How long has it taken you to lose your weight?

I started around your start weight at 185 and I have lost 26 pounds. I started the beginning of March. So 3 months.

Started in January of this year.. down 54 so far. You can do this!! I eat my allowed calories 95% of the time and do zumba 2 or 3 times a week. Me and my hubby also walk when we can fit it in.
This is not a race I have learned after many failed attempts. You didnt get overweight overnight and your not going to lose it overnight.

I lost all my weight the first week on the ice cream and puppy diet. Check it out!

I dropped 65 lbs in 2 months eating normal (no more pizza for every meal) and lifting 7 days a week. Cardio (running 1 mile) was done every other day, with 20 mins of HIIT on Friday mornings (30 sec sprint 1 min walk).

That is pretty crazy - did you have a lot to lose??

It was a decent amount, yeah.. I'm 5'9. I started out at 215 lbs, which is pretty heavy considering my height. After the 2 months, I was 150.. I probably had around 8-9% bodyfat at that point, so I didn't have *too* much fat left to burn beyond that point.

Ask yourself where you want to be this time next year. Do you want to have given up and gained back what you lost and on the yo-yo cycle of starving and binging? Or do you want to have made a modest cut to your calories and made an effort to move more and thus creating a sustainable deficit which will give you that 30-40 pounds you want to lose? You really can be at the weight you want to be a year from now. It probably won't take a year, you would be at maintenance for a couple months if you lose even just one pound a week. And if you are exercising, you are going to look much better long before you lose that last pound. It's up to you.

I started Jan. 4th 2012 @ 215lbs. In 10 weeks I got down to 182, (43lbs lost). I'm not sure of the exact time from then but I've dropped about another 11-12lbs. I've been hovering around 170-171 and I'm good with that.

when i started exercising it was Dec 3rd 2012. And Not working out for over 15yrs.. i lived a seditary lifestyle eating anything and everything from Soda pops , Cake, Ice Cream, Red Meat, etc etc.. you name it , it went in my mouth.. I Gained 60 lbs in 10yrs, i was a smoker a drinker but very ( Light ):smokin: @ Both:drinker: :drinker: ...... Im 5'11 tall Athletic Build.. But i was shaped like a (Pear) and I Looked like i was 8 Months Pregnant !! LOL ...:sad:

I needed to make a change, i got tired of feeling Tired all the time. so .... I stopped everything,, (Sodas) ( Sweets) (Red Meat) ( High Carbs) ( White Bread) AFter about a week into my Dieting i noticed i was getting ( Severe Headache) from Caffine Withdrawals... But then it went away after that.... ( Then The Weight Started Coming off 3 lbs a week!! ) It was Incredible ,, and i havent even started working out yet, i just changed my diet and the weight came off..

Then In Jan 2013, i started a workout plan.. ( Just Walking 2 miles 30min 2 days a Week ) But in just 1 Month. i lost 10 lbs...... Then Gradually increased to 3 miles,, to 10k .... And Now I Bought me a Bike in April , and i been riding 25- 30 miles Easily and loving it...

now in just 6 Months I Lost between 25-30 lbs,, I Lost my Abs. I Now have a 2 Pak Abs.. I have Crazy Energy now. @ 45 yrs Old ..

But I'll Tell you a Little Secret......? I still Do eat McDonalds. Chipoltes, Taco Bell , Pizza.. etc... But I do it in Moderation and then I workout to Burn it off......

Well, I joined in feb 2012 and so far I've lost 30lbs.
I'm sure that would make some people crazy, but it's kind of perfect for me. While I think I'm on a plateau (boo hoo) I'm not too stressed about it. I've made great progress and even if it's not fast - it's still progress :-)

I currently weigh 155. I am 5'7 and started at 175. I has taken me 6 months to lose this weight. My weight loss wasn't perfect, I took a trip to Ireland and ate my heart out. Had some bad celebration days, etc. I even plateaued at 160 for almost a month.

Anyway, definitely take it slow. Eat your exercise calories, otherwise you are starving yourself. It's a lifelong process. You might want to read this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

if you are looking for inspiration.

I started MFP on Jan 2 so roughly have 168 days in the game. Near your starting weight but a tad taller. I, too, used the 1200 calorie plan and for the first quarter it was spot on - and AVERAGE of 2 lb a week overall. That first month I was hungry! I think a lot of it is just retraining ourselves not to eat whenever we feel like it. Once that habit is broken and you start finding foods that are more filling, it gets better. The 4th month was difficult for me. Lots of ups and downs with no real progress. I adjusted my weight loss plan to 1 lb or maybe it was 1.5 per week which gave me a few more calories and it put me back on track in May and early June. I am flirting with my original goal of 155 but haven't landed on it for good yet. Actually, the way things are going, I may set my expectations a little lower since I have seasoned myself to eating differently and exercising.

I'm not an exercise fanatic but do know that I can't lose without it. I work out at Curves at least 2 - 3 tx a week, 30-40 minutes on the elliptical 3 - 4 tx per week. Walk 1-2 miles 3-4 times a week and ride my horse whenever I can. I try not to eat after 7:00 PM. Many say that doesn't matter but to me what I was eating after 7 wasn't good for me, so just another habit to stop. I also drink very little alcohol anymore.

If you have lost 7 lbs in 20 days, you are well ahead of the game. Give yourself a chance to adjust to your new eating habits. It does get easier. Good Luck!

I'm just over 120 days and 28lb down - it's coming off quite slow now but I'm not too worried about that as my body is 'firming' up and I'm 100% fitter than I was mid February when I started. I'm working on being at my goal weight by Christmas - another 21lb - as I want to be able to sustain my exercise and weight once I'm at goal, not find the weight creeping back on because I've got a regime I can't live with.

1200 calories work for some and you've done really well to lose 7lb in 20 days but if you're miserable doing it, then it's not going to work for you for much longer. Up your calories a bit and make good food choices so you feel fuller - in the long term it will work out a lot better even if the results aren't instant.

Good luck

38 lbs since January this year, slow but steady

I'm sure somebody else has told you to eat more. If not, eat more.

I'm down to 134 from 191 starting on Jan 2nd. I was at a standstill for a while then I started a very physical job and started losing again, though I eat more now than I did. It's much slower now, but as I've only got 14 pounds to go instead of 71, I'm okay with that.

I started Feb.1st. and have lost 36 lbs. It's true, one to two pounds a week is average, but a lot depends on your metabolism, activity, diet, and of coarse how much you cheat! Hey we all do it, so don't take offence! There are people who drop 40-50 lbs in 3 months, but the majority of those folks end up putting it all back on again. It's not so much how much you can loose in a given amount of time, as it is how can you change your way of life to keep the weight off! Once you find out what works, and you do have to "play around with it", you have to make the life style changes to keep it off.

Age is another factor. I can not burn calories like I did when I was 30 years younger, when I should have been burning fat! Now I'm old and fat, trying to get thin or at least loose enough to allow me to do things with my grand kids.

So "hang in there" find your "rhythm" and stick to it. The weight will come off!