Question for those who have lost 100+ lbs
Replies
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DaniCanadian wrote: »Be careful with losing too much too fast. My mom started with needing to lose around 200 lbs. Shes lost 100 in 6 months with very sever food restrictions and low calories. Shes now experiencing gallstones and hair loss amongst other issues.
Best thing you can do is slow and steady. Set your goal for no more than 2 lbs per week, use a food scale to weight any food that's not a liquid, start moving more (walks, biking, swimming, whatever you enjoy). And finally, find foods you will still enjoy eating, for weight loss to be permanent you need to be able to make these changes for life.
Also, the initial probably half (ish) of your weight will come off fairly quick. The last half (ish) will be slower as your body adjusts to needing less calories.
Good luck, good on you for making the decision on losing weight! If you want a friend for support or encouragement feel free to add me :-)
I am doing it the right way with all the things you mentioned
Whenever I tried to do something extreme it lasted less than 24 hours lol. I haven't really changed any of the food I like to eat, other than eating a smaller portion and counting it. But I just decided to cut out chicken because it was the only type of "meat" I eat (I haven't eaten red meat in over 15 years). Now I can just tell people I'm pescatarian instead of..."I don't eat meat...except for chicken and fish...no, I don't eat turkey or any other birds either." Adding you as a friend
P.S. hope your mom is doing better now!2 -
About 100lbs lost (230+ to just under 130), though my situation is probably atypical:
- Between July(?)-November 6, 2013 I went from 230+ to 155lbs (75lb loss) secondary to undiagnosed type 1 diabetes. I was stupid, didn't think the weight loss was a big deal, and would not be typing this right now had I not gotten myself checked out when I did. I probably told this story a million times, but I ended up losing so much hair from my body being starved for so long that my hair stylist started to notice. She freaked out as she was cutting my hair that night, urged me to see a doctor ASAP, and I listened to her. My blood sugar was 570-something, and I was in DKA (and would have been dead within 24 hours had I not seen her that night).
- Between November-December 2013, I gained about 15lbs from starting insulin injections and getting myself out of that hot mess.
- January 2014-Now, I've went from about 170 to 130ish. Within the past year, I've probably lost about 10-15ish lbs, though now I am anticipating only losing 5-10 more pounds or simply maintaining where I am.
It'll be about 3 years of food logging on November 9th (the day I returned from the hospital after my diagnosis), and I haven't gained back the weight. I still haven't placed myself in "maintenance mode" yet (I currently have my calorie goal set to maintenance, and I try to leave about 250ish calories left over each day). I know I'll be logging for life, especially when MFP's the easiest way for me to calculate how much insulin I need to take per meal (I dose based off the carbs I consume).
Glad you're here to tell your story!0 -
Took me 13 months to lose 100#. Took me 4 years to lose 173#. I've kept it off and will continue to log my food because I can't be trusted to trust eyeballing portions and my hunger signals.
You gotta do what you gotta do! I am hoping I would have learned enough to be able to eyeball portions when I reach my goal weight (which will probably take 3 or so years).
Was the 13 months to lose 100lbs? the first 100lbs? And then 4 more years to lose the remaining? Were you taking it easier in the last 4 years or did your body just take a lot longer to lose the rest?0 -
I Lost around 190lb in just under 2 years and have been keeping most of it off for over 15 months. I just put around 7-8lb back and now happily maintain at around 147lb.
You can read my story here. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10108395/189lb-lost-20-months-had-open-heart-surgery-and-lost-t2-diabetes-some-pics-included#latest
Awesome! Going to read your story now.0 -
I lost 120# in 13 months, that was from September 2009-October 2010. Lost another 10-15 pounds by March 2011. I regained 25 pounds in 2013 and have been staying the same since then. Working on re-losing now. I still track although not as diligent as before. I wish I would have stopped myself before the 25 pound regain, but at least I stopped it.
Yes, at least you stopped. It took me over 80 lbs to stop lol.. You've done it before and you can do it again!0 -
It took me about 3.5 years to lose 115 pounds. It's the slowest I've ever lost weight but I've kept it off for almost 4 years. I fluctuate up and down within a 4-5 pound range which is fine with me. I'm not technically at goal or in maintenance as my goal is 18 pounds lighter than I am currently, but I'm not unhappy where I'm at so if I don't lose another pound ever, so be it.
It's not that losing weight slowly is a guarantee that you'll keep it off, but for me when I lost weight more quickly I was making more extreme changes I couldn't stick with long term. When I started losing this time I still ate plenty, more than 2000 calories a day for sure (though I was doing Weight Watchers at the time), I went out to eat, enjoyed my share of alcohol, and only went to the gym 3 times a week initially. I gradually worked out longer and harder and reduced my points/calories, but it was helpful to me to do it gradually.
I still track and probably always will. It's kind of just a habit at this point. I'm not super strict about it and I don't mind not tracking a day or meal or whatever here and there, and I estimate a decent amount, but I like generally writing down what I'm eating.
I'm planning to take a similar approach to yours. But I'm also hoping that I will be able to learn to eyeball portions when I'm in maintenance. Congrats on the loss!0 -
garethclement2009 wrote: »Questions for those who have lost 100+ lbs-
How long did it take you to lose that much weight?
Have you been able to keep it off? Do you still track your food daily even though you are at maintenance weight (assuming you are at your goal)?
Hi I've lost 100 pounds and I have 10 pounds to go for my target weight, it's taken me on an off around 2 years, stopping through holidays, injuries and illness. I've mainly kept it off, bar the illness which piled weight on, yes. I've tracked my weight every day. Any questions pop me a message
Awesome. You're so close!!0 -
Let me be your word of caution. I lost my 100lbs in much less than a year. More like 8-9 months. I gained back half very quickly once I couldn't keep up with my extreme methods any longer.
This time I'm doing it slow and adding strength training. Exercising for health not for extra calories to eat. Do it slow so it's for life!
That's what I'm planning to do, but also hoping that it will be a little bit quicker because I weigh so much currently. We can do it!0 -
FlakeyMusician wrote: »I'm at 111lbs lost. hit 100lbs on 4/24. Started the first of the year. So far so good. I still track my food daily, along with workouts. Not at maintenance weight yet, but I'm sure I'll continue to log everything. It's been a heckuva ride, that's for sure...
Am I reading this correctly? You lost nearly a pound a day? Or 6 a week? For 4 months?
Anyway op, I lost 140lb over 1.5 years. Been maintaining/very very slowly losing since January.
I still log every day. Not like it takes much time.
@FlakeyMusician mentioned that he weighed 400lbs and was prescribed a very low calorie diet so I'm assuming a doctor told him it was okay to do this?
Amazing, congrats! That's exactly how much I need to lose. Seems kind of fast to lose 140 lbs in 1.5 years? What kind of exercises did you do?0 -
twinkles2121 wrote: »I started in 2011. I'm 39lbs away from my goal (GW 130, SW 310(ish)) It may seem like a long time, but after losing so much, I would maintain for a few months, then start my deficit again, lose so much again, then maintain.
I logged daily for the first 100lbs, then started changing my habits, and making better choices. Honestly, that was a personal preference. Logging daily is not a hill I want to die on. When I said 'reach my goal' I didn't just mean my weight, but also being able to maintain a healthy weight without logging.
I usually only gain back at Christmas time, (mmmm cookies...) somewhere between 6-10lbs. not to much to re-lose
Whatever works for you! I am not planning to log forever either, but we'll see what happens. Congrats on the loss so far!1 -
rankinsect wrote: »Down around 110 lb since July of last year, so about 10 months. Starting weight was about 320.
Not on maintenance yet - going to lose at least another 35, then see where I go from there. Definitely plan to keep logging.
My main technique is prelogging, or reverse logging. I don't log what I eat, I eat what I logged. Every day I plan out my next day, and then I just eat what I planned. Works really well, super easy. I weigh out portions but don't correct my logs unless I'm off by a lot.
Amazing, keep it up! I also log a day in advance usually. I like to have a plan. Did you do anything else that helped other than prelogging?0 -
I lost 112 +/- over about 2 years. I'm certain I could have done it faster - however doing it relatively more slowly gave me time to really learn and get a handle on how things work best for me, and I feel pretty confident now that this weight loss is something I can sustain for a long, long time.
Congrats! I'm hoping for the same!0 -
abovethecity wrote: »I've lost around 171 lbs. in a little over 2 years (most of while on MFP, some of it not). I haven't really given too much thought about what my goal weight should be. I'm currently 185 lbs. I just want to be in a healthy weight range for my height and I've got a long way to go still, I guess.
I think once you feel comfortable with yourself you'll know when to stop 0 -
It took me 2 years to lose 100+ lbs. I still want to lose 5 more. I did it by logging everyday. I lost around 75+lbs 1.5 yrs in and hit a plateau. It was my fault because I starting eating more of what I wanted to. I also changed my workouts but didn't wear my HRM to track how many calories I was burning. So I sought out help from an online fitness coach. I lost 25 lbs with her. I'm still in weight loss mode tho. So I log what I eat. I need it to keep me on track.0
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Cutemesoon wrote: »It took me 2 years to lose 100+ lbs. I still want to lose 5 more. I did it by logging everyday. I lost around 75+lbs 1.5 yrs in and hit a plateau. It was my fault because I starting eating more of what I wanted to. I also changed my workouts but didn't wear my HRM to track how many calories I was burning. So I sought out help from an online fitness coach. I lost 25 lbs with her. I'm still in weight loss mode tho. So I log what I eat. I need it to keep me on track.
If you can lose 100 lbs you can lose the last 5 Which HRM do you use? I was thinking of getting one but afraid it won't fit me 
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Thanks for this question - it made my realize I've just lost 100 from my highest weight, but I did it over a very long time in small chunks - and different ways. That was not intentional- I kept waning to lose it all at 2lbs a week, I would end up losing a chunk, then get tired of trying and stop, gain some back some then try again. My highest was 330 - 22 year ago, way before MFP existed, took 5 years to get to 280, and immediately gained. Hung around 300 for several year. 9 years ago I got down to 275 and never went back over 300. Four years ago with MFP I ended up under 270 for a while, stopped logging and slowly drifted up again. In the last year I've lost over 45pounds, longest continuous loss I've ever had and am down to 227. Current goal is 220 - I remember the shock when my scale showed I was over that.
I've lost weight by several ways
.. counting calories and no exercise
.. only keeping fat consumption low
.. ignoring what I ate and hiking hills several times a week
.. accidently while doing a house renovation - on my feet moving all day for several weeks
.. counting calories and walking 8000 steps a day
.. currently I'm on a ketogenic diet for health reasons - the weight loss is a side-effect
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Thanks for this question - it made my realize I've just lost 100 from my highest weight, but I did it over a very long time in small chunks - and different ways. That was not intentional- I kept waning to lose it all at 2lbs a week, I would end up losing a chunk, then get tired of trying and stop, gain some back some then try again. My highest was 330 - 22 year ago, way before MFP existed, took 5 years to get to 280, and immediately gained. Hung around 300 for several year. 9 years ago I got down to 275 and never went back over 300. Four years ago with MFP I ended up under 270 for a while, stopped logging and slowly drifted up again. In the last year I've lost over 45pounds, longest continuous loss I've ever had and am down to 227. Current goal is 220 - I remember the shock when my scale showed I was over that.
I've lost weight by several ways
.. counting calories and no exercise
.. only keeping fat consumption low
.. ignoring what I ate and hiking hills several times a week
.. accidently while doing a house renovation - on my feet moving all day for several weeks
.. counting calories and walking 8000 steps a day
.. currently I'm on a ketogenic diet for health reasons - the weight loss is a side-effect
Thanks for sharing. Losing 100 lbs is no easy feat. You're almost there!0 -
I started 27 months ago and I have lost 136lbs so far, with only 2 more to my goal weight. The first 100lbs took 15 months, and another 12 months for the 36lbs. I have not taken any diet breaks along the way but I do take one day off every week and eat at maintenance calories since day one.
I found a way of eating that was sustainable for me and completely changed my lifestyle. Still losing so no, have not put any back on and will continue to log for the rest of my life. It takes me 5 minutes per day and is well worth it to keep the weight off in my opinion. I was morbidly obese for over 20+ years and other than childhood have never been at a healthy weight until now. There is no way I will ever go back to that and if logging is what I need to do than it is priority #1 to me.1 -
I'm down a bit over 120lbs over 9ish months. Still got a little ways to go to be somewhere I'd be comfortable staying. Tracking calories was by and far the greatest boon.
SW = 390.4 lbs. @ 9/24/2015
CW = 269.8 lbs. @ 5/27/2016
Height= 6'1"
I haven't been this light in probably around 20 years or so. The weight fell off a lot easier last year than it has so far this year. Though exercise is much easier this year. I think getting started and forming new healthy habits was the toughest part, and getting my mind right. Once that foundation is firmly in place, it's pretty easy to build on top of it.
I do now exercise regularly, but nothing really overly structured, though we did recently set up a power rack in the garage and I'm about three weeks into StrongLifts 5x5. Prior to that, most of my exercise was from riding a recumbent stationary bike in my basement, taking walks (and more recently jogging a bit), and swinging around some kettlebells.
Lots of great shares here!2 -
Took about 3 years with longish maintenance breaks every now and then.
Edit: to clarify, I lost about 105 pounds in about 3 years then regained some when I decided to let go to focus on quitting smoking (learned to never let go for whatever reason) now I'm back at 85 loss with about 70 to go.1 -
FlakeyMusician wrote: »I'm at 111lbs lost. hit 100lbs on 4/24. Started the first of the year. So far so good. I still track my food daily, along with workouts. Not at maintenance weight yet, but I'm sure I'll continue to log everything. It's been a heckuva ride, that's for sure...
Today is 5/27 and you lost 100 pounds between 1/1/16 ane 4/24/16 ... and another 11 pounds since 4/24/16. So ... how did you lose 25 pounds a month?
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Took me 13 months to lose 100#. Took me 4 years to lose 173#. I've kept it off and will continue to log my food because I can't be trusted to trust eyeballing portions and my hunger signals.
You gotta do what you gotta do! I am hoping I would have learned enough to be able to eyeball portions when I reach my goal weight (which will probably take 3 or so years).
Was the 13 months to lose 100lbs? the first 100lbs? And then 4 more years to lose the remaining? Were you taking it easier in the last 4 years or did your body just take a lot longer to lose the rest?
13 months to lose the first 100#. 2013-2015 I was dealing with not going down the ED (eating disorder) road, so I did sneaky eating and not logging a lot of things (no nutritional info = no calories, uh nope). I spent time listening to people telling me how to eat, aka the Naughty Foods Police (no "bad" carbs, no sweets/desserts, eat your body weight in protein, etc.), and not enough listening to myself. Had I had enough discipline, I'd have lost this weight a year or 2 earlier.0 -
I've lost just over 130 lbs. It has taken me 4 years to get to where I am.
2012: I was 260 lbs six weeks after my first c-section. I started working on my weight. I wasn't counting calories at the time; just being really restrictive. I was able to keep it up for several months, but that summer fell off track. The restrictions were just to hard for me to keep with. I maintained my loss until the holidays hit. I ended up gaining 20lbs back.
2013: I started using MFP in March 2013. Lurked in the forums for awhile which resulted in me getting my first Fitbit and a Food Scale. I went from 220 lbs - 170 lbs. In September, I found out I was pregnant with my second.
2014: At my 41 week appointment in May, 2 days before my second c-section, I was 212 lbs. I didn't start working out again until September, but started tracking my food again almost immediately. I was 159.6 lbs on Dec 31st.
2015: Started Stronglifts 5x5 in Feb. Ended up switching to Ice Cream Fitness 5x5 in April for the extra lifts. Hit my original goal weight on the scale in the first week of August and my trend weight was at my goal at the end of the month. I switched between maintaining and losing multiple times before the end of the year. I ended the year at 121.7 lbs (8.3 lbs under my original goal).
2016: Jan was a bad month which resulted in me gaining 2 lbs with trend weight predicting a continued gain of 1 lb per week. I fixed it in Feb. In March I maintained due to lax logging. In April I decided to switch to recomp for a while. I also started Strong Curves at the same time I switched to recomp.1 -
FlakeyMusician wrote: »I'm at 111lbs lost. hit 100lbs on 4/24. Started the first of the year. So far so good. I still track my food daily, along with workouts. Not at maintenance weight yet, but I'm sure I'll continue to log everything. It's been a heckuva ride, that's for sure...
Today is 5/27 and you lost 100 pounds between 1/1/16 ane 4/24/16 ... and another 11 pounds since 4/24/16. So ... how did you lose 25 pounds a month?
He says on page 1 that he started at 400# and when you're that fat, it's easy to lose 25# a month. He's also on a VLCD (supervised by a medical team/doctor I hope).1 -
I've lost 98 lbs in 14 months (but a total of about 150 from my highest), so it was an average rate of just under 2 lbs a week. Some weeks I would only lose 1 lbs, some weeks none, some weeks 2+ lbs, some weeks even had a gain... I exercised and counted calories (using a food scale) every day. No foods were off limits. I occasionally had fast food, pizza, soda, sweets, etc. but more minimally than before. I started slowly in the beginning, which I didn't really do on purpose, but it happened that way because I was slowly learning my best methods of losing the weight. I used an elliptical for 20-40 minutes, walked when I could, and did some lifting. As I lost, I progressed physically. I added more time on the elliptical, and more weight with my lifts. Towards the end, I admit, I became obsessed with hitting my goal and was using the elliptical for 2 hours, sometimes more, every day. Now I am maintaining, I still count calories, still weigh my food, but I do eat more. I use the elliptical for an hour 5 days a week, and I lift anywhere between 1-3 times a week. I am also more active outside of exercise, like going for walks at the park or around the neighborhood with my dog. I still enjoy junk food, but veggies and protein have become big staples of my diet now.0
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FlakeyMusician wrote: »I'm at 111lbs lost. hit 100lbs on 4/24. Started the first of the year. So far so good. I still track my food daily, along with workouts. Not at maintenance weight yet, but I'm sure I'll continue to log everything. It's been a heckuva ride, that's for sure...
Today is 5/27 and you lost 100 pounds between 1/1/16 ane 4/24/16 ... and another 11 pounds since 4/24/16. So ... how did you lose 25 pounds a month?
He says on page 1 that he started at 400# and when you're that fat, it's easy to lose 25# a month. He's also on a VLCD (supervised by a medical team/doctor I hope).
^^^ this0 -
I am down almost 107 and have 11 more remaining to go to goal. I was never in a big hurry to lose plus my metabolism moves at the pace of a snail, so it has taken me 4 years to get here. However, because it's taken so long, I'm pretty confident I can maintain, since I'm really basically doing that already! I absolutely still log everything I eat, every day and I plan to continue that habit for the rest of my life. It's too easy for me to fool myself into thinking that I didn't eat as much as I really did if I don't log and that behavior would quickly undo all the time and hard work I've put into losing the weight!0
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