Any pictures, tips or sucess stories of women between 5' 7" and 5' 9 without weight loss surgery?

I'm 5'8. Starting weight below is 228. Two and a half years later at 188! I did it all through just changing my lifestyle. I used MFP on and off during the course of time. I am now extremely active (because I want to be) and eat completely different. I've lost some friends, but I've gained some amazing ones who support me. It has been quite the journey, but is has been so, so, so worth it!

My biggest tips are to be consistent and never give up. If you fall down, get back up. I also keep track of non-scale victories. From BMI and measurements to going down a jean size and 5k run times, etc. Also make a list of the reasons why you started this journey, it will come in handy in the future when you hit a wall or two (or twenty ) Best of luck!!!

I'm 5'7" and have gone from 200 pounds 1 year ago to 140 pounds today. It can be done! There are lots of lessons along the way, and you will relearn these lessons multiple times and at different weights.

1) Measure your body! Use the check-in feature here to measure your bust, waist, and hips. I update those figures every month or so, and I check in on my weight once a week (in the morning before breakfast). This is a great way to track progress and see your body change. You can go back into reports to see how you've changed over the last 3 months, 6 months, or year.

2) Measure your food! That one's a given, since you're here. Let's face it, estimation is hard. A measuring cup and a digital scale keep me honest.

3) Focus on eating good foods, not on avoiding bad foods. Dark leafy greens? Find recipes you like so you eat them every day or almost every day. Find vegetable-based recipes using super foods like cauliflower and kale and sweet potatoes (and always keep the skin on). Learn to think of fruit as a dessert. If you're just counting calories, you could be eating 1500 calories of garbage and think you're "passing the test" you've set up for yourself. While low calories will mean lower weight initially, you'll destroy your body if you still drink Diet Coke and eat Snickers bars, but just eat fewer of them. You need good food. The truth of it all is that you will be able to eat a lot of volume of good foods and still hit your calorie goals for the day.

4) Build muscle. And by this, I mean lift weights. 2-4 times per week. Buy a kettle bell or hand weights, find a beginner workout plan like Chris Powell's Total Body Transformation on Women's Health, and get to work. Muscle burns fat like crazy. Don't be afraid of bulking up! You'll slim down.

5) Eat enough! Some dieters don't eat a lot of food because they think they're not supposed to. Wrong. You destroy your metabolism that way. Eat enough food! Make sure those calories are nutrient rich and not empty. Also, this way you'll lose weight the right way -- slowly, and with time for your skin to adjust to the loss. Lose too quickly and you create a host of new problems for yourself.

6) Don't diet. Make lifestyle changes. Listen, I'm 140 pounds now because I changed the way I eat and exercise forever. I eventually kicked refined sugar out of my kitchen, gave up dairy and gluten 98% of the time, and learned to love vegan and Paleo cooking (and vegan and Paleo desserts like Chocolate-Covered Katie's homemade larabars). I like running now that my body can do it more easily without stressing out my joints. I can do it for hours. I love buying new clothes because, let's face it, clothing manufacturers make it really easy on you when you're a US size 2-4 and not a 12-14. More than any of that, though, I love how much better I feel in a healthy body.

7) Cook at home, learning about how food works and why it does what it does. Learn about macronutrients, that carbs give you a burst of energy right away for an hour or so, that proteins give you a moderate amount of energy for 3-4 hours, and that fats give you a low, stable energy for 5-6 hours. Eat a mixture of these for energy throughout the day. Swap over to mineral rich salt. Learn how to take any vegetable in the grocery store and turn it into something delicious. Cook at home where you can control the ingredients! The number one thing in common for people who lose weight? They cook at home most of the time.

Good luck!

I couldn't say it any better than rogotzke81. I would add that you need to find some sort of fitness activity you love doing. At 5'9", I started at my highest weight in March 2014 at 210 pounds and went on maintenance in October 2014 at 147 pounds. I believe maintenance has been easier because I have new fitness (rather than weight-loss) goals to focus on. I personally love building strength (through heavy lifting) and flexibility (through yoga). Even if you don't want to lift, you do need some strength training. Nerd Fitness has a great bodyweight program that anyone can do at home. Now onto pictures:

I started out at 194, and I weigh 146. No surgery. Slow weight loss, I started in July of 2013. Feel free to add me or message me!

I'm 5'8.5", 45 years old. Starting weight Jan 2012 was 245lbs, current weight 155, goal 135 (to be achieved in 2015). Starting body fat%, approx 33%-35%, currently 24.5%. Working toward 20% BF in 2015. Workout 5-6/week (3 weightlifting, 2-3 high endurance cardio).

I am 5'7. I started at 210-215 pound, didn't weigh myself that much so don't know exactly. I started September 24th, 2013 and lost weight through counting calories daily and exercising 5-6 X per week. I found a love of running and did that A LOT. I have got down to 128 in the past year and my happy weight is 135 (What I am in the pictures). I am back up to 153 after moving away from home but am working back towards 135!
here are some pictures