[Trying my best]

Okay, I have another question... for those who did it without surgery... how did you do it? And how long did it take? Were you always overweight?

[thnknthin1]

Hi Trying! I started out by changing my eating habits and making healthier food choices January 2012. I slowly started incorporating walking into my routine. I then started doing low carb and that lasted for several more months until I fell off the bandwagon. I more or less took the summer off last year, gained back about 25lbs and re-started in October. I have been at it since and hoping to get to goal before the year is over!

[ChickieBoom]

Hey Trying...I wasn't always very overweight. I weighed about 150-155 until I was 26 or so and then started gaining massive amounts of weight.

I tried losing a few different times but finally committing to a low-carb diet has been the only thing that has worked for me long term. I have food allergies to peas, beans and cauliflour and now I tell myself that I have an allergy to sugar. I just don't know how to handle it so I avoid it.

Getting the majority of the weight off hasn't been that difficult but the closer I get to my goal weight, the harder I'm finding it to stay motivated. It's a process.

[Underwater]

I was always obese. I was definitely over 160 when I was 14 years old and it only got worse from there. At 18, I was over 200. By 27, I was 265 lbs.

I lost the first 40 lbs through modifying my diet on my own. I cut out all fried food and tried to eat a little as possible, but still satisfying my hunger. I always tried to eat slowly and end a meal when I felt "not hungry" rather than "full." I usually found 10-20 minutes later, I felt full anyway.

I plateaued out around 205 and started to gain a bit after 2 months. This is when I realized I needed help and signed up for weekly weight loss classes at my doctor's office. They do a very strict program called HMR and I started losing 2-3 lbs a week. I have since been on this plan for 17 weeks and have lost over 40 lbs.

I exercised on and off throughout my weight loss. Getting a work out in has always been a struggle for me but I try my best to do something active 3 times a week.

I started dieting on Christmas Day 2011 and hit 100 lbs lost on Memorial Day. So about 17 months.

[monmis12]

I wasn't always overweight. I was a scrawny little kid like my brothers up until my 5th grade summer. This was around the time we moved from a neighborhood where I had several good friends two hours away to a rural neighborhood with no girls my age. I think that had some to do with it. That and I think eating became my hobby(something to do)... Anyways, I lost some weight here and there... My highest weight was in college(think unlimited food in the cafeteria). When I graduated college, my mom had just started weight watchers and so I did too. I also had a major life change which I think helped forced some new habits. I moved cross country to another state and was basically on my own starting my first job. I created new habits such as exercise and with healthy eating. I would say it took me a year to lose 100 lbs and then 4-5 more months to lose the last 20 lbs. In the beginning, the weight fell off it seemed especially since I exercised. My exercise did begin as a 1/2 mile walk and then progressed to powerwalking 3 miles, running 3 miles, cycling 10 miles, to cycling 100 miles

I maintained this weight loss for 8 years!!!! 2 years ago I had to give up running(bad knees due to overtraining) and I finally added some variety in my very rigid way of eating. I didn't really eat my own birthday cake or a meal at Thanksgiving or Christmas. I incorporated a once a week splurge meal that became a splurge day which really was more like a binge in terms of the amount of food. I did maintain several good habits though which is why I only gained 30 lbs back. January 2nd I found my fitness pal(a way to track your calories) and have been using that. I am within 10 lbs of my goal weight. My knees do allow me to exercise! I can do cardio(kickboxing, elliptical, zumba, etc...) and I'm incorporated strength training. I am actually eating more than I did when I had restricted myself on WW and I also am eating lower carb(not no carb). I am getting enough healthy protien and fats which I didn't get on WW. I think WW is a great program and it was the way I worked it that lead to my struggles I did lose 120 lbs on it when I really didn't know I could lose any weight(had tried a lot of things). One thing I liked about WW is it didn't start you off at a very low points/low calorie since the number of points you use is based on your weight. I did learn healthy eating from WW but I didn't use the weekly points or exercise points in a way that allowed me to learn moderation(allowing myself a treat every now and then). I know that is built into WW, I just didn't learn that So, that is what I'm determined to learn as I lose these last 10 lbs and then hit maintenance.

[Hyacinth]

I was height-weight proportionate until I had a baby at age 20. I'd gone up 30 pounds with the pregnancy, and then added another 120 pounds over the next two decades. It took about a year to lose 98 pounds, have plateaued for about a year, and I still have 50 pounds to take off. (I told the how part of your question in my answer to the first thread).