3 wks in, 10 pounds down! Feeling good! What's your story?

rachelmchll

Hello everyone!

My name is Rachel, I'm 27 (almost 28) and I'm fairly new to myfitnesspal. I've tried to use it in the past but I was not serious about my health and losing weight and always stopped using it. I think it is an AWESOME site/app though and I love that it has just about every food item/brand you need.

I'll keep my story brief, but I did not always grow up heavy. In fact, I was pretty thin all the way through high school (size 8). My first year of college I succumbed to the "freshman 15". That summer I started working out almost daily and carried that habit into my sophomore year of college allowing me to drop 20 pounds. Eventually the demands of school and work won and I stopped working out. Ever since then I slowly gained weight.

I have been miserable with myself for a couple of years now but could never find the true motivation to do something about it. Everyone always said, 'it will click one day' and I hated that it would never "click" with me - until it finally did. My final breaking point was over Easter when my sisters and my cousins, who are the same age, all took several pictures. They made their way to facebook and I was left absolutely mortified. I know this sounds dramatic but I have never looked so terrible in pictures as I did in those. I am much heaver than my sisters and cousins and I was extremely embarrassed. That's when it finally clicked, I had had enough. That Monday I started at the gym and I have been going 5 days a week since. I did a huge 180 with my eating habits and have only eaten healthy meals since then. Surprisingly, I've found that if I plan my meals and research things that actually taste good (!) I am very satisfied. I was a regular soda drinker and I have since given that up and now only drink large amounts of water and the occasional diet green tea. I thought food would be the hardest part and while I've had a hard day or so here and there, I've managed to stick it out. I still have a ways to go and SO much to learn but every day gets better and every day is easier.

My first week I dropped 7 pounds. It blew my mind. So much so that I weighed myself multiple times on 3 different scales! They all had the same number. I assume this was the toxins leaving my body and just a general cleansing. I lost two pounds the second week and I've lost about 1.5 pounds this week as well. I'm at about a 10 pound weight loss! It feels great. While I don't notice the changes on my body just yet, there is no doubt I'm feeling so much better. One of the best realizations to come of this is realizing that your body can do so much if you just push through the pain and do it. Last Saturday, I did a 4 mile hike, straight up a mountain - I kid you not! The hike was steep the entire way and very hard - I had to take many breaks - but the views at the top were amazing. I felt a sense of euphoria when I finished, knowing what I had just accomplished.

So, I still have a long ways to go and I'm willing to fight for it. I don't want to avoid mirrors anymore, I want to be comfortable in my skin and clothes, and I want to gain some self-confidence. That being said, I would love to connect with many of you and know your story! I have found reading and hearing what others have done to help themselves get healthy is incredibly motivational for me! What brought you to this point and why are you losing the weight? Regardless, best of luck to all of you!

Rachel

SW: 244
CW: 234.2
GW: 150
Height: 5'4

skparker2

Wow! I'm impressed, Rachel! It's taken me twice the amount of time to get down to 9 pounds, haha.

My name is Sarah. I am 19 years old in small-town Iowa. Just a brief overview: I always struggled with my self-image and was kinda chubby all throughout my childhood. I used to be a huge tomboy, and so I was fairly active then. But my parents never let me do sports in school because it cost too much to get me health insurance (a huge line of bullcrap, but ANYWAY!)

So I was really lazy all throughout my years at school. Used to be about 150-160 before I dated my first boyfriend. We were on again, off again. Gained weight after each break-up. Fast foward to college. The freshman 15 definitely was a factor plus I worked for Starbucks (licensed & corporate) so I was drinking in so many calories. Got into a new relationship & have slowly gained weight since we got together in 2010.

Long story short, I had gained 20-30 pounds during junior high & high school. Then another 20 from graduation in 2011 to 2013. It took hearing my co-worker talk about getting in shape & losing weight for me to take a good hard look at myself.

I got a gym membership February 20th of this year. Got a free fitness eval w/ a personal trainer that next week & was terrifed by my weight. I had gotten to 204, a record-breaker. I had always told myself I'd never get to 170, then 180 & so forth. But it took the last week of February for me to completely break down.

I left the gym on the day that I got my evaluation & bawled my eyes out for 20 minutes in my car before heading home. And then all that night. And I determined the next day, February 28th, that I wouldn't look back.

4/20, haha, will be my 2 month anniversary with joining the gym. It took me my first month to try and change my food & drink intake. I didn't see hardly any results on the scale but I was losing inches. Lost 2 pounds, gained it back in muscle, then lost it again.

And in April, I upped my calorie intake from 1200 to 1400, since I have started to work out 3-4 days a week. I have lost my dependancy on soda & have severely cut out the fast food. The weight is finally dropping this month! At least 6-7 pounds so far in April. I'm aimming for the 10 pound mark by Saturday, April 20th.

Sorry for the novel! But that's that. I haven't even typed this out to anybody before.

Height: 5'7
SW: 204
CW: 195 (as of right now)
GW: 160-170

Lind5ay90

Wow! Great loss so far! I started MFP 3 1/2 weeks ago and lost 8 pounds so far! Feels great, doesn't it?

rachelmchll

Hi Sarah,

What a great story! It sounds like you are definitely on the right track with everything. That's awesome! I realized the hardest part was just starting. Now that I've started, I don't want to give up. I am about to finish my twenties (okay, in two years - but still!) and I don't want to finish them over 200 pounds. That is not the kind of life I want for myself.

I know what you mean about being upset when the realization hits you - it hits you hard. I can definitely sympathize with you there. I have cried numerous times over my weight and I don't want to do that anymore - especially when I know I can change it. It's just believing that you can. The rest just kind of falls into place.

Thank you so much for sharing your story - I think you're doing an amazing job so far and I really hope we can both come back here and give each other updates! Please feel free to add me as a friend and connect with me any time you'd like!

Rachel

rachelmchll

That's awesome Lindsay! (I'm assuming that is your name based off your profile name )

8 pounds is really fantastic! And yes, it feels so good. Aside from weigh loss, there is no doubt that just working out and eating better is great for your emotional and mental health.

deeds2785

Hey
Im Deena and im 27 years old. I am also fairly new to myfitnesspal, actually just finished 2 weeks of tracking and am down 2 lbs. Which I am hoping is good, lol. I guess I was hoping for a higher loss but ive been told slow and steady is the way to do it!
Also just finishing week 4 of my Insanity work out! Ive never been this motivated before. Ive tried multiple times to lose weight but I always give up when I dont see instant results. Clearly I need to learn to have patience haha!

The past week I have felt constantly hungry, even tho I am eating! I eat 1300 calories a day, I guess im kind of confused if thats enough and these pains will go away, or am I actually starving myself, because I dont want to do that either.

Good luck to everyone on your fitness journey!

rachelmchll

Hi Deena,

Thank you for sharing your story! I think 2lbs is a great loss and something to surely be proud of. It's also a healthy amount to lose. I am the same way as you though, I have no patience! I have said numerous times to friends and coworkers that I wish the weight would come off faster! But I know that it takes time. After all, we don't really get great and amazing things without working for it, right? Hard work WILL pay off! We have to believe that.

As for feeling hungry, I am certainly no expert and would never claim to be, but perhaps incorporating more fiber will help! It is a good source of nutrition that helps keep you full. Also, are you eating snacks? Make sure you have a morning and mid afternoon snack. These will help keep you full in between your main meals. Apples, cheese sticks, hummus and veggies, those are all great snacks that do a good job in tying you over. Either way it sounds like you are doing a great job! Best of luck to you!

Rachel

Skinnyminiwanabe

Hello,

I'm Kristie. I started losing weight in November 2011 and lost 80lbs in the year. I then fell off the wagon over Christmas and gained 35lbs back. I am now starting on my 3rd day and have lost 4 lbs. I know that excessive but coming down from eating well over 2000 calories a day, it will slow in about a week or two.

I've always been heavy since I can remember, and my turning point was my older sisters birthday on November 5th 2011. My weight had never bothered me and even at 320lbs I thought I was pretty. For my sisters birthday we went out dancing. I was so happy I hadn't been dancing in years. That night my weight kept me from dancing. My legs started cramping and I literally was crying because it hurt so bad. That night I knew I had to do something. I had never had my weight keep me from doing something that I wanted to do until that night.

From there I worked really hard. While my kids and husband were eating pepperoni pizza (my favorite) I was eating salad with no dressing on it. It was really hard and I thought I will never be that way again. Until I was that way again. It's been really hard to come back and find the motivation to get back on.

My mom's 50th birthday is in July. I'm hoping to have lost the 35lbs that I gained while on this "break", I could use some motivation and someone to talk to about it. Like I said, my husband isn't very helpful. So I was wondering if maybe you wanted to be friends and perhaps we can keep eachother motivated?