30 April 2012

Weight Loss Success Stories: Taralynn Lost 25lbs by Simply Changing Her Eating Habits

3 Lovely Thoughts

  

I love to share weight loss success stories of people who have done the hard work and made the choice to change their lives. Reading their story is one of my way to find inspiration and boost my motivation to lose weight.

This success story comes from a girl who was born in Virginia and raised in a military family.

Taralynn, 20 had to deal with her low self-esteem when she was a child, because she was always became a target of bullies at her new school. But when she finally gained acceptance and appreciation in middle school where all the kids from different schools were joined, she started to found happiness, formed an unhealthy eating habits and had lack of exercise.

She then became overweight for her age. I surfing around her interesting blog, Undressed Skeleton to learn how she lose the weight.

Before and After Weight Loss: Taralynn lost 25lbs simply by changing her eating habits

What made you decide to lose weight?
The first day in high school hit me one morning when I was staring at myself in the mirror. I observed the weight change through the years and remembered what I had promised myself the week I left the mall empty handed “I will start my diet tomorrow”. I used the phrase almost every time I put something bad in my mouth, I used it as a comfort. That was the moment I decided the drinking and late night partying needed to end.

What changes you made to lose weight?
Having breakup with a boyfriend for the first time is supposed to sting but this stung a little too much. Food and friends would be the first thing I would turn to, but I didn’t have anyone left and food didn’t fill the emptiness, it's just fueled the fire of my anxiety. After taking a long walk, I realized that it actually gave me a little control over eating healthier. I started changing my eating habits gradually. I ended up training my body to relate exercise as a way of relaxation.

The Biggest Loser: Healthy diet and active lifestyle has transform herself physically

How long does it takes to see your weight loss result? 
25lbs had fallen off through the simplicity of switching to a healthy diet and a active life. The compliments I received from the people around me kept pushing me to move forward and continue to be strong. The reason I lost so much weight the first month is because when you first start a diet you lose a lot of the extra water weight you consume through sodium and other processed foods. I finally had control over my life and it felt great.

Share to us your workout
I love working out, but only when it’s fun. Swimming, hiking, walking, playing sports, dancing are some of my favorite work outs! Sometimes I’ll attempt new workouts when I go to the gym.

Taralynn's workout


Your 5 best weight loss tips?
1. Controlling Portion Sizes
Always keep measuring cups on hand, they are very helpful when controlling portion sizes with foods like, dressings, peanut butter, cereal, salts, sugars etc. It’s okay to have everything in moderation. Even healthy foods need to be eaten in moderation.

2. Watch out of late night eating
Whether it’s to quell anxiety or loneliness, to make up for insufficient calories during the day, or to fall asleep, overeating at night — well after dinner is over — is a common problem. If you’re prone to excess snacking after dinner, or if your habit evolves into a serious overeating problem (called Night-Eating Syndrome, or NES), treatments such as journaling, planning ahead, and changing your bedtime routine might help.

3. Rearrange your Refrigerator

Think of the top, eye-level shelf as your kitchen’s primary fuel station: Place washed, dried, and cut-up fruits and raw vegetables in airtight containers on the top shelf. Berries are perishable, so rinse only before eating. Add a few hard-boiled eggs for a quick peel-and-eat protein boost. Consume all foods here within two or three days, and replenish.

4. Don’t compare yourself to others
Every body is different. It stands to reason that everybody will lose weight differently. Even if you do the exact same things that I do, you won’t lose weight at the same rate. The key is in finding your triggers. Keep your goal in sight, and do whatever you have to do to meet that goal. When you start looking at someone else’s habits, you’re only going to become discouraged and quit without even realizing that it’s physically impossible to be anybody but yourself.

5. Don't give up when you don't see result
When you don’t see results it’s very frustrating. Stay off the scale and quit counting calories. Go by how you feel and how your clothes fit. The scale is NEVER accurate because our bodies fluctuate and different people weigh in differently. If you still don’t feel like any results are happening then don’t quit, just change what you are doing. Find out whats stopping you from staying healthy, is it the after lunch ice creams or late night soda pops? Cut them out and see if there is a change.



*All photos are copyright by Undressed Skeleton
Do you know any great weight loss success story? Or do you have an inspirational story about your own weight loss? We want to know your weight loss secrets! Add your story here and give others an inspiration and motivation to lose weight today.
If this success story inspire you to lose weight and encourage you to practice a healthy lifestyle, don't forget to share this with your friends on facebook and twitter!

29 April 2012

Weight Loss Success Stories: How Criss Lost 73 Pounds Without Pills

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Think you can't lose the weight?

Criss did it! She started dieting on June 16, 2010. Through old fashioned hard work and good nutrition, she has lost weight and transformed herself. Now she's 73 pounds down, healthy, happy, and becoming less of a stereotype everyday. Need inspiration and motivation to lose weight? Read on. You can read the rest of her notes in Criss Get Fit, or visit her blog Crissfit.

From chubby to slim: Criss achieve slim face after lose weight

What made you decide to lose weight?
I wanted to be at a weight considered healthy for my height, and wanted to pursue a healthier lifestyle to eliminate health concerns as I grow older. One day, I woke up and said, “Enough.” I did my research and decided when I moved two weeks later, that I would take my first serious step towards losing weight and being healthy.

What is your diet plan?
By counting calories, eating about 80% healthy/20% unhealthy food quality, not denying myself when I wanted food, and some exercise. I eat the following: fruits, veggies (especially of the raw variety!), nuts, lean chicken, extra lean ground turkey meat, lean turkey sausage, lean turkey burgers, whole grain wheat, seafood (of ALL types!), boiled eggs, peanut butter, granola, protein shakes. I basically eat a peanut butter and banana protein shake for breakfast, eat some form of grilled chicken (by itself, on a wrap, on a salad, etc), steamers veggies, and either more chicken or something else on that list in a single day. I try to aim for a balanced diet. I don’t really stress much attention to macronutrients, but I DO watch my processed sugar/carb intake. Protein I get enough naturally from the types of food I eat, but I aim for 100+ grams. I try to eat as little processed food as possible, but I’m not perfect. I aimed for a balanced, maintainable diet, which kept me sane and able to stay focused.

How much did you eat when you started?
I currently eat about 1200-1600 calories a day. When I first began my weight loss, I ate about 1400-2000 calories a day. I try to never go below 1200 unless I am legitimately sick or I have a short day and have to go to bed early (I work overnights on weekends, so my schedule can sometimes get messed up on my off days). I don’t really try to factor in calories burnt through exercise either because there’s no easy way to determine that. Most machines over-count, it’s really hard to determine calories burnt with weightlifting, and besides, how many calories you burn a day can be determined by many, many factors like your amount of muscle.
Body Transformation: Criss transforms from fat to fit


Share to us your workouts.
I lift weights and occasionally supplement it with cardio. For my cardio, I play DDR/ITG (youtube it!). I follow an upper body and lower body two-day split, 3-4 days a week, and get my cardio in on off days or through fun things like In the Groove/Dance Dance Revolution. I prefer lifting weights, though, because I get bored with cardio, and weights also give me something to constantly improve.



How long does it take to see your weight loss result?
It varied greatly. Sometimes I’d lose 2 pounds a week, sometimes only half a pound, and sometimes I’ll even gain back a pound or two. I’m not superhuman and I’m prone to relapsing and being lazy/unhealthy sometimes. I’ve gone through what I call my phases, where I basically get REALLY obsessed with fitness and number-crunching, where I’m super focused on weight loss, and will lose 10-20 pounds in a couple of months. Then I’ll gradually sink back into old habits and maintain or “plateau” for a month or two, only to repeat the phase.

Do you have any loose skin?
No, I don’t. While I had a gut, I never carried most of my weight in my stomach, and only the last couple of years did I start to even gain there. I carried the majority of my weight in my legs. Whether or not you have loose skin is entirely dependent on genetics, age, skin elasticity, how quickly you lose your weight, and how much weight/fat in that area you have to lose. I can’t answer why I was lucky enough to not have any, but I’ll just say it was a combination of being young, losing the weight not too quickly, and the fact that my waist was never that big (35-36 inches before).

Big changes: Criss do weight lifting and cardio to get in shape


Do you have any stretch marks?
I sure do! The darkest, most visible ones are the ones on the upper insides of my thighs. I’ve had them since I was about 15/16, when I quickly gained a lot of weight back after an ED I had undergone. They’re probably about as faded as they’re ever going to be, and I’m starting to accept that they’re a part of me. I also have nearly invisible marks on my thighs and very slight ones on my breasts, but you can only see it in certain lights, and only if you’re really, really looking for them. Most girls have stretch marks or end up getting them. It’s natural.

Criss' best 7 weight loss tips
1. Educate yourself on how weight loss works.
Learn the definition of BMR and how many calories you need just to live, and read up on metabolism. This is the most important thing you can learn regarding weight loss.

2. If you are losing more than 2 pounds a week, then you are losing lean muscle.
Muscles that keep your body alive. The only exception is when you first change your eating habits, you might lose a larger amount due to water weight.

3. I’m just naming random percentages here, so don’t quote me on this, but weight loss is 80% nutrition/calories/food and 20% exercise. 
In fact, I didn't exercise at all in the middle of my weight loss, and I was still losing weight. If you eat within the exact right range of calories your body needs per day (neither OVER or UNDER), cut out over-processed foods, drink lots of water, get lots of fiber, and eat fruits, veggies, and whole grains, you will see progress. Exercise aids weight loss and makes you look better, but you will have more power over your progress if you have power over your food first.

4. Eat frequently. 
I am less inclined to overeat if I eat small amounts of food and often. For example, my work lunch is packed for today already, and I have one banana, two single servings of frozen broccoli, two grilled chicken breasts, and two boiled eggs. I get a break every hour and 20 minutes for 15 minutes, and I eat something nearly every break. Before I started doing this, I would eat once at work, and then when I got home, I’d overeat because I thought I was hungrier than I really was!

5. Don’t reward yourself with unhealthy food. 
What you’re doing is creating a bad relationship with food, and you are confusing your brain. This is my biggest tip: when you tell yourself “NO CHOCOLATE, IT’S BAD FOR ME,” you want it more. You put it on a pedestal, and you think about it more and more. And when you finally cave in, you’ll binge. That’s why I don’t restrict in my diet; I moderate. I want a soft taco supreme from Taco Bell? Okay, I can have it. I’ll look up the calories online to calculate into my daily calories, and if what I eat is more than I normally eat, I go to the gym and burn them. If I’m going out with friends, I’ll fill up on something healthy like broccoli before going so I won’t overeat at the restaurant. If I’m eating something at home, I’ll eat it with a side of something healthy so again, I won’t overeat. And you know what? Now I hardly even crave unhealthy foods.
Picture It to Prove It:  Criss take lots of pictures during her weight loss journey



6. Take LOTS of pictures during your journey! 
If you are less motivated when you look at them, then take them and put them away in a folder on your computer. Wait until you’ve lost some weight and THEN go back and look. There were times when I didn’t feel like I had made much progress at all and wanted to quit, but when I would go back to my older pictures, I would see how much progress I had actually made. You might surprise yourself!

7. Find a partner! 
Losing weight was a lot easier when I had friends to do it with. Don’t have friends in person who will talk weight stuff with you? Find people online! There are loads of communities out there.

*All photos are copyright by Criss Get Fit.
Do you know any great weight loss success story? Or do you have an inspirational story about your own weight loss? We want to know your weight loss secrets! Add your story here and give others an inspiration and motivation to lose weight today.

Shall this success story inspire you to lose weight and encourage you to practice a healthy lifestyle, don't forget to share this with your friends on facebook and twitter!


28 April 2012

Weight Loss Success Stories: Jess Lost an Amazing 60kg After Gastric Sleeve

5 Lovely Thoughts
She beat the odds, lost the weight and transform her life. At 177cm, Jess,19 weigh 150kg (330lbs). She had a Gastric Sleeve in April 2011 and has lost a total of 69.8kgs(153lbs) a year later. She shares her story in Soldiering-On.


Losing weight has remove some of Jess' extra roundness from the cheeks and jawline 

What made you decide to lose weight?
I had been considering bariatric surgery for quite some time, but wasn’t really serious until I began getting heart palpitations. They used to wake me in the middle of the night, and I was truly afraid that I was going to have a heart attack. All that fat and sugar coursing through my veins was ridiculous, no wonder my body couldn’t handle that!

Jess' body transformation

Share to us your workouts
I started Crossfit in the middle of January. It’s a strength and conditioning program, involving weights, cardio etc to give a totally rounded fitness/strength workout. It has improved my fitness out of sight!!

Can you tell us about your fitness levels when you started crossfit?
I’d only been doing walking every few days and dance once a week. So pretty much nothing. I still can’t do a chest to ground pushup. I can’t do a pullup at all. But I work towards it. Everything is scaled to what you can do.

Jess' weight loss tips
I have the MOST trouble on weekends, when the gym is closed and I’m at home. It’s hard to stay out of the fridge. That’s why I keep myself occupied all day every day out and about to stop myself from eating all the time.
Jess before weight loss
Jess after weight loss

*All photos are copyright by Soldiering-on

Do you know any great weight loss success story? Or do you have an inspirational story about your own weight loss? We want to know your weight loss secrets! Add your story here and give others an inspiration and motivation to lose weight today.

If this success story inspire you to lose weight and encourage you to practice a healthy lifestyle, don't forget to share this with your friends on facebook and twitter!

27 April 2012

Weight Loss Success Stories: Mary Lost Over 80lbs and Gain Self-Confident

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This is another weight loss success story from a 19 year old girl named Mary for inspiration and motivation.



Mary the author of Skinny, eh? has been heavy in her entire life. She is always wanted to lose the extra weight, but had never before found the motivation to completely change her life style. She began losing weight in the summer 2010, and now have lost over 80lbs.

What made you decide to lose weight?
December 10th 2009. I laid my eyes on the most beautiful guy in the entire world. From that point on I knew I needed to lose weight, because he was too good for a fat chick. (Now I would like to say that my turning point toward a healthier life was done solely “for myself”, but in alot of people’s opinions it wasn’t. In reality it is all for myself. I decided to lose weight so I can improve my appearance and be more confident… then maybe I can pursue a relationship with him.) At first I put the thought to rest because he was simply too good to ever date me. About a month later I talked to him as a joke, but he didn’t take it that way. He ended up being the nicest guy ever. He treated me like no guy ever had. I [very possibly] fell in love. Time flew past and I was losing weight, but slowly. June 2010 I committed to not talking to him until I was skinny. I cut off all contact. Just stopped talking to him. (We weren’t close enough that it was a huge deal and reviving our friendship eventually shouldn’t be an issue.) From the begining of the year until August I lost 30 lbs. Then I began to take shit seriously.

Before and after weight loss:
Mary just eat healthy and workout to transform herself.

What changes you made to lose weight?
I was on a very strict diet for the first few months and followed it religiously. I ate even less than the diet required and exercised twice a day (+practice). This made me drop 50 lbs between September and March. It also made my hair thin and my skin sag. I learned my lesson and will never do that to myself ever again. 

How has your life changed after losing weight?
During March I went on Spring Break to Italy and Switzerland. It changed my life. For the first time ever men wanted me. (And it’s Europe so this was magnified by a million.) I thought that I was hot shit. I ate gelato, pizza, and pasta all day every day. Somehow I managed not to gain a pound over those two weeks. But when I got back I found it hard to start dieting again due to the distorted mindset I was in. I gained about 10lbs back… June 2011, I officially started my healthy dieting. :) It feels great to know I am on my final stretch of weight loss and doing it the right way.

Share to us your diet plan. 
Just eat healthy, and work out. If you’re just beginning, track your calories. (Healthy Beautiful Blog recommended BodyMedia FIT LINK Armband Weight Management System.) That’s all there is to it. The better you eat, the more you work out, then then the skinnier you’ll get. 

Before and after weight loss photo:
Mary managed to lost 62lbs in less than a year
            

What about your workouts? 
Do some form of cardio 5 days/week. Cardio is the best way to burn fat. It’ll help make you lean.



How long does it take to see your weight loss result?
It depends. When I was intensely dieting I saw big physical changes after two weeks. (Like probably a pant size or two, but I was intensely dieting and exercising.) Now that I am dieting less intensely, and working out a lot more just to tone, I’ll feel more fit within a couple days, but I don’t see any major shaping changes for like a month.

Mary's 10 Best Weight Loss Tips

1. Discipline
I have tried every diet there is. But it doesn’t matter what diet you follow. You lose weight through discipline

2. Plan your daily intake ahead of time
It will help you from going over your daily limits.

3. Pack food with you when you’re away from home
Eating out is tricky. This helps reassure that you have healthy options and won’t be forced to eat high-caloric restaurant food.

4. Carry a bottle of water with you at all times
You will mindlessly drink more than you realize. Which helps flush out toxins, and keeps you full.

5. Stick to the outside isles when grocery shopping
Eat fresh! 

6. Buy goal-sized clothing for motivation
Try it on every once in awhile. It’ll feel really satisfactory when it’s getting closer and closer to fitting.

7. Finish eating in the early evening
That way everything is digested before you go to bed.

8. Never eat in front of the computer or TV
This will lead to mindless eating and you will consume more than you realize. It’ll also leave you less satisfied if you aren’t paying attention to what you’re eating.

9.Use an online calorie counting site
(I use livestrong.com). And be obsessive about it.

10. Maximize your protein intake
It’ll keep you from losing muscle.

* All photos are copyright by Mary, Skinny, eh?
Do you know any great weight loss success story? Or do you have an inspirational story about your own weight loss? We want to know your weight loss secrets! Add your story here and give others an inspiration and motivation to lose weight today.
Shall this success story inspire you to lose weight and encourage you to practice a healthy lifestyle, don't forget to share this with your friends on facebook and twitter!

26 April 2012

Weight Loss Success Stories: Ruby Lost More Than 10kg on a Healthy Diet

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I like to read weight loss success stories to motivate and inspire me along my journey to lose weight. They are real people who has lose weight. As I read their weight loss success story, I know that if they can, I can too!



I found Ruby weight loss' blog The Skinny and wanted to share her story here to inspire myself and everyone who are in the same mission to lose weight and live a healthy lifestyle. The 5'5" girl write in her blog that she didn't lose weight fast. It was very gradual and healthy.

Inspiring weight loss: Ruby's before and after photo
Before: 174 lbs (78.9 kg)

After: 134 lbs (60.8 kg)

Ruby's Diet Plan
I don’t follow a diet. I do have certain foods I try to eat and foods I try to avoid, but I don’t have a set meal plan or a daily allowance of calories. If I had to guess, I’d say my daily intake falls in the 1200-1800 range. 

How to get rid of loose skin after weight loss 
Although I lost a fair amount of weight, I lost it very gradually. This gave my skin time to change too. Skin is elastic, and just as it can stretch when you gain weight, it can tighten back up when you lose weight. I also take a multivitamin that contain collagen, which helps with skin elasticity. And actually, my skin is probably looser than it would be if I had been this weight my whole life. If you pinch a bit and pull, it does come away from my body more than it did when I was heavy, but it doesn't “sag.”

How to deal with stretch marks 
I don’t have any magical formula for how to get rid of them, but I would think that using moisturizer (Healthy Beautiful Blog recommended Premium Stretch Mark Cream) and taking collagen (Try NeoCell Super Collagen- HBB) or hyaluronic acid as a supplement would help. Also, my father used Mederma cream on his scar from having quadruple bipass surgery and it completely disappeared! 
(Of course that was a scar, not a stretch mark, and it was a fresh scar, so that might make a difference.)

Before and after weight loss photo:
Ruby said about her weight loss, it was very gradual and healthy.

How to lose weight on specific area, eg. tummy, butt, thigh? 
Unfortunately there is no such thing as “spot reduction.” Exercises can help to build muscle in a specific area making that area appear tighter and more toned, but they can’t help burn fat in a specific area. When your body needs energy and it decides to burn fat, it will decide where it takes that fat from, not you. So even if you’re doing a thousand leg lifts a day, your body might decide to burn the fat in your boobs. Yeah, it sucks, but that’s how it is.

So if you have a problem area, the only thing you can do is continue to lose weight (in a healthy way!) until your body decides to start burning fat in that area. This isn’t to say that toning exercises are a waste of time, though. Adding muscle to your body actually increases your metabolism, causing you to burn more fat throughout the day. And doing muscle building exercises will help to make your body appear toned and in shape as well.

*All photos are copyright by Ruby, The Skinny

Do you know any great weight loss success story? Or do you have an inspirational story about your own weight loss? We want to know your weight loss secrets! Add your story here and give others an inspiration and motivation to lose weight today.

If this success story inspire you to lose weight and encourage you to practice a healthy lifestyle, don't forget to share this with your friends on facebook and twitter!
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