success stories for 5'7-5'8 ladies...

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Replies

  • pkdscript
    pkdscript Posts: 28 Member
    I absolutely ditto what she said!! I have never received compliments about how I look until I started losing weight. It is so nice to hear people say nice things about me. That is what keeps you going. It'll happen. One day at a time. Can you afford a personal trainer? I see that a lot of trainers are now doing small groups (2-3 per group). This is what I do and it's where I really see results (besides MFP). Keep at it!
  • dlionsmane
    dlionsmane Posts: 674 Member
    Congrats to all of you lovely women! Great successes!! :flowerforyou:


    5'7" here. 45 yo. HW 216. Not really a success - yet! But me so far;

    Signed up here Dec 2012 but didn't start using/logging until April 2013.

    SW in April was 207 and since then I have lost 30 pounds, so I have lost 39 all together. I still have approx. 20 pounds to go.

    I chose to slow down my weight loss after I hit the 20 pounds to go mark, because I felt like the calorie restriction was too great (I love food!!). I eat chocolate every day and though I may have stalled some and the loss really has slowed, I am comfortable with that. I know that I can sustain at this calorie amount.

    I also struggle with a hip injury that keeps me from working out as much as I'd like so I am strictly doing this (right now) with only a calorie deficit. When I do work out it's walking, step and kickboxing as well as strength training.

    I will be happy if I make it to my GW of 160 by my birthday in April. Which will also be close to my one year mark of actually logging here.
  • drakedk02
    drakedk02 Posts: 51 Member
    I am in a very similar boat to yours, the weight is coming off really slow. All I can say is keep at it, watch your calorie intake, and try to do a little bit of exercise everyday. The weight is meant to come off slowly, none of us put this weight on overnight so it is not going to come off overnight. The hard part for me is keeping at it for more than a week. I find it helps to set small goals for myself every week, while having bigger goals for the long term, sometimes you'll find that your long-term goals change as your lifestyle changes.

    Stats
    College hit high of 240
    starting working out but not counting calories leveled out to 220
    had baby and after breastfeeding was at 210
    starting using MFP in September 2013 down to 193
    Goals
    Hit weight of 150 at some point
    Run a 5k this coming summer
    Have a healthier lifestyle for myself and my family
  • ponycyndi
    ponycyndi Posts: 858 Member
    I'm 5"7"
    Jan 1, 2013 = 188
    CW = 151

    I'm a classic pear shape, so my pants are still a sz 9/10.

    I'd like to lose enough and tone enough to fit comfortably in a med, 8/10. My loss this year was very slow, as I am diabetic and not able to always exercise or diet the way I would like due to blood sugar levels.

    I'm not always counting calories, just trying to eat cleanly 90% of the time, and allowing myself treats in small portions. I also do not get on the scale regularly, because seeing it go up discourages me, and then I eat things I shouldn't! I mainly go by how my pants fit.

    I like to walk, do my elliptical, or yoga. I'm trying to focus more on maintaining until after the holidays, and not straining myself, just getting out and moving around when I can.

    I just found out that I am comfortable in a size 8. Due to one pair of ill-fitting size 10 pants that were a gift, I assumed that I was still a size 12. Went shopping today, and all the eights fit easily. My new goal is to work out more, to tone what I have. I don't have the desire to be smaller than I am, but I do need to be in good shape, so I'll have the energy to keep up with my kids.
  • popsicklestar
    popsicklestar Posts: 166 Member
    I'm 5'7'' and have gone from 160 to 135 in a little less than a year (started 1/15/13). The last 5 I've lost came off super slowly because my deficit is smaller now. I'm eating around 1500 calories now. I eat back some exercise calories, but rarely more than 350 calories. If I eat more than 1900 calories a day, even with exercise calories, I'll maintain and not lose. When I started losing weight, I did 4 weeks of no alcohol, no sugar, no dairy, no coffee, no red meat, and no gluten. I lost 10 pounds without counting calories.Then I joined mfp and started doing 1200 calories. I was pretty hungry, but I did 1200 for awhile. I gradually increased it to 1300 then 1400 then 1500. I workout 3-5 days a week, boot camp, HIIT, yoga, and pilates. I'm planning to go down to 130 or 128, and then focus on body composition and building muscle/lowering bodyfat %.
  • michellekicks
    michellekicks Posts: 3,624 Member
    5'7", 38 yrs old.

    In my early 20's I got up to 218 lbs... then got down to 158 in 2003.
    (Though the after image is recent, this shows my high and low weights):

    4d05aad4e8ac11e2a4cb22000a9e0859_7.jpg

    Then I had babies... and got back up to 194 lbs and am back down again to around 160 lbs.
    I lost 30-35 lbs on MFP in 2012 and have been doing recomp since:

    19313071_7257.jpg

    Now I'm doing things like building up my upper body and trying to get to a low BF%.
  • RBXChas
    RBXChas Posts: 2,708 Member
    I'm 5'7" and joined MFP two months after my son was born. I was 255 right before delivery, and shortly thereafter was about 230. Before I joined MFP, I gained back 5.8 lbs, putting me at 235.8 lbs.

    I started doing 1200 calories, which I now realize was too low, and about 4.5 months after starting MFP I started the Couch to 5K program. I finished that (it's a 9-week program) and continued running, then I got into Spinning. I loved it so much I became an addict and would Spin 3-4x/week and run 2-3x/week, leaving me with one day off/week.

    All this time I was eating 1200 calories and not eating back exercise calories for the most part, though if I had a particularly tough workout (like a Spinning Tabata class), I'd eat a little more. Eating-wise, I was not happy, as I was starving all the time (in the literal sense).

    11 months after starting MFP and 13 months after my older son was born, I had lost 82 lbs and weighed 153.8 lbs. I was wearing a US size 6 pretty consistently, and in some brands I wore a size 4 or a 2. I could wear anything that was a small or extra-small, which made shopping the clearance racks super easy!

    I'm a pear shape, so I tend to have saddlebags and fat knees, and my waist is pretty tiny (25" at the smallest point).

    I wish I had focused a bit more on eating more and building muscle because even though I worked out a lot and had a good cardio base, I was still pudgy and had lots of wobbly bits, as the Brits would say.

    Last August/September I got pregnant again and planned to only gain the recommended 25-35 lbs while pregnant. Due to minor bleeding issues I had to stop Spinning and running, and then walking got scratched off because I screwed up some tendon in my leg that acted up any time I walked for more than a few minutes. (Even a jaunt across the mall put me in pain.)

    Unfortunately even though I ate better during my second pregnancy than my first, I gained even more weight. I started at probably 165 (I'd gotten lazy with my eating/logging between March and August of 2012) and ended up 240 before delivery. I'm breastfeeding this time (my first was mostly formula-fed), which is SERIOUSLY messing with my weight loss. My weight dropped from 240 before delivery to 220 a couple of weeks later, and today I sit right above 200, 6.5 months later. It's not widely publicized (for obvious reasons), but breastfeeding can sabotage weight loss for a lot of women!

    I'm eating 1800 calories/day but am breastfeeding still, though even after he weans I don't plan to lower my calories much. I plan to use the In Place of a Roadmap plan that is very popular here (TDEE -20%). No more 1200 calories for me!!!

    So I've gotten down to a very lovely size doing MFP, and I can't wait to get there again! I assure you that it's possible, even after having kids. Persistence is key. Some weeks I'd lose a lot, others I'd be stuck or show a gain.

    ETA that I am 33. I was 31 when I started.
  • Slrajr
    Slrajr Posts: 438 Member
    Love these stories:). Mrs bigmac, you rock!!:)
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    I'm 45 and 5'8". I started at 162 lbs and a size 10/12, got down to 134 lbs and a size 4 (or a 2/4/6, depending on brands!). Had my best success with the TDEE method, starting with a 20% cut, and then dropping to a 10-15% cut, and grabbing the heaviest weights I can get my hands on. No gym membership and no space or $$ for a bench and barbells at the moment, so I do my best with my dumbells (a set of 20 lbs is my heaviest at the moment) and body weight exercises. Three days a week with the weights, three days running 3-5 miles, currently eating around 2100 cals a day.

    I'm still working on lowering body fat percentage, and less concerned about scale numbers now. Current weight fluctuates between 135-140 lbs, still wearing the size 4 jeans. :bigsmile:
  • jsbrooke
    jsbrooke Posts: 4 Member
    5'7 and 3/4.... Age 36

    SW 3/12 182.5
    CW 12/13 140.0 (42.5 lbs gone) This puts me in a size 8 in most pants.
    GW 131 or so. Small frame. --> 126-139 listed as ideal for 5'8

    Those last 10 pounds..... Averaging a loss of 2lbs/mo for the last 3 months, better than nothing.
  • madhamey
    madhamey Posts: 70 Member
    SW 253 size 22

    CW 195 size 16

    My 1st Goal is to be a UK size 14, the weight for me is insignificant.

    Sorry forgot to put I'm 5ft7
  • Slrajr
    Slrajr Posts: 438 Member
    I'm 5'7" And 146 lbs. I joined mfp about 18 months ago at 160.
    My goal was 148. I tracked and lost nothing for about six months, but my tracking helped me confirm my TDEE and I ate at a slight (100-200 calorie) deficit until I finally made it to 148 last Christmas.
    My maintenance is about 1800 to 2000 calories per day depending on my level of exercise. By August this year I was less than 142 pounds because I increased my running. I've had some slips since then but overall I'm feeling pretty confident that I've got this. My DP is a selfiecibtook yesterday.

    My number one piece of advice is to trust the process. It will work! There were times when I plateaued for months while I was losing but I just kept it up.

    Eating at or over TDEE for a day will not diminish your progress. Eating at TDEE only means that you won't lose or gain!! It's so easy to adhere to a program if you don't feel deprived or frustrated with the scale. My food log was my evidence. And I control the food log:)

    Also, I like to have a weight range that I try to stick with. For me it's 142-148 for now.
  • RachelRuns9
    RachelRuns9 Posts: 585 Member
    Hi everyone -

    5'7 here! I started at 222 in Sept/Oct 2013, and successfully went down to 175 as of early December. That consisted of varying deficits (at one point eating at 1200, up to 1700, then back to 1400). Given my intake fluctuations, it's probably not a surprise that I'm at a bit of a plateau now, which has brought me to peruse the forums and find this great thread. I get a lot of inspiration and advice from MFP gals, so thanks to everyone for sharing. Always trying to improve and grow and of course.. get healthy :)

    Thanks for the inspiration & happy holidays!
  • sajero2
    sajero2 Posts: 47 Member
    I am just about 5'7", and at my highest at the beginning of October I was 164 (that pains me to type that...can't believe I let myself get so big!). Since early October I've lost about 17 pounds and am currently around 146. My goal weight is somewhere around 135, but I'll have to see when I get there. The number doesn't matter so much; I am more interested in what I look like. But the lower to mid-30s is where I am shooting for to see how I look at that point.

    I eat around 1500 calories a day and workout 6 days a week for 30 minutes a pop (doing Jillian Michaels Body Revolution).
  • mizroxy13
    mizroxy13 Posts: 466 Member
    You are ALL SO INSPIRING! I'm 5'7" and this is all very lovely, helpful advice. Thank all of you!
  • 5'8'' 125 lbs. here. I joined MFP about 6 months ago where I did track calories for awhile, but have since switched over to focusing on macros and modestly watching my caloric intake. I mostly lift heavy, but did at first go up about 6 lbs from that and have over the last few months leaned out and dropped 7. A lot of women will tell you to ditch the scale and focus on what you see in the mirror/how your clothes fit/measurements, and I couldn't agree more; it can be discouraging to see your weight fluctuate. Just remember to stay the course; the ends will justify the means. Are you on Pinterest? I find heaps of motivation there in the fitness section.
  • boydsterk
    boydsterk Posts: 86 Member
    I just wrote a huge post earlier about my weight loss.

    I'm 5'7 and I weighed 193lbs.

    Over the course of the last 8 months I've lost 31lbs. And the weight did NOT come off fast. It's been the most tedious annoying process, haha. But here are my photos.

    From April 2013 to December 2013.
    mmej.jpg
  • gngracie
    gngracie Posts: 40 Member
    I'm on my phone and marking this thread to come back to later. I see many kindred spirits (and bodies) here. :smile:
  • gngracie
    gngracie Posts: 40 Member
    My success story is a work in progress, but I feel good and I feel healthy, so I still count it as a success! I'm 43 yrs old and 5'7.5". I hit my highest weight of 197 a couple years ago and just felt completely depressed, out of shape, and unhappy with myself. I then began my current journey and got down to 165 last year, then slowly gained 15 lbs back as soon as I quit logging. Exercise is not a problem for me, I love it and I exercise hard, but my eating habits continue to sabotage me if I don't keep track, so, as of October, I'm back to logging my calories and paying closer attention to what I eat and, as a result, I'm back down to 171. I feel the best I've ever felt and for the first time in my life I'm comfortable in my own skin.

    The main things that seem to work for me are logging (no matter how ugly the truth), and forgiving myself when I've had a bad day, then pulling my pants up and getting right back to it the next day. One of the most important things I've learned is to stop being so negative about myself. A bad day/week does not make me a failure, it makes me human.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Hi as most have said mine is not finished...not sure what "finished" is to be honest.

    For me I started with me being 205 @ 5ft 7 and the wakeup call was a wedding photo...i had enough, I lost weight, then gained it back...last Christmas I had another wedding to go to and went to look for a dress...that was a no go so I dug out my "fat" cloths and swore never again.

    January 7th I started, changed my eating habits and started with light cardio. Stepped it up with a few body weight exercises then heard about 30day Shred...googled results and found MFP.

    Joined MFP June 17th 2013, same day I started 30day shred. I ate what I thought I was suppose to and did 30day shred (missed 3 days (son flipped his car, sister was laying sod, and one day I don't remember)

    Found out through a group here I wasn't losing like I could because I didn't weigh my food. Started weighing my food and did another round of 30day shred (taking weekends off).

    I then found my TDEE and started eating that -10 to 20% and don't worry about exercise calories now and lift heavy 3x a week.

    SW = 205 (size 16-18)
    CW = 162.5 (size 8)


    This photo....shows me at my heaviest...that light bulb moment. Then the same dress after 1 round of 30 day shred (about 35lbs gone) and this photo of me in the black dress is November 17th of this year. It is a knit dress size small...

    I am not done yet, I have bodyfat to go and really don't care about the scale but thinking down to 155 maybe.

    337cf4fe-0b1f-4ec4-a6ec-d2e551f7d567_zpse8037836.jpg

    It's been almost a year, I love lifting and yes I weigh 162 and wear a size 8...I have friends who weight 120 and in a size 6. As other posters have said don't be scared of weights, you wont bulk up, you will get strong, you will lose fat and you will love what you see.

    I am adding in some HITT training in the new year but because I want to get healthy in all aspects.

    Good luck to you all who are just beginning or are in the middle...don't give up, weigh your food, log it all even if you are embarrassed (been there done that) you wont regret any of it.
  • bump
  • melzie98
    melzie98 Posts: 8 Member
    Thank you ladies for posting! You are all very inspiring!

    I'm 39, 5'7" and my CW is 180. I've just come back to MFP since I've gained some weight from my hysterectomy last year. I've been working hard at the gym, but the weight hasn't come off very easily. I've started to track and weigh all my food, and started weight lifting three times a week. I'm hoping that is enough to get the scale moving again.
  • ustrel
    ustrel Posts: 3 Member
    Hello Ladies!

    I'm 5'7 (.5?) three years ago I got up to 178, actually around 180~. Never thought I'd be that heavy. I was a size 12 tight or loose in 14 or in the odd I would be size 13.

    I started using MFP three years ago and got down to 170 for a while.
    Then in the second year I got down to 165 and I thought that was a good weight. Size 12 still.

    This year I have been diligent about MFP and realized I snacked a lot.

    For about 3-4 months I stayed focused, worked out 3-5 days a week, walked my dog everyday for about 5km and today I stepped on the scales at 150~ (149-151.8) I lost about 15 pounds from January to April, I'm maintaining it now. Can someone my height be under 150? I don't know lol.

    What the crazy thing I can't get over is not being size 12. I've always (even in high school) been size 12. Really made me realize that each size is only a inch different. Now I can fit into either 8 or sometimes 6. Blew me away.
  • sorrol
    sorrol Posts: 2 Member
    Please tell me how you lost all that weight
  • ClintSeeber
    ClintSeeber Posts: 115 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    Hi as most have said mine is not finished...not sure what "finished" is to be honest.

    For me I started with me being 205 @ 5ft 7 and the wakeup call was a wedding photo...i had enough, I lost weight, then gained it back...last Christmas I had another wedding to go to and went to look for a dress...that was a no go so I dug out my "fat" cloths and swore never again.

    January 7th I started, changed my eating habits and started with light cardio. Stepped it up with a few body weight exercises then heard about 30day Shred...googled results and found MFP.

    Joined MFP June 17th 2013, same day I started 30day shred. I ate what I thought I was suppose to and did 30day shred (missed 3 days (son flipped his car, sister was laying sod, and one day I don't remember)

    Found out through a group here I wasn't losing like I could because I didn't weigh my food. Started weighing my food and did another round of 30day shred (taking weekends off).

    I then found my TDEE and started eating that -10 to 20% and don't worry about exercise calories now and lift heavy 3x a week.

    SW = 205 (size 16-18)
    CW = 162.5 (size 8)


    This photo....shows me at my heaviest...that light bulb moment. Then the same dress after 1 round of 30 day shred (about 35lbs gone) and this photo of me in the black dress is November 17th of this year. It is a knit dress size small...

    I am not done yet, I have bodyfat to go and really don't care about the scale but thinking down to 155 maybe.

    337cf4fe-0b1f-4ec4-a6ec-d2e551f7d567_zpse8037836.jpg

    It's been almost a year, I love lifting and yes I weigh 162 and wear a size 8...I have friends who weight 120 and in a size 6. As other posters have said don't be scared of weights, you wont bulk up, you will get strong, you will lose fat and you will love what you see.

    I am adding in some HITT training in the new year but because I want to get healthy in all aspects.

    Good luck to you all who are just beginning or are in the middle...don't give up, weigh your food, log it all even if you are embarrassed (been there done that) you wont regret any of it.
    You're tall, slim and beautiful.
  • ClintSeeber
    ClintSeeber Posts: 115 Member
    April_KT wrote: »
    Hi

    Im 5'8-5'9 (somewhere in between)

    My start weight was 177 back in January of 2013 by the time may came around i was down to 159 and maintained that weight for awhile even though it is not my goal weight. i just recently changed some medication and gained 7 lbs within this month. so i am now at 166 :/ So i need people to help keep me on track and motivated. Please feel free to add me on here if you feel like we can help each other! My goal is around 145 lbs ( the weight i was in my profile pic)

    I typically eat around 1300-1400 cals a day mostly healthy but it is the holiday season now! Hard to fight off all that junk food.
    I try to go to the gym three times per week but sometimes only make it twice.

    Love hearing the success stories!

    You're a dose of tall greatness.
  • ClintSeeber
    ClintSeeber Posts: 115 Member
    Well, this is me so far... sorry but I will not post pics until I am "done", although I am taking pics along the way.

    38 years old female... 1 child...... pear shape...5.7. tall.. small bones

    Started 151 lbs in January 2nd....
    42hips, 29 waist, 38 chest , 26 thigh

    Now, March 16th
    135lbs
    39 hips, 27 waist, 35 chest, 24.5 thigh

    I realized I could never eat 1200 calories, I am a big eater. Volume eater. I need lots and lots of food.

    So I eat about 2000 calories a day, plus or minus 300 cals......., Usually "clean" . Just lots of it, some would say too much of it..... I allow myself one cheat day, sometimes two, when I eat just about anything I want.

    I simply cannot diet. My appetite is too big.

    BUT big BUT !!!!!!! I became addicted to gym. So my net cals, from about 2000 cals daily, goes down to about 1300 net.

    I go to gym about 5 days a week.
    I do : 15 minutes abs, 30-40 min weights, 45- 60 min cardio ( high resistance , usually elliptical )

    The first month I lost 10 lbs.
    Since Feb til now ( mid March ) only 6 lbs more, but I believe I lost more fat and gained muscle.

    I don't know my body fat percentage when I started but now I am at about 25 %. I am almost seeing abs, but my bottom and thighs are still kind of fat. Mind you, I am a pear shape, so that will be the last to go.

    I became so I addicted to gym that now I want to build muscle and lose fat only. Even if I don't reach my weight goal is ok, as long as I become more fit! :heart: :heart:

    Good luck, feel free to add me as a friend.

    Great!
  • ClintSeeber
    ClintSeeber Posts: 115 Member
    Hi there!
    I don't post a lot but, I was interested in your post. I'm 5' 8.5", 41 yrs old. I have always been on the high range of average (weight wise), then about 15/16 years ago I balooned up to 220 lbs (in a bad relationship and ate to feel good I guess). Then in getting out of said relationship I got down to 140/150 lbs without excersizing.
    OK, so that was my highest weight and it lasted a year or two. Last year I knew I had to change something since I got up to 170 lbs. I have been excersizing for 10 years, but eating poorly. I find, for me, I need to calorie count more than anything. Sure, I like to run (traing for my 2nd half marathon now), do arobics & strength train, but I LOVE to eat (...and drink beer with friends & husband - I won't give that up).
    As of last fall, I started doing protein shakes for breakfast & lunch a few times a week...that lead me to think smarter about my suppers. Then, I started using this site (I found it a lot earlier but, forgot about it....so my stats are weird).
    I lost 15 pounds from Sept 2012 to Jan 2013 and was feeling great...down to 155 lbs. My good friend asked me to join a fitness chalenge at the fitness center we belong to. I told her that I've already lost the bulk of the weight I was going to loose and I probably wounldn't be a good team mate. She encouraged me, saying it would be great to just "maintain" so I said yes. I lost another 16 pounds in the 8 weeks of the chalenge lowering my bmi & body fat % (wich was just over the average). I worked hard logging my food and working out (I didn't think I was that competive!)...drinking water was "key" too. I drank lots of it! My BMI is now 20.8 and my Body fat % is 22. (BTW our team got 2nd place out of 20 some teams!)
    This site is a God send to me. I'm making recipes I've never made before and my husband will come into the kitchen asking what kind of "freak food" I'm making tonight...freak food = healthy food...lol.
    I don't want to ever give this up and if you read this ... what I keep telling myself is: I never thought I'd get back to my wedding weight of 140 lbs, seven and a half years ago...and I'm THERE again (minus a few more) and I'm starting to get compliments from people about how good I look. I just wish I wouldn't have given away a lot of my clothes.
    Yes, there are days that I go over my calories...but, I make that up.
    Really - You can do it!
    I'll post pics when I can see an ab or two sticking out there!

    5'8.5" is WAY above "average" height, so I don't know if you need to be "average" weight.
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