How did you lose 100+?

I'm not quite at the hundred pound mark, but I've found balance, mixing it up, and staying focused are key. I tend to eat whatever I want - in moderation. I do eat fairly clean and healthy - so that helps. Go to meals - meat and veggies at dinner, tuna or chicken salad, and I eat more eggs than ever. Try 1 whole egg + 2 egg whites topped with a bit of salsa for a great breakfast. A scoop of pure protein powder in 8 oz of milk with a banana fills me up for hours - at minimal calories.

You can do this - take it slow so the weight comes off and stays off. Plan on an average of 1-2 pounds per week. If you look at this as a lifestyle and not a diet it helps soooooo much, because the focus is on how you feel vs. on what the scale says.

Good luck!

I did a high protein / moderate carb / moderate fat [self-made] program. In the beginning, when I was ~390lbs, I tried to hit certain numbers ..

50g fat (<20g sat)
150g-175g carbs (complex / veggie mainly)
250g protein

Now, in MFP .. I have my goals set to 20%Fat (still <20g sat) / 35% carbs / 45% protein.

* The main thing you need to keep in mind is that you will need to completely re-learn HOW and WHAT to eat ..Small, frequent meals (mine consisted of 6 meals @ about 350-450 calories each).
* Don't give up
* If your able .. 1 major thing I found that helped was .. buy new clothes EVERY TIME you can. If I could get into a new size, I would get rid of all the old clothes and buy new. Keep in mind, the more you have to loose, the faster it will come off .. so I would only by 2 pair of pants and 2-3 shirts. The reason was, I didn't have the "bigger" sizes to fall back on and I REFUSED to by bigger clothes. Find what works for you. Good luck in your journey!
* Exercise is important .. but be careful and chose low impact (walking) to start till you shed some weight and get built up and used to it
* Cheat meals / days are not "evil" .. but use them sparingly
* stay hydrated .. with WATER
* understand that you didn't put on the weight overnight and it won't come off overnight either. I started my journey in 10/2003 and it took me about 16 months to lose ~140lbs. I held that weight for years and then decided I wanted to lean out some more. Since 11/2010, I have dropped another ~50lbs.
* Don't starve yourself .. dropping your caloric intake to low will work against you.


just a few thoughts and suggestions.

Hello! I just hit 100 a few days ago, a little over a year from when I started. I didn't even really start a serious workout routine for the first six month or so, so a lot of it was really about food for me. I try to keep fat and sodium pretty low, and my protein and fiber higher (often higher than mfp's recommendations). I eat a lot of chicken, grains, vegetables like spinach, broccoli and peas, I put fruit on everything I can, and I try to eat foods that will fill me up. Oatmeal is great for that, it keeps me full all morning, even after a workout! I haven't officially cut anything out. I still have cheese and sweets and beer and all sorts of other things, just in moderation. I save my drinking for the weekend as much as I can (working at a bar doesn't always make that easy) and every so often give myself a day to indulge in whatever foods I've been craving. I don't have a set plan, I just try to stick to my calorie limits and enjoy what I eat.

You can do it!! Keep track of what's in your food, not just the food itself. Stay away from overprocessed foods with lots of sodium and/or preservatives. Eat as freshly as you can, try out new recipes and have fun with it! There's a lot you can do with healthy food. Good luck!

I started out journaling what I ate (not calorie counting though), added in more water with a minimum of 96 oz daily, focused on getting at least 5 fruits and veggies, ate whole grain foods, lean meats, lowfat dairies, etc.

Some of my go-to meals...
lower fat chicken and veggie alfredo over whole wheat pasta (This alfredo with added in sauteed veggies and chicken breast... http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/fettuccine-alfredo-lighter-recipe/62c764a3-491d-4239-bc7c-925cd8dbd713 )
chicken fajitas with whole wheat tortillas and 2% cheese
chicken stir-fry over brown rice
turkey burgers on whole grain buns
whole wheat spaghetti with lean meatballs (96% lean beef) and spaghetti sauce


Basically, I love taking recipes and "healthifying" them.

So much to learn from this post, thank you all, and congrats on such a great job...

I'm closing in on 100 lost. My go to meal is ground Turkey with Pico de gio some times I will add cottage cheese (little high in sodium) which only takes 5 mins to throw together. Its great for protein, low in fat and nice for vitamin C. Steamable vegtable packs are also pretty handy for the busy person. Great value does a tastey garden medley add ground Turkey and its a meal.

I have lost 133 pounds since September 2009. I did mine by working out 5-6 days a week, including resistance training and cardio and changing my diet some. I joined a gym in September 2009 and hired a personal trainer. He helped me with the exercise and the nutrition. I would try and keep my diet at 25% protein, 20% fat and the rest carbs. At first it was difficult for me to eat that much protein and I still have trouble sometimes. I didn't have to change too much, it was mostly portion control for me. I do eat a lot more vegetables and fruit now. Mostly because I get more volume for the calories. I tend to eat the same thing for breakfast (Special K, protein plus, skim milk and fruit) every day, lunch is a bagel thin with chicken, yogurt, cucumber slices, cherry tomatoes or green pepper slices. Dinner does vary. I eat a lot of chicken and pork tenderloin, with a salad and a vegetable. I also eat two or three snacks a day....not always healthy, but I try. I do sunflower seeds, yogurt, laughing cow cheese and crackers, fruit, or skinny cow ice cream. I didn't give up alcohol completely, but I try not to drink during the week. I do eat pizza, burgers, fries, etc....just not as often and not as much in one sitting. I have 5 pounds to go to get to my goal weight...been stuck here for about 8 months. I'm ok with that. I know what I am doing wrong (eating hasn't been as good and I had 6 weeks out of the gym with hip surgery earlier this year). I'll get there eventually, but I am pretty happy already

I'm not to 100 lbs...yet, but I do recommend finding a protein shake that you like. I love the syntrax nectar shakes. They have fruit based flavors (my favorites are strawberry kiwi and lemonade) and milk based flavors (vanilla bean torte is AWESOME)! They are only 90 cals and 21 g protein per serving.....and they taste good.

Good luck to you. There are so many people to learn from on this site. There are some that have great habits that haven't lost 100+ lbs too!

I have lost 93 lbs in 19 months. It has been a slow process with some weeks of no loss and others with a pleasant surprise. I have not lost more than 4 lbs ever and generally average .5-2 lb loss.

Things I have done-
1- eliminated diet pop, this was huge for me but helps me snack less
2- decreased my carbs, especially processed food
3-include lots of fruits and veggies every day.
4-drink lots of water, if you do 1 thing really increase your water, it flushes your system and has so many benefits, strive to drink 1/2 your weight a day in ounces
5- exercize, when I started I could only walk, now I bike, run, elipitcal, weight training
6-increased fiber, these foods keep you full longer and really satisfy but becareful, more fiber = increase need for more water
7- really listen to your own body, I don't stress about eating back calories or not, I really listen to my body sometimes I need more calories than others but I try to make them count water, nuts, protein shakes, protein/fiber bars, fruit, yogurt, etc...
8- reward my victories with clothes or other non-food items, buying a smaller size is so satisfying. I don't buy alot since I hope to always go down further but it is rewarding.

I started at a size 20 and now wear a solid 10 occasional 8. Remember you can do it and it will be the most rewarding thing you've ever done

Have faith