Two blue dresses display my progress [pics + details]

sammielealea

You need to remind yourself every time you look in the mirror how wonderful you are and how much your hard work has paid off . . . sometimes it just takes a little more time for us to actually "see" the changes that have been made. There are some really amazing threads on MFP about breaking through plataues . . . Keep motivated, you're doing so well!

oneworkoutatatime

Oustanding!!!

Calantorntain

I'm curious how supportive your boyfriend was during this part of your journey...and how he's responding to the newer you!

I'm in a long distance relationship, and so we only see each other once a month. This means he doesn't get to be around for the day-to-day nitty gritty, and it also means that less healthy eating habits don't tempt me. But he's certainly there for me; I complain to him sometimes about being tired, or hungry, and he's there to listen, and support me.

But over all, the reason that weight loss is working for me, is because I'm doing it for me. A lot of my motivation comes from wanting to fit in non-plus sized clothes, and being healthier, and being able to bike faster. And there certainly is the desire to be prettier. But... for myself. Not other people. If that makes any sense. If my boyfriend was here, jabbing me with his elbow and telling me to go to the gym, I would sit at home eating cheetos out of spite!

He definitely appreciates the physical changes, but is clever enough not to harp on them. It's not really what I want him to do. It's great that he tells me I'm looking better, or that he likes my *kitten*, or whatever, but these occasions are rare. If they were too frequent, I would wonder if his attraction to me was overwhelmingly superficial.

toniapatt

You look great! Do you lift with a personal trainer, or have you created your own program?

Calantorntain

You look great! Do you lift with a personal trainer, or have you created your own program?

Neither! There's a really detailed six month program laid out in New Rules of Lifting for Women, and I'm following that.

stephanie_frank84

As a 5'11" woman myself, I want to thank you for the inspiration!

craignev

Great progress....well done!

ZozoMonster

Amazing progress! Well done

jayliospecky

So just to drive us all nuts again who are obsessing whether 1200 calories are enough...how much were you consuming during your weight loss AND did you "eat back" your earned exercise cals?

I aim for around 1500 calories. Some days it is less, some days it is more. 1500 is on the lower end of what I should eat daily, and that's because I know it will be evened out once a week or so by late night guacamole binges with my roommate, or brunch out with friends.

I don't "eat back" my exercise calories because I think MFP grossly overestimates how many calories are burned during physical activity (at least for tall, overweight people). On days where I do lots of physical activity I will often eat a bit more, but nowhere near the number that MFP calculated for me.

HI! Well first off, you look great!! I love it! And I REALLY like the second blue dress, I want it.

My suggestion regarding your plateau is that you may want to consider eating more. Your BMR must be higher than mine by quite a bit (I'm 5'5', 161 pounds) and mine is around 1490ish. (I just put your numbers into a calculator I like and it said your BMR is 1999.) Different calculators will give you slightly different numbers, but I don't think it's a good idea to eat below your BMR for too long. And if you are active, you can eat even more! I like this site for figuring out both BMR and TDEE:

http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

Basically you should be eating somewhere between your BMR and TDEE, but eating below BMR is not a good thing.

Also I do practice what I preach, my BMR is 1490 and my TDEE is anywhere from 2100-2400, and right now I am eating 1900 on average, daily, and I am losing weight.

Just my thoughts. Congratulations again on your progress!

Magoominuseighty

You are doing great! Don't give up and you will find success. Maybe switch up your workout, try something new? Maybe your body has gotten used to the same workouts? Just a couple ideas, that also helps with burnout and boredom with your workouts.

ImSoQuazy

Hello there,
May I suggest H.I.I.T... High Intensity Interval Training
Basically one minute hard one minute recover
Do eight to ten rounds (2 minute warm up & cool down)
Total time 20 minutes.
But Go HARD on those hard minutes.
When you start feeling comfortable, add a minute to the "hard" & 30 seconds to the recovery.
You look fabulous.
Nevermind your BF just forge ahead
Did I mention you look fabulous?
K.J.L.H.

lewcompton

I saw the post blue dress and my mind immediately switched to Bill Clinton...

ebaymommy

So just to drive us all nuts again who are obsessing whether 1200 calories are enough...how much were you consuming during your weight loss AND did you "eat back" your earned exercise cals?

I aim for around 1500 calories. Some days it is less, some days it is more. 1500 is on the lower end of what I should eat daily, and that's because I know it will be evened out once a week or so by late night guacamole binges with my roommate, or brunch out with friends.

I don't "eat back" my exercise calories because I think MFP grossly overestimates how many calories are burned during physical activity (at least for tall, overweight people). On days where I do lots of physical activity I will often eat a bit more, but nowhere near the number that MFP calculated for me.

HI! Well first off, you look great!! I love it! And I REALLY like the second blue dress, I want it.

My suggestion regarding your plateau is that you may want to consider eating more. Your BMR must be higher than mine by quite a bit (I'm 5'5', 161 pounds) and mine is around 1490ish. (I just put your numbers into a calculator I like and it said your BMR is 1999.) Different calculators will give you slightly different numbers, but I don't think it's a good idea to eat below your BMR for too long. And if you are active, you can eat even more! I like this site for figuring out both BMR and TDEE:

http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

Basically you should be eating somewhere between your BMR and TDEE, but eating below BMR is not a good thing.

Also I do practice what I preach, my BMR is 1490 and my TDEE is anywhere from 2100-2400, and right now I am eating 1900 on average, daily, and I am losing weight.

Just my thoughts. Congratulations again on your progress!

I'm also going to go with the EAT MORE FOOD to bust through that plateau theory. I think MFP actually usually UNDERESTIMATES the amount of calories a person needs.

Take me, for example. I'm 5'5.5", 35 years old, 130lbs. If I set my MFP settings to "very active" plus put it to maintain my weight it gives me 2000 calories a day. The thing is....from wearing a BodyMedia Fit I know that I generally burn at least a couple hundred more calories than that per day on a rest day. I can easily eat 2200-2300/day to maintain and when I'm exercising I need even more food. Last spring I was training for a marathon and eating 2500-2600/day and still losing weight. Don't be afraid to eat food to fuel your body and the exercise you are doing. Eating too low calories can cause your body to come to a complete weight-loss standstill because your body is trying to hold on to everything it has for fear of not getting enough food on a daily basis.

@jayliospecky knows what she's talking about so I'm going to say I'm confident that her calculations of your BMR are accurate and you really should never eat below your BMR to avoid damaging your metabolism. Even as short and thin as I am my BMR is 1440/day.

janeite1990

Zowie Mama!

Calantorntain

So just to drive us all nuts again who are obsessing whether 1200 calories are enough...how much were you consuming during your weight loss AND did you "eat back" your earned exercise cals?

I aim for around 1500 calories. Some days it is less, some days it is more. 1500 is on the lower end of what I should eat daily, and that's because I know it will be evened out once a week or so by late night guacamole binges with my roommate, or brunch out with friends.

I don't "eat back" my exercise calories because I think MFP grossly overestimates how many calories are burned during physical activity (at least for tall, overweight people). On days where I do lots of physical activity I will often eat a bit more, but nowhere near the number that MFP calculated for me.

HI! Well first off, you look great!! I love it! And I REALLY like the second blue dress, I want it.

My suggestion regarding your plateau is that you may want to consider eating more. Your BMR must be higher than mine by quite a bit (I'm 5'5', 161 pounds) and mine is around 1490ish. (I just put your numbers into a calculator I like and it said your BMR is 1999.) Different calculators will give you slightly different numbers, but I don't think it's a good idea to eat below your BMR for too long. And if you are active, you can eat even more! I like this site for figuring out both BMR and TDEE:

http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

Basically you should be eating somewhere between your BMR and TDEE, but eating below BMR is not a good thing.

Also I do practice what I preach, my BMR is 1490 and my TDEE is anywhere from 2100-2400, and right now I am eating 1900 on average, daily, and I am losing weight.

Just my thoughts. Congratulations again on your progress!

I'm also going to go with the EAT MORE FOOD to bust through that plateau theory. I think MFP actually usually UNDERESTIMATES the amount of calories a person needs.

Take me, for example. I'm 5'5.5", 35 years old, 130lbs. If I set my MFP settings to "very active" plus put it to maintain my weight it gives me 2000 calories a day. The thing is....from wearing a BodyMedia Fit I know that I generally burn at least a couple hundred more calories than that per day on a rest day. I can easily eat 2200-2300/day to maintain and when I'm exercising I need even more food. Last spring I was training for a marathon and eating 2500-2600/day and still losing weight. Don't be afraid to eat food to fuel your body and the exercise you are doing. Eating too low calories can cause your body to come to a complete weight-loss standstill because your body is trying to hold on to everything it has for fear of not getting enough food on a daily basis.

@jayliospecky knows what she's talking about so I'm going to say I'm confident that her calculations of your BMR are accurate and you really should never eat below your BMR to avoid damaging your metabolism. Even as short and thin as I am my BMR is 1440/day.

On Friday I had deep dish pizza for lunch, and dinner was basically a bottle of wine and a bit more pizza. Stepped on the scale Saturday morning, expecting the worst... and BAM. I'm now below 220. Perhaps I was retaining weight because of my period? Who knows. Anyway, hurrah for not being stuck in the 20's forever! Thanks everyone for your support!

LuvHypno

I totally identify with this statement: "But I have never identified myself by my body; always with my brain, actions, and bank account. So while I haven't been happy with my body, it hasn't particularly been a source of anguish."

Keep up the great work! You look beautiful!

Calantorntain

I totally identify with this statement: "But I have never identified myself by my body; always with my brain, actions, and bank account. So while I haven't been happy with my body, it hasn't particularly been a source of anguish."

I definitely think the world would be a better place if more women felt the same way!

skinnygrlerica

I am also in a long distance relationship and we see each other once a month too. We are BOTH trying to lose weight, so the friendly competition is quite motivating.

Its refreshing to hear that the boyfriend is encouraging and supportive. I have been in a relationship where my attempt to get healthier and lose weight was met with jealousy and sabotage. Hence, I am now divorced.

Congrats again on your loss so far. I understand your mindset as well, as in placing importance on other successful areas of your life, since I have done the same and the overweight part of me wasn't a factor so much as it is now that I am getting older and noticing changes in my body.

And good for you to be on this quest to lose weight and feel prettier for yourself. Its also one of my reasons too. I have spent much of my adulthood taking care of everyone else and neglecting my own needs compeltely that I have a great desire to finally take care of myself now.

Thanks for the post I look forward to seeing your progress as you get closer to your goal! And...thanks for being a beautiful inspiration to me!

zannyzanzanzibar

Amazing difference!! You look fantastic, well done

I'd definitely consider upping the cals a bit.. I'm a similar height to you (6ft) and when I was 220lbs I was eating 1800 cals a day and losing very quickly. Now I'm 60lbs lighter I'm on 1400-1500 calories. I've plateaued a couple of times so I know how frustrating it can be!!

Keep going, you're doing great!

lfergurson1

You look great .. I am always so impressed by people who share a great before pic because it really does inspire me.

Lilyyy7

Keep up the good work!

Pwrpuff83

Wow! You look fab! What a great job you've done. You must feel so proud! Super beautiful.

x

Pwrpuff83

You look great .. I am always so impressed by people who share a great before pic because it really does inspire me.

Definitely! It can be hard sometimes to see how far you've really come until you've had a chance for a side by side comparison. I know my before and "current" was a shock for me! But it put in perspective all the hard work of which I'd begun to lose sight. I'd really recommend it for everyone!

TomTomato

Congrats on your success! Maybe you can study for your MS cert while you are using the elliptical trainer or stationary bike. I've done that in the past when studying for my cert and military promotion testing.

TendaiMa

The difference and progress is highly noticeable...well done. I you look and feel this good now, then I can't wait to see your pics at Goal. Keep it up!

meaningful99

You look so great, and your lifestyle sounds so healthy!

Calantorntain

Congrats on your success! Maybe you can study for your MS cert while you are using the elliptical trainer or stationary bike. I've done that in the past when studying for my cert and military promotion testing.

Unfortunately I don't really use stationary equipment. I cycle on the streets (and sometimes bike paths, like two weekends ago when I biked 28 miles on Lake Shore Path to get to/from the Science and Industry Museum for my friend's birthday event!), so reading is a no-go. But since I'm having a hard time making time to study at home, perhaps it would be worth it to just bring a text book to a gym and chill out on a recumbent bike.