60 lbs gone...15 more to go. Progress pics.

I had posted a topic before but can't get in to it to update in that thread. So here's a new post for those that wanted to stay updated with my progress.

34 years old, 5'-4.5" tall, started at 197 lbs in January 2011 (before pic below is me in August 2009 @ 185 lbs). Currently (April 2012) I am 137 lbs. 15 more lbs to go...maybe more, maybe less...depends how I feel.

Wow! You look absolutely gorgeous! That is awesome! I can't wait to be like you! I'm down a total of 40 (19 since joing MFP) and I'm on this huge workout and get hot kick. Any tips for me? I would appreciate them.

Way to go!

My two biggest tips that I tell everyone: track everything and be honest. Track food, exercise (MFP is wonderful for that) and track your mood, sleep patterns and stresses (did you know that you can add notes to both your food and exercises diaries? It's a great way to track the external factors in life that also contribute to weight loss/gain).

Honesty is huge. You can tell yourself and the world until you're blue in the face that you're being true and honest with your journalling. But you can't lie to the scale.

Great job on your progress so far - 31 lbs on your own is GREAT!!! You obviously have the drive and desire - just be sure to make the routine work FOR you. Push yourself but don't make the routine something that disrupts your life too much or it'll be too easy to faulter or burn out.

I was just wandering how many calories you took in. I am doing 1290 I am not sure if that is enough calories to lose on. You look GREAT! I can't wait until I reach my goal.

I posted this above in regards to my calories:

"My daily caloric goal was 1200 calories. I aimed to burn 500 calories through exercise. Most days I didn't eat those calories back but once in a while I would do a higher calorie day (but still burn those cals off). The high cal days aren't a free-for-all. They're nutrient packed foods like extra servings of chicken, brown rice, etc.

And just to compare, when I was on Weight Watchers, my "points" values for a 1200 calorie diet were right on par incase anyone's interested.

I believe my goal was set to 1.5 lbs per week and that's close to what I averaged.

Hope that helps. "

You really look great. What one tip would you suggest to those of us who have weight to loose yet?

Just one? Then I'd have to say "BE HONEST". Honest with yourself and your diaries.

I am just starting today. You are truly an inspiration! Great Job!!
I am concerned about flabby arms etc. Is there any way to prevent that?

Great job getting started on your journey!

In all honesty, my arms were probably one of the body parts I liked least mostly because they are hardest to hide in summer. No one *HAS* to walk around with a bare midriff and no one technically *HAS* to walk around with short sleeved shirts on but boy did I look foolish sweating my butt off in long sleeved shirts in the middle of July.

I would look in the mirror and stare in horror at my ginormous bat wing arms. They were so flabby and saggy underneath. I didn't think they'd ever shrink in size. When I first started in January of 2011 they measured approximately 13.5" around my bicep. Today, they measure at approximately 10.5". They're not all muscle...they're not toned as much as I'd like....the skin still sags underneath but not as much as before. They're definitely improved....definitely worth the hard work. I was willing to push myself as hard as I could and risk no changes than to sit idly by and wonder if it would even make a difference...cuz I knew for a fact that NOT trying definitely WOULDN'T change them.

In one of my previous posts I talked about spot reduction and how our bodies don't know where we want the fat to come off - it just comes off where it wants. But you can create the illusion of more sculpted limbs by tightening and toning the underlying muscle.

Best of luck - hope that helps!

How long did it took for you to lose 60lbs?
You look awsome by the way, unrecognizable!!:) Good for u

I started working out in January of 2011. I would go to the local fitness center and do classes that incorporated babies and strollers. I tried my best to go twice a week. Even though I was tracking on MFP, I wasn't really trying my hardest with food. I still indulged in way too many treats. I think I started around 197 lbs and then by June I joined Weight Watchers and weighed in at 183. So roughly 22 weeks to lose 14 lbs (0.63 lbs per week average).

When I first started WW, I was gung-ho to give'r my all. I lost about 9 lbs in my first month but then went on vacation and didn't really try all that hard to count points, calories, etc. I gained a couple back but by the beginning of September I was down to 170 lbs. So roughly 13 lbs in 13 weeks (1 lb per week avg).

Starting in September I made my workouts more intense and more frequent. Rather than treating myself once a week, I would only treat myself when I reached a specific numeric goal. I went from 170 lbs to 137 lbs in about 34 weeks. Still averaged about a pound a week but the smaller I got, the more I had to push to get the weight off. There were weeks that I lost, weeks I gained (though not many) and a week here and there where I stayed the same.

So in a nutshell it has taken me about 15 months to lose 60 lbs.

Hope that helps!

Wow, you look great! Please share your secret!!

Have a scroll through previous posts in this thread as I've posted some specific info on my routine.

Basically, calorie counting (or WW points tracking) and making sure I log everything I eat and everything I do on MFP. Being honest is a huge factor - you can't lie to the scale. A lot of people make their weight loss attempt and fool themselves into thinking that they're doing everything they possibly can but know in the back of their minds that there's room for improvement. You can say all you want, "I'm trying so hard and it's just not coming off" but unless you really, truly are trying 100% you won't get the results you want.

Anyway...that's been my experience. The weeks when I indulged in too many treats or slacked off on the workouts were the weeks that I either gained or didn't lose or lost very little. I never scratched my head to wonder why. I always knew.

Be honest with yourself and give it your all. That's my secret.