Mommy lost 50lbs---now pass the bacon! =)

P.S.S. I did do the unthinkable (!) and posted pics of my tummy transformation---not where I want to be yet b/c I'm still nursing so my love handles are holding on for dear life!---on the "mummy tummy" thread if any of you are interested in what 50lb difference looks like under the shirt, lol. Thank you all so much for the feedback!!!!

Thank you all again----so glad to be able to inspire others when I had a lot of trouble inspiring myself at times! In regard to the tummy, I did post a pic on the other thread so I guess I should be brave here, too.

I'm not to my six pack yet, lol, but this is the difference between about 2 years, pregnancy with baby #5, 48lbs, heavy lifting, cardio 4-5 times a week and staying in a calorie deficit I'm still nursing a 10 month old, so hopefully the part around my lower tattoo will whittle more when I am done. I will obviously never wear a bikini---my tattoo is a memorial tattoo I don't wish to put on display plus my stretch marks/loose skin---but I did hear a great saying, though, yesterday that comforted me: "A young woman said to her mom, "Mom, you should get a tattoo of each of your kids names." The mom relied, "I already have those; they're called stretch marks." (giggle)


I AM actively doing the ketogenic diet (that is actually the difference between the black and white photo and the one on the far right----7 weeks!!---to lose bodyfat on my middle. I WILL get a 4 pack by summer!!!!

Keep going, ladies---you can reach your goals, too, and will even pass them like I did and *have* to set new ones!

Thanks again, all! I do lift 2-3 times a week with compound lifts to failure and I am very happy with the progress! I definitely say lifting is what made the biggest difference for me, especially when it came to slimming my arms/legs I am just overwhelmed by all the compliments and I truly look forward to hearing/commenting on all your stories to come!

Thank you! I guess I should clarify that I am on keto now (in my 7th week of a 12 week cycle) but I did NOT lose all 50 lbs through keto or any other method except calorie deficit. In the last 2 years, I have done the following to lose the weight:
-I started like everyone else on MFP's recommended 1200 calories (I ate oatmeal and 2 lean cuisine meals a day---not a happy mama so I upped it to 1400-1600 pretty fast!)
-Intermittent Fasting (love it---still try to get a 12 hour fast in and will up it to 16 after I'm done nursing, I used this in conjunction with whatever my cal goal is)
-Carb Cycling (alternating high cal/carb (1850 cal/200g carb for me) with low(er) cal/carb (1450cal/100-125g carb) also love this method b/c it gives me more fuel for my lifting/biking and I can hit big carb numbers on work days)
-IIFYM (this is my preferred method to use with IF and carb cycling)
-Keto (high fat, low carb, mod protein, still using 1650 every day just to give my body a break from the carb cycling it's used to)

My exercise consisted of the following:
-started with wimpy weights, high reps and spin classes---lost about 10lbs but got burnt out fast due to my Lean Cuisine/1200 madness
-switched to heavy lifting with deadlifts, squats, benches, overhead presses. 2-3x week.----saw MUSCLE but still covered by fat
-got pregnant, focused more on my stationary biking and leg press/lateral pulldowns/chest press machines
-after the last pregnancy, got back into heavy lifting, only I would term it moderate lifting (I bench/OHP about 45-50 b/c anymore makes my wrists hurt) and I only squat about 60lbs due to knee issues but I do about 15-20 reps.
-I have maintained my biking (cardio) throughout, always switching from 30 min, 45 min, 60 min, 90 min and now I do 3 hour bike rides, at least 4 rides a week. I switch it up depending on if I feel my body has gotten too comfortable and how I feel that day
-I got that fitbit zip for Christmas and I LOVE it! I love having the goal of 10,000 steps and it has increased my TDEE a ton just by making me move my *kitten* more. Plus I clip it on my sock for bike rides so those count as steps If a person didn't want to count calories, THAT is the number one change I would recommend.

TL;DR: I am not a person who thinks that any way is the RIGHT way. Calorie deficit with equal amounts of strength training/cardio wins every time. How your tummy (mine is sensitive to wheat/dairy) and your energy feel may vary, but your weight loss won't. I also subscribe to something that I read here once (maybe from ninersbuff?) that, if you hit a weight loss stall, there are 7 methods to break it and they are all contrary to one another. I have probably done all of them via switching up exercise/diet to get me to the next 5 lbs. I would have never lost all 50 (and not gained it back) if I wasn't afraid of trying new things, listening to my body and being open to the various methods of my hero, Lyle McDonald

Like I said, I am open to friend requests and messages about specific questions----hopefully I don't disappoint with my answers