How did you do it? How did you lose so much weight?

belleparis

Hello,

I am wondering what are your workout routines/eating habits...specially for those who have lost a lot of weight (50 lbs+).

Thanks :bigsmile:

jmparis65

I started out on a 1200-1400 calorie a day diet.

Recently added 6 days a week in the gym, have upped my calories accordingly to meet the new demands on my body.

agggie550

SW: 382 lbs
CW: 238 lbs

I worked my *kitten* off, tracked all my calories, was in the gym 2 hours a day 6 days a week, ran, hiked, biked every were I could .. cut out alcohol for a long time, drank alot alot of water, if you want I can be alot more detailed but that was pretty much the short answer. Good Luck.

tlvasa

My goal is 30 lbs and I started Jan. 2. I've lost 20 to date. I try very hard to stick with the calories allotted by MFP, eating back the calories that I earn by exercise. I go to Curves 2 to 3 times a week and really try to work out on the rest boards between the machines. Jumping jacks, crunches, skip a rope, etc. On the days I do not go to Curves, I try to get 20 to 30 minutes of exercise at home. I have found Fitness Blender videos on YouTube that are very doable. They also give you estimated burned calories which is helpful. I live in the country so I also will walk when I can. Its still cold here so the farthest I have gone has been 2 miles. I use Runtastic app on my iPhone which records my distance and calories and feeds it back to MFP.

There are so many electronic gadgets, videos, etc. that make losing weight a little bit interesting. There are 18 of us from my riding group that are on the same quest and probably half of them have done very well using MFP AND exercise. I think those that have not been as successful are winging it and not truly knowing their intake or incorporating exercise into the plan. Diet and exercise is the secret. There is no magic pill.

Good luck. The best advise I can offer is make it fun. Use gadgets, find friends - whatever it takes to help your success!

hope516

In theory its simple...eat within calorie range and workout. But the hard part is staying focused, not giving up, realizing it WILL NOT happen over night, learn as you go, and most important (at least it was for me) is get your head right before you even think about trying to get your body right.

TrailRunner61

Got off my *kitten*, walked, jogged & biked over 1,000 miles in 11 months, logged my food and stayed under my cals/exercise cals.

ktsmom430

Began March 12, 2012, stayed at or slightly below 1200 calories. Did not exercise until October 2012 when I began walking. Completed a 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning walking.I walk at least 3 miles Saturday & Sunday, weather permitting (there has been a couple of days I have missed this winter). Began using an elliptical in early November 2012, 5 days per week for 1/2 hour, M-F. Added 35 minutes on the treadmill a little over 3 weeks ago, so I am now exercising 65 minutes M-F. I got a fitbit in early February, and love it. It challenges me to do more. I am now getting in over 15,000 steps most days, and a little over 7 miles per day including my exercise. I work in an office and everytime I get up I go up and down the stairs.
I was worse than sedentary a year ago.
I am 61 years old.
This is doable!

belleparis

Thanks - All great pointers. I know in theory it is "simple". I find the hardest thing for me is to stay focused forever...basically.

kellyscomeback

I started with Meal Replacement Shakes twice a day for 3 months and with exercise I lost 30 lbs. I dropped the shakes and picked up the intensity of my workouts with TurboFire and lost a total of 80 lbs in 7 months.
Has a baby in Aug 2012 and picked up right were I left off with Insanity and now P90X.

DterMined2012

love the advice

kmillers

I lost 66 lbs by working out 6 days a week with p90x, insanity, TurboFire, spinning and Body Pump. I work out an hour to an hour and 30 minutes every week day and 2 hours or more on Saturday. I started at 190 and now weigh about 124. It took me two years though, eating within my calorie goal and logging, logging, logging. I hit a plateau for about 3 months :0( and began IF (leangains.com) and the weight started moving again more quickly.
Remember, this weight did not come on overnight and will not come off overnight. It is a lifestyle change. I believe that at this point I can now maintain this weight whereas had it come off very quickly, I would gain it all back over time.
Don't give up...practice patience. Your weight loss will come.

DterMined2012

Began March 12, 2012, stayed at or slightly below 1200 calories. Did not exercise until October 2012 when I began walking. Completed a 5K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning walking.I walk at least 3 miles Saturday & Sunday, weather permitting (there has been a couple of days I have missed this winter). Began using an elliptical in early November 2012, 5 days per week for 1/2 hour, M-F. Added 35 minutes on the treadmill a little over 3 weeks ago, so I am now exercising 65 minutes M-F. I got a fitbit in early February, and love it. It challenges me to do more. I am now getting in over 15,000 steps most days, and a little over 7 miles per day including my exercise. I work in an office and everytime I get up I go up and down the stairs.
I was worse than sedentary a year ago.
I am 61 years old.
This is doable!

A-FREAKIN-MAZING!!!! YOU ARE MY NEW INSPIRATION!!!

ChasingHaven

I've started this journey a second time this past January. I've lost 25 so far on my journey to lose 86. I merely log my calories, keeping between 1350-1550 calories and keep all my macros within my goal range. My job is moderately active.

What has helped me stick to the process is eating whatever I darn well feel like. You learn quickly how choose foods that give you more bang for your calories, but there are days that I might crave Taco Bell, so I research their menu, choose as well as I can, log it and move on. I have days now and then that I'll log breakfast and lunch and not dinner. Some days I'll be a couple of hundred calories over. As long as I'm keeping within the program most of the time the occasions I stray slightly (and I do stress slightly) have not affected my weight loss at all. It doesn't kill me if I find I've merely maintained one week- I'm a little stricter the next week . But it's been a steady weight loss since I've started and I don't feel deprived. Deprivation is dieting to me. I prefer a lifestyle change!

I know a lot of people are more of the mindset that "clean eating" is the only way to go, and I certainly can't argue with that method either. I think I eat cleaner now than I used to. I certainly eat more fruits and vegetables since I've been logging. But eating the way I want has taught me to make better choices and I think will help me maintain easier once I've met my goal weight. In the end I think you have to see what works best for you and what you can maintain for a lifetime.

Good luck!

DawnieB1977

I've lost 60lbs since July 2011, when my 2nd baby was 7 weeks old. I started on about 1200 calories a day, before joining MFP, then a while after I joined I increased to 1500 calories.

I rarely eat convenience foods and make meals from scratch, and I aim for lots of protein.

I've been having personal training sessions since that July. I was having 2 a week but now only 1 due to cost. I do spinning once a week, Zumba once or sometimes twice, aerobics twice and I go to the gym for strength training and cardio. I usually do 5 or 6 sessions a week.


I also run round after 2 very active children! Plus I work part time as a teacher so I'm on my feet all day at work.

CherryOnionKiss

Wow i'm glad i found this topic. This is very motivating. Some people went super strict and very active while others kept cheat days and walked the weight off. It's great new. Very encouraging for beginners that don't want to start off with 6 days a week high impact workouts.

annemw333

I am not gonna lie, I had gastric bypass back in 2009. It helped me lose the first 100 or so pounds but after that, it was all me. My teeny tiny tummy is not so teeny anymore so I can consume near normal portions now that I am almost 4 years out. I even had some regain and had to really take a look at what I was doing. I went through a LOT to lose the weight and had to reconfirm my commitment to myself and my health. I started tracking my calories, drinking more water, not drinking when I eat (it's a bypass thing), and always always eating my protein first and making sure to get, at the very least, 80 grams of protein a day. I also started moving more. I started with just walking and began tracking my miles and set monthly distance goals for myself to reach every month. Then, I joined the Y where I swim, bike, do classes, and strength training, adding distance goals for swimming and biking too. I have found that setting measurable and attainable goals is super important for me. Since I am not losing like I was right after surgery, I need other ways to measure my success than a number on the scale. So far, it's working as I've lost over 20 more pounds since I reconfirmed my commitment. At the end of the day I just remind myself that I have no other option than to do this. If I want to lead the healthy active life I've always wanted, I need to do this and continue doing it for the rest of my life. My old choices are no longer an option.

belleparis

Wow i'm glad i found this topic. This is very motivating. Some people went super strict and very active while others kept cheat days and walked the weight off. It's great new. Very encouraging for beginners that don't want to start off with 6 days a week high impact workouts.

Totally agree with that...very inspirational!

MerRock

I think one of the things to remember to, is patience. We've all seen biggest loser, and in our minds, we want to see the same tpe of weight loss. Reality is, that for most people, losing several pounds a week isn't going to happen. Even when I'm perfect on my food, exercise 6 days a week... well there are weeks I only lose a pound, or 1/2 pound. Especially as I get closer to my goal. But that's okay. You have to make sure your know, that no matter what the scale shows, you're on the right track. In the past there where times I'd give up when things didn't move. You have to make sure you get over that mind set. And when you see groups that say things like "lose 20 lbs this month", or crazy things like that, don't join them. It's nearly impossible to do that in a healthy manner, and it's just setting you up to feel like you failed. Remember, this is for the long hall, and you want to make sure you can keep it off long term. So in addition to working out and eating right, my advice is to have patience, and know that it's what you do consistently that gets you where you are, not what you do once in a while.

themadisons513

I was diligent with tracking calories and just simply walking. It really works if you hold yourself accountable. The best advice I ever got was allow yourself 1 cheat meal a week and I got that from Bob Harper's Skinny Rules.

BohemianCoast

I've been losing about a pound and a half a week for eight months now. I started with a plan to do 30 minutes of cardio every day -- telling myself that if I couldn't fit anything else in, then I'd step up and down on the Wii Fit board in the evening when watching tv. After a month or so I added in some badminton, and then after three months I added in a little running -- using a couch to 5k program. Now I run three times most weeks, do other exercise on the off days (walking, badminton, dance, cycling, swimming), and I did my first (and maybe only) half marathon on Sunday. I do some bodyweight and dumbbell strength as well, but honestly I'm super rubbish at keeping up with it. I have MFP set to lose a pound a week, and I aim to eat back half my exercise calories. I often go over calories, and don't worry about it unless it's more than 500 calories over (ie, if I'm still in deficit). I cook a lot and guess as little as I can. If I do have a day when I go way over, I'm super careful to weigh everything for the next few days to get back on track. Onward!

MichelleKacz

Following a good eating plan and exercising regularly is really the answer here, but more specially with me, giving up sugar is what got be beyond my original goals. It is amazing learning just how bad sugar is for you yet so many products are loaded with the stuff. Food manufacturers don’t care about your health, they just care that you stay addicted to their product, very sad actually.