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

SmartAlec03211988

I ate less calories, but more food.

I exercised 4-5 times a week (moderate intensity), mostly cardio in the beginning but have since incorporated strength training as well.

I incorporated delicious and yummy foods in the mix, occasionally splurging and going over.

80 lbs gone.

jamical

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.

THIS is SO true and the really are the keys to my success too. Nothing happens without getting your head on track first. Once I dealt with the emotional and psychological factors that affected my self-esteem and outlook, the eating and exercise fell right into place because I actually WANTED to take care of myself and my body. Now that "want" has turned into a passion and that helps keep my emotional and psychological health in check. They are not mutually exclusive at all and those that have success long term know this. I'm constantly reminding myself of this fact and I keep applying it as I go. I still have another 15-20lbs to lose but now I'm much more interested in seeing what my body can do when I push myself and expand my horizons physically. The eating side now fuels the physical activity and I try to keep it separate from my emotional needs.

fredf2112

A magic pill.

Seriously you have to be selfish and put yourself first. If you are not changing for yourself you will not stick with it. It isn't about looking good for a significant other or because your doctor told you to; they will not be there at 11 o'clock at night as you contemplate having a big bowl of Chunky Monkey. Once you decide that you want this then anything is possible.

As others have said, log everything honestly. If you have a bad day, log it but don't beat yourself up about it. One day will not change or undo everything for bad or good.
Get and use a food scale. It is amazing what a "serving size" really is.
Move. Walking is great exercise and can be done by almost everyone anywhere. If you're more ambitious, try running (the C25k program is a good way to transition into running) or biking or join a gym. Basically, move, get your heart rate up.
Take measurements. Not only your weight but neck, waist, hips, thighs. Keep your starting numbers so that you know you are improving.
Drink water. In the morning. Before meals. While you're sitting at the computer.
Celebrate your accomplishments, they are accomplishments.

Sunshine2plus2

I lost 138pds (100 of that in one year) I maintained that loss for 5 years, got pregant so here I am again. Anyways the way I did was I ate low fat or fat free foods. I never counted one thing, just ate what I thought was right and exercised. I never stepped a foot in a gym the whole time I lost that weight. I did Richard Simmons exercise videos at home for at least 30mins a day. I never stopped losing weight , it worked out well for me. Good luck!

_SABOTEUR_

Initially ate too little at 1950 cals (I'm 6ft5 male) then found http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

Upped my cals and I now eat 2500 cals. Losing same amount of weight but am happy instead of grumpy.

Exercise-wise. Started swimming twice a week. Then added running. Then weights at home. Now I lift heavy 3 times a week and do some aerobics. I never exercised more than 4 times a week (it's not necessary) apart from when I did Insanity.

xoxsashaxox

My profile says i started out at 135 but it was more like 139. im now 124 at 5'5. I started taking a protein supplement called isoflex and eating a diet of 1200-1400 calories per day. Right off the bat without excersize you should lose a ton of weight just doing that. Then when i got to around 130 after loseing almost 10 pounds i needed to do more to lose more, so i started simply walking with the dog more, swimming once a week, going to the gym once a week. I am not someone who works out a lot. I mostly did it with diet. I cut out fast food entirely and other than the occasional pizza slice i havnt eaten any drive through or take out food for 2 years.

jeansuza

I believe that whatever the diet (healthy or not), you will lose pounds if you keep motivated. MOTIVATION IS THE KEY. So I think the most difficult workout is ON THE MIND. (Of course, a healthy way of eating as well as exercising will also help you to reach your goal in the long run! Don't forget: Life is a marathon, not a sprint race.)

In the past, I lost weight and always gained it back and more. I've heard that having been obese for my entire life, I had 0% chance of maintaining my weight loss. Gross!

Here is my workout to keep motivated in changing my mind AND the statistics:
Writing my weekly diary (positives of the week, objectives, things to reflect on or learn, etc.)
Adding tips to my blog. (Tips I gather here and there on different blogs and internet.)
Regularly re-reading all my blog entries.
Encouraging my MFP friends
Thinking positively
Being honest and accountable with my MFP entries
Walking or exercising
Trying new activities
Drinking water
Loving my family


It's been tough all the way but I'm successful so far. I will do it.:flowerforyou:

themanda04

i've noticed a few trends for my own loss.
1. log EVERYTHING. even if it's a splurge or a treat. watch the numbers that you're taking in.
2. learn about your food. learn what a real portion of something is. don't snack out of the bag, or grab a 'handful' of something. if the package says 16 pretzels is a portion, count out 16 pretzels. eat one portion of something and let it sink in before you decide you want more or automatically double up.
3. be smart about what you eat, but allow yourself to eat anything you want. i find myself thinking of my daily calorie allowance as money. i've got $1800 dollars to spend today, and i want to spend it wisely. sure, i can eat a burger if i want, but do i really feel like spending that much on it when i can get soooo much more food by eating fish or vegetables instead? is the return worth the investment? usually, the answer is no.

i feel like for probably the first time in my life i'm really taking charge of what i'm putting in my body. i'm learning--really learning--how to cook and what i want to eat. the single most important lesson so far has been using proper portion sizes and learning how to get by and not feel hungry on an appropriate, healthy, and filling diet.

gsdz4me

Actually I will say a very large energetic dog got me going. I suddenly found that the best way to have peace at home was to exercise the dog. So I started walking him and then along came a challenge, a walking one through work for two months. Once that was over and I had lost about 5kg and felt so good I decided to look into my food intake. Got recommended this site and here I am. My main exercise is walking as I have two dogs and they are walked individually. I love getting out with them. I do occasionally bike or swim but walking is the best for me, free and able to be done anywhere. I also have arthiritis in my knees, one quite severe and although it will never go away it has improved with the exercise and weight loss. Not so painful these days and my orthopaedic specialist told me just to keep doing what I am doing and he will review me again in about 5 months time. I know my ticker says 15kg lost but this is only since I have been on here, I have actaully lost nearly 20kg since October 2012.

gypsylosefat

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

yep the old EAT LESS MOVE MORE no magic tricks :bigsmile:

moustache_flavored_lube

Laxatives and caffeine pills mostly

twinketta

Laxatives and caffeine pills mostly

Aww that is so sad, hope you get to be where you want to be in a good healthy fashion real soon and inspire people

gypsylosefat

Laxatives and caffeine pills mostly

i love it lol, most people wont admit to it but we all do it..... :blushing:

CEHayes73

I have a 3 yr old and a 9 month old baby and I stay at home with them, so working out is not practical for me right now, both due to time and money. I have been very consistent on MFP, logging EVERYTHING I eat and just walking pushing a stroller with my kids.

Walking and pushing a stroller with a toddler and a baby. That IS a workout!

twinketta

Laxatives and caffeine pills mostly

i love it lol, most people wont admit to it but we all do it..... :blushing:

Nope never done it! Even my drinks are caffeine free. Taken a mild laxative maybe once in a couple of years?

EroseT23

I lost the weight I did mostly by being very mindful about what I eat. Now, I'm not a big believer of "good" foods or "bad" foods, but I do try to eat mostly fresh food that I make myself. That said, I am not above splitting a pizza with my husband! I've learned to log everything, all the time, even if it puts me over my goals for the day. Your body doesn't care if you plug it into your food diary or not -- you still ate it! Fudging the numbers until you feel good about it isn't doing yourself any favors. You have to be honest and take accountability for the times you go overboard.

I've also learned that this takes time. Lots of time. It could take YEARS to lose 50 pounds. Then again, it could only take 6 months. No two people are going to progress the same, so don't ever try to compare yourself to other people! Take all advice with a grain of salt, and do your own research. And be patient! This is something you're doing to improve your health and well-being. Trust me, it's WORTH the time.

1two3four

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:

I started Oct 2011 and at that point I was 287. I cut my portion sizes (like, instead of eating half a pound of chicken I ate the sizes of a deck of cards, I measured cereal and milk and ice cream, measured somethings by the palmful etc.) and for the most part (85%) I didn't drink calories. The only exercise I did was housework and childcare (which I wasn't doing before but it wasn't my house or kids so that's OK). I did this until June 2012 and got down to 227 (I was 211 at one point but it didn't stick.) It literally was eat less and move more.

From June through October I got depressed and stressed for reasons that weren't related to weight but also let the fact that my weight loss was stalled get me even more down. I donated all of my skinny (to me) summer clothes thinking I was destined to be 227 for the rest of my life.

Fast forward Nov 2012, I lost 10lbs that month. After the first week I was HOOKED and continued losing through Christmas (except for a small gain I can't say was holiday related or TOM -- either way I lost it pretty quickly). January 2013 rolled around and I was scared that I was going to stall out again so I got back to MFP and started reading the posts in this community.

As of March 2013 I'm doing TDEE - whatever percent is keeping me at a loss of 1.5lbs/wk. I really am not positive of my math here and did it a bit backwards. I still don't measure and weigh food 100% of the time but I log everything. Period. If my living situation allowed me to weigh and measure I would with out a doubt, and I recommend everyone that can does I'm just saying truthfully I don't right now.

I still don't exercise 95% of the time but I'm doing what's working for me right now.

Whatever you do DON'T GIVE UP. That's really all that matters. Keeping at it (switching things up when it's not working) and it will happen.

KathyPBiles

This is a great thread! Just what I needed to read tonight!

Mcgrawhaha

i eat 1200-1300 cals a day, and every other saturday, i have a day that i dont restrict my calories and i go about 50% to 100% over my maintenance calories. i do cardio and heavy lifting 3-5 days a week. ive lost 65 pounds in 6 months.

lindasuman

I joined the fb group Steps To Good Health in Jan 2013.I walk 3miles a day if the weathers nice I go outside if rainy and cold I go to the Mall.joined MTP and write down every thing I eat, I wear a pedometer everywhere i go and I try to log in 10,000 steps a day.Eating lots of fruit and veggie smoothies some days twice a day then just a dinner meal.

sateliteofluv

I totally agree with the cheat meal. For me that is Friday nights. On Friday nights, I allow myself to eat whatever I want. The longer you are making healthy choices though and seeing the results on the scale, the less tempting it is to overdo it. I find myself making healthier and healther choices on Friday nights despite the "permission" to do otherwise. But just knowing that I "can" eat whatever I want on Friday nights also gives me motivation to eat well the rest of the week. I always tell myself if I still want a cookie, or ice cream, or cheese fries, or whatever - I can eat it on Friday.

KathyPBiles

Laxatives and caffeine pills mostly

i love it lol, most people wont admit to it but we all do it..... :blushing:

Nope - never have - I've never taken a laxative in my life (fortunately I have never NEEDED one) and I drink 8-16 oz unsweet tea a day. That is all the caffeine I get.

thingeringer

You don't have to stay focused forever. Focus today. Tomorrow takes care of itself.

mygrl4meee

I have let mfp set my calories and it was went from 2050 to 1700 over the year and then some. I eat in moderation. I workout and do cycle my calories so I don't sweat it if I am over a couple hundred if I had a day I came in under goal. I have had patience with the weght loss.

nicolej1016

Honestly a big part of my change was that I found out I've been lactose intolerant my entire life. It turned out that once I cut out all dairy, including cheese, butter, and milk, it took an incredible amount of calories out of my diet. I also lost a lot of the health problems that were just my allergy that had been misdiagnosed. Instead of having chronic heart burn, bloating, fatigue, skin irritations, IBS, et cetera, it was simply lactose intolerance. That made a big difference, but that wasn't easy. Cutting out all milk and cheese when it had been most of my diet beforehand was very hard. I had serious cravings. But if you want a very easy way to cut down bloat and tons of calories, lose the dairy, and I mean everything. Even skim milk and yogurt, even cottage cheese. Instead, make sure to get your calcium other ways. I take calcium tabs and also drink fortified orange juice. I also take probiotics because I can't get good bacteria from yogurt anymore.
Also, I stopped having caloric drinks. I drink ONLY water and black coffee, and unsweetened tea. (I tried spenda and stevia, turns out I'm allergic to both, I get crazy hives and itching. Yeah my parents gave me a GREAT gene pool, lol.) Once you cut out sugary energy drinks and milk heavy and sugary frappes, you lose lots of calories.
I still eat fast food, I won't lie. I eat an exhorbitant amount of taco bell, but I order fresco style, which means they hold all the dairy and add pico de gallo instead. It's very nice and refreshing.
I also am now getting good at portion control. If you're going to tackle portion control though, my best advice is to eat VERY regularly. If you miss a single meal, if you get hungry but decide not to snack and save your appetite for dinner, you WILL eat too much. I like to split meals with my husband.
I also avoid potatoes and pasta, simply a personal choice because I find they fill me up too fast with minimal satisfaction, and I get hungry again rather soon. It feels like empty calories to me.
I honestly don't work out much. I love to dance, and I don't mind the occasional session on the elliptical. I like to play around, go on walks, dance around the house like a goof ball, and when I'm stressed, get on my hands and knees and scrub my kitchen floor like a mad woman.
All of that aside, the biggest key to losing weight is be happy. Forget your size, forget the amount of time it will take to reach your goal, just live life. That time will pass by whether you lose weight or not. Don't think about it, the next year will fly by faster than we realize. Be happy right this minute. Get up from your computer and go stand in the sunshine, cuddle your cat, have a rich cup of coffee, jump on the bed, I don't care. Do not let your size limit you, do not think "when I get skinny, I'm going to Vegas!" Freaking go to Vegas. Or somewhere, anywhere, but go today. Don't wait for skinny. Go start being skinny you, because when you see yourself as skinny you, and you live the lifestyle of healthy you, and you do what healthy people do, eventually your body will catch up to you and thank you, and you will be incredibly fulfilled instead of hopelessly longing and staring at pictures of jeans one leg couldn't fit into right now.
There are my success pointers. I hope you find success in any way or form, whether you need cold hard discipline, or you walk a forgiving and flexible path. You can find it. The body WANTS to be healthy. Just listen to it.

This is so motivational to me! Thank you for sharing. I am just 1 1/2 weeks into this journey and you have encouraged me so much: Don't wait for skinny!

KipDrordy

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

My advice is to be failthful to the log. Log everything even if you know you're going to go over. At times, the logging gets tedious. But it's really important to be able to see the numbers. If I have a day where I'm 1000+ calories over, I still log. I also make my diary public. What's to hide? It also helps keep me in check knowing others can see what I'm doing. I'm still not a great eater. I'm simply eating much less than I did before. Stay in deficit, lose weight. Working out is secondary. It's a lot easier to not eat a 600 calorie bowl of ice scream than it is to burn 600 calories working out.

mamaomefo

No caffeine, no laxatives for me! None needed if we eat fiber and drink lots of water, both of which are quite healthy...and that's what we want!

_Lori_Lynn_

Bump

keem88

switching up my calories and exercise when i hit a plateua. currently i do 10 mins of crunches and 10 mins of dumbbells. works for me

moustache_flavored_lube

Laxatives and caffeine pills mostly

i love it lol, most people wont admit to it but we all do it..... :blushing:

Nope - never have - I've never taken a laxative in my life (fortunately I have never NEEDED one) and I drink 8-16 oz unsweet tea a day. That is all the caffeine I get.

Yawl may need to take yours in for yearly maintenance