Who has loss a large amount of weight (40+) naturally without surgery

[Vgvee61]

I am amazed and motivated when I see messages of large amount of weight loss in a few months and get disappointed when I work so hard and made so many life style changes in the last 2 months and only dropped 1lb.  I would like to hear stories and see before and after pictures of those who lost weight naturally for motivation.  Thanks.

[JimC_99]

I don't have pictures but I have lost over 100lbs in the last year and a half.  I find the only way for me to lose and keep the weight off is to log the calories I consume.  I use both MyFitnessPal and the Fitbit app (the food database in MFP is better) and I log my weight in the morning.  I don't really exercise hard, but I walk about 2 miles 3 times a week and play golf 1 to 2 times a week.  I have been on a break from losing currently but my goal is to lose about 25 - 30lbs more to hit my goal.  good luck!

[Baltoscott]

Hi @Vgvee61 

I spent most of my adult life in the ‘overweight’ BMI range (25-29.1), occasionally, as in the before pic on the left below, sliding into the low obese range (202 lbs).  I wound up losing around 45 lbs over the first half of 2017, and have kept it off, motivated in part by the many great stories of weight loss documented in the weekly weigh-in thread here.  It really helps to know that other people can do it, and I especially like seeing posts from people who have kept it off after hitting their goals.  Sadly, posting on that thread has dried up, but it had a good run (over 2 years).

Like @JimC_99 I tracked what I was eating (every day, as I ate it) on MyFitnessPal. (You can do it in the Fitbit app too, but I like MFP better and it is easy to link to Fitbit). You can’t lose weight unless you can get into a calorie deficit.

A couple more tips:

-weigh in daily (but pay attention to your weekly average); this helps with staying mindful about the whole process, and with keeping it off once you hit your goal

-meal plan or commit to eating a fixed number of meals a day (I don’t eat outside breakfast, lunch, dinner and a planned afternoon snack).  That makes it mentally easier to say no when you are offered food at work or school, and it forces you to plan ahead a bit so you don’t wind up eating whatever is easiest (take out, frozen Mac and Cheese, etc.).

 

[Vgvee61]

Spoiler

Thank you.  I will definitely follow your advice. You look amazing.  I was getting a little discouraged that I would not be able to achieve my goals without some sort of surgery.  But, you have inspired me.

[Vgvee61]

Thank you for your story.  You have motivated me to continue on my journey.

[1q2w3e4]

I have lost 41 pounds since April. Tomorrow is my birthday and I will be 66.   I began eating a low-carb/keto-type diet and it has worked for me because it is the only thing I've tried where I have not become ravenously hungry within a few weeks.  I am honestly never hungry because the healthy fats I'm eating keep me satiated.  

I think the key is finding the system that works for you...continuing to tweek your plan until you are happy and it can be maintained for life.  A big test for me was a college reunion this weekend.  I was able to enjoy myself, participate in everything, and stay mostly true to my eating plan.  I will eat cake at a wedding, I will drink an occasional glass of wine, etc.  I am close to my goal and it is coming off much more slowly but that's ok, too!  The energy and smaller-sized clothing I can wear are motivation to keep it up!

I wish you the best as you continue on!

[Dominique]

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@1q2w3e4 wrote:

I think the key is finding the system that works for you...continuing to tweek your plan until you are happy and it can be maintained for life.

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Definitely: whatever floats your boat (and there’s no one-size-fits-all) and is sustainable over the long term.

Successfully losing a large amount of weight is also usually a case of "slow and steady wins the race", so I wouldn’t look for stories of who lost the most weight the fastest.

[Baltoscott]

Late Happy Birthday @1q2w3e4.  Thanks for sharing your story. 

I think that most of us know from personal experience that there are a lot of different ways to lose weight.  But I think a common thread is finding an approach where you don't feel hungry all the time while you are losing the weight.  As you say, the trick now is to build it into a long term lifestyle.  Keep at it.

[AmandaGeorge]

Over a month late to the party and it's far from fast weight loss, but it's medically better for you and easier to keep off too.

I was blue-lighted to hospital on Christmas Day 2002 with a size 6 skirt being held up by my hip bones.  I came out mid-March 2003 at size 32 and I've been losing weight ever since.  It's now 16.5 years later and I'm almost size 12 clothes, so I've lost 9 (almost 10) clothes sizes and I've kept it off too.

I've done it by having a drink immediately before eating and stopping eating as soon as I'm full as well as eating smaller portions and upping my exercise (walking).  Having rescued a dog back in 2010, I've got even more motivation to exercise now 'cos part of the responsibility of having a dog is to walk them every day, no excuses.  She's only a small dog, so we don't walk far each day, but she's helping me to lose weight too.  I've dropped at least 3 (possibly more) clothes sizes since we've had her so I would say drink a glass of water (or squash or milk or whatever) just before you dish up each meal, drink another glass of water each time you are hungry (sometimes your body is actually thirsty instead of hungry) and slowly increase your exercise.

It's far from easy, but I'm living proof that it's definitely doable!

[Zootenany]

I am happy to be able to answer that I am one of those people, after for years having the same question it seems like you have: who has managed to do this, a question I would shortly follow up internally with, is this something I will ever be able to do myself?

I used to weigh 330 pounds. (I am a 5'6" inch tall woman). I lost about 40 pounds and bounced around between 290 and 305 for a couple of years. Then, in June of this year, I once again re-committed myself with diligence and ... five months later I weigh 240. So I have lost 50 pounds in the last five months and 90 pounds overall - only 10 pounds until I hit minus 100! I can't believe this is me - that I am achieving this! - and yet I am.

so I will now tell you what you probably already know. One: it is doable. If I can do it - anyone can. I promise. Two: what works for me may not be right for you, but there is hope in that! find your way, the foods you like, and make it happen! and it will. And that said, here is what has been working for me. I stopped eating sugar/anything with added sugar. I don't worry about fruit/natural sugars but I don't eat sweets/ice cream/prepared food that has added sugars/honey etc in it. I also stopped eating anything made out of flour (wheat flour, corn flour, rice flour, you name it, I don't eat it). This sounded hard to me but actually it really wasn't. I just decided and then - I did it. And that seems to have been critically important for ME and what my body needs, and perhaps that resonates for you, too. 

I also started exercising six days a week - walking Mon, Wed, Fri and swimming Tues, Thurs, Sat, and taking Sunday as a rest day. I then added biking into the mix after about six weeks because I challenged myself by signing up for a super sprint triathlon. Now, after five months, I don't swim Tues, thurs, Sat any more (because I was getting bored; I'll start back in January though), but I still walk three days a week, go for long bike rides at lease two days a week, and go to the gym for weight-lifting and using the elliptical on Tuesdays and Thursdays to make up for not swimming. so that probably sounds like a lot but I promise I just started with something manageable - getting up a little early each day to go for a walk/swim  -and the commitment of a little exercise every day really has helped me. Now I am super proud of my quads and make people feel them. Don't sit next to me on a plane. ANYWAY the point is ...I used to weigh 330 pounds and now I ask my friends to poke my quads to admire my muscles. IT IS POSSIBLE! I will be 46 in a couple of weeks and am in the best shape of my life. And yeah, I would still like to lose another 50 pounds AND I WILL LOSE IT AND I HAVE ALREADY LOST 90 POUNDS! So you can do this, too! It can happen!