Hi!
I'm a newbie here and I'm hating my weight! I got down to 145 before my wedding, but now I've gained back about 20 lbs! I really want to lose weight and lose it for good, but am not sure how to go about it. So, I'm wondering how others succeeded. What was your daily eating regimen (I don't want to diet, but find a way I can eat for life)?? And what was your exercise regimen (how many days a week? Cardio, wts, combo?)?? Any info you can give me would be extremely helpful! I have always weighed 125-135, but that was through playing collegiate sports and when I was in the Army. It seems like the times during my life where I was constantly training, I was the fittest, but that is no longer possible now. I don't have time to spend 4+ hours in the gym or outside running/working out. I see a lot of success stories on this board, so I'm just curious as to how you did it.

Any help/advice is appreciated! TIA!

Hi lauritasol,

I do 30 minutes of cardio + 30 minutes of weight training three times a week. I limit my carbs and fat, and aim for 100 grams of protein a day.

-Kate

Something that REALLY helped me was lower my standards a bit. In the past I've dieted and worked out hoping to get back my 18 year old body. I finally had to accept that at 36 years old and with 3 children (including one twin pregnancy) there is only so much I can do. Once I started losing weight with a more realisitic idea of what my physical goals should be it was much easier to stay on track. I haven't found myself nearly as discouraged by my results and have been able to stick with a reasonable eating plan (1500-1800 calories a day) and workout routine (I try to hit the gym most days for at least an hour or so before the kids ever get up on weekdays). Sometimes I only make it to the gym a few times during the week or I might have a day that I go over my calorie goal but I DON'T beat myself up about it. If this is for LIFE then I just have to accept that those things will happen from time to time. As long as they don't become habit it isn't a big deal in the grand scheme of things.

Now, with all of that said, I do believe it would be possible for me to get awfully close to regaining my youthful figure even if I had to have a tummy tuck thanks to the twins. But, the truth is that I don't have the time or desire to do what is necessary to get there. I've kept my options open - once my children are older (they are all under the age of 7) and my time isn't quite so precious I may very well decide to get back to those 4 hour workouts and serious training. But, for now, I want to be comfortable in my skin, look nice in clothes, and BE HEALTHY.

In terms of general tips, I've found putting a time limit on my weight loss is counter productive. Sometimes our bodies do their own thing regardless of how we eat or exercise. As long as you've done everything right then you can have faith that eventually your body will catch up. Now, in order to know I've done everything right I use fitday.com to log EVERY morsel I put in my mouth, I weigh and measure ALL of my portions. I've actually gotten pretty good at eyeballing portions but I still weigh and measure unless I am away from home. It just helps keep me honest - an extra tablespoon here or quarter cup there can really add up over time. I haven't cut out any foods but I have found that as I have progressed I've naturally gravitated towards "cleaner" foods.

Of course, the MOST important thing is to keep at it until you find what works best for YOU. I try to gather as much information and advice as I can, pick out the things that make sense to me, and apply the ones that I think are a good fit for my lifestyle. If it doesn't work then I evaluate what I'm doing and try something new. And I do this often. It has kept me from getting bored with any one routine and keeps me on my toes.

I counted calories and moved my butt. Currently I get in around 2 hours a day and eat about 1600 calories. My exercise is mostly cardio (bike riding and walking) but 3 hours a week is an aquacize class that includes a lot of resistance work.

When I first started losing weight I just walked an hour a day and ate around 1200-1400 calories.

Calorie counting here as well. Although whether or not I'm a success remains to be seen.
Seriously, doing what you can is all you can do. Some cardio, some weights and better eating .... Do what fits your situation right now.

Yuppers, calories too! I use fitday too! I try to get in a lot of protein for the old "growth and repair"

Currently I exercise 5-6 days. Monday (starting next week) 1hr lacrosse practice also 45mins-ish weights, Tuesday 1hr Kickboxing, Wed upper body weights, Thursday, 2 hrs kickboxing, Friday (if I have any energy left...) upper body weights and lacrosse matches on Sunday mornings... (if they think I'm good enough!!).

That's worn me out just typing it!

When I started off, I just concentrated on my diet and tried to walk every day. Then as I got fitter, I joined the gym for various cardio classes and weights, then I moved house and found kickboxing! I've just seriously started lifting free weights 3 times a week and the transformation is amazing! My granny told me off for losing too much weight (a size 16 is skinny then is it...???), but I haven't lost a pound since she last saw me! I'm just a bit more muscley and less flabby! Then Lacrosse starts next week and it remains to be seen whether I can cope with that on top of what I already do! I might just have to start sleeping in my lunch breaks!

I've lost weight by eating less and exercising more. I currently run every other day for 30 mins. and strength train 5 days a week. This has worked very well for me, and I've lost about 50 lbs in the past 2-3 years.

I've lost 52 of the 129 lbs I'm aiming to remove in total, by taking a series of easy baby steps. (I have 3 kids so my exercise and eating plan have to work into the time I have.)
In March 2005, when I started getting healthier, the only changes I made was getting exercise 2 days a week (Tae Kwon Do class; 1 hour Mondays and Wednesdays) and increasing my water consumption. After a month, I dropped my after work fast food dinners. Between March and June 2005 I lost about 17 lbs.
In June I started doing the workouts from Jorge Cruise's 8 MINUTES IN THE MORNING FOR EXTRA EASY WEIGHT LOSS. That really jump-started my weight loss and I have been averaging 2-3 lbs each week. The closer I get to goal, the slower I'm expecting to lose, so I don't expect to keep losing more than 2 lbs a week for much longer. And in general, most of the weight loss advice I've read advises against losing more than 2 lbs a week anyway.
I've also been logging my food on FitDay. Currently I am aiming to keep my total daily calorie average under 1950 with my fat intake making up 25-30% of calories, carbs 45-50% of calories (focusing on whole grain sources) and protein 15-20% (lean protein sources like beans, turkey, chicken and fish). I also allow myself to each as much vegetables as I like at each meal and in between meals for that matter. Veggies are free foods to me (as long as they aren't covered in butter, salt, high fat dressings, etc.) I still include them in my food journal on FitDay though.
Since July I've also been running 3 days a week about 30 minutes each day although lately I've been focusing more on how FAR I'm running as apposed to how LONG I'm running.
Anyway, I hope this helps. Good luck!

Its all about changing your lifestyle, this is something I had to learn. Though I started on the Dr. Phil Diet and I quit that only to find out that my eating habits almost remained the same.
I walk 2-3 miles a day and along with that I also do tae bo. Now its gotten to the point that if I get lazy my body will start crying out for it. I will start hurting. This is something I never thought I would ever experience. I hated exercise I always would try to lose weight without it, thought it never worked. Now I can admit, I do see the benifits of exercise not onlyin weight loss but as well being. Don't get be wrong I still struggle doing it every now and then.
I've heard alot of good things about Weight Watchers. Just remember its a lifestyle change.

Ask me in 1 year - I hope I am still at my current weight!