Tell Me How You Did It!!

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Hello all!

I am just curious to know about all of you that have succeeded in you weight loss journey...HOW DID YOU DO IT!?! Could you tell me what kind of diet you stuck to, how much exercise you did and what exercises they were. Could you tell me how many calories you had to consume a day and how many calories you burned a day?! I am trying to figure out what is going to work for me, and what better way to find out what works..by asking all you MFP-ers!!! :):):) PLEASE SHARE YOUR SECRETS!!! Also, could you tell me your height!!!??? (Cause i am super short....5 foot even)

Replies

  • otm25
    otm25 Posts: 106 Member
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    I started February 2nd at 5'9 and 177.9lbs. I workout everyday for at least 30 minutes either on the Wii doing Just Dance 2 or on Wii Fit 2. I also do a calisthenics workout on my smartphone. Twice a week instead of my video game workout I meet with friends to walk around our local mall. I use cardiotrainer to log it and go about 4 mph pushing a stroller with a 3 and 5 year old for about 3 miles. Then we all eat our packed lunches at he food court. I ate between 1200 and 1500 calories, but usually on the shorter end. I have lost over 11% of my weight and exceeded all of my goals on here after being overweight for 90% of my life. I now stand proud at 154.3lbs. Now I am starting maintenance mode! Best of luck, everyone I have referred here has made a huge change and lost a ton of weight!
  • jpierce8806
    jpierce8806 Posts: 44
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    Kristin,

    I am 4' 11'....I work out for at least 30 mins 6 days a week....and I watch my calories.....I lost nearly 7 lbs my first week...my journey has been good so far! :) good luck to you!
  • DeadZip2010
    DeadZip2010 Posts: 111 Member
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    my wife read and stuck to the Women's Health Diet Book, it is a basic set of guidelines and reasons behind it's "No Diet Diet". it also has a workout plan in it. its a quick circuit workout, no longer than 20 minutes. she has lost almost 30 pounds doing that.

    i would say een if you dont stick to it 100%, which it talks about in the book only being super strick 90% of the time, it is a great read and has a lot of good info in it. you can order it from barnes and noble or maybe off amazon.
  • ejmcam
    ejmcam Posts: 533 Member
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    The best advice I can give you is to eat as clean and natural as possible. The less artificial things and preservatives you have in your diet, the easier it is for your body to process the foods. If your body processes it easier, there is less for your body to hold on to! I did that, I never feel deprived, my meals are yummy and its not a diet, its just a change in eating habits. That, along with increasing my exercise and avoiding sugar as much as possible helped me to lose 20 lbs since February!
  • cathiec13
    cathiec13 Posts: 3
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    Exercise and I really used this program.
    Portion size is huge. Also, I don't eat meat and that helps.
    I eat a lot of beans and tofu and fill up on veggies and fruits.

    You do have to cheat now and then but make it a "good" cheat.
    Really good dark chocolate has very few calories but fills a craving.

    I work out 3 days a week- Cardio Kickboxing.
    It burns up to 650 calories in a 1 hour class.
    I eat 1200 a day, but if I workout I can eat more.

    I'm 5'9"- I've lost 10 pounds and gone from size 10 to a 6 in 3 months.
    BUT- I'm really strict about my diet and excercise and using this program, everyday.

    Good luck!!
  • ejmcam
    ejmcam Posts: 533 Member
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    also, I eat anywhere from 1300 to 1500 calories a day and I dont eat back all of my exercise calories....I know some people say you have to, but I didnt and I was fine. I do eat some of them. I exercise and burn about 400-500 calories atleast 5 days a week.
  • heysix
    heysix Posts: 3 Member
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    I was hoping there were alot of responsies when I saw this, but am looking forward to reading other's replys. I am struggling. I know exersising makes a difference. When I first started I was in a 30day boot camp and lost about 5lbs in that time. the following month and a half since I've only lost about 1/2 a pound. I am starting another 30 day boot camp, but with someone else. Hopefully this time more weight will come off. Good luck!

    SW: 155.6
    CW: 149.4
    GW: 125
    5'0"
  • shtefie
    shtefie Posts: 32
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    Hello fellow pocket-sized MPF-er. I too am only 5ft!.

    I have lost 8lbs so far, and although I have not finished my journey yet, I feel like I have made a big step!

    I have not taken to 'healthy' eating particularly well! I eat all sorts of stuff I probably still shouldn't - it took me 5 minutes to devour a packet of fruit pastilles yesterday... and then another 10 to eat a second packet. And some days I go way under my calorie count (500 under today - it has been manic), and some days I go way over (typically saturday night when Dominos knocks on my door). But for me it's just a matter of knowing when it is time to have an apple, or a banana.

    With exercise I walk to and from the station, and then the other end to get to work. On Mondays I swim with a friend, she provides me with motivation to turn up! On Thursdays I do 45mins of Zumba with my Mum - which totally works for me. My instructor is mad, and any exercise where I finish and I'm still grinning suits me.

    I have lost weight by recognising I was going completely overboard, and reining it in. I couldn't live with deprevation. If I am to have any chance of living with this long term, I have to make it work for me, and that means making time for the naughty stuff.

    I wish you the best of luck on your journey!
  • bethdris
    bethdris Posts: 1,090 Member
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    I started March 13th of this year. My stats when I started : 5'9, 246.2 pounds.(YIKES) I work out 6x a week usually for an hour. It used to be on my elliptical, but it broke, so I walk A LOT with my kids/friend. I've lost 42+ pounds so far and feel great!

    My starting calorie intake given to me by MFP was 1570 a day. Now its down to 1370 and I don't usually eat that many. I don't eat back my work out calories as others on here do. I drink lots of water now! :)
  • eericson51
    eericson51 Posts: 57 Member
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    I'm really glad to see this post too! I am also getting frustrated as I see all of these people who lose 5-10 lbs in their first week and I have gained 1.8. I stick to a 1200-1300 calorie diet and workout 6 days a week (burning 400-600 calories a workout!). I just don't know what I'm doing wrong. I haven't lost inches either!
  • Wangenstein
    Wangenstein Posts: 31
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    Okay, let's see...

    First off, I'm a guy, but that shouldn't matter. I'm 5'7", looking to lose about 37 pounds. I've only been doing this for about three weeks, but I'm down 6.2 pounds so far.

    I get 1,720 calories per day in order to lose a pound per week. (I figure I can do at least that much; anything more is a bonus.) I've found that as far as eating goes, adding some fruits and vegetables to my daily routine has made a huge difference. I tend to graze in the evening, so having a pint of strawberries (110 calories), a banana (105 calories) or a navel orange (85 calories) instead is an excellent and filling substitute. (A refrigerated orange is amazingly satisfying. It's like dessert!) Heck, just realizing that I graze in the evening was a huge help. I was now aware of it, and so I could decide I wasn't really hungry (or make healthier choices in my snacking).

    As for exercise, I don't have the stamina to run or jog, but I can walk for days. I have a set course around our neighborhood where I know the distance (2.4 miles = ~240 calories, your calories may vary). Even better, I recently bought a treadmill, and INCLINE is where it's at. Each 1% of incline increases the calories burned by 10%, so a two mile walk at 5% (just 30 minutes at 4 miles per hour) burns 300 calories instead of 200! This way, you can burn 600+ calories in just an hour. I keep a good floor fan pointed at me to keep me comfortable and music, a book-on-tape, audio course or TV show on my iPod to keep me entertained.

    Also, use the internet to look up the calories in some of your favorite junk foods. That'll be an eye-opener for sure. It won't mean you can't have them, it just means you'll have to plan for them.

    On days where my calories are going to be close or over, I make sure I get some walk/treadmill time in to balance it out. You'll need to figure out what your weaknesses are (my big ones are evening grazing and soda), what you can substitute (fruits and ice water) and what kind of exercise you enjoy (walks and treadmill).

    Ultimately, there's no real secret. It's just calories in - calories out.

    (Oh, and if you do any kind of weight training, eat a banana about a couple of hours beforehand (or after, but I find before works best). It helps keep you from being painfully sore the next couple of days. Apparently, it has something to do with the potassium in the banana, so it's possible that other potassium-rich foods would also work. I just happen to like bananas.)

    Keep up the good work! You'll get there!

    SW: 197.4
    CW: 191.2
    GW: 160
    5'7"
  • wildon883r
    wildon883r Posts: 429 Member
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    My job is physical but i don't work out. I just started eating healthy and sensibly. I eat a serving size portion of this or that. I now have 1-2 slices of pizza instead of 4-6. I don't drink soda, eat candy or desserts. I've had like one piece of cake in 4 months. I don't eat chips, pretzels, bread anymore. My snacks are nuts, pistachio's. My motivation is that i've always considered myself different then everybody else. I didn't want to be just another one of those fat people in the USA and now i'm not. I'm 6 feet 1 inches wearing 32 inch waist jeans i used to be 40-42. Best of Luck!
  • d_smith85
    d_smith85 Posts: 94
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    Helllou! I'm Danielle, 25 years old 5'6"

    My highest recorded weight was 247lbs, I gradually lost my first 50lbs over a period of a couple of years, with Weight Watchers, and using Biggest Loser and Jillian Michaels DVD's. I wasn't "commited" until just this past new years. I don't know what happened but a switch went off in my head. I started actually making better choices, rather then just restricting calories. I cut out alchohol, for the most part. I started eating mostly fresh fruits and vegetables, I watch my sodium intake and make sure I get at least 20 grams of fiber a day. Even if that means I have to take a supplement, for those times we don't have any good food in the house. I started in January doing a program called "Slim in 6" when I was finished that I did "Turbofire" and now I am starting "Insanity" I push myself really hard in my workouts and burn at least 2500 calories a week. Usually over 3000 but at LEAST 2500. I have MFP set at 1200 a day for calories now that I'm down to 156 and not too far from goal. I always eat more then 1200 a day, I just have it set that low so I HAVE to excersize. I eat back about 200-300 of my calories on average. Sometimes more, sometimes less. I'm really hoping to have the same sucess with the last 20lbs as I did with the first 90 lol
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