To those of You Who have lost over 30lbs

Oh my, It looks like everyone has joined in on this one......reading through many i see the same success stories over and over with a consistency of ...........COUNTING everything that goes into your mouth. I log every chip..usually i eat at least 2 pringles..hard to stop....i nibble on a chocolate bar for 1-3 weeks....and count every nibble...i measure, i weigh...i started exercising for a little extra food as i was having a hard time dealing with the calorie reduction...i have searched out foods that are filling yet have very little calories.....like cucumbers, lettuce, carrots.....of course i still love my high caloric avocados.....then i was killing myself with exercise only to realize how fast i could counter act that would increased food..........the pain wasn't worth the gain in calories....right now i am doing a 15,000 calorie 4 week challenge for fun. i snack many many many times a day but if you will look at my diary in the end it doesn't add up an i think i am fueling my internal furnace all day long. i do exercise regularly because i feel better from it.......if you don't log everything you are only misleading yourself........i always make sure that i have had at least 8 glasses of water ...it is beneficial and won't give you false readings on the scale if you are dehyrdated... i try to stay away from hi sodium foods if i can, i eat within 20-30 minutes after getting up...a very small amount just to let the furnace start......i drink coffee on the treadmill......lol...only because i like coffee in the morning and i hit the treadmill within 30 minutes of getting up... Best of luck to you in finding what works for you...........all in all.........i honestly think it is SO simple.....eat less than you burn.......but be brutally honest with what you eat.

I lost 30 lbs over 2 two yrs. Stopped food shopping when I was tired and stopped rewarding myself in the cashiers line with chocolate. Moderately decreased my portions, said "No thanks" at work when someone brought in goodies. Stopped eating on schedule. And ate only when I was hungry. If I'm out it's 1 glass of wine not 2. Hit a plateau so here I am. Now doing Yoga. Don' t deprive yourself, find out what works for you to loose and keep it off. Know why you want to loose, don't berate yourself when you go over your calories, deduct them the next day, if it is reasonable. You'll find your path.

Lost 30 pounds in a little under six months doing Jillian Michaels' workouts, 30 minutes a day, 5-6 days a week.
I've also managed my portion sizes and stopped eating starchy carbs at night. I have a "spike" meal every two weeks.
Good luck with your goals!

I have lost 32 lbs since New Years. How I did it? Start slow with Jillians 30-day shred and now I'm almost done with Body Revolution. I think cardio is the key. For me working out in the AM is the best. I also eat a salad with tuna/egg on it for lunch every day so that I can enjoy more calories during the day. Changing what you eat is key. Stay away from processed foods. Go for fresh if you can. I also do an herbalife shake for breakfast. They are yummy!

I just started exercising, it was all about calories for me. I calculated TDEE and just did that for the most part. I only have 5 lbs til I get to my goal weight.

One more key thing - plan your meals and cut up fruit/veggies the night before. It takes time but it is key to being successful!

Took me about 6 months. I do a low carb plan because I have T2. I own a stationary bike and a street bike and I walk as well. In the summer I do water jogging. I did join a gym, but I prefer to be outside.

Today is day 170 for me. I started Thanksgiving day. I quit soda. I work out 6 days a week. I only drink water about 8-12 glasses a day. Ate around 1200 calories more or less a day. Had some bumps along the way, but just kept putting in the work. When the cravings would go nuts I would take a walk or take a bath. I wish you all the best.

I have lost 189 lbs since April 2012. Here is how I started, and what I did:

First - Cut out all sodas in my life and just drank water - lost 10 lbs in 2 months. Soda is bad (duh).
Second - Had a very restrictive calorie count (about 1500-1700), which was a huge change since I never counted calories. It was a low card (IE no carbs other than veggies), and smaller portions of meat/protein (4 oz) At this time all I did was occasionally did scuba. I added in walking for 2-3 miles, three times a week. Lost about 50 lbs in 90 days. This was under doctor/ nurse/ nutritionist's supervision. about 1/2 through this, I started using MFP. One of the ways I did walking was in a pool, better resistance,and less impact. highly recommend for larger people starting off. Supposedly, walking one mile in the water is the same as 4 miles on land.
Third - I started to feel much better, so I stropped walking and started swimming again. 3-4 times a week for a mile each day. I stayed with the restrictive diet , and used MFP religiously. I rarely adjusted my diet for exercise ( I ate the 1500-1800 calories whether or not I exercised). I did this for another 90 days. I lost another 30 lbs.
Fourth, I went on vacation and dove two to three times a day for two weeks, walked everywhere, and swam/body surfed when I wasn't doing something else. I stayed with my restrictive diet every day during the vacation (except Christmas eve when I went up to 2200 calories, but I had worked out 4 times that day). During that time I lost 12 lbs.
Fifth, when I came back home, I keep swimming, but added in Deep Water exercise for 20 minutes a day and upped it to 5 times a week. I stayed with the same diet, but it was getting a little smaller (1200 to 1500 calories - no adjustment for exercise).for the next month or so, I lost 16 lbs or so.
Finally, I added some surfing and weight training to my fitness regime. I now work out 6 times a week, with surfing being a large portion of it. I eat a little more (1700-1900 calories) and sometimes adjust for exercise. I now weight 215 lbs as of today (from 406 lbs). I am now working at maintaining, as opposed to losing. It is a new phase, and its one I hope to conquer.

A few ideas about the journey...
Be strong and stick with it: Is a doughnut worth not being able to walk in your 50's... or high blood pressure...or having to check you blood sugar every day?
Be forgiving: if you slip, don't compound it, by getting upset and slipping again
Be diligent: Use MFP - it is in my opinion the only way to make sure you stick to your plan
Be focused: Focus on diet first, then exercise. I read somewhere (in a MFP forum I think) that weight loss is 80% diet, 20% exercise.I think that is true. Give up carbs like bread, rice, potatoes or at least reduce them. Also processed sugar as much as you can.
Home Cookin': Eat out less, and at home more - cheaper and healthier.
Be a water baby: Exercising in H20 for bigger people makes so much sense. Less impact, more resistance and it keeps you cooler.
Get support: All of us need a helping hand sometimes. MFP, friends and family, doctors, etc.. can help.
Be inspirational: I hope that my journey has inspired others to lose the weight that they have gained

BTW-I am 47 yrs old and a male.

I've lost 69 lbs. in 1 year. Foodwise: I just keep my calorie intake at a moderate deficit. I make sure that I keep my protein at about 1gram per lb of lean body mass and otherwise I just aim to eat a well rounded diet.

For exercise: I trail run generally twice a week, hike around once a week or so, weight lifting 3x a week, and whatever else catches my fancy - right now i's karate twice a week.

I would like to add that even though I've lost almost seventy pounds, much more importantly I've lost 10 sizes. Right now I am a full 4 sizes smaller than I was when I was at this weight before. 70 lbs would not equal 10 sizes down were it not for the wonders of body recomposition from lifting.