have you lost over 50 pounds?

Feel free to add me. I'm not perfect, but I try.

As of this morning when I weighed in, I have lost 51.5 lbs! I started at 256.5. I thought "There's no way I can do this." I started eating healthier, reducing my carbs and calories, writing down every single thing I ate, weighing everything, and getting accurate counts on nutrition information. Also, planning your meals out for the week and then going shopping and ONLY buying the foods you need helps immensely. I ate less and I tried to avoid snacking as much as possible. That was probably the hardest part! You will have to develop your self-control and that sucks when you're used to eating whatever you want whenever you want.

As far as exercise goes, for the first three months, all I did was walk around 2 miles two to three times a week. Not super fast but at a brisk pace. I did NOT want to go to the gym ever. I was completely intimidated too! However, after losing around 35 lbs I decided to get a personal trainer which has helped me so much. After 6 weeks of working out with him once a week, I don't feel intimidated any more. I go in, I do my workout, and I leave. Granted, a lot of that has come from the fact that he showed me how to use the different machines and what types of things to do. My point is, think about what you are doing, not what everyone else is doing/ thinking. At first, all I could think about was that everyone there was probably staring at me thinking "look at that fat girl that thinks she can work out" but seriously, nobody cares. The people who are there and are serious about working out are focused on what they are doing. What I noticed that surprised me was that when I was working out the first week and visibly struggling with whatever exercises I was doing, random strangers would come up to me and encourage me. That was really weird... but that was what made me realize that nobody there cares who you are or what fitness level is.

Here are my words of encouragement - dieting sucks, changing your lifestyle sucks, and working out sucks. You know what doesn't suck? Feeling healthy. It's not going to be easy and it's probably not going to be very fun either. Just keep in mind that tons of people have made big changes and lost that kind of weight. If they can do it, why not you?

My last piece of advice - do not weigh yourself every day. I don't even own a scale because i know I will get on it daily and just be upset with the numbers. Friday mornings, I wake up, I take a shower, I put on the same outfit I do every single other week, I take a picture from the front and the side, I go to the doctor, and I weigh in. Seeing the progress on a week by week basis makes me feel so much better about my diet! You can totally do this.

Great posts!

I have lost 95 lbs. and the best thing I ever did was buy the bodymedia fit arm band. It is easy to use, keeps you honest and has a great impact on my exercise versus the foods I eat. I lost 60 lbs when I started wearing it last October. I saw the Biggest Losers Wearing Arm Bands went to the web site and learned what it was and ordered one. I can't say enough about the data it records, all of the different information you can print, your protein, carbs and fat calorie percentages every day, sends you notices about food intake versus exercises etc... I strongly urge you to purchase one and be honest when you enter the foods you eat. I lost all of my weight at age 62 through diet and exercise no pills, no lipo, etc... just will power and hard work. Good Luck as they say if I can do it you can too. Becky

I lost 171 pounds before getting pregnant with baby #2. Feel free to add me. I have about 30 pounds to get back to that point, but should have no problems. Feel free to add me.