I really don't have a secret, I just wanted it badly! I didn't "cheat" at all for a very long time. And even then, they are more like Maintenance days, (except one really, really bad day a few weeks ago!). I count calories religiously. I eat 1200 calories a day Monday thru Thursday, (only heathy food...no empty calories per Doctors orders) and Friday thru Sunday I eat 1500 calories a day. There have been only 4 or 5 days I have gone over this. I move much more, and have began walking a few miles a day. One cold miserable day last January that magic switch turned "ON" and thankfully the light still burns bright.
This sooo could have been my post. The year that I was losing, this is EXACTLY how it was with me. Right down to the only 4 or 5 days that I'd gone over. And even they were not so terrible.
Anyway, my re-birth day is September 4, 2006. A day I will never, ever forget. Hit my initial goal 10 months later, having lost 154 lbs, weighing in at 133 lbs. Stayed that way through that summer. Took it down another 11 lbs during September 07'. Been maintaining that weight ever since, though I swing up and down 5 lbs. Constantly.
I started counting calories, making them real healthy, nutritious, wholesome and satisfying ones. TONS of veggies, lots of low fat proteins, some fruit. Frequent exercise and physical activity. I know it sounds corny, but it was a total and complete "lifestyle change". On September 4, 2006, right there and then, all 287 lbs of me became a health minded, health conscious person and never looked back.
Last edited by rockinrobin; 01-18-2009 at 11:24 PM.
I lost 100 pounds in 55 weeks. I ate more than a lot of the others (2000 calories/day at first, and down to 1800 later) but in that first year I was also VERY committed and VERY consistent. I estimate that in that first year I didn't have one day where I ate more than I burned and most days obviously a lot less.
After the first 100, I lost another 22 pounds over the next 8 months or so and then maintained. In 2008 I had more and more lapses and gained 20 pounds. I'm working on getting them off again.
One of the biggest things I learned was that if I want something badly enough, I can do amazing things. But when my priorities shift... weight loss and maintenance are a LOT tougher!!
I started in January 2007, not sure of the date...I made "losing weight" my resolution that year, but for some reason I didn't start right at the beginning of the year like most people do.
Like Robin said, it may sound corny, but it was a complete lifestyle change for me as well. I started reading weight loss magazines (Fitness, Shape, etc.) to get hints and tips, used trial and error to see what worked for me and what didn't. I counted calories (no more than 1500-1600 a day), started exercising daily (with maybe one rest day a week) except when I was sick or in a lot of pain. I started weighing myself daily to keep myself accountable. I joined sports teams for fun.
It took nearly two years, but I hit the 100-pound loss milestone on September 11 last year. I used to wear size 30 uniform pants, now I wear size 36 (waist size; sorta looks like I went up in size, doesn't it?). Life has been so much easier and more satisfying since I started this new lifestyle.
This time around for me was the end of Aug 2008. I went on metformin for my PCOS and insulin resistance I just started eating less in general, and less crap food and more whole foods. I don't really count calories or anything, though I would like to start although I'm not sure how many calories I should start with. Though I eat better things than I used to I do want to start eating more fruits and veggies than I have been and incorporating as much foods from all the food groups as much as possible everyday and then go from there with the calorie counting. I do log my food and keep track of what I eat that way but I would like to get it more finely tuned. I just started exercising about 2 weeks ago. So far I've lost 23 pounds since August. It's all been baby steps. I also want to get a bodybugg to figure out more of the calories I'm burning.
I started on September 27, 2008. I woke up one day, went grocery shopping, filled my cart with healthy nutritious foods and made good food choices for one entire day. And that one day turned into 113 days. I've never "cheated" and the two days (Christmas eve and day) that I said were free days, I never went over my maintenance calories.
I walk, do stretching and yoga but other than that, I don't work out. I do eat clean, lots of lean proteins, whole grain carbs, fruits and veggies, healthy fats. I eat 1800 calories a day and have started calorie cycling. I'm really focused on my goal and hope to lose another 100 lbs this year.
Beyond off and on dieting for 20 years prior (from age 7 or so)...
I started May 2004. Basically decided I liked myself enough to do it and was tired of hating myself. So I went back to the gym, I couldn't do any cardio because I had just hurt my knee but I could do weights. I also just watched what I ate.
I started the Special K diet Dec. 1st. That went up through about a few days before Christmas, but I had this huge television production for school, as well as working at the bakery during the holidays, that I still watched but didn't eat as healthy as I would've liked. Lost about 8 pounds from that, but pretty much stayed there until after New Year's. Since New Years, I've been trying to stay on track but really became intensely focused within the past two weeks. I've lost 6 more pounds!
I started the second week of jan. VERY recent. I started at 218 I'm 215 today. I just eat those microwave dinners. The weight loss ones? and count my calories on snacks and drinks. Its looking good.
Started last week of June 2008, lost 34 pounds till November first week, gained few lbs of lean muscle mass, and on plateau since then. Eat around 1800 - 2200 calories per day depending on what my Bodybugg shows, on days when I exercise (6 days a week) I burn around 3100/3300 cals & hence try to keep a healthy deficit of 1000 cals per day.
I started journaling my food and walking in late June/early July 2008. I began seriously calorie counting/cycling (targeting 1500 a day...) and doing HIIT cardio on my excercise bike and strength training the last week in July. I took about 5 months to lose the 50 lbs and I have been in maintenance for about 6weeks.
I started the mind shift it takes to change my lifestyle in October of 2007 and lost 5 pounds. I had to do some work to get to the point where I was really ready to tackle the problem, that took another two months. January 1, 2008 is when I really got on board with the diet changes and added exercise later that month. I've lost 96 pounds since and went from a 3x to a loose size 12 on the bottom and size 10 on the top. I've seen a huge difference in my wellness. I'm almost positive I was diabetic before I started and now I feel great. I can move so much easier.
Almost forgot to tell you what diet I'm doing. I count calories, I try to make them good calories, lots of vegetables, fruit, whole grains, lean meats. I'm not perfect, but it's something I can stick with this time, no more quick fixes for me. I range between 1200-1400 calories per day.
I started the last diet on June 1, 2001 and reached my goal on May 12, 2002, having lost 122 pounds. Nothing about my food or exercise plans changed once I reached goal and a day in my life now looks just like a day in my life while I was still losing weight. Today is the 2439th day of my diet.
I started my new lifestyle October 4th, 2007. Since then I've lost 57lbs and dropped from a 20W to a loose 10. I originally started out with a low carb diet and getting 10,000 steps a day, but since May/June I've been calorie counting, currently at 1500 per day. For exercise I do Jillian's circuit exercises 4 days a week, and walk 3 miles the other 3 days.
I started my new life in late May 2008. I am down 65 pounds since then. I began with making better choices with my foods and getting more active. I also started going to sleep after my dinner at night to avoid late night temptations--this was a HUGE difference for me. In August I began walking and a few weeks later I began running daily (3 miles). I also moved to calorie counting in September.
Last edited by Thighs Be Gone; 01-19-2009 at 01:40 PM.
