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

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*.

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.

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!

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.

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.

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: