Those that have lost weight? how did u lose the first 20 pounds.. it just seems like such an impossible mission. I find just losing the first few pounds and getting the ball rolling is difficult.
Not that Im running a race.. but how can you lose 20 pounds the quickest?
Hi dream! I don't think it's about losing weight the quickest but losing and not gaining back.
With me, I had to stop complaining and saying I wanted to lose weight and just do it. I discovered a resolve in me that I didn't know that I had. My first month all I did was change my eating. I started eating more veggies, raw veggies, and not eating near as much sugar. I try to limit one treat a week. After the first initial month, I started working out.
I have achieved things that I didn't know I could ever do. I'm running in public for 30 minutes. I'm biking 20 miles easily.
I think the most important thing that I've learned to do during this process is truly love myself.
How long have you been losing weight? What are you currently doing?
I decided to do the South Beach Diet and that helped me get a lot of the cravings I was having out of the way! Even though it was very difficult. Now that I am almost halfway to my goal it seems like I cannot imagine having all that weight back on me again
I lost the first 20 the same as I lost the other 35. I did Weight Watchers, an at-home program based on my friend's past experience and knowledge. So basically just calorie counting. At the same time I started WW, I started walking, which, as the weight started to melt off, morphed into 5 mile runs five days a week.
I was eating so terribly before I first started that my body responded really well to just cutting down. I ate around 1300-1600, but now I find that 1300 is a bit too low.
Its soooo hard in the begining atleast it was for me.. its really hard to stick threw with it without losing pounds in the first 2 days lol But yeah once you got the hang of it the first 20 will just fall off :-D just by adding exercise and changing the way you eat.
I joined WW , and made sure i did somthing healthy every day, like take the stairs- i live on the 10th floor, or even cut it up, by doing pushups in the am, then weights at night. that way it didnt seems so bad.
My first ten have come off pretty quickly just changing my eating habits. I work at home on my computer and the exercise part of is being added in (a little too slowly!).
The problem I'm having now is that I expect to be losing more quickly since the first ten were so easy! I'm hovering this last week and its frustrating, but normal I know.
Im gonna try a low carb thing at first just to jump start the weight loss. I have lost 7 pounds by cutting down, no soda and adding exercise like 2 to 3 times a week.
I started writing down EVERYTHING that goes into my mouth. I'm counting calories, 1500 a day for me, and just doing that made me realize just how many calories were in all the 'just a few bites' I had every day.
For me the first 20 was determination. I had the mind set to change my life and better my health. 3 months and 27 lbs later...I couldn't say the same today. I hit a breaking point and started eating whatever I wanted. I felt good eating healthy...I think once you start and you feel the benefits...thats when the pounds drop. I'm doing it to feel good...
It's taken me since September to get that first 20 lbs. off. Nothing has just fallen off for me but that's in large part because of my ADD issues.
I finally decided it was time to get past my inner perfectionist- the one that tells me than anything less than 'perfect' is not good enough. The damaging voice that says a 1 lb. or even 1/2 lb. loss is so small as to not matter. The one that tells me despite all I know, I'll never be enough to pull this off. The voice that says unless I'm highly motivated and working my tail off at all times then I may as well do nothing. THAT voice. I told her to stuff it.
I decided to look at the equation totally differently. Instead I started to ask myself 'What's the LEAST I can do and still get a loss for the week?" That's my baseline- simple. When I'm feeling more motivated (like now) I work harder but when that emotion wanes, I've given myself permission to slow down or maintain.
Afterall, what's the hurry? It took years to put this on and I'm going to spend the rest of my life keeping it off. There is no finish line. So, I may as well move along at a slow but liveable pace because it's exactly what I'm always going to have to do from here on out. It's working. It is slow but it's working. I think sometimes we want to just hurry and get the weight off so we can go back to a 'normal' life. But this IS our new normal- make it one you can live with.
I am not quite down 20 but have lost 15 I started WW on Jan 5th Eating high fiber lots of water helps me a lot I have a good amount of lean protein too. I have along way to go so for me it is one meeting at a time.
It honestly took me a year to lose the first 20. A lot had to do with all the changes in my life (new job, moving, college, etc.) I suppose I could have lost it faster had I been counting calories (as I am now), but the biggest factor was learning how to make small changes in my eating habits. I did small things such as switching from creamy soups to broth based and pretzels instead of chips. I still have my garlic cheeseburger, but only once a month- so it's more of a treat. I also started walking, but not religiously. It seems now that my body craves that walk everyday- but it took a year or so to get here.
Last edited by QuadLuvinGurl; 02-11-2009 at 02:51 AM.
How did u lose the first 20 lbs?
