What are the 'real' stories behind the weightloss pictures

Enigmatica · July 2012

When I get curious about what's working for people I usually cruise around their diet and exercise diaries. If those are private I don't bother them. As for what worked for me: walking 90-180 minutes per day and learning to eat sensibly resulted in 90 pound loss over the course of 18 months. It was more a matter of persistence than any sort of major exertion. Within the past year I've started jogging and elliptical on a regular basis and re-lost an annoying 15 pounds I'd accumulated due to health problems last fall/winter. I love the foods I eat and the activities that are part of my daily life now. There is nothing stressful, difficult, or dramatic about it for me. It's just been a reboot of my approach to life.

Brandicaloriecountess · July 2012

I counted calories. For awhile social events centered around food went on the back burner. I didn't go out for dinner very often or lunch or drinks with friends. Or I would eat first and just get a diet soda. I planned my food for the day every day and stuck with it.

I found food I like that is low calorie and kept me satisfied.

I started by walking my dog, playing wii fit and doing a few minutes a night on a little stair stepper I bought @ Target for $75.

Eventually I started using the gym and doing elliptical and treadmill and some weights (machines)

Next I found workout classes, I did Zumba first and liked it, then I took salsa lessons, started Jazzercise which is a great workout and finally boot camp. I found all of these on Living Social or Groupon.

I did C25k, and I still run 1-2 times a week and do 5ks whenever I can.

I do not "go to the gym" but all of my workout classes do strength plus cardio, I want to get more into weights so I will soon.

It just needs to become what you do and eventually the rest happens on its own.

cloveraz · July 2012

I had just gotten sick of feeling crappy all the time. I went to meet a dietitian and she suggested, that I use myfitnesspal. Logging in daily has kept me motivated and held me accountable. It has been hard work. But, the thing I've learned the most about this journey, is being honest with myself. There are going to be days, where I still might have that Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich, or I might not go to the gym for a week, because I'm just exhausted. But, I will still log it. Like others have mentioned, it isn't a diet for me, it truly is a lifestyle change. For me, it isn't even about losing the weight anymore. It is really hard to explain, but it for me it feels like this is the aspect of my life, that i am in complete and utter control. I like that feeling...:drinker:

soul_sista88 · July 2012

I still have a very long way to go, but in two months I have loss almost 30 lbs. I drink only water. I try to walk Monday through Saturday for 30 mins with a little jogging. After that, I walk up and down my porch steps until the end of a song usually about 7 mins. I eat breakfast , snack about 11:15 at work, lunch 1:45, snack 4:00. I go to the gym afterwards and ride the stationary bike for an hour or more until aerobics class. That class lasts for 45 mins and then I go to zumba which is also 45 mins. At home I have dinner and try to do about 250+ crunches. All of this I do Monday through Wednesday. The rest of the week I do some YouTube zumba, 30 day shred, or tae no. Sunday is my lightest day. I try to avoid fast food. If I do go there, I ask for no cheese and mayo. I try to cook more at home. I find recipes on sites such as skinnytaste.com. I incorporate a lot of fresh spinach, zucchini , and squash . If you want you can add me as a friend to look at my diary.

DaveRCF · July 2012

Great question. I think the big thing is that you need to have the rest of your life pretty well sorted to tackle the sort of weight loss program you are on. For many, gaining weight isn't just about a sedentary lifestyle and bad food choices. Rather, people are trying to compensate for something else in their lives that they aren't entirely happy with. Whether that is a relationship, work stress, financial stress etc. So there are lots of great pieces of advice on how to do it but if it was just as simple as following a playbook, we would all be at our goal weight.

So try to reflect on the rest of your life first. You may decide that being overweight IS the thing that is making you eat more (i.e. not happy with your appearance) or you may find there is something else working against you in your life. Try to improve/fix those things and then when you feel you have made progress there, focus on losing the weight.

At the end of the day, losing weight is really a mind game.

jadedone · July 2012

Here is the short version.

I am currently trying to figure out what to change, as my loss has slowed, but I haven't gained either. I am in a plateau.

#1 rule: don't do more than you are willing to keep up forever!

Food:
1. Eat a lot more veggies. I try for about 3-4 servings at dinner (basically half of my plate will be veggies, and 2 different ones most of the time). This way, if I only have one at lunch, I don't feel bad and worry about getting my 5 a day.
2. Eat smaller servings of starches. I definitely don't want to go low carb. But I am back and forth on how much starch to eat. Right now I am limiting them at dinner. Since I can easily eat 2 cups of rice, I pay a lot more attention to serving sizes, and stick to about 1 cup of rice or pasta at a time. Couscous and quinoa, I can only eat about a half a cup, so these are great alternatives for me.
3. Eat more protein: this keeps you fuller. And well I like meat, so it is also good.
4. Find alternatives for "treats." I like dessert. And pastries. I try to limit them to about 2x a week. Not always successful, but it works well. I eat dessert every night. Usually fruit = yogurt or peanut butter and crackers. I save the cakes and cookies for the weekend. I also drink dessert teas. They feel like a treat, but are barely any calories.
5. Come up with healthy snacks you enjoy: I have dried fruit (tart cherries taste like fruit snacks!), nuts, cheese and crackers or fruit and yogurt
6. Have a serving of produce and protein at breakfast (keeps you full, and makes it easier to hit your targets for the rest of the day)
7. Drink mostly calorie free beverages. I like tea and water mostly. Diet soda is too artificial for me. But there is a lot of evidence it screws up your taste buds for sweet.
8. Limit added sugars. There is a ton of evidence that added sugars are bad for you. so I try to stick to unsweetened processed foods, cereals with the lowest sugar content, plain yogurt, and limited ketchup/BBQ sauce and packaged salad dressings. The good thing is, your taste for sweet will change completely. And you will like things that are less sweet. And you'll save calories too. Now a days, sweetened yogurt, in any form is too sweet for me. And I can't eat as much cake as I used to.

As for exercise?
I pretty much stick to 45-60 minutes for 4 days a week. I know this is a lot less than many people. The reason is, I won't be able to fit in more forever. So occasionally, I'll add an extra workout. But my weight loss to date is on the 4X a week plan.

Exercise rules:
1. Work hard and keep it challenging. If your workout is hard, then you don't need to do 2 hours. Try intervals or circuit training to keep the intensity up
2. Strength training is your BFF. Do body weight exercises, weight machines, free weights, everything. This will help you in daily life, and help you go harder. And of course increase your muscle tone. You don't have to do hours and hours. For basic health, try and hour a week.

And the basic tips:
1. use a tape measure
2. set non scale goals
3. set fitness goals: walk faster, run faster, run longer, get stronger, do more pushups. Anything you want. This helps keep you focused when the scale isn't moving
4. take pics along the way

veerichie · July 2012

I am still a work in progress but I have gotten most of the way to my goal. I have lost 121 lbs. Check it out:

Summer 2009. I weighed about 320-325 in these pictures and had already lost a good 15 or so lbs when they were taken.

February 2012

Here is the FULL story...

I've been overweight most of my life. I never cared enough to do anything about it because the way I looked was never a concern to me. In 2008 I bought the motorcycle you see me posing next to in my picture. My weight made riding problematic since I was a learner because it made the bike too top heavy to be able to master basic low speed maneuvers. That was my motivation.

It was ALL nutrition in the beginning. I did not do diddly squat for exercise at first. But I made massive changes to the way I ate. I did not count calories or macros. Here is what I did:

I drank only water.

I cooked all of my own meals. I didn't change WHAT I ate, but I stopped eating at fast food places and started preparing everything I could with low cal ingredients. Burgers were made with 93% lean beef, on whole grain buns, with low-fat cheese. Pastas were made with whole grain pasta, and I stuck to using sauces that were savory enough as-is (such as pesto) to not necessitate parmesan for flavoring. Burritos, same thing. I ate lots of chicken breast and egg whites and egg beaters. I also made certain to get more vegetables in my diet. The easiest way I found to do this was to add 1 cup of diced fresh spinach leaves to anything I cooked. The only stuff I gave up entirely was stuff that was too much of a pain to prepare at home in my own kitchen. I allowed myself one cheat meal every two weeks which was usually spent on going out to eat on payday.

I kept this up and got down to 275 lbs with no variation at all in what I was doing. At 275 I began incorporating regular exercise. I began by working out with a DVD that came free with a subscription to men's health magazine. It had four 15-20 minute workouts on it. The one I did the most was a dumbbell routine focusing on offset training. I alternated between working out with that and with the Shadow Boxer Knockout Body System for cardio, along with going over to my sister's house a few times a week to do her Leslie Sansone DVDs with her. I then got a membership at Planet Fitness and went 3x a week doing the circuit training workout they guide you through off in that corner followed by 20 minutes cardio on treadmills, usually intervals but sometimes I would do steady state instead.

After I'd lost 35 lbs doing that, I purchased a suspension trainer and working out with it at home using it and a jump rope has been my main source of exercise.

I also own a Tower 200 I purchased at the ~260 lb mark or so that I have been working out with intermittently over the years.

Wow. My jaw dropped when I saw your transformation. Your story is proof that with some effort and disciplined anyone really CAN do it! That is one thing that seems consistent when I read success stories. That phrase - "if I can do it I know you can do it too" and that's exactly how I feel about my transformation as well. Everyone just needs to realize that things need to be done gradually and then they need to remain consistent and it WILL work for them too.

mich1760 · July 2012

Thanks everyone for sharing.

Poorgirls_Diet · July 2012

it's not rocket science

people make it by consistently eating right, exercising and sticking on the goals.

there really is no trick to weight loss besides commitment to getting it done

I am obviously not stupid. However the reason I asked the question was to maybe get some hints and tips along the way. I have so far got quite a few and everyone has a different story to tell so we can learn from them

Poorgirls_Diet · July 2012

Great question. I think the big thing is that you need to have the rest of your life pretty well sorted to tackle the sort of weight loss program you are on. For many, gaining weight isn't just about a sedentary lifestyle and bad food choices. Rather, people are trying to compensate for something else in their lives that they aren't entirely happy with. Whether that is a relationship, work stress, financial stress etc. So there are lots of great pieces of advice on how to do it but if it was just as simple as following a playbook, we would all be at our goal weight.

So try to reflect on the rest of your life first. You may decide that being overweight IS the thing that is making you eat more (i.e. not happy with your appearance) or you may find there is something else working against you in your life. Try to improve/fix those things and then when you feel you have made progress there, focus on losing the weight.

At the end of the day, losing weight is really a mind game.

Thanks for this and you are right there is something going on behind closed doors. Cheers for the advice

Poorgirls_Diet · July 2012

Here is the short version.

I am currently trying to figure out what to change, as my loss has slowed, but I haven't gained either. I am in a plateau.

#1 rule: don't do more than you are willing to keep up forever!

Food:
1. Eat a lot more veggies. I try for about 3-4 servings at dinner (basically half of my plate will be veggies, and 2 different ones most of the time). This way, if I only have one at lunch, I don't feel bad and worry about getting my 5 a day.
2. Eat smaller servings of starches. I definitely don't want to go low carb. But I am back and forth on how much starch to eat. Right now I am limiting them at dinner. Since I can easily eat 2 cups of rice, I pay a lot more attention to serving sizes, and stick to about 1 cup of rice or pasta at a time. Couscous and quinoa, I can only eat about a half a cup, so these are great alternatives for me.
3. Eat more protein: this keeps you fuller. And well I like meat, so it is also good.
4. Find alternatives for "treats." I like dessert. And pastries. I try to limit them to about 2x a week. Not always successful, but it works well. I eat dessert every night. Usually fruit = yogurt or peanut butter and crackers. I save the cakes and cookies for the weekend. I also drink dessert teas. They feel like a treat, but are barely any calories.
5. Come up with healthy snacks you enjoy: I have dried fruit (tart cherries taste like fruit snacks!), nuts, cheese and crackers or fruit and yogurt
6. Have a serving of produce and protein at breakfast (keeps you full, and makes it easier to hit your targets for the rest of the day)
7. Drink mostly calorie free beverages. I like tea and water mostly. Diet soda is too artificial for me. But there is a lot of evidence it screws up your taste buds for sweet.
8. Limit added sugars. There is a ton of evidence that added sugars are bad for you. so I try to stick to unsweetened processed foods, cereals with the lowest sugar content, plain yogurt, and limited ketchup/BBQ sauce and packaged salad dressings. The good thing is, your taste for sweet will change completely. And you will like things that are less sweet. And you'll save calories too. Now a days, sweetened yogurt, in any form is too sweet for me. And I can't eat as much cake as I used to.

As for exercise?
I pretty much stick to 45-60 minutes for 4 days a week. I know this is a lot less than many people. The reason is, I won't be able to fit in more forever. So occasionally, I'll add an extra workout. But my weight loss to date is on the 4X a week plan.

Exercise rules:
1. Work hard and keep it challenging. If your workout is hard, then you don't need to do 2 hours. Try intervals or circuit training to keep the intensity up
2. Strength training is your BFF. Do body weight exercises, weight machines, free weights, everything. This will help you in daily life, and help you go harder. And of course increase your muscle tone. You don't have to do hours and hours. For basic health, try and hour a week.

And the basic tips:
1. use a tape measure
2. set non scale goals
3. set fitness goals: walk faster, run faster, run longer, get stronger, do more pushups. Anything you want. This helps keep you focused when the scale isn't moving
4. take pics along the way

Thanks for this I am taking notes!!

kenny_johnson · July 2012

I'm not even half-way there yet, but my "plan" has been pretty simple. I log my food and hit my calorie goals every day. I think I may have had only 1 day that I was over my allocated calories. I don't eat back all my exercise calories, but I do eat some of them back. I average about a 3 lb a week loss. I'm on track for losing about an average of 1% of my body weight a week.

I was exercising 6 days a week (video and walking), but have had to only walk these last couple weeks due to a medical issue. But I usually walk for about an hour a day (split into about three 20-minute walks).

That's pretty much it. My diet has only changed by necessity. Meaning, I'm more likely to eat grilled chicken than fried chicken, because I'm less likely to hit my calorie goals with the calorie dense option. With that said, though... I still eat all the foods I used to. Last night we went to Red Robin and I had a double cheeseburger. But I had fruit instead of fries and had the 600 calorie burger instead of the 1,000 calorie one. But I eat pasta, pizza, enchiladas, hot dogs, etc. I just pay attention to portions and calories. If I we go to a Mexican place for lunch and I have 1000 calorie enchiladas, I have a lighter dinner.

That's worked for me. I may have to adjust over time. But for now, it's working.

TitanGM · July 2012

My turn:
I've always been out of shape since I was in 2th grade even though I loved physical activities. I was a very energetic kid, till I spent almost 2 months in hospital during my second grade for a serious kidney problem. From there on, I never was the same energetic kid I was, and I started getting heavier than normal.I was never a subject of interest for girls, and always was the last pick be that in sports or friendship/social activities etc. I used to get bullied a lot for my weight too, which caused me more trouble since I was engaged in fights often and either end up hurt badly, or hurt other kids. That affected me for many years to come, and always struggling over confidence issues. Though growing up I did a lot of improvements, I still had the weight problem and was never comfortable in my own skin. That was until last year in december when I decided to do something for that. I always had a very strong will which helped me to never succumb in self pity, and overcome many things that I used to think as impossible, and loosing the extra weight became my next target of choice. Once I set my mind to lose weight and be a fit guy, I had myself ferociously chasing after this goal. I wanted it so badly that I never skipped a minute in the gym wasting it. Of course I had to change my food habits, and my 'sweet tooth' preference needed to be tamed. I literally threw into the garbage all the sweets, vegetable oils, margarine, candies etc from my fridge and filled it up with raw food, veggies, meats, olive oil etc.. It was really hard at the beginning. It's like stopping a regular drug user to take the usual dose, but as I said before I always had a very strong will to reach the impossible if I had my mind set, so through difficult times, frustrations and struggles I had my first little victories. Waking up every morning feeling awesome; seeing my gut shrink each week; seeing my confidence spiking in new heights I've never seen before, being focused... and lastly being comfortable with my own body!
I can safely say that these last couple of months have changed me a lot as a physique, but most importantly as a person. I see the world and people with a new perspective. I don't see myself as a prey of insecurities anymore, but as a predator in chase of new height and success. Food is not my drug anymore, I've replaced it with achievements. The desire to succeed is my new drug. I've come far with my transformation, but that's not the end, it just mean that there are more ahead to come. Progression never ends. Power of will and determination is my fuel.

Poorgirls_Diet · July 2012

My turn:
I've always been out of shape since I was in 2th grade even though I loved physical activities. I was a very energetic kid, till I spent almost 2 months in hospital during my second grade for a serious kidney problem. From there on, I never was the same energetic kid I was, and I started getting heavier than normal.I was never a subject of interest for girls, and always was the last pick be that in sports or friendship/social activities etc. I used to get bullied a lot for my weight too, which caused me more trouble since I was engaged in fights often and either end up hurt badly, or hurt other kids. That affected me for many years to come, and always struggling over confidence issues. Though growing up I did a lot of improvements, I still had the weight problem and was never comfortable in my own skin. That was until last year in december when I decided to do something for that. I always had a very strong will which helped me to never succumb in self pity, and overcome many things that I used to think as impossible, and loosing the extra weight became my next target of choice. Once I set my mind to lose weight and be a fit guy, I had myself ferociously chasing after this goal. I wanted it so badly that I never skipped a minute in the gym wasting it. Of course I had to change my food habits, and my 'sweet tooth' preference needed to be tamed. I literally threw into the garbage all the sweets, vegetable oils, margarine, candies etc from my fridge and filled it up with raw food, veggies, meats, olive oil etc.. It was really hard at the beginning. It's like stopping a regular drug user to take the usual dose, but as I said before I always had a very strong will to reach the impossible if I had my mind set, so through difficult times, frustrations and struggles I had my first little victories. Waking up every morning feeling awesome; seeing my gut shrink each week; seeing my confidence spiking in new heights I've never seen before, being focused... and lastly being comfortable with my own body!
I can safely say that these last couple of months have changed me a lot as a physique, but most importantly as a person. I see the world and people with a new perspective. I don't see myself as a prey of insecurities anymore, but as a predator in chase of new height and success. Food is not my drug anymore, I've replaced it with achievements. The desire to succeed is my new drug. I've come far with my transformation, but that's not the end, it just mean that there are more ahead to come. Progression never ends. Power of will and determination is my fuel.

Wow you look great and thanks for sharing your story. I am glad that I made this thread as I have learnt so much now from the people that has shared. What I have realized is that I need to have a bit more get up and go. I want it badly enough so I should be prepared to put in the work too. I am not going to get thin over night. Seeing the stories here has been more inspirational to me than someone putting up a few pictures and not explaining anything.

Cheers everyone who replied and understood what I was after :drinker:

diver71_au · July 2012

I posted my story here ....... http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/656916-some-tips-may-or-may-not-help

relly1008 · July 2012

bump!!

Poorgirls_Diet · July 2012

bump - anyone else?

Tashymash · July 2012

What a fantastic thread!! Hope more people post

cristeberga · July 2012

My journey started around a year and a half ago but more seriously around a year ago. Everyone always asks "what are you doing!?" "How'd you do it?" The minute you try and tell them "I eat better and exercise" they shut down and don't want to hear anymore. Everyone wants the magic bullet or the super pill and not the truth.

This is so true about how people react to people losing weight. These people do not want to work hard - just a magic pill.

DeeDee2211 · July 2012

Thanks OP for asking this question. It is encouraging to see the weight loss pictures, but wow hearing the stories is really motivating!!! Thanks everyone for sharing!!!!

What are the 'real' stories behind the weightloss pictures

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