6 Months In, 22 kg (48.5 pounds) Down!

BritBoogaloo
BritBoogaloo Posts: 67 Member
edited November 26 in Success Stories
Hello all! Today is my 6 month MFP anniversary and so I thought I'd mark the occasion by sharing my progress photos.

My Stats:
Age: 32 years old
Height: 176 cm (5'9 in)
Starting weight: 97kg (214 pounds)
Current weight: 74.9kg (165 pounds)
Time taken: 6 months, from 1 May 2015 until 1 November 2015

I did it by shifting my mindset to stop trying to treat weight loss like a race. I focused on what I could do in the long term instead.

I ate between 1700 to 1850 calories a day. I ate lots and lots of protein and vegetables and limited (but did not completely cut out) my sugar intake.

I trained by jogging 5K three times a week and did an hour of heavy resistance training three times a week.

That's it! No magic tricks, no shortcuts. I just kept going and going, and now as I approach a new challenge (maintenance), I'll have to keep going some more!

Oh- and very importantly, I followed every single piece of advice vismal gave in his thread here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1276219/i-went-from-morbidly-obese-to-6-pack-abs-ask-me-anything

That man really knows what he's talking about!

Anyway, I'm super happy to be able to post a success story here, and I know that you can all do it too! :)

7yxaowiav5el.jpg

yv5kdiv68zmf.jpg
«1

Replies

  • CJsf1t
    CJsf1t Posts: 414 Member
    Awesome job! You look great! Thanks for all the info! I am at your start weight now. 165 is my goal too. Your success is inspiring :)
  • EdB9992015
    EdB9992015 Posts: 18 Member
    Great work, well done :)
  • priyaFitnessFreak
    priyaFitnessFreak Posts: 105 Member
    Congrats! That's a great success story!
  • Trishfitz78
    Trishfitz78 Posts: 69 Member
    Congratulations! Amazing result!
  • Syneea
    Syneea Posts: 451 Member
    Congratulations!! PHENOMENAL!! What resistance program did you use?! :smiley:
  • saraghali
    saraghali Posts: 63 Member
    Amazing...I can't believe you were 97kg. I am 180cm /97 kg and I look a way heavier:( can you please give me some tips?
  • BritBoogaloo
    BritBoogaloo Posts: 67 Member
    Thank you so much, everyone! :smiley:
    Syneea wrote: »
    Congratulations!! PHENOMENAL!! What resistance program did you use?! :smiley:

    I used a personal trainer because prior to 6 months ago, I had never lifted a dumbbell in my LIFE. I wanted to make sure my form was ok.

    Anyway, she put me on a program similar to ICF 5x5 I think, and I have been doing it with her for 6 months.

    The main thing I learned from doing weights for the first time is not to be afraid of lifting really heavy!
    CJsf1t wrote: »
    Awesome job! You look great! Thanks for all the info! I am at your start weight now. 165 is my goal too. Your success is inspiring :)

    Thanks so much, I'm really glad to hear that! The thing that surprised me was how quickly it came off- it didn't take as long as I thought it would! You can do it!
    saraghali wrote: »
    Amazing...I can't believe you were 97kg. I am 180cm /97 kg and I look a way heavier:( can you please give me some tips?

    A few people told me that and I think it's because I tend to carry my weight in my hips, legs and butt, not my stomach. So I can get away with being a bit heavier and not looking it (I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse!)

    The best tips I can give are these:
    - Don't deprive yourself of food. I lost all this eating 1700-1800 calories a day and I did it without feeling hungry. Weight loss is not about starving yourself!
    - Eat lots of protein and cut the sugar to help keep you fuller for longer.
    - When logging all your food, weigh EVERYTHING on a food scale and measure out all your condiments including sauces, oils, etc.
    - For me, getting into the exercise was all about creating a routine, so I made sure to get up at the same time each morning to exercise, whether it be cardio or weights.
    - Re liquids, drink water, black coffee or tea and limit soft drinks, juices and alcohol so you have more calories to play with for delicious, delicious food!
    - Take each day at a time and try not to think about how much you have to lose overall. It will happen, it's just about consistency and patience.

    Hopefully that helps!
  • rebeccaEsmith
    rebeccaEsmith Posts: 1,136 Member
    Congrats girl you look great
  • 1bellringer1
    1bellringer1 Posts: 55 Member
    Fantastic job, you look wonderful!
  • leecha2014
    leecha2014 Posts: 385 Member
    Amazing accomplishment ! I'm curious, are you somewhat active during the day? We have similar stats however I have an office job so I'm sedentary, I have 1200 cal per day which I never accomplish. It's bothering me, I really want to know if this should be my calorie target, your was 1700? That sounds a lot better. Did you eat at a deficit? Do you think the weight lifting made a big difference? Thanks :smile:
  • BritBoogaloo
    BritBoogaloo Posts: 67 Member
    leecha2014 wrote: »
    Amazing accomplishment ! I'm curious, are you somewhat active during the day? We have similar stats however I have an office job so I'm sedentary, I have 1200 cal per day which I never accomplish. It's bothering me, I really want to know if this should be my calorie target, your was 1700? That sounds a lot better. Did you eat at a deficit? Do you think the weight lifting made a big difference? Thanks :smile:

    I'm a lawyer, so I spend a lot of my working day sitting down in front of a desk or at court. I get my exercise done early in the morning at about 6am before work.

    What is your height and how much do you weigh? People always talk about 1200 cals being the magic number but unless you're tiny, it may be too low. If your stats are similar to mine, then I suggest giving my calorie range (1700-1850 l) a try. I just think of it like this: do it if you can handle it in the long term. If 1200 cals per day is something you can rarely accomplish, never mind in the long term, then it's probably too low for you. It's not a race!

    I did eat at a deficit of about 500 cals a day (but it's probably a bit higher than this because I don't log my exercise and I don't eat back my calories).

    Weight lifting made a huge difference, I think! Creating more muscle mass means that my body is burning calories at a high rate, even when I'm not exercising. It's pretty awesome!

  • jmperry18
    jmperry18 Posts: 34 Member
    Great job! You look great!
  • ImOneStepCloser
    ImOneStepCloser Posts: 334 Member
    edited November 2015
    saraghali wrote: »
    Amazing...I can't believe you were 97kg. I am 180cm /97 kg and I look a way heavier:( can you please give me some tips?

    A few people told me that and I think it's because I tend to carry my weight in my hips, legs and butt, not my stomach. So I can get away with being a bit heavier and not looking it (I don't know if that's a blessing or a curse!)

    The best tips I can give are these:
    - Don't deprive yourself of food. I lost all this eating 1700-1800 calories a day and I did it without feeling hungry. Weight loss is not about starving yourself!
    - Eat lots of protein and cut the sugar to help keep you fuller for longer.
    - When logging all your food, weigh EVERYTHING on a food scale and measure out all your condiments including sauces, oils, etc.
    - For me, getting into the exercise was all about creating a routine, so I made sure to get up at the same time each morning to exercise, whether it be cardio or weights.
    - Re liquids, drink water, black coffee or tea and limit soft drinks, juices and alcohol so you have more calories to play with for delicious, delicious food!
    - Take each day at a time and try not to think about how much you have to lose overall. It will happen, it's just about consistency and patience.

    Hopefully that helps!

    That does help us out a lot. many people talk about 1200 calories a day and when I try that I end up quitting. It is too hard to eat on a low calories!

  • ImOneStepCloser
    ImOneStepCloser Posts: 334 Member
    By the way, YOU LOOK GREAT!
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    Well done. I am giving you a big round of applause for losing your weight in such a healthy manner.
    Also, thank you for taking the time to share with others how you did it.

    Cheers, h.
  • Littlepeeper
    Littlepeeper Posts: 56 Member
    Great job! You look amazing.
  • agereaix
    agereaix Posts: 16 Member
    Great work! thank you for posting your results are so inspiring
  • parfia
    parfia Posts: 184 Member
    From your starting pic I would never have guessed you were over 200lbs - you look fabulous!! :)
  • BritBoogaloo
    BritBoogaloo Posts: 67 Member
    Thanks so much to everyone for your kind words and support! It really means a lot to me :smile:
  • Plump2FitPanaQT
    Plump2FitPanaQT Posts: 121 Member
    You look great!! So motivating!!
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
    giphy.gif

    Great job! I read that Vismal thread a lot, full of really good realistic weight loss information!
  • Watch_Me_Rise
    Watch_Me_Rise Posts: 301 Member
    So amazing!
  • erojoy
    erojoy Posts: 554 Member
    This is just awesome! Thank you for the realist approach: that it takes consistency and dedication. You are seriously amazing for sticking to something like that. I wish I was a better runner. Congrats! <3
  • leecha2014
    leecha2014 Posts: 385 Member
    BritBoogaloo wrote: »
    leecha2014 wrote: »
    Amazing accomplishment ! I'm curious, are you somewhat active during the day? We have similar stats however I have an office job so I'm sedentary, I have 1200 cal per day which I never accomplish. It's bothering me, I really want to know if this should be my calorie target, your was 1700? That sounds a lot better. Did you eat at a deficit? Do you think the weight lifting made a big difference? Thanks :smile:

    I'm a lawyer, so I spend a lot of my working day sitting down in front of a desk or at court. I get my exercise done early in the morning at about 6am before work.

    What is your height and how much do you weigh? People always talk about 1200 cals being the magic number but unless you're tiny, it may be too low. If your stats are similar to mine, then I suggest giving my calorie range (1700-1850 l) a try. I just think of it like this: do it if you can handle it in the long term. If 1200 cals per day is something you can rarely accomplish, never mind in the long term, then it's probably too low for you. It's not a race!

    I did eat at a deficit of about 500 cals a day (but it's probably a bit higher than this because I don't log my exercise and I don't eat back my calories).

    Weight lifting made a huge difference, I think! Creating more muscle mass means that my body is burning calories at a high rate, even when I'm not exercising. It's pretty awesome!

    Hi :)

    I am 5'9" and am 194lbs. My goal is to lose 2lb per week and being sedentary, mfp assigned me the magic number of 1200 :( I suppose it is a science and if I want to lose that amount per week, then that is the amount of calories. How much weight were you losing every week? Your results are so impressive for 6 months! I need to go back to Vismals thread. Did you weigh yourself weekly? Awesome job!
  • leecha2014
    leecha2014 Posts: 385 Member
    I'm also running 3x per week, I need to lift more however. You have really inspired me!
  • BritBoogaloo
    BritBoogaloo Posts: 67 Member
    Oh my gosh guys, I am feeling very overwhelmed by all your kind responses! Thank you so much!
    erojoy wrote: »
    I wish I was a better runner.

    Six months ago, I couldn't even run for 3 minutes without becoming exhausted!

    Have you tried a couch to 5K app? There are many around that are free to download, and I used one to improve my running when I first started. Even now, I'm still a fairly slow runner but I still keep chugging along!

    leecha2014 wrote: »

    Hi :)

    I am 5'9" and am 194lbs. My goal is to lose 2lb per week and being sedentary, mfp assigned me the magic number of 1200 :( I suppose it is a science and if I want to lose that amount per week, then that is the amount of calories. How much weight were you losing every week? Your results are so impressive for 6 months! I need to go back to Vismals thread. Did you weigh yourself weekly? Awesome job!

    I didn't (and still don't) have an end goal so I wanted to take my weight loss quite slowly so that I could sustain it in the long term. I read a lot of articles that said if you lose weight too quickly, you're more likely to gain it back. I was also worried that if I lost too quickly, it would be too hard for me to sustain and I would give up.

    With that in mind, I actually aimed to lose about .25-.5 kg a week (.75 to 1lb per week) and I thought it would take me about a year to lose all the weight. However, to my surprise I actually ended up losing the weight about twice as fast as I predicted. I think this is because I don't log my exercise on MFP and don't eat back exercise calories, so MFP didn't take account of that.

    I weighed myself weekly every Sunday, and the weight I lost varied from week to week. Some weeks I lost 2.5 kg (5 lbs), other weeks I didn't lose weight at all. Some weeks I even gained weight. But when I averaged it out, I think I lost weight at a rate of about 1kg (2lbs) per week, though that has slowed down now to about .5 kg (1lb) a week, now that I am almost at my goal weight.


  • PeachesNcreamgal
    PeachesNcreamgal Posts: 357 Member
    Awesome loss!! I got 25 kgs to lose :neutral:
  • Shrink84
    Shrink84 Posts: 12 Member
    You look amazing!!!!!!!! you have a great figure even at 97kgs your shape and height holds the extra weight well lucky you! I started at 97 kgs also currently 92.5kgs. I can't wait to be back in the 70's! well done :smile:
  • Brooklyn2Bmore
    Brooklyn2Bmore Posts: 8 Member
    Great job! What a success story! We have almost the same stats so this is a great inspiration for me!
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    Awesome job! You could have said this was a 1 year transformation and it would still be awesome! The fact that you did it in half that much time is fantastic. You look great! Keep up the hard work and you'll be able to achieve anything you want!
This discussion has been closed.

Categories

Do you Love MyFitnessPal? Have you crushed a goal or improved your life through better nutrition using MyFitnessPal?
Share your success and inspire others. Leave us a review on Apple Or Google Play stores!