Desperately need to hear some success stories right now.

Kept my calories under 1500 every day last week but didn't lose anything at all and then ate like a pig this weekend so now I've gained weight.  I just can't get it together.  I desperately need to hear some success stories right now.  How much have you lost and how long did it take you?   Some pics might help too. 

35 pounds, very very slowly.  went from 168 to the low 140s, leveled out for months, then dropped to 129.  now settled in the low 130s and very comfortable.

mostly exercise, but also cut way back on processed food (though you wouldn't guess it from the way i've been eating the last couple of days - damn!) and watching portions.  i walk a lot, run a little, hike a little, but never go to a gym.

there are pictures, but i don't have any current ones.  the lowest-weight picture in my gallery is at around 145, i think.

I have some pictures in my gallery. A year and a half and sixty pounds. Don't give up after just a week. Just remember that the time would pass no matter what, and you can spend it changing your life and being healthier and happier, or you can remain overweight. You can do it, just give it time and patience.

I've lost 94lbs since May last year and I'm 10lbs away from my goal of 150. Some months were better than others. I slipped up a few times but I forgave myself and went back to the plan asap. It's a slow process. Even tough it's frustating at times when it may take a month just to lose just a couple of pounds, every pound adds up. Exercise is very important at least 3x a week, 30min cardio and strength training.  I have pics in my gallery. It may sound crazy and it depends on how much of exercise, but you may need to increase your calories to 1600-1700 cal. That was my average until April, recently I've been eating an average of 1800-1900 cal, but I workout a lot and at high intensity. It's crazy but I've been losing around 4-5lb a month. I'm not in a rush and maybe that's why I haven't fallen off the wagon, less anxiety and stress. It's not a race and one year goes by quickly. Be consistent and don't give up, it's worthy, you're worthy! You can do this!!!!

Oooh I know how you feel! I found that it's not about the calorie count as much as it is about any kind of exercise at all. Also if it's been a week you may have built up water weight which comes BEFORE you lose the weight, so don't feel discouraged! Just be consistent! Your efforts will never be worthless.

I have lost almost 50 pounds since June 2008. I went from being vegetarian to vegan raw food eater. I found out there are a lot of secret ingredients that we don't know about in food that isn't fruit or veggies, and even those can be tainted! Especially in America. I just moved away and I'm quite surprised at the way food is in other countries, so plain.

And since when I first started I didn't want to exercise or do anything strenuous, I started with yoga. You just sit on the floor and stretch and it tones your body up FAST. The easiest exercise with the most benefits, in my opinion. Do some google research on the benefits of yoga if you're interested.

Just cutting out meat and soda and juice and starting stretching dropped me 35ish pounds within the first 10 months and also improved my brain health quite nicely.

Here's a photo of my face (on the left), you can see the difference between it here and then in my main photo for CC
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/shayen vd/2008%20JanuaryFebruary/jamz117.jpg

This is of my body
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/shayen vd/2008%20JanuaryFebruary/newyear003-1.jpg

And then this and the others like it in my gallery show you earlier this month-June 2009
http://i35.photobucket.com/albums/d173/shayen vd/2009%20June/DSC03071.jpg

Good luck!

If you have anything you want to vent about or ask or need some inspiration, feel free to message me and I'll do my best!

Wow!! Your photos look very good. You made an amazing turn. Keep it up. By the way the pics were very motivating.

I've lost 12 lbs since May 11th.  I stalled out last week, not losing anything, then today I was down 4 lbs!!  So I guess that stall wasn't really my "true" weight.  Anything can make one number off by a little bit.. stick to your diet and next week I'm sure you'll see better results!!

I'm not a success story (yet!) but I appreciate all the motivation and success shared here. Very inspiring!

I notice the common thread is "slowly." I think one of the WORST things I did for/to myself was to watch "Biggest Loser." No matter how much I KNOW that show is not "reality" in any attainable sense, I can't get past feeling like I should be losing 5+ pounds every week.

Honestly, it IS possible to lose 5 pounds a week if you're secretly doing really unhealthy things to your body. And the point of all these girls, you and I included, wanting to find healthy ways to do it is to preserve our body and our happiness. Those people are not truly happy and will not live long.

In the words of our intelligent Vulcan friend, "Live Long and Prosper"

Almost 40 pounds in just under a year (179 to 141).  I watch my portion sizes, cut down on processed food, make sure to get at least 5 servings of fruit/veg as well as enough calcium/iron, walk a lot (10,000+ steps/day) and do some strength training.  I have never had my calories average below 1700/day; I'd rather be active and eat more.  There are pictures in my profile - though the last one was 15 pounds ago.

I'm the opposite with the Biggest Loser.  It helped me get over that mental block of "some people are just destined to be fat and there's nothing they can do about it".  I'm not into starving myself and doing 8 hours of cardio a day, so I never expected to have results as fast as they do.  Plus, they're much larger than me and their "weeks" are much longer than mine.  I plan to have much more success keeping the weight off than your average Biggest Loser contestant though - most of whom gain a lot of it back within a year or two.

Original Post by grassdress:

Honestly, it IS possible to lose 5 pounds a week if you're secretly doing really unhealthy things to your body. And the point of all these girls, you and I included, wanting to find healthy ways to do it is to preserve our body and our happiness. Those people are not truly happy and will not live long.

In the words of our intelligent Vulcan friend, "Live Long and Prosper"

From what I've read on other threads it is possible to lose 5lbs a week for the first few weeks if you are majorly, MAJORLY obese.  Otherwise 1-2lbs is all you should lose per week...any more than that and you're risking muscle loss instead of just fat loss.

I have lost a little over 17 lbs since April 5, 2009, going from 155 to 138.  I don't have any pics to show, but I have lost a lot of fat from my face/neck and arms/legs.  It is slow going, but you can't give up after a week.  You have to commit to the change.

BTW, my gw is 128-130.  Another two and a half months and I should be there! woohoo

My success story is not as impressive as most of these.  It took a long time of eating right before I lost anything.  I plateaued almost immediately.  I had to keep in focus that at least I wasn't gaining, instead of worrying over why I wasn't losing.

When I did finally start to lose (after a month of keeping to 1500 calories), it was about 1/2 lb a week .  So I kept my goal to 2 lbs a month.  God!  So slow! 

It took me many, many months, but I finally dropped nearly 20 lbs.  That was a few years ago.  I've gained back nearly 10 lbs (which is why I'm back here again), but have kept off the worst of the weight.

All I can say is, focus on the small wins.  You're working for a healthier you.  For me, the weight came off better when I worked out more.  And don't let a small setback make you throw in the towel.  Sometimes you need to search a bit to find that "key" thing that helps with the weightloss. 

Good luck!