20lbs or less club

Hi guys!

I thought I must be a little vain wanting to lose only 16 pounds but I'm only
5' 0" tall so that is a lot of extra weight. I started my journey on March 12 and I've lost 12 pounds to date. I've been exercising 6 days a week and I've really changed my diet and eating habits tremendously. In the beginning I thought this was going to be the hardest thing I have ever done but the longer I go, the more I realize it's not that hard after all. It all depends on what you want and how bad you want it. I used to be the biggest fan of junk food and now I don't touch a bite. I am eating "clean" as they say in the gym. After a couple of months you get used to it and don't really miss the bad food. I drink about half a gallon of water throughout the day and that helps. I get to eat 6 times a day which is great because I love to eat. I work out 2 hours a day (1 hour cardio and 1 hour weight/strength training). Sometimes I think that is a bit much but I'm enjoying it so much and my body is changing for the better. I am loving it! I've always had a few extra pounds but was never willing to give up the junk food. Now that I'm almost 40 I realized I needed to make a change - fast. It's hard to lose just a few pounds because your body doesn't want to give them up. The body is resistant to change. It wants to hold onto that fat in case you ever need it. I just wanted to say to anyone reading this who might feel discouraged about not losing the weight/size as fast as they would like to - keep at it - it works. It's not easy but the fat WILL come off. Do your cardio and strength training and, most importantly, don't eat refined sugars or white flour. This will help you more than you know. And don't forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day! Good luck everyone.

url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wnOGhtO/]

[/url]
 
Welcome to all the newbies!
Congrats on the weight loss Patience!

Well, yet again I have been falling off the wagon. It always happens at the end of the 1st week. I end up deciding that you only live once so I'm going to eat and do what I want, then 2 days later I feel guilty!

Anyway I think I have gained a few pounds recently, but my scales are broken so I can't tell for sure. One minute they tell me I weigh 78lbs, the next I weigh 127 so they are screwed. So..for the last few days I have been doing a 1 hour workout dvd that I bought. I haven't really changed my eating habits yet as I always fail if I try and change too much at once. I'm not to worried about losing weight as to toning up now, but I could probably do with a few pounds. I'm very scared that the weight will come off my boobs and bum though...and I'm happy with them! Then I will hate my body even more than I do now. Egh..I don't suppose anyone has any idea of how to lose weight off certain areas and not others? I've heard you can't but I don't want to believe it.

Anyway keep up the good work everyone! :)
 
I am back too! I fell off the salad bar and went straight for the buffet.. hehe. Weighing in at 136, and would like to see 120. 16 pounds by the end of July? We will see.

Anyone having some success that they would like to share and how they are achieving it??
 
Successfully losing size

Heidilw,
I just wanted to let you know it's okay to "fall off the salad bar" every once in a while. Everyone does. The way to succeed is to just get up, brush yourself off and don't look back. Keep going like you never stopped and don't worry about it. Beating yourself up won't change the "fall." It is perfectly fine to eat the "bad foods" from time to time just as long as you watch portion size and don't do it too often. Just keep looking ahead toward your goal. You can see it, can't you?

In the beginning I had only 16 pounds to lose to reach my goal but, as I trudged along in my "program" my goals began to change. I began to see many possibilities for myself, not just "weight loss". I decided a little muscle tone would be a good thing and, therefore, I may even gain a little weight. However, you DO lose size in this process. As I stated in an earlier post, I have lost (14 pounds) in 3 months - and I know that doesn't sound like a lot but the amazing thing is I have lost down from a size 9 pants to size 3. All I've done is change my eating habits from 3 meals a day and snacking on junk food to eating 6 smaller meals a day (including lots of fruit - no bananas) and no sugar or white flour, well maybe a little here and there. I do 40-60 minutes of cardio 5-6 days a week and weight training 5-6 days a week. I have started drinking lots of water (about half a gallon a day throughout the day - up until bed time). I'm seeing definition in my muscles which I've never had. I'm very excited about the way my body is changing. It has taken about 3 months to see these fantastic changes but that was the point of my long post......by doing the things I've done, I HAVE BEEN SUCCEEDING. My traininer said that most people quit before they start to see the real changes.... I think those words encouraged me more than anything else. To know that it DOES work if you keep at it. Look at it this way, hopefully you will still be alive 3 months from now......and if you've followed your program, you, too will see the results you long for. If you don't follow the program, you will not change. It's up to you. Do you want it badly enough? I often feel like others, "you only live once, might as well be happy." But I don't let that stop me because I really want this new "me." Believe me, if you watch what you eat, portion size and do some cardio & strength training at least 4 times a week, you WILL see positive changes after 8-12 weeks - maybe even sooner depending on your metabolism. Building a little muscle helps burn the fat way much more quickly. I have found I'm not eating enough anymore.... I started out with a 1,000-calorie diet and now I'm eating 1500-2000 and can't get enough food to sustain my weight - I'm dropping almost 1 pound a week still. Sorry for the long post... I hope this is helpful. On another note.....my 48-year-old sister lost as much weight as I did (eating pretty much whatever she wants) and all she does is yoga tapes with Denise Austin.......we're all different.
 
Thank you for posting Patience247

Patience247 said:
Hi guys!

I thought I must be a little vain wanting to lose only 16 pounds but I'm only
5' 0" tall so that is a lot of extra weight. I started my journey on March 12 and I've lost 12 pounds to date. I've been exercising 6 days a week and I've really changed my diet and eating habits tremendously. In the beginning I thought this was going to be the hardest thing I have ever done but the longer I go, the more I realize it's not that hard after all. It all depends on what you want and how bad you want it. I used to be the biggest fan of junk food and now I don't touch a bite. I am eating "clean" as they say in the gym. After a couple of months you get used to it and don't really miss the bad food. I drink about half a gallon of water throughout the day and that helps. I get to eat 6 times a day which is great because I love to eat. I work out 2 hours a day (1 hour cardio and 1 hour weight/strength training). Sometimes I think that is a bit much but I'm enjoying it so much and my body is changing for the better. I am loving it! I've always had a few extra pounds but was never willing to give up the junk food. Now that I'm almost 40 I realized I needed to make a change - fast. It's hard to lose just a few pounds because your body doesn't want to give them up. The body is resistant to change. It wants to hold onto that fat in case you ever need it. I just wanted to say to anyone reading this who might feel discouraged about not losing the weight/size as fast as they would like to - keep at it - it works. It's not easy but the fat WILL come off. Do your cardio and strength training and, most importantly, don't eat refined sugars or white flour. This will help you more than you know. And don't forget to drink plenty of water throughout the day! Good luck everyone.

url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wnOGhtO/]

[/url]
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting and reminding us... congrats on your success. Sounds like you've worked hard and been very consistent. Great job! It is true that a lot of people quit because they don't see results as soon as they like... but it's so important to practice the good habits and then before you know it your clothes will feel looser and that scale will show it too. This really encourages me!
 
Hey Heidilw! I'm in a similiar spot.

heidilw said:
I am back too! I fell off the salad bar and went straight for the buffet.. hehe. Weighing in at 136, and would like to see 120. 16 pounds by the end of July? We will see.

Anyone having some success that they would like to share and how they are achieving it??
Click to expand...

Let's do it! I'd like to go from 140 to 124... I'd love to say in 2-3 months, but my body will respond in its own time. I do think if I crank it some though, that's pretty reasonable. Post updates and I'll do the same.
 
Anyone having some success that they would like to share and how they are achieving it?
Click to expand...
I am 52 & was 30 pounds over my normal weight last winter. I had packed it on over 5-6 years from a combination of changing to a sedentary career from a physically active one & just eating too darn much.

I have been very happy to lose 30 pounds in about three months of diet modification but I really started to change things about three months before that.
That's when I cut out wheat & products with added sugar. I didn't do any portion control but felt so much better after just a few days.

Once I went the next step & added calorie counting & exercise the weight came off slowly but steadily. It's the first time in my life I have monitored my fats & carbs. I always liked to think I could just eat what I wanted & not gain weight & when that changed I just ignored the evidence.

Losing 30 pounds may not seem like a huge difference but boy what a difference in energy! Plus it snowballs. The more you do the more energy you have so the more you do & so on.

I use a treadmill for 30 minutes, 5 days a week & along with some stretching excercises have just added Pilates. I concentrate on getting the most out of my excercise time even though it is not extensive & that seems to work for me.

My favorite weightloss tricks?
I bought a cheap yogurt/ice cream maker & I make myself fruit sherbert pretty much every day with fruit, splenda & low cal juice or frozen yogurt with fruit, milk & half a cup of yogurt & eat as much as I like. So good! It makes me feel like I am indulging myself & not depriving myself all the time.
 
Hi all. I'm glad I found this thread. I've been on this site 2 yrs, and lost 30 lbs. It was slow and steady. Diet changes (less junk, smaller portions, cut out soda) and exercise changes (walk daily, upper body strength training, run 2-3 times per week).

I hit a low of 124 a few weeks back, and now hover between 125-127. I am 5'4", so that give me a BMI in the normal range of around 21.5.

I've separated from my husband and gone back to work. So now I lost my walking partner and place to walk, and I juggle travelling for work with seeing my kids and settling into my new life. So exercise has almost completely gone out the window. I think I may join a gym. Perhaps I can make that work.

One secret I have is moderation and planning with meals, but allowing myself to splurge on one meal a week (or two!). I don't go crazy, but it's better than saying "never again" to certain favorite foods.

I do think I could be in better shape. I still have fat on me, though my size is ok (6). I'd like to get down to 120 or 115, and decrease my BF%. I have a thing on my scale that measures it, but I think it measures high. That's where a gym could help I think.

Good luck to everyone.
 
wow hello!
yeh I got the same feeling complainin about having 10 pounds to lose when other people were losing 100s
I really seem to be unable to shift any weight though its rather depressing!
I mean I'm a UK dress size 8-10 which is US 4-6 I think? (waist of 27") and I exercise 5/6 times a week, eating probs less than 1500 but nothing's happening!
I want results damn it lol
the only part I really dislike about myself is my pot belly, oh and those flabby bits on my inner thigh
why is it so difficult to lose weight?
 
glad to know someone else is there
I would do more cardio but 1) I don't have time at the moment
and 2) I have joint problems so I can only really work out every other day (I have already managed to aggravate my knee!)
good luck ;)
 
just persevere (sp?) I'm sure you'll get there soon enough!
I have had to sort of give up at the moment cause of my knees, I don't want to make them worse (if they could get any worse which I doubt haha) I might just have to work on through the pain
 
Hello!

I am 5'4 1/2", 124 lbs, which wouldn't sound bad if I didn't have small frame with literally lots of unappealing flab around the waist, chest, back and shoulders (yeah, a classic 'apple' type). For me it's not about slaving for a magic number on the scale but rather about feeling good about myself, strength, stamina, perseverance, etc. And those things are inevitably connected with eating right, exercising regularly, i.e. kicking off my personal lousy habit of looking for (and finding!) excuses to postpone what's good for me till some mysterious 'later'. Later naturally never happens, excuses pile up and flab expands, sloooowly but surely creeping down and taking control over not only my body but also my mind. And that 'gentle flabby takeover' of my life is exactly what I'd like to go out the window, the door, via treadmill, portioned meals, discipline, etc.

Julie
 
New here - depressed about weight

Hey! My name is Eli (el-ee) and I am DESPERATELY trying to lose weight. I am between 155 and 160 pounds. It always changes! I was 130's in high school and have been gaining weight steadily ever since (I graduated in 2003 from high school and will be graduating from college in May 2008). From January 2006 until May 2006 I cut down my calories to about 800-1000 a day and worked out 90 mins every Mon-Thurs. On the weekends I would have sweets and eat "bad" things b/c I know totally cutting out foods you love cause overeating. Anyway, I went from 155ish to 133. In May 2006 I moved from Texas to Minnesota and my work, work out, eating and any other schedule got obliterated. I gained all my weight back last summer and have been pretty steady 140, 145, 150, 155 since then. :-( Anyway, the first 2 weeks of June I was eating SUPER healthy (small portions, no bread, no sweets [except on weekends] and lots of fruits, veggies and healthy cereals and granola bars + lean meat) and working out 4 days a week, but then week 3 I got that "I'll never lose any weight" (even though I lost 2 pounds) depressed feeling and I pretty much gave up on it. I am so upset about my weight even though my boyfriend tells me I am gorgeous. None of my clothes fit (my 8's) and I can barely fit into some 10's and 12's are kinda big, but I feel down for having to wear 12's!!!! Before I moved here last May I was wearing size 6 and some 4's!! Ugh! I am sooooooooo tired of this yo yo and sometimes I get really depressed and want to kill myself or cut myself. I never would, but I feel like there is nothing I can do. I know there are many more things than weight and I know more people weigh more and are happy, but I am obsessed over it. My boyfriend hates when I always say I can't eat certain foods, get down on myself for being fat or talk about calories and being "a fat ass" all the time. I can't help it and I always want to talk about my weight. People don't want to hear it and I just feel alone. I am going to Texas on the 29th to see my family (and my boyfriend is going to meet them for the first time) and I am dreading our 4th of July party at the lake or having to go to a water park with my twig like cousin. I wish I could just stop, but I can't. Even when I was 133lbs last March-May I still wasn't happy and thought I was fat, but at least I didn't look it and my clothes fit better. I know everything about nutrition and what exercises to do, but I just get so down. :-(

Sorry this is a book. I'm going shopping today to get more healthy food since I ran out (I live alone in a dorm, which means I have no stove and a very small fridge which limits what I can eat), and I'm going to get back on my exercise regiment and try again. :-( I hope this board can help give me some support and motivation!
 
Hey!

Hey! Im 5'1'' and weight 123 lbs. Im looking to lose about 18.5 lbs to go down to 105. I just joined about 10 minutes ago and I felt kind of silly joining as well complaining about 18 lbs when there are other people trying to lose much more.

Is anyone having trouble losing the weight? Ive been on a diet for 3 weeks and havent lost one pound. Its a bit frustrating and I was just wondering if any of you had the same problem? Any suggestions? I hope everyone else is having more progress than me :)
 
Less than 20 goal

Hey yall, I am a little late but I am here! I just had twins 3 months ago and I need to lose that last 15 pounds. I am not so much looking at the number though as I am the inches. I like my new behind :) but I am looking to lose the midsection. I do a very serious lower body weight program and light upper body. I also take in whey protein every day to support muscle gain. I have lost about 2 inches around my waist so far. Good luck you guys.
 
Hey Guys, I am late but I am here. I have about 15 lbs to lose. I am 5 ft 2 in and I weigh 150 lbs. I had twins 3 months ago. I lost 35 lbs of water weight and am on the home stretch. I like my new derier so I am gonna keep it. I do heavy weight training on my lower body and light on the upper. I have lost 2 inches on my midsection so far. Inches are more important than lbs right now anyway. I take a whey protein shake to support muscle growth. Whey protein is great because it has less than 1% carbs. I have also incorporated an interval running program which has helped me lose my second inch. Good luck guys.
 
Hello everyone, I am so glad I found a forum like this one. I am 5'1'' and weigh 133. I want to loose 10 more pounds. I have lost 64 pounds in total. My fat % is 24, I want to get that down to 20. I am having a lot of trouble droping those last 10 pounds. I do cardio 6 days a week (about 30 min.), free weight training 3 days a week (monday, wed, and friday) and rest on sundays. I eat about 1200-1300 cal. a day ( I eat 5 times a day, 3 meals and 2 snaks) and this has worked for me until now. I do have a plan where every 2 weeks I would change my routine so that I don't hit as many plateaus, but I have been 133 for 2 weeks and I don't seem to be able to get under that. I don't know if anyone would have some advice or if you think this is what I need to keep doing then some support. It does get frustrating. I have been thinking on adding 20-30 min. cardio in the evening to see if I can shake this off. I am not tired, actualy many times I do feel like doing some more in the evenings but I don't because I have been told that I already do more than plenty, what do you think??
 
some advice, please!

Hello everyone, I am so glad I found a forum like this one. I am 5'1'' and weigh 133. I want to loose 10 more pounds. I have lost 64 pounds in total. My fat % is 24, I want to get that down to 20. I am having a lot of trouble droping those last 10 pounds. I do cardio 6 days a week (about 30 min.), free weight training 3 days a week (monday, wed, and friday) and rest on sundays. I eat about 1200-1300 cal. a day ( I eat 5 times a day, 3 meals and 2 snaks) and this has worked for me until now. I do have a plan where every 2 weeks I would change my routine so that I don't hit as many plateaus, but I have been 133 for 2 weeks and I don't seem to be able to get under that. I don't know if anyone would have some advice or if you think this is what I need to keep doing then some support. It does get frustrating. I have been thinking on adding 20-30 min. cardio in the evening to see if I can shake this off. I am not tired, actualy many times I do feel like doing some more in the evenings but I don't because I have been told that I already do more than plenty, what do you think??
 
Yay!

This thread is a great idea! I'm 5'3" and 130lbs. Would like to be 115. I am horrible about excercising and I have a snack binge every afternoon :(
I would like to fit in my clothes better and get toned. I quit working last June, want to be home with my daughter, and I gained 15 lbs. I miss feeling sexy and strong. So my goals are to eat healthy, keep the snacking under control, and start working out!

Sarah F.
 
Hello!

bdomin2216 said:
Hello everyone, I am so glad I found a forum like this one. I am 5'1'' and weigh 133. I want to loose 10 more pounds. I have lost 64 pounds in total. My fat % is 24, I want to get that down to 20. I am having a lot of trouble droping those last 10 pounds. I do cardio 6 days a week (about 30 min.), free weight training 3 days a week (monday, wed, and friday) and rest on sundays. I eat about 1200-1300 cal. a day ( I eat 5 times a day, 3 meals and 2 snaks) and this has worked for me until now. I do have a plan where every 2 weeks I would change my routine so that I don't hit as many plateaus, but I have been 133 for 2 weeks and I don't seem to be able to get under that. I don't know if anyone would have some advice or if you think this is what I need to keep doing then some support. It does get frustrating. I have been thinking on adding 20-30 min. cardio in the evening to see if I can shake this off. I am not tired, actualy many times I do feel like doing some more in the evenings but I don't because I have been told that I already do more than plenty, what do you think??
Click to expand...

Sounds like you're in a pretty darn good spot. Congrats on your successes! Your fat % is really good... I think time will get you there. Maybe change up the cardio you are currently during? Keep your body guessing? You hate to overtrain, risking injury, but if your cardio is fairly mild, you could probably add a little extra and that'd be no problem.

It's nice to see some new faces! I'm still around and NOT giving up! I'm currently ~141 and wanting to get to 128. I'm 5'5.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top