Calling all ladies weighing 140-160 pounds!

Options
Seeking some advice and motivation.

I am almost 5'4" and currently weigh 148.8 lbs. I'm working to get down to about 120 lbs. I've struggled with my weight pretty much my whole life. I have never been really overweight, but I am so tired of wearing a size 12 and not having the body that I want. It's been a month since I joined MFP and since I really started believing I could reach my goal.

So, I'm wondering at this weight range... how much are you all losing every week? Every month? Every day MFP gives you a projected weight for 5 weeks down the line -- I know it varies day to day, but I'm about 5 weeks in and I've only lost about 3 lbs. I know that losing 1 - 2 lbs a week is what's safe and I'm not trying to push that... but I just want some words of wisdom from all of you who are struggling/have struggled in the same way that I am.

What do you do? What can I do to push myself further physically? What can I eat that will be the most beneficial?

I am so tired of bouncing around 150 lbs. I don't want to do it anymore.

Replies

  • Christine1110
    Christine1110 Posts: 1,786 Member
    Options
    I was 144.8 this morning. My goal is somewhere around 128. I workout as much as I can...and try not to sit around until late evening. It seems to work for me : )

    Good luck.
  • spammyanna
    spammyanna Posts: 871 Member
    Options
    I am 5'4" and started at 177. So far I have lost 10lbs in about 8 weeks. Its not coming off as quickly as I'd like, but it's coming off. I think that since I'm not that overweight, I'm not going to lose it as quickly as someone else who has a lot more to lose. I've noticed more in a difference in how my clothes fit than anything else. Keep it up, and you will do just fine!
  • redrustdobe
    Options
    I started at 160 and it was slow. I've focused on drinking ALL my water and eating small meals 5-6 times per day, so now I'm starting to see 1lb losses every week. Good luck!
  • jess2308
    jess2308 Posts: 40
    Options
    i'm 5'8 and 143, i've lost 9 pounds in the last 6 weeks or so, which is healthy. in the past i have been on crash diets which resulted in quick weight loss, plateau, then major gainage. i really believe using this site will help me get to my goal and help it stay off for good! drink lots of water and eat all the right foods, even if you go slightly over your limit with the good stuff, its better then staying under with the processed, sugary junk
  • KendraElmendorf
    KendraElmendorf Posts: 837 Member
    Options
    I lost 3 pounds the first week, and i'm on week two. I think alot of it was water weight and the fact that i stopped drinking pop...
  • GooneyAngel
    Options
    I am 5'4.75" and right now weigh 137 lbs. I started at 154 lbs on Feb 7th (when I joined the gym). I have done almost strictly cardio until this week. I started TRX with a trainer. I FEEL THE RESULTS!!! The workout is only 30 minutes, but am feeling like I have done a marathon workout. Eating right and exercising is the key to becoming healthy! The side benefit is weight loss. At least that is my goals! GL!!!
  • Hodgeypodgy
    Options
    I'm 5"4 and currently 144lbs. Like others have said I am just upping the exercise (currently running 5k each day and swimming 50 lengths) and cutting out the extra bits between meals. I hope to lose about 2lb a week but know that this will get harder as I get nearer to my goal so I will just increase my output. My lightest ever weight as an adult was 140lbs at the beginning of the year so it will be a major breakthrough if I can go below this and reach my initial aim of 133lbs. I am quite lucky at the moment though as I am working abroad away from all the usal distractions and can really focus on what is going in and physical activity.

    Good luck :-)
  • kpadilla411
    Options
    I have lost like 8.6 lbs in 3 weeks. I am super strict, I measure everything and only drink water. I exercise 5 times a week.
    It is hard to keep this lifestyle but I try to remember that I want a better body.
    What kind of exercise do you do?
  • mskatec22
    mskatec22 Posts: 138 Member
    Options
    Hi! I'm 5'2" and started w/ MFP 4 weeks ago @ 150lbs. I've lost 6lbs so far, so slow and steady for me too. I'm at 1200 calories a day with a daily 45 min workout goal of burning 200-250 calories. Sometimes I burn more, sometimes I burn less. I try to eat three 190-400 calorie meals a day with two 100 calorie snacks in between with the hopes of keeping my metabolism up. I stay full all day so no problem there. I'm always afraid I'm not going to lose one week. If that happens I'll probably have to ramp up my workouts and cut out my alcohol consumption! Boo, let's hope it doesn't come to that :drinker:
    Feel free to friend me so we can cheer each other on!
  • fteale
    fteale Posts: 5,310 Member
    Options
    I am 5'5 and started out weighing 152 at Christmas. In late feb after eating 1200 cals a day and exercising 4-6 days a week (an hour a time), I was 148. So about 1/2 a lb a week loss. I weighed again today and was 143, so have lost another 5 lbs in 7 weeks, doing a 4 week boot camp twice a week, aerobics once a week, and running once a week. Eating 1220 plus usually half my exercise cals. I don't think weight is an especially great indicator in my case, as the exercise I do means I have gained a lot of muscle, so I look much thinner, despite only losing a little over half a stone. I have dropped from a large 12 to a small 10 in dress size.
  • stephanielynn76
    stephanielynn76 Posts: 709 Member
    Options
    I am 5'6.5" and started out around 140lbs. I started using MFP the second week of January. I just hit my 20lb loss this week! I started on 1200 calories the first few weeks and gradually increased over time. Right now I'm at 1500 calories and I eat back most of my exercise calories which is usually at least 500.
  • Dawntodusk
    Dawntodusk Posts: 262 Member
    Options
    I'm 5'3" and started at 150 on 3/5/11 when I joined MFP. My goal weight is 128. I lost 9 pounds the first 4 weeks, and then slowed and only lost another 0.4 the last two weeks. My exercise regimen is mostly weights - twice a week. I walk and bike and salsa dance, also, but honestly I don't consider these necessary for my goals, whereas weight training is essential so that my losses will be in fat and not muscle. My measurements have gone down from 35.5 inches in the waist to 31 and I continued to lose inches even when the scale stalled. MFP has set my daily calories at 1200 with an average lost of 0.7 pounds per week.

    Suggestions for food: Eat more protein than carbs. Don't worry about eating fat. I only eat organic and/or locally grown products, and I don't eat processed foods.

    Good luck, and thanks for the post!
  • Jonicha26
    Jonicha26 Posts: 107 Member
    Options
    I have lost like 8.6 lbs in 3 weeks. I am super strict, I measure everything and only drink water. I exercise 5 times a week.
    It is hard to keep this lifestyle but I try to remember that I want a better body.
    What kind of exercise do you do?

    Right now I'm working on the 30 Day Shred. I just finished day 13. I also do ballet, jazz, and tai chi twice a week. I'm pretty consistent with my work outs... I think food is my down fall. I am a full time wife, actor, and student... I am almost never home so it's hard to make sure I am getting all the right foods. I thought I was doing okay, staying within some limits... but I think I need a change when it comes to food.

    Any great, easy recipes? Other food related advice?
  • Parcelline
    Parcelline Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    I only joined last week, but this article has really helped me get up and go.

    http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/phys-ed-the-benefits-of-exercising-before-breakfast/?src=me&ref=general
  • Atlantique
    Atlantique Posts: 2,484 Member
    Options
    I'm 5'7" and am now at 159 pounds, trying to get back down to 140 or 135. I started here 61 days ago and have lost 14.6 pounds.

    I've had my goal set at 1lb per week rate of loss, but I intially was losing 2 lbs per week. It's only in the last few weeks that my that my actual rate of loss has slowed down to 1lb per week, and I had one week that was flat ( I think that was due to hormonal water retention, as I had a big drop the following week).

    Generally speaking, you want to aim for .5g-1g of protein per pound of body weight daily if you work out, eliminate as many processed foods as possible and to avoid simple carbs as much as you can. Managing your sodium and alcohol intake also helps as both of these wreak havoc with your water retention and can give misleading results on the scale. Doing your best to drink 2 qts of water daily helps to even out fluctuations in water retention.
  • janew68
    janew68 Posts: 37
    Options
    I'm 5'5" and currently 148.6 lbs. size 8/10. I just had a baby 2 months ago and went from 123lbs to 177lbs. I just started working out a couple weeks ago, because I had a cesarean. Using this app has really made me accountable for everything I put into my body. Plus, it's so awesome to see the progress, even though my weight loss has been little since using this app (I've only been using it about a week). I know it could take awhile for me to lose the rest, but I'm so motivated to fit back into my skinny 27's...especially because I have no pants/jeans that fit (minus workout pants/pajama pants), and no funds to buy a new wardrobe. I've never been this heavy in my life and I'm hoping by June/July I'll have made enough progress to feel good in a bathing suit.

    Good luck to everyone on here! Keep your motivation/will power going.

    P.S. Here's a good quote that I've been using as my mantra any time I want to reach for a bunch of junk food during my late night breast feeding sessions (believe me, BFing makes me soooooo darn hungry and not for super healthy stuff either): "Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels."
  • rlmiller73190
    rlmiller73190 Posts: 342 Member
    Options
    I'm losing about a pound a week. When I first started off in January at about 163 lbs, it was coming off relatively quickly (or so it seemed to be), but now I'm losing about a pound or a pound and a half a week (currently at 143.6 lbs). I feel it's safer this way, so that I can keep it off longer.
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    Options
    I am set to lose 1lb / week but I lose maybe 1 lb per month. It is aggravating, but I am feeling stronger overall, so I continue!