5'0", 200lbs surprise

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May2014Goal
May2014Goal Posts: 2
in Introduce Yourself
Hi! I'm 5'0" and surprisingly I weigh 200 LBS. I just found out last week. I'm not trying to sound conceited but I was shocked because I didn't think I weighted that much. I thought I'd be about 175 LBS - 185 LBS. My instructor told me I have a strong core, and I have been working out so it could be muscle weight. I feel so devastated because I am so short and so big. I am going on a tropical vacation in May and I want to lose weight and fit into the two bikinis I bought for motivation. I actually work out about 3-5 days a week, but I have trouble with food. I love eating and I don't eat the most healthiest things (like I love fried shrimp, carbs, and chocolate). Starting tomorrow I am eating clean. I did my groceries tonight and will be eating lean meat (like baked fish, shrimp, and chicken) with vegetables on the side. I hope I get it right this time.

Replies

  • zahid222
    zahid222 Posts: 233 Member
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    Good Luck!!!!! :happy:
  • tgabmac
    tgabmac Posts: 46 Member
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    Great motivation! But don't get caught in the trap of "it's just for vacation". So many times I've done that, ate whatever I wanted, and felt miserable after. Gaining more weight to end up heavier than I started. Do it for the long haul. You will feel so much better and more accomplished.
  • Germs29
    Germs29 Posts: 7
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    Its great that your honest about loving food! Food can be our friend not your enemy but its gonna take a lot of mental strength to say no to the 'good stuff'! Be patient with yourself ...be consistent...and it will happen. Don't quit!
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
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    OKkkkkkkkk.......Here's the thing.

    I think going 'clean' is the wrong approach for you. It's too drastic, too foreign. It's going to feel like a diet every minute of every day. What you need to do is choose an appropriate calorie goal, get enough protein, eat a veriety of fruits and vegetables everyday, and work some of the 'unclean' things in to your diet everyday. Maybe choose a shrimp cocktail instead of fried shrimp. Have one or two hershey's kisses instead of a big chocolate dessert.

    For this to work, you HAVE to be able to realistically stick with it long term. It does NOT have to be super clean to be effective. Making better choices is key, but you don't have to completely change everything....and you shouldn't, because it will be really difficult to live with.

    Just my opinion. YMMV.
  • MB_Positif
    MB_Positif Posts: 8,897 Member
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    OKkkkkkkkk.......Here's the thing.

    I think going 'clean' is the wrong approach for you. It's too drastic, too foreign. It's going to feel like a diet every minute of every day. What you need to do is choose an appropriate calorie goal, get enough protein, eat a veriety of fruits and vegetables everyday, and work some of the 'unclean' things in to your diet everyday. Maybe choose a shrimp cocktail instead of fried shrimp. Have one or two hershey's kisses instead of a big chocolate dessert.

    For this to work, you HAVE to be able to realistically stick with it long term. It does NOT have to be super clean to be effective. Making better choices is key, but you don't have to completely change everything....and you shouldn't, because it will be really difficult to live with.

    Just my opinion. YMMV.


    This is great advice. 3 years ago I was 188 pounds at 5'-2". I was shocked too. I took pretty much the approach above. I lost 50 pounds in a year and have basically been maintaining for the last two years! Good luck.
  • Otterluv
    Otterluv Posts: 9,083 Member
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    OKkkkkkkkk.......Here's the thing.

    I think going 'clean' is the wrong approach for you. It's too drastic, too foreign. It's going to feel like a diet every minute of every day. What you need to do is choose an appropriate calorie goal, get enough protein, eat a veriety of fruits and vegetables everyday, and work some of the 'unclean' things in to your diet everyday. Maybe choose a shrimp cocktail instead of fried shrimp. Have one or two hershey's kisses instead of a big chocolate dessert.

    For this to work, you HAVE to be able to realistically stick with it long term. It does NOT have to be super clean to be effective. Making better choices is key, but you don't have to completely change everything....and you shouldn't, because it will be really difficult to live with.

    Just my opinion. YMMV.

    THIS ^^^^^ is excellent advice. Set yourself up to succeed by picking a plan that is sustainable, one that you can realistically adhere to.
  • CompressedCarbon
    CompressedCarbon Posts: 357 Member
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    Hi and Welcome!

    I agree with MoreBean, making huge drastic changes is likely to backfire. Wander through the forum sticky notes; read what some of the successful people are doing, and then imitate them. About 367 times a day, I hear this advice: log accurately, move more, maintain a calorie deficit, lose the weight. I don't think that's an accident. I think that's how it's done.

    I think you'll find that you'll be more satisfied by dropping some of the fried stuff and replacing it with lower calorie stuff (also because you'll be able to eat more)! But don't ban yourself from it.

    Just be better today than you were yesterday, and you'll get there. One day at a time, you'll do it.
  • LoseYouself
    LoseYouself Posts: 249 Member
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    It definitely could be your structure and muscle mass. Maybe you should look at your progress through measurements and the way your clothes fit and how you feel. If you're like me, the number on the scale doesn't really explain body composition, which matters more. For example, you may have a lower body fat percentage than another person who is the exact same height as you who weighs the same, or even less!

    People are shocked when they hear I'm 230 lbs currently at only 5'4". Even at my lowest of 200 lbs, they didn't believe me, but I lift heavy and have a broad structure. I went for a personal trainer assessment once and they said I was lying about my weight.. they were sure it was about 30 lbs less until they weighed me and saw for themselves. So maybe that is why you thought you weighed a lot less? Maybe you carry it very well.

    For me (a 5'4" person), 165 lbs is considered overweight, but for me I'd be very lean and ideal weight. So even when picking your goals, don't worry about fitting a certain number because it varies for every body type. So just take it one day at a time and gauge where you'd like your goal to be based on how you look and feel at each stage of your journey.

    The bonus of you not LOOKING like you're 200 lbs at 5'0" means you'll likely look a lot leaner and fitter at a higher weight than some other people the same height. Body fat percentage and body composition makes MUCH more difference than the scale.. always!

    I wish you the best of luck on your journey! :)
  • PetulantOne
    PetulantOne Posts: 2,131 Member
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    OKkkkkkkkk.......Here's the thing.

    I think going 'clean' is the wrong approach for you. It's too drastic, too foreign. It's going to feel like a diet every minute of every day. What you need to do is choose an appropriate calorie goal, get enough protein, eat a veriety of fruits and vegetables everyday, and work some of the 'unclean' things in to your diet everyday. Maybe choose a shrimp cocktail instead of fried shrimp. Have one or two hershey's kisses instead of a big chocolate dessert.

    For this to work, you HAVE to be able to realistically stick with it long term. It does NOT have to be super clean to be effective. Making better choices is key, but you don't have to completely change everything....and you shouldn't, because it will be really difficult to live with.

    Just my opinion. YMMV.

    QFT

    You are much more likely to stick this out long term if you make small changes stick over time.
  • May2014Goal
    May2014Goal Posts: 2
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    It definitely could be your structure and muscle mass. Maybe you should look at your progress through measurements and the way your clothes fit and how you feel. If you're like me, the number on the scale doesn't really explain body composition, which matters more. For example, you may have a lower body fat percentage than another person who is the exact same height as you who weighs the same, or even less!

    People are shocked when they hear I'm 230 lbs currently at only 5'4". Even at my lowest of 200 lbs, they didn't believe me, but I lift heavy and have a broad structure. I went for a personal trainer assessment once and they said I was lying about my weight.. they were sure it was about 30 lbs less until they weighed me and saw for themselves. So maybe that is why you thought you weighed a lot less? Maybe you carry it very well.

    For me (a 5'4" person), 165 lbs is considered overweight, but for me I'd be very lean and ideal weight. So even when picking your goals, don't worry about fitting a certain number because it varies for every body type. So just take it one day at a time and gauge where you'd like your goal to be based on how you look and feel at each stage of your journey.

    The bonus of you not LOOKING like you're 200 lbs at 5'0" means you'll likely look a lot leaner and fitter at a higher weight than some other people the same height. Body fat percentage and body composition makes MUCH more difference than the scale.. always!

    I wish you the best of luck on your journey! :)

    Thank you everyone for your opinions and motivation. This right here ^^ is what my instructor told me too! Body composition, yes!
  • annastasia_82
    annastasia_82 Posts: 940 Member
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    I'm in the same boat you are. 5'0" and 200 lbs. In pictures I look about the same as I did 30lbs lighter. The difference?, I've put on a lot of muscle sense then. I certainly still have body fat too loose, but for me and the fact that I enjoy being muscular, its more about the inches and how my clothes fit than the number on the scale. Take a good look at how certain foods make you feel. Do you feel tired and sluggish after certain food? Or do you feel energized and light ? Also think about food as providing energy you need for certain tasks. I work full time as a lab tech but two days a week I work on a beef cattle farm, so on those days I have a big protein packed meal for breakfast because I'm going to need the long lasting energy. On the days I work in the lab and then a tax office at night, its a smaller breakfast still full of protein but also some carbs for quick energy (I have to look in a microscope at 5 am) and then a protein packed lunch to help give me the energy to last until 10pm and a salad for dinner sense I'll be mostly sitting at a desk for the rest of the evening. When you can match the nutritional benefits from your food to your energy requirements you'll notice a more satisfied feeling from your food. This has worked for me in the past, unfortunately I didn't stick with it. But I'm back on the wagon, even after 1 day I can feel the difference.

    Keep up the awesome dedication to go going to the gym.

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