3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

Originally Posted by nicolae:
wow i love looking at these kinda pics. you really have done brilliantly! so how long did it take? what exercise did ya do? did you have treats still or was it all just determind hard work?

Thank you Lucia and Nicolae ;)

Nicolae, I started in mid-April. I lost 39 pounds by September 1st. At that point, I became vegetarian, and I also stopped calorie counting. I've lost 18 more pounds since then. I'm losing about 3 pounds a month these days, but the clothing sizes are changing more rapidly.

Until August, my exercise was 1 1/2 hours of yoga every morning. Then in August I started the C25K program, which I finished in later October. So now I do yoga, and I run 3 miles M-W-F.

My food approach has been a whole foods type of thing from the beginning. Low sugar, almost only whole grains, lots and lots of veggies, plenty of fruit too. Lots of beans. I use things like olive oil, avocado, and nuts a lot. I don't drink cow milk, but I am still using cheese several times a week. I use the best full-fat, strong tasting cheese I can. I'm on a learning curve with tofu. I don't generally use fake meat products, although Tofurkey has an Italian sausage that adds a lot to dishes and has ingredients I feel pretty good about.

I don't do desserts or treats at home, except dark chocolate. I'm really loving how tame my sweet tooth has become, I would never have believed it. But if there's something really good when I'm with family, I will have some and I don't believe in feeling guilty about it.

The whole point is developing something I can live with for the rest of my life, and enjoy it. :) I've never been super strict, but also my choices are more motivated by health than calories - to me, that makes it easier to stay on track most of the time. It feels proactive instead of punitive.