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

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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.

Stayed active I enjoy running, Cut out processed/fast food, eat whole foods for the most part probably 80/20. I am also fortunate enough in my job where I walk alot and I can do a bit of HIT (up and down stairs) push ups/sit ups I also have recently fabricated a pull up bar. Mainly keep moving and eat right. FInd something you enjoy be it running, walking, lifting, dancing ect ect and keep with it one thing will lead to another.

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.

You all have great stories! Thank you for sharing!

You know how we always say "I'm going to change." "This time it's for real." "I'm going to the gym." I did that for years! Almost 13 to be exact....after I had my oldest son. Of course nothing ever lasted and I always felt awful and like I just couldn't do it. Finally last winter I decided that it was time to take back my life. I started walking with a friend, making better food choices and moving my butt. Of course nothing happened for awhile and I was discouraged but I told myself that I was going to keep pushing.

My kids (I have 3) are all active and involved in a lot of activities so really when was I going to have time.

Talking to a friend about what she was doing, where I wanted to be and what I could do I was reminded that I owned the Slim in 6 program. I had attempted it a few years ago but stopped because 'life". Excuse really. So I dusted it off and attempted it again. This time I completed those 6wks. In the meantime I climbed the Manitou Incline and signed up for my first 5K. Neither of which I would have ever dreamed of doing before. That first 5k was a BLAST so I signed up for the Color Run. I started Power 90. Did the Color Run, climbed the Manitou Incline...again (improved my time). I had no idea who this person was anymore.

I was happy, I was outgoing, I could move without pain and I was not running out of breath. I wasn't dropping weight fast (I mean let's face it - abs ARE made in the kitchen and I am still learning). I went on to do CheLEAN Extreme and now I'm almost done with Turbo Fire.

What do all of these things have in common? They are all at home programs. They allow me to fit them in MY schedule. NO MORE EXCUSES. I started getting up at 5am to do them. I'm so not a morning person but I preferred it to waiting until 9pm to workout. By then I was physically and mentally drained and working out was the last thing I wanted to do. Getting up early means I can relax and know that I took care of ME and I have the rest of the day ahead of me for everything else.

I've lost 19lbs in the last year. I know that without my support teams on FB I would have given up a long time ago. They let me whine and rant and they provide me with constant support and encouragement. Without that talk with my friend this time last year....I probably would have given up. I'm forever grateful. This is me now.

Do whatever it takes. You never have to do it alone.
Add me for support if you like. I love meeting new people.

working out 6 days a week, running and lifting weights, eating a ton of vegetables and fruits, moderate amounts of lean protein and healthy carbs, incorporating superfoods into my diet, cooking and preparing my own meals 95% of the time instead of eating anything prepackaged or prepared or at restaurants. also, keeping my eyes on my goals and being proud of myself every day for the hard work i'm doing. staying within the general range of calories alotted, squeezing as much activity as possible into every day, seeking out resources for new workouts and nutrition guidance from magazines and websites. also changing my vocab...i never call it a diet, it's just my lifestyle now. i eat healthy, i am a runner. i work out. i don't "cheat" bc there's nothing to cheat on- it isn't a diet, and when i go overboard it's just life and i'll get back on track bc i'm still making forward progress overall. being kinder to myself has definitely been part of the process as well. my whole mindset has changed, and that has made all the difference. i truly believe everyone has the capability to achieve their health and fitness goals if they reframe the way they think about it. it should never be a chore- find what you love and make the most of it, and enjoy every day on the journey

just woke up one day and said, DAM i am going to be a HOTTIE.
and i did it,kicked some *kitten*.