Wow! :o Thank you all so much for your kind words and responses! I really appreciate it. It is so surreal to be seen as an inspiration. :hug: I'll definitely post more pictures, just got to sort through some of my old/new ones! :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by FoodObsessed
(Post 3481027)
What did you eat? Fruits and whole grains? Did you follow a particular diet?
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When I first started my lifestyle change, I honestly had no idea what the **** I was doing, I just knew that what I had been doing the first 21 years of my life wasn't working anymore and it was time to do something about it. So that's where coming to this forum became such an asset for my success! I began reading different blogs, reviews, articles and decided counting calories would be the best for me.
I ate roughly around 1200-1500 calories daily and never experienced a plateau. I was very fortunate that I lost the weight very quickly, and since this was my first REAL experience attempting to lose weight, I had not expectations that the weight would come off in the time that it did. As a poor college student I began changing my diet eating a lot more "diet" foods - lean cuisines, 100 calorie pks, etc. although I did definitely start to develop a preference for fruits & veggies that I had never really gone for before. Over time as I continued to educate myself I learned that I needed to fuel my body, and I now focus on whole foods, and lots of lean protein, veggies, & fruits. Staples in my everyday diet include Greek Yogurt, melon, apples, Baby Carrots, feta cheese, and my night time 'treat' is always no sugar added ice cream! :D
Quote:
Originally Posted by LaChicka
(Post 3481088)
Oh, forgot to ask. How did you deal with loose skin after the weight loss? Or is that something that just has to be dealt with? You don't look like there's any issues in your lovely pics, but one never knows.
Again, congrats on the achievements! :cheer2: :hug:
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Thanks LaChicka! I thankfully didn't have to deal with too much excess skin in comparison to what I thought I would be like at this point, and I'd like to think that strength training definitely came in to play! I've dealt with stretch marks ever since I was in the 5th grade, my stomach was/is the main location of my fat storage, so while it may I promised myself that I would wear a bikini this summer if I got down to this weight, and so I didn't let my deflated balloon stop me! ;)
I've debated posting this...but why not! (I took out my head and stuff for privacy reasons)
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g3...0/9ba2009f.jpg
So you can see that my stretch marks have faded a bit, but all things considered, I'm glad I didn't let my concerns of excess skin stop my progress!
Quote:
Originally Posted by anirak23
(Post 3481229)
Wow! You Look Great What An Inspiration I Know I Can Do It To I Just Need I Little Help. What Plan You Did?
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Calorie counting and lots of exercise! :)
Quote:
Originally Posted by tinycities
(Post 3481282)
This is incredible! You look absolutely amazing - well done! It's so inspiring to see how you've just made this happen for you so well, and seen it through from the start right through to your goal. This morning, I was feeling a little discouraged about losing my last 30lbs or so, thinking it would take me forever, but seeing your post and pictures, and the results you've achieved through hard work and moderation is really inspiring. Well done, and thank you for sharing :D
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Thanks so much! The last lbs to my initial May goal were definitely the hardest for me as well. You can do it!!!! :carrot:
Quote:
Originally Posted by better health3
(Post 3481645)
Fantastic work. Would you please state your exercise plan and how many times a week you exercised--when you first intially started to now?? On one of your posts I read that you worked up to walking 5 miles. How long did it take you to work up to that? Also, what were your calorie amounts per day or throughout your individualized program? How did you go from stringent caloric intake to moderation? Any tips would be helpful. Most importantly, what was it about "this time" that you made your efforts work for you--you did not quit and were clearly very sucessful this time, where your previous attempts failed?? Wishing you continued success.
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Excellent questions! I'll try to hit them all, but I apologize if anything is unclear! When I initially started I was WAY too embarassed to go to the gym or anything, so I would start by walking. I was going to school in Philadelphia at the time, so I'd pick a location on the map, and just keep walking until I got there and then turned around...I also would do Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred...once I finished that I then bought two more of her DVDs - No More Trouble Zones and Burn Fat Boost Metabolism....After I had lost around 20lbs and felt more comfortable I started heading to the gym, just experimenting with different machines, elliptical, recumbent bike, & stair master mostly, then towards the end of my loss I focused on running (now the most I've run at once is 10 miles!), but I highly suggest interval training , as it really seemed to work for me! Through out my journey I have worked out 5-6 days a week, with the rest days spread out, but now a days if I need to consecutive days off I try not to worry about it and LISTEN to my body when it needs rest!
For the walking I think it took me possibly 2 months to work up to the 5 miles, and then I didn't even attempt to start jogging till I was abot 3/4 done with my weight loss portion....I would go on my walks and then pick out different points during the walks that I would run....like to a street sign, fire hydrant, etc. If you had told me that I would have been able to consecutively run < 3 miles multiple times a week (as I do now) back when I started, I would never have believed you! It's just all about being motivated and pushing yourself.
When I was calorie counting I used the iTouch Lose It Application, so I relied on that to tell me the amount of calories I should have been eating in order to lose my desired amount of weight. I also plugged in my daily eats (ignored the exercise portion of the application since it created a deficit). I stopped calorie counting after the first month of maintenance, as I was concerned that I was getting TOO obsessive about every little calorie and I've learned that I will continue to discover my hunger cues and eat when I am hungry working on fueling my body vs. when I am bored. I've tried eating more intuitively now in maintenance with the occasional treat!
Lastly, this was my first real attempt at weight loss, my previous attempt was more like eating one meal a day, not knowing a thing about nutrition or calories, so going into it attempting to be educated on the subject this time around and realizing (although I'm sure I sound like a broken record at this point) that any change I made had to be one I could keep for life, otherwise the weight WILL come back! Having the college diploma motivation that I could envision daily during my workouts and anytime I was feeling like I wanted to quit was also a great push for me.
Phew...hope I answered any questions people may have had...feel free to ask more if you have any or if I was unclear about anything and I'll try to expand! :)
