Final pictures after 10 month on MFP

Dienade,

Great job! You seem pretty open so I hope you don't mind me asking this: How many calories does it suggest now for your maintenance? Do you think you'll stick with MFP for a long time from here, or do you think you'll try to stop logging after a while?

My maintenance calories are set at 1780 to stay where I am at 129 pounds. I will probably stick with MFP for awhile until I get used to eating 1780. I will stop weighing in for a month or so and see where I am, then eventually I will probably stop logging on MFP for a month or so and again, reevaluate where I am and if I am maintaining my weight. So, if in a few months I am sticking to my weight without MFP, I will truly have accomplished my goals!

Hope that helps!

That is amazing! You are such an inspiration! Congrats on the weight loss-- I would love to hear what contributed to your success!

For marinastanton and others who have asked how I lost the weight, here is a brief overview of what I did. :-)

My exercise plan evolved as I lost weight and got in better shape. But my philosophy stayed the same. I ate back most or all of my exercise calories, didn't cut out foods that I loved, just ate them less often and in smaller portions. I didn't worry about the whole break-down of fat calories/protein/carbs etc. I just watched the calories. I drank a ton of water! I allowed myself one "free" day per week where I could eat what I wanted but I didn't always use it. But it sure was nice to have if I needed it. I wanted this to be a life change not a diet so I didn't start anything I wasn't willing to stick with in the long haul. When I did use my "free" day, I almost always tried to make sure that it didn't put me over my WEEKLY calorie goal. If your free day consistently makes you go over your weekly goal, you won't lose weight because your free day negated the rest of the week.

My weight loss was rather erratic! I lost on average 1.5 pounds a week when I was losing the most, but 1.5 pounds did NOT come off every week. I would go for several weeks where I would lose nothing and even gain some and then suddenly I would drop 3-4 pounds in a matter of days. Then the cycle would start again. If I got stuck in a really bad plateau, I switched up what I ate, changed how I exercised and kept going.

My exercise when I started out was mostly walking or easy, short exercise videos. As I lost weight and got in better shape, I amped up the exercise. I exercised longer and harder and started using more advanced workouts. I discovered that circuit training videos were the best. You want to add the strength training to your routine. It definitely helps, especially as you get closer to your goal weight.

Using a heart rate monitor is HUGE in knowing how many calories your are actually burning! And I used a kitchen scale to measure my portions. I had no idea how SMALL a portion actually was sometimes!

So, in summary:,

--This should be a life change, NOT a diet. If you don't want to forever forgo sugar or chocolate or butter or whatever, don't completely cut it out now!

--Moderation is key!

--The other key is dedication! Don't stress or go overboard and eat only veggies etc unless that is how you want to live, but don't slack off and eat only junk either!

--Watch your weekly goals. They are more important than the daily ones. If you are under or right at your calories for the week you are good!

If anyone is interested in workout videos and want suggestions, let me know and I can tell you my favorites at different levels and why!

Good luck to everyone! If anyone has any other questions, feel free to message me. I am not an expert, but am always happy to help a fellow traveler on this weight loss journey in any way I can!

Breezy