Ladies over 30 with only 15-25 lbs to goal weight success?

Hello - am in a very similar position to you (157lbs). Only just started taking this seriously too. Worked out my calories based on TDEE yesterday (1599) and I'm going to stick to that whilst running 3 times a week for 30 minutes (at the moment, will be adding to this). Sorry, can't help with a success story (yet!) but will be keeping an eye on this thread ..

I should have said that I am 36.

I am a bit older and started a bit heavier, but it can be done! I am 43, and weighed 169 on Aug. 7th. By November 11th I was -20 (would have hit it earlier but I lost a month to a severe cold). I'm down probably another 1.5 since then, and have reset my goal from 140, to 136 lbs. 11 lbs to go!!

Advice?

- Track your calories very carefully, there is no point in being less than honest with yourself, and it will help you figure out your real maintenance calories after, by adding up your calorie deficits (the built in deficit MFP gives you + any daily calorie deficits or surpluses you've had) and comparing it to pounds lost.
- Weigh your food! And enter your own recipes, don't rely on mystery MFP entries.
- only eat back half of exercise calories, and don't log stuff that you did when you were putting on the weight. You always cleaned your house, don't start logging it now!
- Important - recalculate your goals every 5 lbs. Even if you aren't actually changing anything, it will recalculate your allowed calories and macros to reflect your weight loss.

Good luck!!

I set MFP to lose .5 lb per week as I didn't want to be restricted to 1200 calories, and then fail, and then get mad at myself, then stress, then eat, then fail... but I worked out and only ate back part of my exercise calories, aiming to have a 250 calorie deficit (which added into my .5 lb MFP deficit would equal 1 lb a week). At 148 my daily calories are around 1450 to lose the .5

Edited to add that MFP would not allow me to chose to lose more than 1 lb a week right now, as 1 lb per week would put me exactly at the 1200 calorie mark which is as low as it will allow.

I am 38, 5'5.5", 153 lbs. with a goal of 135. I am allowing myself 1450 calories and around half of my exercise calories to eat back. I am on week two of Turbofire (prep) and I am starting to feel energized again. I had went from 157 to 136 in 2012/2013 but then last December I had bunion surgery on both my feet and was laid up for three months and couldn't get back to my exercise for 6-8 months and I did a complete backslide.......so here we go again! I am hoping to incorporate some weight training in the near future as well. I drink plenty of water every day and try to avoid processed crappy food when I can. I realize that your body is a reflection of what you put into it but I also know that it is important to "give in" once in awhile to avoid a complete derailment. Good luck to all of us!!

I just turned 31 and am 5'5'' starting weight = 165lbs, started logging on MFP Nov 10, 2014 at 160lbs, goal is 130lbs by June 1, 2015....
I am down 5 pounds since I started 2 weeks ago, I have it set to 1lb loss per week and inactive and it told me 1300kcals.
I don't exercise at this point, and I average 1300/day over a week, not the same each day.

I have no friends on MFP and I'm not sure what that means really but feel free to add me:)

I set my goal to .5 pound per week. It took months, because the deficit was so small, but it was super easy to adjust my lifestyle to it. I was in no real hurry - it's not a race, it's my life, so I just took it easy and enjoyed myself. I don't intend on needing to do this again because I feel I've done it right the first time. I've been maintaining at goal weight for over three years now, and I'm confident I can keep maintaining. Good luck, OP! (*)

P.S. I was 37, wanted to lose about 15, but ended up losing a few extra because when I first started maintenance it took a few weeks to figure out the calories I needed in order to not KEEP losing weight. (I just kept adding 100 calories every week until I got to where I leveled out.)

I'm 33 and 5'6". Right now I'm at 159. I have about 25 more lbs to go. I've lost about 18 pounds since right after labor day.

I keep my diary public and post pretty regularly if you want to follow me! We can help each other I shoot for about 1300 calories on average per day (I average out of the week - usually my weekends are higher).

I'm also doing T25 - in week 4 of Beta and it really makes a difference. At my current weight, my measurements are the same they were about 9 years ago at 145.

35, 139(ish), 5'3". I lost all of my weight (so far) eating at TDEE-20% and following a heavy lifting program. I barely did any cardio, though I do now. I have lost almost 30 pounds, but it took me a year and a half to do it. I probably could have done it faster, but I like food. I made it work for my life. I don't starve and I don't restrict anything. I make my dietary choices fit within my calorie budget.

My biggest piece of advice: be patient and try not to put a deadline on your weight loss.

I am 37. 5'7. I started at 187. I'm down 18 and still have a few to go. I have been tracking everything. I exercise 3-4 times a a week and go usually have 1 day where I exceed my calories. But I try to keep it under control. I get 1200 calories a day so on days i know there is going to be a lot of calories in my future I gain a few hundred extra calories at the gym. Now I'm more focused on getting toned than the bottom line number. I say yes to good foods and no (more often) to bad foods.

And I'm 39.

30 years old here. My initial goal was to lose 30 lbs, which is a little more than your original post is looking for, but I think the habits and practices are the same, since 30 lbs is not the same as trying to lose 50, 100+. I've lost about 20 lbs in the last 3 1/2 months (195-175 -- I'm 5'8") and would like to lose another 10-15. I lost the first 20 by following a strength training program with a trainer (lifting heavy 2 to 4 times per week -- I can bench press 100 lbs now!) and running.

I typically stick to 1600 calories and follow a 40% carb/30% fat/30% protein macro ratio. Sometimes I eat more than that. Sometimes I drink too much beer. or eat too much chocolate. or cheese. or hot wings. The key is sometimes, not often. I'm choosing to lose slowly so that my lifestyle will be sustainable.

Some of the keys to my success thus far have been:

-Bring my breakfast and lunch to work. I make a batch of egg frittatas (ground turkey, quinoa, veggies, and eggs) each week, and keep a stash of healthy stuff in the fridge at work (lean lunchmeat, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, fresh veggies). Even "healthy" takeout options often have tons of sodium or a surprising amount of calories. I've also saved a bunch of money!

-Schedule your workouts. For me, this is accomplished a few times a week because I'm working with a trainer. It was an expensive investment but has been worth every penny. Financial commitment is surprisingly motivating. If that doesn't fit in your budget, put your workouts on your calendar and schedule your life around them like you would any other commitment. Make it realistic. If you're not a morning person, don't schedule 6am workouts. If you're too tired after work, try getting up earlier. If you know "stopping home for just a minute" will derail you from actually getting to the gym, leave your gym clothes in the car and go straight there. Do what works for you.

-DRINK WATER. ALL THE TIME.

-Don't be afraid to lift heavy. I have friends that are fitness competitors. They have to work very hard and do very specific things to look the way they do. I'm proud of my strong quads and (almost) visible biceps.

-Eat protein after workouts and before heading out to "tempting" food situations. I'll sometimes have a protein shake before going to the bar or an event that will have lots of appetizers or food to "take the edge off" and help keep me full so I'm not tempted to snack.