5'7 success stories and tips????

I'd like tips too!

OK - cheating a little as I'm 5'8", but I figure close enough, right?

Tips:
1) buy a kitchen scale and weigh everything
2) try to plan some sort of movement into your every day (can be as easy as a good walk or a really sweaty workout)
3) be patient with yourself

I'm turning 40 this year and am the lowest adult weight I have ever been, but more importantly, I am in the best physical shape I have ever been in too! You can check out my profile if you want. I have all of my starting weights and some pics in there.

Oh - I love food and don't have any "off-limits" foods, just everything in moderation (red wine, chocolate, desserts, etc).

Good luck!

I'm about 5'6 and half inches! I started around 172 lbs. in the summer. Then I replaced two meals a day with SlimFast and watched my portions for dinner. I also started doing Jillian Michaels's Banish Fat Boost Metabolism video at least 5 days a week. (cardio type workout for 45 minutes) Oh, and I tracked everything on MFP of course! And yes, I even ate back my exercise calories!

After about a month or so, (after losing 20 pounds or so), I started eating real food again for breakfast and lunch. In November I started TurboFire and did that 6 days a week. So I got down to 143 by January.

Portion sizes (measuring out EVERYTHING I EAT), tracking everything on MFP, and exercising at least 5 times a week for minimum of 45 minutes is my "thing".

Check out my profile to see my pictures of before and after! And feel free to add me as a friend!

Hi - I'm definitely not a success... yet. I plan to be though I tried MFP for about six months a year ago - at the 1200 calorie range, without logging exercise calories, and I failed. I did a ton (and I mean a ton) or research and started again in the new year. I've lost almost 11 pounds and these are the rules I follow. The big take away is you don't need to starve yourself to lose weight relatively quickly!

1. Set your realistic activity level. What do you do for a living? If it's a desk job - sedentary, if it's a teacher - lightly active, if you're running around all day - active, etc. You get the point.
2. Set your profile to lose 1 pound a week.
3. Eat your exercise calories back... never NET below 1200.
4. Never eat below your BMR... Don't know what it is? Google it - there are a million calculators. If your 1 pound a week weight loss is below your BMR, do light physical activity to get you there. Once again, never eat below BMR.
5. Think about your macros - I like a 40/30/30 (carbs/fats/protein) split.
6. Monitor your salt and fiber intake. I have my three macros referenced above and these two items. Go above the salt recommendation and you'll most likely hold or gain water weight. Fiber keeps your digestive system moving.
7. Start weight lifting... this will make you solid.
8. Expect to gain weight when you first start adjusting your calorie intake. If your body is used to being starved it will hold on to nutrients like crazy... wait about 2-4 weeks for your body to adjust and then watch the magic happen! I ate at 1,850 yesterday and lost a pound overnight.
9. Worried about what you'll eat? Plan your meals out the day before. I always do this and it leaves very little up to chance.
10. Water = water. Drink a bunch of it. MFP recommends 8, but since I'm fairly active, I drink anywhere from 12-16 glasses a day.

Good luck and don't get frustrated if you don't see immediate results. You didn't gain all of that weight overnight, you won't lose it overnight!

I eat 1700, don't eat exercise cals back unless I'm hungry of feeling weak. Do what works for you calorie wise listen to your body and you won't go wrong.

Zara

I am 5' 7". In the last 2 years I have gone from 150 to around 131-133 (currently), but really dropped weight in the last month (from 138 to 131-133ish) when I got serious about working out, toning, and calorie counting.

My best advice is eat as clean as possible, but do not deprive yourself; as you move in to cleaner eating, your tastes and cravings will start to change, but do not beat yourself up for "cheating".

I would also say be completely honest with yourself. You will not get the results you want if you are not being truly honest with your intake and output.

Good luck

Hi there, I am between 5'7'' and 5'8'' - I don't think I am a success story but I have been at this since a little before Christmas and I have lost 15 pounds. Gained some of it back this past weekend but I am back on track again. I find just using MFP has been super awesome for me. Tracking the calories makes it easier (not impossible, but easier) to resist the things I don't need. I definitely love to eat and in the past if I made a delicious supper I would eat as much of it as I could. But now I have 1 serving and definitely do not go to bed hungry.

I started at 166 pounds before Christmas and my lowest weight (on Friday) was 151. My goal weight for the moment is 145 but I calculated using body fat % yesterday and I think if I can get in top shape, a realistic ultimate goal weigh for me is in the range of 140 pounds (that would be 20% body fat).

I have a friend who is a kinesiologist with a business on the side, so I paid him to come up with an exercise plan for me as well as an eating plan. I have been mostly sticking to both but not perfectly. On a good week I get in cardio 5-6 days a week, but I'm a skier so sometimes weather conditions keep me from it. I also swim occasionally and use a treadmill at home. On my plan I'm supposed to be doing 3 days of resistance training per week, but I got sick 2 weeks ago and just started back on Monday.

For dropping this early weight I think the biggest difference has just been the portion sizes and making my calories count with foods that fit the macros. I am also a pseudo-vegetarian (I mess up sometimes and I do regularly eat fish), as of October.

The advice I gave my friend is that for the moment, if you want to lose weight, the eating is more important. So if you only have an hour of free time a day, in my opinion that hour is best spent meal planning, grocery shopping, and prepping nutritious meals. Once you have the food situation sorted out, try to work in some cardio and weights but you don't need to block off 4 hours a day to go to the gym.

I didn't take any before pictures and I wish I had. But feel free to add me as a friend, just sent a note.

ETA I originally had 1200 calories as my goal but with the amount of exercise I was doing it was not working. So now I have it set at 1750 (my TDEE -20%) but I rarely eat up to that amount. I agree with those who have said be careful with going out to eat. I think it's very difficult to get a restaurant meal under 400 calories.

Bump for later. I'm 5'7 , so Im eager to read everyone's response. Great Read.

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