sis

Vtron9

Thanks Dog

caramel1920

I think it's great that most importantly you are feeling better physically and you're healthier, that's AMAZING!!!! Congrats to you for unlocking your door to success and health!!!!:drinker:

ourglasswalls

Congrats! you look great.

LucilleHighball

Congrats on your success. Your hard work really shows.

robinogue

you look great, thanks for shaing your journey!

sexy48

great job

Tilran

Did you run into roadblocks during that year? I only ask because 15 pounds in 1 year sounds low. Obviously amazing job and great work....but just curious about the hurdles and things you had to overcome to get to where you are. You are at a low weight, yes..and that will slow your weight loss down dramatically. So I am more wondering this because as I get closer and closer to my goal weight...I'd like to know what issues and troubles I can expect.

Hopefully you dont take this post as if I am bashing you for 15 pounds in 1 year...like I said..great work and I'm sure its hard to lose weight at such a low weight already.

Pedalpush

What an amazing difference! After looking at your before/after pics I am kicking myself for not doing the same. I still have 15 lbs to go, so there's still time...

I love that your progress manifests in actual health changes, i.e. your breathing. My husband is not long for his high blood pressure medication due to the changes he's made.

Good on ya girl!!!

vegasmari

There is a lot of skinny fat out there.... those girls that don't work out, but stay skinny by dieting and they lack muscle tone anywhere.

Anyhow, I dream of the day I can weigh and look like your before pictures and then turn it into your after pics (i'm 5'8)

So good for you and you do look amazing!!!

Farburnfred

Wow, you look great! Did you follow a weights programme?

I only hope I will see the same changes in myself in a years time (must find camera so i can take my before pics!)

HealthyBodySickMind

Congrats on both your physical transformation and your gained knowledge about your health. Your hard work shows.

Vtron9

Did you run into roadblocks during that year? I only ask because 15 pounds in 1 year sounds low. Obviously amazing job and great work....but just curious about the hurdles and things you had to overcome to get to where you are. You are at a low weight, yes..and that will slow your weight loss down dramatically. So I am more wondering this because as I get closer and closer to my goal weight...I'd like to know what issues and troubles I can expect.

Hopefully you dont take this post as if I am bashing you for 15 pounds in 1 year...like I said..great work and I'm sure its hard to lose weight at such a low weight already.

I agree that compared to others my progress has been pretty slow, and a major part of that is because I didn't have all that much weight to lose. As you get closer to your lean body mass progress typically does slow down.

That said, I honestly didn't see much progress until July or August of this year, because my capability for exercise was soooo bad due to the asthma and the fact that I was exhausted all the time. That was also around the time that I made a huge change to my diet; I limited pasta and bread to once a week, and upped my protein intake by eating tofu and quinoa and massive quantities of peanut butter. I also monitored my sugar and caffeine intake, and I believe that these changes really affected my workout ability and its effectiveness.

One other thing; I might see no progress for weeks, and then all of a sudden I see changes like crazy.
Check out the Coach Calorie website too, I learned a lot from them.
http://www.coachcalorie.com/

Vtron9

Wow, you look great! Did you follow a weights programme?

I only hope I will see the same changes in myself in a years time (must find camera so i can take my before pics!)

Thanks so much!

Taking progress pics is awesome, I never expected to see such a difference! When you look at yourself every day it's hard to notice changes over time.

I do BodyRockTV's workouts, sometimes I customize my own routines based on their exercises. I also use a sandbag (currently at 24lbs) and a 10lb dumbell. I have a Theraband I use for resistance training too, but most of my exercises are bodyweight only.

Here's where I get my workouts from:
http://www.fitnessblender.com/
http://www.bodyrock.tv/

Vtron9

There is a lot of skinny fat out there.... those girls that don't work out, but stay skinny by dieting and they lack muscle tone anywhere.

Anyhow, I dream of the day I can weigh and look like your before pictures and then turn it into your after pics (i'm 5'8)

So good for you and you do look amazing!!!

Yeah that was definitely me... I would just stop eating as much to try and lose weight... but I would see absolutely no change, and I would be even more tired.

Thank you so much, and keep up the hard work!

nealwa

Great Job - it is always tough when you have dietary limitations

Vtron9

What an amazing difference! After looking at your before/after pics I am kicking myself for not doing the same. I still have 15 lbs to go, so there's still time...

I love that your progress manifests in actual health changes, i.e. your breathing. My husband is not long for his high blood pressure medication due to the changes he's made.

Good on ya girl!!!

Thank you! Honestly, I'm happiest about my energy levels and ability to breathe (and sleep through an entire night without having to wake up wheezing). That's so great about your husband! One thing I've learned is that there's no substitute for a healthy lifestyle when you want to feel awesome all the time.

vabchloser

Just wanted to say, since you made the comment, that you don't LOOK underweight. As a matter of fact, you look spot on. I think the muscle gain is an excellent goal. Great job!

Vtron9

Just wanted to say, since you made the comment, that you don't LOOK underweight. As a matter of fact, you look spot on. I think the muscle gain is an excellent goal. Great job!

Thank you so much! Hopefully muscle gain happens primarily in the *ahem* glute region haha

Sweetsugar0424

I love that your story is not just about looking good, but feeling good too. Good for you for taking control of your diet and figuring out what you could do to make the positive changes that you have. The best feeling in the world is realizing how much better you feel and how much more energy you have when eating better and being able to exercise.

kjjm08

Congrats, you look great!

ptjolsen

You are a great example of what it actually means to be "fit"

mingecrackers

Bump

shinkalork

great job

farmboyphotography

Congrats on the great outcome! A year ago, you looked good. Now, you look AMAZING!

Vtron9

Wow thanks everybody for the amazing comments. I never thought I'd get so many replies, let alone compliments! Thank you all so much