Posts by servoss

I am so happy for you!  I know exactly where you are and how you are feeling.  I am 5'3" and started at 208 in January 2007.  Mine was 5 year old baby weight, and I finally saw a picture of myself and it was really different from how I thought I looked.  I started CC and had been doing moderate exercise 3-4 times a week.  This was in the form of walking 45 minutes, or doing a step aerobics class, or light weights for 50 minutes.  I lost about 30 lbs through these changes and then plateaued at 168 for months.  My body had gotten used to my routine and even though I increased the time I spent exercising, I found I had gotten out of the habit of keeping track of food.  I was eating right up to and sometimes over my total calorie needs for the day (including all my exercise).  I started diligently counting calories again, and aimed for 1300-1500 per day.  But the thing that has helped the most is that I have changed my workouts-- now I do the treadmill 3 times a week also, but I have started interval training.  I run for 45 seconds, walk for 1 minute.  And it is making a difference.  I also make sure I do weight training at least twice a week, three times if possible.  And I have increased my weights from 5 lb last year to 8-10 lb depending on the exercise.  In short, I have changed the intensity, not the time of my workouts.  It still comes to about 1 hr a day, but is 5 days a week.  I have come off my plateau and am starting to see 149.  The jeans I saved from 5 years ago that were my skinny jeans are now really loose and baggy--they really don't fit anymore and belong in my too big jeans pile. 

I am excited for you.  Change up your workout some, add weight training, and run some fast sprints.  If you count calories accurately, it will make a difference.  Good luck!