I need some inspiraiton! Share your results!

[HappyGrape]

Share your results. What works for you? how much happier & healthier you feel now? What is your best advise? How long did it take you?

 

[5xdisneyfans]

Still a work in progress. Done many diets and been up and down my whole life. I have lost 36lbs since Jan. 1st using MFP and my fitbit. I have not missed a day of tracking my food or doing my walking schedule. I am at my half way point for the weight I want to be.

 

[HappyGrape]

Fantastic - well done!

 

[Kriii]

Lost around 40 pounds several years ago and have kept it off by tracking calories, exercise and eating a plant based vegan diet. I keep processed foods to a minimum and avoid chemicals and preservatives as much as possible. No dietary suffering here because I stick with foods that I enjoy. It also helps to plan a certain number of healthy splurges every week. The best advice I can give is that it is important to find a way of eating that is nutritionally sound and that you can live with long term. Also, if you cheat and overindulge do not give up. Just start fresh the next day!

 

[North of Mouse]

I agree with the pp about eating nutritional sound meals that you can live with. I'm so done with 'diets' and have realized that I have to eat as a way of life - not something I make myself do, then revert back to what may be 'normal' for me - doesn't keep the pounds off - also sets me up for 'yo-yo' dieting which can be harmful.

March of last year, I had a firm talk with myself LOL, and vowed no more diets - just becoming physically fit, a good weight for 'me', and 'living' that way.

I needed/wanted to lose 40 lbs. so put myself on an approx. 1,200 calories per day, and started exercising 4-5 times a week with Leslie Sansone dvd's. Reached 30 lb. loss after 6 mon. then decided to 'keep' it at that for awhile, then lose 10 more in the spring of this year.

Am happy to report that I 'have' kept it off, and about to start the other 10lb. loss. For maintenance, I was allowing approx. 1,500 cal. per day with a few splurges, but continuing the exercise.
Its a way of life for me now, and actually not that difficult. I don't have any 'off limit' foods as that's a sure way to make me crave it LOL, but I do figure everything in my total calories.

The exercises have revved my metabolism up a tad, so that helps some, but it's not near what it was several years ago even though I'm still very active - am 69 now.

Good luck to anyone wanting to lose as it's not easy, but it is very rewarding to lose it, then keep it off.

 

[randynmelissa1109]

I lost 40lbs and went from a size 10-12 to a size 2-4 by doing a sugar detox (candida diet). It's pretty strict but was very effective. I did that for about 3 weeks and then went dairy and gluten free for 4 months. It took me about 6 months to lose all the weight and have been keeping it off for 3 months now. Also tracked everything I ate on the Lose It! app. I did exercise some but I focused more on my eating and fueling my body with the right foods. While I was counting calories I was more importantly looking for whole foods and looking at the sugar content of everything. The candida diet changed my life for the better and it was one of the best health decisions I ever made! Did this just in time for my 30th birthday coming up.

 

[Zoesmama03]

Lost 30 in 2014 giving up soda and was also placed on Metformin because my fasting sugars were raising. I stalled because soda was really my only change that time. I did stints of food tracking but not consistently for long. 2015 I mostly lost and gained the same 10 pounds doing the same small spurts of food tracking(I use MyFitnessPal) and little to no exercise. Definitely lacked consistency.

This year I slowly started changes but was off and on until April 22 when I joined the gym my bff did. I'm down 6 lbs since then. The workouts 5-6 days a week kept me consistent with food tracking and I have been nearly losing 2 lbs a week. I walk the treadmill but occasionally switch up with the bike and then alternate arms/legs on strength routines. So far it's doing really well. I have A LOT to lose though I do want it to be sustainable routines that I can keep doing when I reach maintenance.

I also avoid lactose(dairy) and working at eliminating gluten. It really has helped some IBS like symptoms I was having. I've been getting chronic skin rash on the left side of my right hand between wrist and thumb. Its been annoying but I'm hoping getting gluten out will see that end.

 

[Klayfish]

Just browsing through the different sub-forums on this site and found this one. Just throwing my $.02 in.

My wife and I are both big into fitness and nutrition. My wife even more than me. First, the formula for losing weight, when you boil it down, is simple. Calories burned > calories in = weight loss. We also aren't believers in different trends or fad diets. If there are medical reasons why someone can't eat something, then that's different. Otherwise, the body needs a proper mix of proteins, good carbs and healthy fats. You of course can alter the ratio of each and have a low carb diet, as many do, but they don't get eliminated all together. Eat smart. Portion control, healthy food choices. It also doesn't mean you can't treat yourself. I still have a "cheat meal" once a week. But I have a solid, healthy and clean base of foods I eat.

I would also say fitness is a marathon, not a sprint. If someone is in poor physical condition, it probably didn't happen overnight, so the road to fitness won't be overnight either. Set more long term goals and use weekly markers to help track the progress toward that long term goal. Also, don't think that cardio is the answer to fitness. Doing pure cardio can tend to burn muscle, so while you may lose weight, you'll wind up with a high body fat %. Muscle burns a lot of calories, so adding muscle will naturally make you burn more calories. That doesn't mean you have to bulk up and be "ripped", that's a personal choice. But weight training should be an important part of fitness. You can include weight training without getting ripped if that's what you want.

The hardest part is getting started and just making it part of your daily routine. Once it's a normal part of life, it becomes very easy. Heck, today is Memorial Day, but we still went to the gym to workout, because it's part of our routine.

My wife is a wonderful success story. Before I met her, she said she always struggled with weight. Even in our early years of dating, she wasn't "obese", but carried extra weight. She has also given birth to our 3 wonderful kids, including a set of twins. About 10 years ago, she started taking control of her fitness. It started with classes at the local YMCA, but quickly turned into weightlifting and bodybuilding. She chose the path of getting ripped, but as I said, you can still be very fit if you don't want that much muscle. She's now preparing for her first bodybuilding competition this fall. My avatar picture shows her last summer, and she looks even better now. Here's a blown up version of that picture.

 

[DisMamma]

Share your results. What works for you? how much happier & healthier you feel now? What is your best advise? How long did it take you?

My journey has been slow but I've learned a lot over the past year! I have belonged to a gym, but fell off when our gym changed ownership. I am very busy with work and I am someone who feels guilty being at work for long hours and then not being home right away to help my husband and family with dinner and such. I am someone who loves my sweets and am always tired. I have wanted to lose weight and I know exercise and eating properly were key, I just wasn't motivated like you! My family is very active, so they were always there to help but they suggested I start with an at home program that didn't take up much time. I ultimately went with 21 Day Fix. I absolutely love the instructor Autumn! It is meant to be a 21 day thing, I still continue to do the workouts every week (not always every day) and walk when I can!

1 thing that was huge and can be a great motivator for you is that while I didn't get to workout every day, I still followed their container food portion method that you get with the program. All of my pants are 1 size too big now! All from portion control and knowing what types of food you need more of than others. I still get to have sweets and even still indulge a bit at bbq's or parties, but I am so much more aware of how much is too much on my plate. It was definitely an eye opener. I also feel that not knowing what to eat or what to cook could be really discouraging for someone on this journey. There are so many sites that offer suggestions and even this forum is great help! I also found that Autumn's cookbook Fixate is so great for inspiration and motivation- https://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_gear/fixate-cookbook-recipes.do Healthy food but still really good! Nutrition really needs to be focused on for you to even feel good while working out!

For right now, being down to a size 8 is great for me. I will continue with my healthy recipes, portion control, and exercising when I can but I already feel so great. Getting started really is the hardest part, but once you keep at it and even start seeing the slightest results, that will motivate yourself even more!

 

[HappyGrape]

Just browsing through the different sub-forums on this site and found this one. Just throwing my $.02 in.

My wife and I are both big into fitness and nutrition. My wife even more than me. First, the formula for losing weight, when you boil it down, is simple. Calories burned > calories in = weight loss. We also aren't believers in different trends or fad diets. If there are medical reasons why someone can't eat something, then that's different. Otherwise, the body needs a proper mix of proteins, good carbs and healthy fats. You of course can alter the ratio of each and have a low carb diet, as many do, but they don't get eliminated all together. Eat smart. Portion control, healthy food choices. It also doesn't mean you can't treat yourself. I still have a "cheat meal" once a week. But I have a solid, healthy and clean base of foods I eat.

I would also say fitness is a marathon, not a sprint. If someone is in poor physical condition, it probably didn't happen overnight, so the road to fitness won't be overnight either. Set more long term goals and use weekly markers to help track the progress toward that long term goal. Also, don't think that cardio is the answer to fitness. Doing pure cardio can tend to burn muscle, so while you may lose weight, you'll wind up with a high body fat %. Muscle burns a lot of calories, so adding muscle will naturally make you burn more calories. That doesn't mean you have to bulk up and be "ripped", that's a personal choice. But weight training should be an important part of fitness. You can include weight training without getting ripped if that's what you want.

The hardest part is getting started and just making it part of your daily routine. Once it's a normal part of life, it becomes very easy. Heck, today is Memorial Day, but we still went to the gym to workout, because it's part of our routine.

My wife is a wonderful success story. Before I met her, she said she always struggled with weight. Even in our early years of dating, she wasn't "obese", but carried extra weight. She has also given birth to our 3 wonderful kids, including a set of twins. About 10 years ago, she started taking control of her fitness. It started with classes at the local YMCA, but quickly turned into weightlifting and bodybuilding. She chose the path of getting ripped, but as I said, you can still be very fit if you don't want that much muscle. She's now preparing for her first bodybuilding competition this fall. My avatar picture shows her last summer, and she looks even better now. Here's a blown up version of that picture.

Your wife looks amazing! Whatever she is doing clearly works for her

 

[Zoesmama03]

Up to 10 lbs in 6 weeks. Yay!! Consistency is paying off. And the fact I got active with an accountability buddy(my best friend) is helping but even on the 2 days she can't make it because her SO gets off super late I still go one or both of those days alone with my treadmill playlist. HEHE I've always done well with gym memberships because if I'm paying I'm going. It's a year committment and I just hope I can keep the payments up for both my health and credit. I'm making sure it fits my budget because my health has become a priority for me.

It has been a slow journey over many many years for me too since my early teen years. When I'm consistent I lose. So I know the activity needs to be a permanent lifestyle on going. And I'm working on nutrition and cooking healthy whole foods so that when I do get to maintenance mode I can keep up that part of the lifestyle too. I have a family history full of diabetes and heart problems and the nutrition and active life will both help combat or lessen my risks more even if I never hit my ideal weight of 150. I'm not hung up on a number on scale though at all. I like lifting weights and if I weigh more but get trimmer and healthy that is goal.

 

[foxontherun15]

Since I started in August of 2013, I have lost 111 pounds (283 to 172) and have been working to lose more but I'm stuck right now!
Anywho, I started after a family trip to Disney and I was fed up with feeling uncomfortable on rides and being too hot. I heard that Disney did running events through the parks so that motivated me to start running. As a whole, my experience has been pretty good - I'm far more active than I used to be, I've lost weight, and I've even been able to stop taking my antidepressants!
It's been frustrating at times and the scale wouldn't budge, so I decided last year to stay in maintenance. I'm ready to start losing again. I have four more races scheduled for this year so I'm hoping to be down another 10 or 20 by the end of this year.

 

[jlnten17]

Just browsing through the different sub-forums on this site and found this one. Just throwing my $.02 in.

My wife and I are both big into fitness and nutrition. My wife even more than me. First, the formula for losing weight, when you boil it down, is simple. Calories burned > calories in = weight loss. We also aren't believers in different trends or fad diets. If there are medical reasons why someone can't eat something, then that's different. Otherwise, the body needs a proper mix of proteins, good carbs and healthy fats. You of course can alter the ratio of each and have a low carb diet, as many do, but they don't get eliminated all together. Eat smart. Portion control, healthy food choices. It also doesn't mean you can't treat yourself. I still have a "cheat meal" once a week. But I have a solid, healthy and clean base of foods I eat.

I would also say fitness is a marathon, not a sprint. If someone is in poor physical condition, it probably didn't happen overnight, so the road to fitness won't be overnight either. Set more long term goals and use weekly markers to help track the progress toward that long term goal. Also, don't think that cardio is the answer to fitness. Doing pure cardio can tend to burn muscle, so while you may lose weight, you'll wind up with a high body fat %. Muscle burns a lot of calories, so adding muscle will naturally make you burn more calories. That doesn't mean you have to bulk up and be "ripped", that's a personal choice. But weight training should be an important part of fitness. You can include weight training without getting ripped if that's what you want.

The hardest part is getting started and just making it part of your daily routine. Once it's a normal part of life, it becomes very easy. Heck, today is Memorial Day, but we still went to the gym to workout, because it's part of our routine.

My wife is a wonderful success story. Before I met her, she said she always struggled with weight. Even in our early years of dating, she wasn't "obese", but carried extra weight. She has also given birth to our 3 wonderful kids, including a set of twins. About 10 years ago, she started taking control of her fitness. It started with classes at the local YMCA, but quickly turned into weightlifting and bodybuilding. She chose the path of getting ripped, but as I said, you can still be very fit if you don't want that much muscle. She's now preparing for her first bodybuilding competition this fall. My avatar picture shows her last summer, and she looks even better now. Here's a blown up version of that picture.

Your wife has motivated me! Tell her i need her routine and diet plan asap I want to look that good after kids!

 

[CynJ]

Calorie counting actually works for me, it allows me to eat the things I enjoy (fruit, bread, etc) just in moderation. I've used the LoseIt app off and on the past couple of years and if I follow it, I really do lose weight. I just jump started myself back on it again and I was just bragging on Facebook that in the sixteen days I've been following it, I've lost 7lbs (and that's without adding any exercise into the mix).

I like to cook so that's a thing in my favor while dieting. Also I'm a pretty simple eater, not into fancy sauces, etc. so another plus. Because I am also a salt hawk (I try to stay around 1500mg per day) I do not eat most processed food which really helps when dieting.

 

[HappyGrape]

Actually I love calorie counting too. As you I find it allows me to balance things out. If I was planning eating 100% healthy it probably be ok without (but not sure if sustainable!!!). I don't. I like to be able to have little treat or glass of vino sometimes and still keep my balance looking good.

 

[IheartBroncos]

I started the Whole30 challenge on Aug 1. You are not supposed to weigh yourself until the very end, but I couldn't wait because I could feel my clothes were looser. I weighed myself on Day 10 and have lost 12 lbs. It hasn't been as tough as I thought it would be and I feel fantastic! So much more energy!

 

[HappyGrape]

I am over 10 kg lighter since I posted this discussion! And 1.7kg from my goal

obviously inspiration stories help