gle8442 Member

I have lost about 55 lbs in 9 months, about a pound a week after the first month... I think the main thing for me was the realization that it doesn't really matter if takes me six months, or a year, or even two years, to reach my goal weight, as long once I get there, I am able to stay there. So whatever I do to lose the…

I don't think motivation is all or nothing, something you either have or you don't. For me it's more like a battery that gets used up throughout the day and can get recharged too. I have to avoid things that will drain the battery quickly. I think those vary from person to person though! For me one thing that helps is to…

I have a friend from Tirana and this is always what she says about Albania... people just walk everywhere, no one thinks much about it but she gained weight once she moved to the US because she became so much less active (she lives in suburbia and hates driving, bad luck there!)

It actually helps me to hear you say that, because I am now 15 pounds from my goal weight and have been experiencing exactly the same... plateaus that last for weeks, even when I am logging diligently, followed by rapidly shedding 2-3lbs. i wish it was more linear but I feel better knowing that it's not just me!

Congratulations on all your progress so far, your story is very inspiring!

Congratulations! I used to live in Cameroon and I remember so well the chin chin, boiled groundnuts, koki beans, scotch eggs... so much good food! But it is also harder to count calories with so many foods are unlabeled. You look great, best of luck.

You grew a head! Just kidding, you look wonderful! Congratulations! A truly impressive accomplishment.

Love it! I have been doing a similar thing recently where I stand in front of a mirror, rotate around, and look for that tiny sliver of light. It's only barely there first thing in the morning when I'm totally dehydrated, but whatever, I'll take it!

First 20 took me 2 months, second 20 took me 4 months...

For most people, eating at a 1200 cal/day diet is tough. It is very hard to stay motivated to stick to so few calories unless you are getting constant positive feedback from the scale. But the scale will not give you positive feedback every day, or even every week or every two weeks, because the scale is evil! You have to…

Wow, you look amazing! You look great in purple (I love those pants in your current shot!) and also, you have beautiful hair. Good luck to you in this wonderful journey.

I was thinking the same... love that dress and I love that tattoo! You both look amazing and a lot of good advice for me to take to heart.

Wow, congratulations!! You look amazing. Also, when I started reading your post (without checking your profile first) I initially assumed you were in your 50s... then as I scrolled down I realized, no, maybe 40s... 30s... 20s... seriously, you get younger and younger looking in every shot. Seriously an inspiration!

I thought I had completely passed the age where guys would cat-call me on the street but nope, they are back again.

Yes, me too! I get very hangry at times, dieting me is definitely less pleasant than not-dieting me. I have also noticed that my PMS has gotten more dramatic, I am cranky pretty much the whole week leading up to my period.

Wow! I can absolutely related to all of that. Great success, great advice. Thank you so much for sharing.

I am really sorry for your loss, that is so sad.

I had only walked 4,000 steps today when I got home, but despite being tired and went to the park and made my 10k. Now I have my energy back again!

I am hungrier right before my period and I let myself eat an extra 250 calories/day or so to deal with it. I usually find exercise helps but I don't push myself as much on those days, either (when I do push myself I end up feeling the worse for it). I never lose the week before my period but as soon as it's over, I almost…

You look great!!! But I understand your pain, too. I've lost 45 lbs and I am at a normal weight for my height now, but I still look (and feel) fat. I look at photos of women who are my same height and weight, and they look much slimmer than me! Sometimes this bothers me a bit, but I also have to realize that we are all…

I am 5'7, SW 190 CW 145. I find a deficit of 500-700 calories/day to be pretty sustainable, I think 1000/day would be tough for me to maintain. That said, I think it's ok to play around with your deficit a bit until you find the level that is good for you.

This is how I feel too. My friends and family are great, and if I asked them for a pep talk, they would try to help me. But I don't usually do that, I like that they trust in me to do what's good for myself, and don't interfere too much. When I feel like I'm struggling, I am more likely to turn to MFP... some people will…

Yup, me too. I tend to be hungrier on days when I'm less busy, I guess that boredom makes me think more about food. Certain times of the month I'm always starving, but generally, whenever I start to think about food TOO much, I take it as a signal to up my calories for a few days.

Ok, this is just my personal experience, so I have no idea whether it would work for you or for anyone else, but, have you tried intermittent fasting? I went through a period of regular 5:2 dieting (i.e. eating 500 calories two days a week and eating without a deficit the other five) and I also did a period of 16:8 (eating…

No, the 1400-1500 is total calories eaten. I think without exercise I would burn about 1750 calories per day and usually exercise adds approximately 250 more.

I am about your age and height and have gone from 190 to 146 in the last six months. I average between 1400-1500 calories/day, my estimated TDEE is 2000, and so far I have been losing about a pound a week. So yes I think 1600/day sounds pretty reasonable, and assuming you are a little more active than me you will probably…

Also, your doctor sounds truly terrible, is there any way you can change to someone else?

You are retaining water, maybe because you are on your period or maybe because of your health problems. Don't worry about it, as long as you are still doing the right things your body fat is still decreasing and eventually you will see it again. Last month I gained 5 lbs for a week just because I spent a couple of days…

Don't worry, it just takes time. I think people also tend not to say anything unless they are really sure you have lost (otherwise it might be awkward!). No one at my job noticed until I had lost 40 lbs!

You look great! And I can guarantee you that people are noticing... probably just afraid to say anything :-)