Ladies: Were u once 200+, now at/close to UGW(w/o surgery)?

I was at one point 215+ pre-baby, dropped to 140, got pregnant and reached the over 200 again. I was 210 I believe at delivery. I'm not at an uncomfortable 155-160, and my goal weight is 140-145. It's do-able, hard but do-able.

Now I eat a lot of whole foods, work out 5x a week (mostly running or elliptical) with some strength/cardio a couple times a week. I'm a single mom so squeezing in time is rough and most nights I don't get enough sleep. I buy a lot of organic stuff, and TRY to cut out processed junk. NO SOY. I try to stay away from soy as much as possible, even though TONS of products have traces in it.

I'm STILL a slow runner. I was sick for quite a few months, had surgery, recovered and now I'm getting to where I was. I'm at about a 12-13 minute mile now and do 2 miles when I run outside. Or when I'm at the gym I do 30-45 minutes on the elliptical. I use the workout trainer app for my morning routines. (:

I am still a big girl, but when I was at my biggest, I started with Jillian Michaels for beginners, and worked my way through many of her programs. I liked that they were relatively short, combined cardio and weights, and showed modified moves for those who needed them (ME!). I went from the beginners series to Banish Fat, Boost Metabolism, to 30 Day Shred. All the videos have levels to progress through, you can do it at home with no one watching you (a biggie for me), and the weather doesn't matter. I successfully lost 2 pounds a week while using these videos.

Hey there!

I'm 5'1.5 and started out at 250 lbs. I've lost 132 lbs...



I'm not sure how much help I'll be since my story is a bit different. In 2009 I was at my heaviest, 250 lbs. I was in denial of how big I was. Until after Halloween that year, a friend posted the first top photo of me on fb, I was not happy to see that, I thought it was a cruel sick joke. Late 2009, early 2010 I found MFP (this is a newer account because I lost my access after I gave up) I logged a little bit, then in April of 2010 I found out I was pregnant with my daughter. Thing is back in 2009 I remember this conversation with my grandmother and dad like it was yesterday, my dad and I were telling my grandmother (his mom) some symptoms we were having, she sore we both were diabetics. I didn't find out till my pregnancy but my dad had a heart attack September 2009 and also found out he was diabetic at this time. Since my dad was a diabetic I was tested in my first trimester, sure enough I was also diabetic. I lost 70 lbs in my pregnancy and was on bed rest for most of my pregnancy so no working out.

After she was born I had gained 25.5 lbs back because I was no longer a diabetic and could eat what I wanted and being a new mom got in the way.

September of 2011 I got fed up, almost a year after my baby was born and I gained so much back, I remembered about MFP and made a new account. I begin by eating 1600 a day and my workout was walking, zumba or Wii fit games. I started out working out 2 or 3 days a week, mainly cardio. Once I hit my 100's I found the 30 day shred by Jillian Michael's. I found myself really sore, I couldn't do it the way it was suppose to be done, I did 3 days a week because I was so sore. It hurt my knees, it reminded me of how out of shape I really was. I ended up quitting into level 2. I tried it again once I hit my mid 100's, Again quit in the process of level 2. Even though I didn't finish it back then, I still seen some amazing transformations. I've done Slim in 6 and it seemed easier but effective. I did power 90 not all the way through because I had lost some of the disc ...

I did a little bit of insanity, but quit because it was too hard for me to handle. I then started working at my last job, quit working out because I was on my feet a lot and was tired a lot, I let it become an excuse, while I was still losing weight, I wasn't working out. Toward the end of my days there, I decided to start the 30 day shred again. I finished it this time, I did it all the way through how it was suppose to do and I seen great results. I decided to do insanity after that, I made it to the last month and quit because T25 came in, and that's where I'm at now. I have 1 week left after this week is done. I now workout 5-6 day's a week.

My food went from eating in moderation, the only thing I eliminated was fried food and soda's. I drink 10-12 glasses of water a day. I didn't really watch WHAT I ate, just how much I ate. I don't believe in depriving myself, this is a life style change.

Now that my weight loss goals are pretty much met (I changed my weight loss for another 8 lbs but not hung up on it.) I try to eat cleaner, I eat as clean as I can, I do not make prepackaged food. I do have candy once in awhile and honestly not often at all. Once a week I allow myself 1 meal that I might not normally eat, like taco's or something like that. My favorite is gumbo. I refuse to deprive myself from that. However I don't eat it all the time and it's once in awhile. I also drink Shakeology, it's a meal replacement shake.

So that's what I've done and what I do. I do hope that helped some.

I started at 199. (likely more...I avoided the scale). I'm 25yo, 5'7" and I have 5 children (6 pregnancies, I lost a child) before kids I maintained at 144, but then had many back to back pregnancies and it slowly crept up. After our 5th was born (6th pregnancy) I had postpartum depression and was still dealing with losing a child right before conceiving my youngest. I went from 181 to 199+. I was basically eating as much as I could all day long.

When I first started I set my calories to 1500. (probably could have gone higher) I eat absolutely whatever I want as long as it fits in my calories. I try to stick with a 300 calorie chicken salad for lunch, that I really enjoy and I can indulge a bit more during our family dinner. When I started I cut alcohol out completely. I have only had 2 drink since Dec 27, 2012. Starting out for exercise I was doing 20 minutes on the treadmill. When I started I couldn't run. Speed walked. After couple weeks I started jumping on the elliptical after the treadmill. I did that for a few months and then had an injury and didn't work out March-July other than I religiously walk my kids to/from school. (10 miles a week) I started T25 in july. Mostly to add some muscle sculpting.

I'm now 131 lbs. Still losing at 1500 calories a day. I've actually noticed when I go over, my body drops weight it had been holding onto on the following days. I think I will slowly add calories when I get to 125lbs.

if I can do thid while taking care of 5 kids, my youngest is special needs, ANYONE can do it. My avatar is a Before/recent pic. Feel free to FR me.

Like many other Moms here have mentioned, I gained a lot of my weight with pregnancies. I never knew how to eat correctly, and I found now that I was completely clueless about portion control. Once I gained all that weight, I pretty much maintained it all of these years. Now I'm ready to be done with it!

I started my journey here on September 15th at 286.4 lbs. Today, almost 3 weeks later, I'm at 275.2 . I have health reasons that hold me back from doing anything too aerobic or lifting anything more than 10 lbs...but I can walk. I started out on very short walks - across the street and around the corner. Then I just kept adding more distance once my stamina improved. I also have an elliptical so when it's too dark, cold, rainy, or whatever outside I can still walk. Having the TV on or listening to music completely distracts me and I find that I wind up walking a lot farther than I thought!

Sometimes you've just gotta start with those baby steps and keep increasing/going farther as you're able. The important thing is that you've got to start moving.

I started in mid-March. I tell everyone I started at 200 but technically was 210, the first 10 was water weight and dropped literally overnight so I never even counted it. The first few months, I was using Diet to Go, I loved it! The food was good (IMO) and all totally measured and portioned out to be 1300 calories. The only downside was cost, so after a few months I had to cancel it, otherwise I would still be using them. Since then, I have been calorie counting, keeping 13-1400 as my goal unless I exercise that day. I will allow myself anything that fits in my calorie budget, but some things I know I can't buy because I don't have the willpower to limit myself just yet. I do find myself leaning more towards healthier choices, mainly because I can eat a larger volume of healthy/low calorie foods than junk, and it keeps me fuller for longer.

As far as exercise goes, I have done almost nothing. When I first started I did hula hooping for a while, never got very good at it, so I got bored and stopped. I recently picked up the hoop and tried it for the first time in months, and was surprised I did pretty good, I think my big belly had been making it hard to keep the hoop afloat. Other than that, I have taken the dogs hiking a couple times a month and the past 2 weeks have been walking them for 45-60+ minutes a day. Sadly, my main motivation is the fact that this allows me to eat more calories. haha

I want to try incorporating weight training or yoga, but no funds to put towards equipment/dvds at the moment.

I thought I was 5'3" but recently had my friend measure me and I came up only 5'2" But either way I was 200-210 lb, size 18-20 'apple' shape. I'm currently 144 size 9 'banana' shaped.

YOU DON'T NEED TO BUY ANYTHING! CHECK YOUTUBE - THERE ARE A TON OF FITNESS VIDEOS AVAILABLE! AND YOU DON'T HAVE TO USE WEIGHTS - YOU CAN USE RESISTANCE BANDS IF THAT MAKES IT EASIER FOR YOU. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!

My starting weight in October 2009 was 260.

I've done a whole bunch of different things for exercise. Mostly walking the first year but I also did some strength training and other cardio machines and workout DVDs. I think I may have even attempted 30DS for the first time that year. My 2nd and 3rd years, I introduced running and worked on going farther and faster. This year I didn't end up doing much running and sort of went back to the beginning - have done more walking and strength training.

The thing about exercise is that there is no perfect program for everyone. Sure there are things you "should" do to get the right physique, improve fitness, etc. But ultimately the goal is to get your butt moving, right? As long as you're enjoying what you're doing, you're going to stick with it and THAT is was really matters.

P.S. I think at first I worked out 3-4 days a week but by that summer I was doing more like 5-6 days per week because I was training to walk a 10k. And I've pretty much stuck with 5-6 days a week since then. Some weeks are less than others but that's my average.

P.S. As it's been a couple years, I couldn't tell you for sure what my calorie goal was at the time but from the beginning I've been eating the foods that I love. I enjoy take-out at least once a week and if I really want chocoalte, I have a piece or two. It occurred to me that deprivation was the root cause of why I failed so many dieting attempts before. Not only because the cravings were torture but because I tried to live on rabbit food. No more of that! My weight loss may be slow but it's managable and healthy and I haven't given up yet (whereas every other diet only lasted a few months at best). Everything in moderation.

I started April 22, 2013. Today I logged 150 days. I have lost 26 lbs. I am 5'4". I started at 260 and my goal is 150. I look great at 170 but am shooting for 150. I have dieted all my life but this time I am doing it healthy. I don't starve myself. Just don't do it. It isn't worth it. I do the calories that MFP recommends with 1 lb lost per week. However, I did change my macros to 45 Carb, 35 Protein and 20 Fat. I exercise 4x a week. Two days I do spinning class and do some extra cardio after class. If I miss spin class I do about 70 minutes of cardio with about 10 mins on the treadmill, elliptical, ARC, rowing machine, Stairmaster and etc. I do not do endurance I do HIIT (1 minute as hard as I can go then 1 minute at a regular speed) for the full 10 minutes and then move to next machine. I can't run because I have a knee replacement in my right knee. So everything I do is non impact and it hasn't slowed down my losing. Two days a week I lift weights with my hubby. I think this is important because you burn so much more by lifting because your body keeps burning even after you stop. I also eat 5 to 6 meals a day with them being about 300 calories each. I am not near my goal but I felt I could give you a little help because I feel I am doing it right this time. I see tons of girls on this site starving themselves...it is so sad. My motto: Exercise to Eat....Eat to Live! And by the way, I eat all my calories back! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF THEM!!!!

I was once that girl you described

I started at 302 pounds - could not exercise much, but I did use a recumbent bike for 20 -30 minutes at a time and about every day. By the time I lost 100 pounds, I was cleared for walking and I've built up to 6-7 miles, 6x per week. I have damaged knees, but the walking is making them stronger. I added swimming this summer and I think that swimming laps got me from the 160's to my current 140.

I do a lot of gardening which has involved a lot of lifting and digging, but I will probably start a more formal lifting program once I get through a series of shots for my knees and the doc gives an okay.

There are photos in my profile of me at about 275 lbs and me at about 145 pounds - when I look at the first photo, all I see is the pain from walking around in that body - when I see the current one, I feel strong.

I was up at the highest end of 200 when I started on MFP and I'm only 5'1". BTW, I'm also 55. When I first started, I could only walk for about 5 minutes. So, that's what I did. I walked in 5 minute increments a few times a day. I also broke out the old Wii Fit and tried to do 30 mins on that every other day. Little by little, I built up to more activity. I parked father away when I went to the store, I walked around more when I was in the store, etc. I made lifestyle changes that could help increase my fitness, including what and how much I ate.

The biggest change was how I treated myself. I forgave myself for what I had done in the past and committed to make my health a priority.

I still have more to go, but I'm the lightest now I've been in decades and I feel great. You can do this! :flowerforyou:

I also have more photos and the story of my first year, as well as finally moving out of the obese category on my profile.

Your story is awesome, congrats!

Exercise is meant to be fun, to make yourself feel good, not to be dreaded.

My peak weight was 268 lbs. just before I got married. EMBARRASSING!!!! That was my breaking point. I started lifting light weights, doing yoga postures, and walking 3x or more times a week. I didn't calorie count at the beginning, I used my judgement based on what I heard about portion size (a piece of meat should be about the size of a cassette, etc.) and ate when I felt hungry. I got to roughly 215 lbs. before I got pregnant with my daughter. Through my pregnancy, I peaked at 236 lbs. and exercised daily doing kickboxing moves. After I had her, I dropped to 210 lbs. Between the time I had her and I got pregnant with my son 2 years later, I dropped to 190-195 lbs, and sporadically doing pilates, kickboxing and slowly weeding out the crap food. Then I got pregnancy with my son. I tipped the scales at 215 lbs. and jogged when I felt up too it. After I had my son, I went back to my 190-195 lbs.. I told myself, "This is it. You need to lose the weight and be more active if you want to keep up with these two."

When I start MFP I was 195 lbs.. I exercised 3x a week. I picked up C25k. Then I increased it as I felt fit enough too. I'm out to work my body not injury myself or over do. I've ran a couple of 1/2 marathons, but those days are over now. As far as my diet, I try to eat healthy, buy organic, and make a lot of my own foods like bread. Do I fall of the wagon? You bet, but I get back on keep on trying knowing each day is new.

I reached my goal weight of 180 lbs. 4 months after I started MFP. My lowest weight was 172 lbs. (and I looked aneroxic, pencil thin as my family put it). Currently I'm 20 weeks pregnant and weighing in at 200 lbs. (don't look it or feel it). I try to exercise (free weights and walking) and eat healthy daily. So if I can do it, I know YOU CAN DO IT.

Currently, I am at 214 and only 5'2", so by no means am I a skinny minnie. But what I have done to lose 65 lbs is walk and run. Yes run. I ran 8.3 miles last Saturday. I've been running on a regular basis since last April. So that means I started running when I was about 240. If you like the idea of running, try it. If I can do it, so can you. Try the C25K app, it's good. I personally didn't use it, but I basically did the same thing on my own, intervals of running and walking.

The thing that has made me successful so far is to constantly have a small goal in mind. I try to have monthly goals that don't have anything to do with the scale. This month, my goal is run 80 miles, with two 9 mile runs, and bike at least 10 miles a week as cross training.
Another major reason for my success so far is that I don't beat myself up over a day of poor food choices. I look at it and say "yep, today sucked. Tomorrow will be better", and I move on.

So, obviously not at my goal weight (130), but I've been steadily losing for 9 months. Lots of exercise, lots of water, and good food.

I started at 210 and I am now at 155. My goal is to maintain between 145 and 150.

I started by getting up early everyday and using our treadmill. I used the preset programs for calorie burns, so lots of inclines, and I would adjust the speeds up/down as I needed. I did this for a couple of months and then started doing run/walk intervals and gradually increased to full on running. After about 6 months, I started doing more weight work in addition to the cardio.

I have to keep changing my workouts but found that running and using the Nike Training Club App for weight work has helped me the most.