How long did it take you to get to your goal weight?

It is always difficult to make a lifestyle change and I am losing sight of my path. Beginning this journey, I wanted to lose 38-40 pounds and then maintain. I have only consciously started to make changes to my eating habits and exercise routines in September (2008). I seem to be maintaining half of my goal right now and am getting discouraged. I am happy to have lost 20 pounds, but I am not happy maintaining this. I need the other 20 to be gone as well. Do I need to make more extreme changes or is this something that takes years?

Please share your story, how much did you have to lose? how long did it take you to lose the weight? What did you do when your weight loss stopped/slowed/or showed signs of gaining it back?

Hello!

It's sometimes quiet here on the weekends--especially with a holiday coming.

You are normal weight now, according to the BMI chart, so trying to lose more is going to be hard. So, you'll need to think about why you want to lose that much more weight. You said 20 pounds, but if you're at 117 now, 20 pounds would put you under 100. Still OK according to BMI, but that doesn't take into consideration individual variations.

I would like to go below my current weight as well, but I haven't found the trick yet that will make that happen. I do think I would have to increase my exercise and be more consistent with restricting food intake--not necessarily lower the target, just be more consistent with staying there.

So for me it's a matter of what would I have to do and am I willing to do it. The answer may not be yes! Or it may be yes, but not right now. I've been at around this weight for a year and a half, more or less, and it's not bad to be here.

Jay

Well, part of the slowness is due to your height and lower weight. Us shorties just lose slower, and that's okay. With your current weight - losing is going to be very slow. I have been working on my last 10 pounds since August or so. Taking a long time. Lost 1/2 pound one week, 1 the next, gain back 1/2 pound. It's excruciatingly slow, but I also refuse to go to extremes. I already work out pretty hard with strength training and cardio, and I don't want my calories below 1400. So, I have to accept the slower rate of loss. However, I have noticed wonderful definition forming in my muscles and I have dropped a size - so even though the scale isn't moving fast, there is progress to be had.

You might want to take measurements so that you can realize all the changes that are happening in your body. The scale is only a weak tool at best to judge your health.

You want to lose 20 more pounds, eh? Yeah, those pounds are going to take their sweet lil' time, seeing a how you are already at a normal, healthy weight.

I lost 50 pounds in 6 months. The first month, I lost 13, then 7, then 10, then 10 more (ish), followed by 5 pounds per month after that. My initial goal weight was 135, but my ultimate goal was 125, since that is how much I weighed before ever being fat. The last 10 pounds were ones I really had to bust butt for. I also hit a plateau around 140 and almost considered trying to maintain there before quickly deciding against it, since it was not what I wanted.

I just kept reducing my calories further. I frequently only ate 1,200 calories a day (after starting from 1,800, then 1,700, 1,600, 1,500, etc) until I hit another plateau, then tried the tactic of shocking my metabolism by upping my calories to 1,600 one day, 1,500 the next, 1,400, 1,300, 1,200 and back up again. I also found that during those last stubborn pounds, I had to switch up my exercise and try some new things. You may have to do the same.

The weight is stubborn, but it WILL eventually come off Also, since your weight is lower, it will come off slower because you need less calories than a taller or heavier person.

I agree with the others. At your height and current weight, any further pounds lost will most likely be slow going.

I think in order for you to lose you'd have to be extremely consistient with your calories and your exercise. Extremely.

You mentioned in another thread that you were exercising 3 hours a week. That just may not be enough to create a calorie defiicit for you at this point. You may want to up the amount and the intensitiy.

Give us a peek into your current routine and maybe we can help you.

What kind of exercise are you doing? Cardio? Strength training? How many calories are you consuming? Are you consisitient with them? And how are your precentages? Carbs? Protien? You will most likely have to eat squeaky clean to get that scale moving downward. And then to STAY there.

I'm a little confused.

You say you've lost 20 lbs and your ticker shows you currently weigh 117 lbs. You say you want to lose 20 more, which would put you at 97 lbs, but you have your goal as 110 lbs.

At 97 lbs at 5'0", that puts your BMI in an unhealthy range. Your current weight of 117 puts your BMI right smack in the middle of a healthy range.

I don't think there are a lot of people here who are going to be willing to help you lose to an unhealthy amount of weight. And it's entirely possible that you are not going to be able to get to 97 lbs w/out being completely unhealthy - practically starving yourself.

Why do you want to weigh so little? I'm wondering if this is a case where you're not really unhappy with your weight, but you're unhappy with your body shape. It's entirely possible to be what people around here refer to as "skinny fat" ... i.e. at a reasonable weight but flabby and with an uncomfortable body shape because you're not fit.

Perhaps instead of looking at dieting more and losing more weight, you need to investigate exercising and building muscle to help you reshape your body.

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it took me almost exactly 1 year to lose 130 pounds. A good amount of it fell off quickly in the beginning, then evened out. When things would stall for a few weeks, i would re evaluate what i was eating and my workouts and go from there. I stopped losing weight in september and have maintained since then.

The last few pounds came off very slowly. The advice above is excellent. You will need to be POP consistently and exercise will need to be a priority.

In fact, you may just want to concentrate on eating clean and exercising and see where that takes you. You are at a healthy weight now, and adding in some weights/stretchie band routines could help change your shape, if not your weight.

As far as how long it took me, my goal story is linked below with all of the pertinent details.

According to the National Institutes of Health BMI Calculator, 97 pounds at 5 ft. 0 is still in the Normal BMI range. Just barely, but still in.

http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/

However, BMI is not individualized and doesn't take into consideration your body type, bone mass, muscle mass, and so on.

So--what is your goal, mermaid? Do you want to be fit and healthy or just smaller?

Jay

Huh. I guess a fraction of a point either way isn't really all that important.

Either way ... I suspect that it might be shape rather than weight that is the issue here?

I could be wrong!

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Thanks to everyone for all of their input!

fiberlover- I do need to invest in a measuring tape, because it would be good to figure out inches and track my body that way.

nightengaleshane- thanks for your story! You lost your weight quickly and you look so fit! I should try reducing my calories a bit more, as well as probably the ratio of what I am eating.

rockinrobin- how many hours of exercise do you recommend? My routine right now consists mostly of the 30 day shred video and a 10 minute ab workout. I'm having trouble figuring out what I can do at home. I am a summer person, and it is snowing here now. I like to swim, kayak, play beach volleyball, summer-type exercise. I don't have money for gym or exercise equipment. All I have is an exercise mat, 3 and 5 pound weights, the 30 day shred video and a small living room to do it in. Suggestions would be helpful! Food wise, I am consistent. I usually have 30% fat, 55% carb and 15% protein. I don't eat red meat and my breakfasts and lunches consist mostly of fruits and vegetables. Is there a different %-combination I should be aiming for?

Photochick- First, I don't want to lose an unhealthy amount of weight and therefore I am not asking people to willingly help me lose an unhealthy amount of weight. If you need clarification, from what I researched and the doctors I see regularly, 94.5 pounds is still considered healthy for my height. Just a few years ago, I weighed 98 pounds and I was healthy and happy. At this moment, I range between 117-119 pounds. I would like to reach 100 exactly, so I can try and maintain between 100-107 pounds. 110 pounds in my mini-goal. Many maintainers on this forum are under their goal weight. I never experienced weight gain before or the emotional consequences weight has, and this is my first time trying to lose weight.

Jessisaokay- You lost a lot of weight so quickly! congrats. I hope I can have as much success as you. I'm jealous but inspired. Please, share your secrets. Any tips on eating and exercising is always welcomed.

Countingdown- whats a stretchie band?

JayEll- I would like to be smaller, but mainly fit and healthy. I know I have these massive thighs that I won't be able to get rid of, but to firm them up would be great! I'm not entirely focused on what the scale says, my concern is more on toning up and visually looking smaller despite what the numbers say, but the two do go hand in hand for me in my experience.

Mermaid, I'm not an expert on any of this stuff, and I don't even play one on television . I do know for me and that's all that I can really speak for, I was doing close to 2 hours of exercise a day towards the end of the losing portion of my journey. And I never really hit a stall. Now I am the same height as you, but I haven't been able to, or I should say willing to go any lower in my weight then 122 lbs. I made it to 120 1/2, but I don't count that as it lasted literally one day. One day. And the reason I'm not willing to go lower is that I don't want to eat any less then I am and I don't want to exercise more. But I am quite thrilled with where I am, but of course I am coming from a totally different place then you are. I mean I was 287 lbs, size 26/28, so, ummm, yeah - 122 is just fine for me. I am wearing mostly size 2's. An occasional 4 and every now and then, according to the cut and manufacturer - a size 0. I wear XS and very often petites. So, I'm more then happy to stay at this weight.

Maybe you want to consider joining a gym, this way you don't have to rely on good weather. There's also some things you can do at home. I think Countingdown's suggestion of a stretchie band is a good one. It's inexpensive and can be done in your home. You can purchase one at a sporting goods store, probably a Target or a Wal-mart as well. A stretchie band is a form of strength training or muscle training. It will help you to gain that all important muscle. Having muscle will make you look leaner and will help you to burn more calories. Take a look at these links:
http://exercise.about.com/cs/exercis...istanceban.htm
http://www.acefitness.org/getfit/RubrBndWkout.pdf

Walk Away the Pounds by Leslie Sansone is a good at home walking DVD.

You are consistient. But how many calories are you eating - consistiently? As far as percentages, again, I'm no expert, but many people try to follow a 40 - 30 - 30 breakdown. You say your breakfasts and lunches consist of mostly fruits and veggies - how about adding in some protein? Egg white omlettes, cottage cheese, no fat yogurt, turkey and chicken breast, tuna, etc.

If you're really bent on losing those extra pounds, you're going to have to be very persisitent, consistient, patient and work hard. I think you will need "everything going for you". And that would be restricted calories, good clean ones at that and increased exercise. I definitely see room for improvement there.

You can only find out what's "right for you", what "works for you" through trial and error.

I lost 55 lbs over 15 months. When I hit plateaus, playing with my calorie level (sometimes increasing it) and amount of exercise and drinking more water were good for shaking it off, but sometimes it just takes time to adjust. I had an issue also where I wasn't getting ENOUGH fat in my diet so adding fat actually let me lose more weight. Everyone is different though.

Thanks mermaid. The best advice i can give is be consistent and have patience. I lost almost 20 pounds in the first month, but it took almost 5 months to lose the last 20.

paperclippy- i recently had the same issue. I had to nearly double my fat intake and while my weight has stayed the same, its nice to have hair that doesnt feel like it will break off when i touch it.

Gotcha about the weight. That 4" difference between you and I makes a HUGE difference in healthy weight potentials. So I am not entirely familiar with the range of BMI there.

As far as exercise and food. As Jay said, the advice I give is based on my personal experience and the enormous amounts of research I've done. I'm fairly confident that what I suggest works for most people, but as with anything YMMV.

I don't think anyone has to do hours and hours of exercise. I've read so much about combining strength training and HIIT (high intensity interval training) and it being MUCH more effective than hours and hours of regular cardio.

What I do is 30 mins of strength training 3x a week. On the days that I strength train, I follow that up with 30 mins of regular consistent cardio. On the in-between days, I do 30 mins of HIIT cardio, either on the treadmill or the elliptical. Once a week I break out of that and run - I started training for a 5k about 3 weeks ago.

As far as food, I am for a 40/35/25 split. That's 40% carbs, 35% protein, and 25% healthy fats.

I would definitely try adding in more protein to your diet - switching your fat and protein percentages, in fact.

I do supplement my diet with 1 scoop of protein powder every day, right after my workout. Other than that, I'm a big proponent of clean eating - lots of fresh, natural food, avoiding preservatives, avoiding processed and packaged foods, and eating fresh veggies and fruits as much as possible.

I also have cut waaaay back on soda (even diet) and caffeine. I have 1 cup of coffee in the morning and then a few times a week I have a can of Diet Coke in the afternoon. Other than that I drink almost 90% plain water. (I'm lucky - I like water. If you don't then adding some fruit flavor or a splash of juice or some lemon or something might work.)

I hope that helps some. I'm in a bit of a stall myself right now and I'm struggling with trying to figure out why. I know how frustrating it is.

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