Any 5'6-8" Ladies who started around 175 pounds and looking to/ have already lost 40 pounds?

I too started this morning. Would be great to make some friends in the same boat, I am hoping to lose 28lbs - this is my first time trying calorie counting!

I am just a smidge taller at 5'9, but I started at 174 and am down to 151 currently. The goal is probably about 135-140ish, depending on how I look.

So far, the one thing that has helped me is just having patience. I have been losing the weight relatively slowly in order to keep my sanity (started in May). My Fitbit has helped tremendously along with the challenges as well. Lately I have had to take it slower due to a concussion, but still truckin'. Feel free to add me if you would like.

Hey! Same situation as yours here! Started at 180, hoping to get down to 130, I've been on MFP for about a week. Last year I used the app for about 2 months and it really worked until a chain of stressful family events made me quit. Hope I do much better this time around, but to be honest I'm not so fixed on the numbers. I just want to be able to have better eating habits, move freely and be healthy. Currently I try to recover from ACL reconstruction( knee surgery) and losing weight through eexcersizing is quite a challenge for me:( so I hope that at least I do better with my eating choices! Let's do this!

Hi! I'm a 40 y/o 5'7" female who started at 174 in January 2014. I set my deficit to 500 calories per day. I weighed all my foods, and used a heart rate monitor to help figure out my calorie burn and I ate all my exercise calories. Most days that was around 1800 calories. I lost on average a pound a week - though most weeks the scale didn't budge for 2-3 weeks, then whoosh 2-3 pounds would drop. I didn't freak out, I trusted the numbers and was patient.

I tried to eat 80+ gr of protein a day to keep from losing too much muscle. I discovered it helped me not feel so 'munchy' all the time. I like my treats, so I ate a lot of fruits & veggies so I could fit in dessert, drinks, chips, etc. For me, if I eliminated them all together, I would feel too deprived and I never would have lasted. I know because that's the way I did it the other 10 times I was on this wagon and it never stuck. Figure out what works for you

When I was about 7 pounds from goal, I changed my deficit to 250. I hit my goal weight of 129 after 11 months. I upped my calories to maintenance. I knew pretty close what my maintenance calories would be, because followed the numbers all along. I gained about 2 pounds of water weight when I switched stopped eating at a deficit, which I expected. I have been maintaining almost 10 months now. I still weigh and log my foods. I still work out. I still weigh myself every morning. The only weight fluctuation I have is due to water weight.

I started Martial Arts with my kids a few months into my journey and I love it! I'm not very good, but I am learning a ton, and I love how strong my body is getting. We do a LOT of push-ups, which I have a love-hate relationship with. I hate doing them, but I love what they have done for my arms, shoulders, back & core. Find something you enjoy doing and get moving.

I highly recommend reading the posts in the getting started section found here:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10260517/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest

You ladies can do this! But a big part of it is a mental game. Keep your head in the game.

jos82 wrote: »

Same boat too, except I just had a baby and am breastfeeding so I'm always hungry & kind of can't limit calories too much

You can lose wieght while breastfeeding...most doctors recommend not going below 1800. Just watch your supply and keep your protien up and you will be fine

I'm 5'8, currently at 157lbs and looking to get to around 145 and a BF% of 18.

I've been eating clean and lifting weights for a couple of years now, but now that I'm putting on muscle as well the scales are not really my friend as they don't show you how hard you've really been working! I try and get my body fat percentage (BF%) checked every 4-6 weeks and that helps me stay on track.

Any new friends to help the motivation are welcomed! I love sharing recipes and workout tips and tricks, always willing try new things

I'm just under 5"8 and when I started, I was 176. (That went down to the 150's, then up to 186... rough time) but I'm now at 161 and looking to hit 140 as my final goal weight. All about eating as clean as possible but not going crazy with limiting myself.

Salsa180, I used to have a really hard time sustaining once I reached goal. This was a 2 part problem. 1) my approach to weight loss was too aggressive. I couldn't keep up what I was doing because I felt deprived all the time. 2) I saw my goal weight as the finish line. I just didn't want to go any more

This time around, I did things differently. I went at a much slower pace. It didn't matter how long it took me to reach goal weight, because that wasn't the finish line for me. The slower pace was what made it doable for me because I wasn't restricting too much. This is the biggest weight loss success for me EVER. Not just in pure pounds lost, but in the fact that I have kept if off for over 9 months, and can see myself doing this forever.

What makes it hard for you to keep the weight off once you get there? What are you going to do differently this time around?

So glad to know I'm in this with all of you. We are all fighting the same struggles. I'm a stress eater. I need help finding new ways to cope.

bethvanderwalker wrote: »

So glad to know I'm in this with all of you. We are all fighting the same struggles. I'm a stress eater. I need help finding new ways to cope.

I discovered I am a stress/comfort eater. At the end of the day when the kids are in bed and the to do list is put away, and I want to unwind the first thing I want to do is reach for comfort foods. I haven't tried to eliminate this entirely, but I have tried to moderate it a bit.

1) I am mindful of what I eat and how much. Every thing gets logged no matter how many calories in the red it puts me.

2) I save calories for the evening because I know I will want them. It's too much battle for me to fight that habit every. single. night. I can't live like that for the rest of my life. So I've compromised with something I can live with.

3) Skittles are my go-to because they give me a lot of crunch and chew and take me a long time to eat compared to other sugary treats. But some nights I want more. At these times I try to balance the junky snacks with healthy snacks. I tell myself to have a glass of water and an apple or yogurt before getting into the chips. I may still have chips, but usually half or less than what I would have had otherwise.

pita7317 wrote: »

I am 5'7 and started at 183lbs.
Met my goal of 137lbs March of this year. Currently 135.6lbs.
Been on MFP for the last two years.
Let's see, advice ?
Lifestyle change. Not a diet.
Patience.
Set small goals of weight loss not the overall number of lbs you want to lose.
Portion control. Weigh, measure all foods.
Limit carbs, processed foods, sodium.
Enjoy the journey ! Each single lb you lose.
And last. There will be days that you over eat. Never give up.

This is so inspirational as you are my exact height and starting weight so it's really encouraging to see that others have done it, so I can do it too. Thank you for sharing.

Blimey - 175lbs and losing 40lbs - I just want to get back there.......... its spot on BMI for me at 5' 8.5"

joanaliachristina wrote: »

Yes yes! I'm 5'7 and currently 167lbs (started at 183lbs), aiming for 130lbs. I was about 150lbs for the past few years, until I took a new medication and gained over 30lbs. Trying to lose that weight, and an additional 20lbs!

Lost the initial pounds by trying to cut down on carbs and calories, as well as NO LATE NIGHT EATING! Basically, I eat between 12pm and 8pm every day but this is a bit flexible either way. Also, a lot of green tea.

I did do cardio while on the medication but it made me gain more weight as I was gaining muscle and fat at the same time. Currently concentrating on eating less, but trying to get into weights and exercise again.

Any advice or suggestions much appreciated!

We can do this!

When you lose weight, you can expect to lose some of the muscle you gained along with the fat. You can lessen how much muscle you lose by making sure to eat plenty of protein each day - near 100 gr per day.

joyfuljoy65 wrote: »

Blimey - 175lbs and losing 40lbs - I just want to get back there.......... its spot on BMI for me at 5' 8.5"

I remember not being very vocal about my weight loss when I started. I couldn't tell them I felt fat and dumpy and unhealthy because I knew a lot of people who would be thrilled to get down to my starting weight. I didn't want them to think I used the same judgement on them I was using on myself. If 175 is your goal - then you give it your all, get down to 175 and rock it! 175 is a great goal for plenty of people.

5'5", 59 y/o, SW 183 in mid-April 2015, CW 136, GW 125-130. (That may sound low to some for my age, but skeletally speaking I have narrower hips/boyish shape, and literally no breasts because of breast cancer/bilateral mastectomies, so I need to set my targets accordingly). I'm also hypothyroid.

If you're committed to lose the weight, you can do it. Advice:

• Read the "stickies" (permanent top posts) in the "Getting Started" and "General Weight Loss" categories on the forum. Lots of good info there.
• Weigh your food, when you have control of it, in grams. It's easier than measuring (once you learn how - from the "stickies"!) and waaaaay more accurate than estimating. Packages lie enough to throw off your deficit materially.
• When unsure, pick a relatively higher-calorie entry from the database. There are some badly-lowballed ones in there for a lot of foods. This is annoying at first, but you'll soon have good entries in your recent foods for things you eat regularly.
• When you have a special occasion coming up, eat a little lighter & save up a few calories on the days leading up, to use on that special day. Or, eat at maintenance calories on a *truly* special day (like your anniversary, *not* like "Mondays are hard").
• Experiment to figure out which types of food are more satiating for you (protein? fiber-containing? high-volume/low-cal? etc.), and what distribution of calories through the day works best for you (small breakfast/lunch + big dinner? 5 small meals? 3 even-sized meals with or without smaller snacks between? etc.).
• Find a *fun* (for you) way to move & burn some calories. Some people call this "exercise". Pick your activities so you can call it "having a really good time".
• *Don't* try to emulate the stupid weight-loss TV shows. Lose at a sustainable, achievable, slow rate of speed. Losing half a pound a week is better than losing 5 in week 1, and gaining it back in weeks 2 & 3.
• Eat enough protein, and use your muscles so you don't lose any more of them than you have to.
• Don't freak out about day-to-day weight fluctuations. Look at the direction your weight is trending over a period of weeks.

You absolutely can do this.