64 pounds in 6 months
 

Hello, I am a 25 year-old gal who has been overweight since the age of 15. I tried to lose weight over and over again-losing 15-30lbs to only gain it all back again. I felt bad about myself because I knew who I was and who I wanted to be but could never seem to get there. I was my own worst enemy. In spring of 2012 my sister-in-law took big steps to lose 25lbs. She did it with intensity and I was impressed as I had always tried a more gentle approach because deep down inside I did not think I could be successful. Watching her lose the weight inspired me so I signed up with a personal trainer. I truly did not know what kind of results I would get but I knew that if I was going to pay for a trainer I was going to commit 100%. The first day of my lifestyle change was Easter 2012. I sat there with my new choice of foods (lots of protein, veggies, and complex carbs) and knew that I had enough of the greasy foods, chocolate bunnies, and candy for a lifetime. Taking that leap on Easter gave me the momentum I needed. I just followed the plan-working out with Jason one day per week and doing 5 days of cardio (it is not that much money when you consider how many times per week you eat out or spend on extra food that is making you overweight).
It took me 5 months to hit my goal of 140lbs and then continued to lose a little more as my metabolism was running so high the weight loss wouldn’t stop. And then I decided to stay at my current weight range of 133-137lbs which took a total of 6 months. That’s 64 lbs in 6 months. At my highest (2011) I was 222lbs which is a total of 89lbs lost.

It is important to note that I did not deprive myself as my diet consists of very delicious healthy food with lots of veggies, egg whites, and spinach salads. Most of my food is prepared and I really enjoy it. Food is fuel for the body so I don’t mess around with “diet foods” that are processed and/or lack nutrition. It is not just about the calories rather what food does for your body.

I have taken up weightlifting as I love the intensity. I worked to maintain the muscle mass during my weight loss (because it is natural to lose fat and muscle during weight loss) and now I am building more muscle.

It is not a number on a scale or the number of calories I consume that has changed my life but a lifestyle that I love. I do not want to be skinny but rather I want my inner strength to be reflected on the outside.

I know that what I did is not for everyone and I don’t expect that it would work for everyone. Different strokes for different folks. It is through the weight loss support community that I arrived here so thank you.

Congratulations ! You are so wise to do this while you are young, it only gets harder as you get older.

you look so fit and fabulous! You have a really nice smile too. Congrats on the new healthy you

Fantastic!

You look healthy and beautiful...:)

:carrot: Wow you look amazing, like a totally different person even. But I think most of all your attitude is the most inspiring. I love that how you begin to love new healthy foods and want that new whole lifestyle.

Thanks for sharing!

Such a great transformation, well done on your dedication. You look fab!

That's AMAZING! You've definitely been my inspiration to head out on a run in a few minutes :) I'm your height, so I feel like I can relate.

You look amazing! Congrats!

Wow!! Amazing!!
 

I Love your Attitude!! :hug:
Thanks for sharing!!
This really motivated me to lose weight in a healthy way...:)

And yes!! You look BEAUTIFUL!!
*Like a princess doll*:love:
:woohoo::cheer2::celebrate:
Let's all :celebrate: for this Awesome achievement of yours!!

I'm your age and height! So inspiring thank you so much! Congrats!

Wow! You look amazing!!! Well done you! Congratulations on all your success!!!! :carrot: :carrot: :carrot:

Thank you all. I gained a lot of support and inspiration from these boards and I hope that I can encourage someone else. I never thought I could do it but once I committed, there was no turning back. YOU ARE CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING YOUR DREAMS!

Congrats!!!!!

You look amazing!

So your plan was 6 days a week gym and what kind of eating plan did you have? You mention veggies and egg whites, but did you count calories too?

My eating plan consisted of 5-6 meals per day. I focused on low-fat, high protein foods such as egg whites, chicken, and fish. My carbs were all complex carbs including whole wheat bread, oatmeal, barley, brown rice, & whole grain cereals. I ate a lot of green veggies and made my own low-calorie dressing from light miracle whip. I found healthy foods that I like and I stuck to it. Breakfast: carb and protein. Midmorning: protein snack. Lunch: carb, protein, and veggie. Midafternoon: protein snack. Dinner: veggie & protein. In the end I started adding in a protein snack before bed too. I ate roughly 1050-1250 calories and I truly did not feel hungry very often because I was eating so much volume.

Congrats, you look terrific!

Look at you hot stuff! You look so happy and glowy.

Congratulations on your success!

Inspiring. :) Congratulations!

:congrat: Good job!

wow this is really awesome you go girl. :)

You look amazing! Congratulations.

OMG OMG OMG OMG, YOU're sooooo beautiful now, absolutely gorgeous!!!

All I can say is wow. You are simply an inspiration. I am 23 and seeing how successful you have been definitely motivates me to keep pushing forward. You look incredible and you can see that your soul has brightened, I hope to have that some day soon as well :) Congratulations!

wow that's like at least 10lbs every month six months straight.
amazing! I wish I can manage 10lbs a month.
congrats!

You look a-MAZ-ing! Congratulations! I'm your height, so your journey hits home, thank you for sharing.

I'll +1 to others about "getting it done while you're young." -Which I would have probably scoffed at, in my 20's. But totally true, my metabolism markedly changed at 30 (I didn't have children until 31) -so GOOD FOR YOU and way to knock it out of the park!

Thanks again for posting!

Your radiant and resilient spirit shines strongly through in your words and pictures. Thank you for posting your story.

You look amazing well done!!!!

Congrats to you :)

Well done!! What a fab turnaround you've done... you'll be able to enjoy your success for the rest of your life.

Wow this is very inspiring! Congrats on your journey, your attitude is so inspiring and reminds me of the person I want to be when I get to my goal. I want to build muscle as well and lead a healthy and active lifestyle. Congrats!

:) congrats!

You look so good, I love how toned you are!

Thank you for sharing your story with us, you look wonderful!!

Congrats on your success! You look awesome!

YOU LOOK AMAZING. Congratulations!

You have given me so much strength to embark on my weight loss journey. My story is similar to yours. I've lost 20lbs only to gain in all back within 3 months without even realizing what I'd done. Also, 64llbs is exactly how much I'd like to lose. Thank you so much for being such a success!

I just wanted to ask, did you face any weight loss plateaus during the 6 months and how did you overcome it?

Congratulations! You look wonderful! :cheer2:

You look awesome. Smokin' hot.

If only I had done that before having kids.

You look so gorgeous! I hope that one day I find the strength, motivation and will, too. I am also about your height and age probably too, so this is all very inspiring! :)

If you think you can do it you can definitely achieved it.Congratulation on reaching your goal! You look so amazing!!