Progress pics: 5'2, 138 to 121 in ~9 weeks (long, with TL;DR)

[proud_mama_2009]

I lurk here a lot and thought I might finally show off some progress pics and share my story!

https://imgur.com/a/AlWbw

Here are some numbers, because I know you ladies like those:

Age: 29

H: 5'2.5 (that half is very important to me)

SW: 138 lb

GW: 120 lb

CW: 121.6 lb

Total calories: 1626

Carbs: 183 g

Fat: 45 g

Protein: 122 g

On a typical day, I struggle to stay under my carb goal, am way under my protein goal, and am way over my fat goal. I love me some breakfast pastries and cheese.

I have no problem meeting my overall calorie goal, though. I think the biggest contributor to my success has been adjusting my attitude (more on that in the next paragraph) and cutting back on alcohol (I limit myself to 3 drinks per week).

I had dysfunctional eating habits in high school/college (binge/restriction cycle), which got worse when I started taking Adderall in my early 20s. For ~5 years, I dealt with some pretty intense mental health issues, and my unhealthy relationship with food and exercise was definitely part of that. Not hating on Adderall or anything - I know it's a godsend for a lot of people - but it was definitely not the right medication for me.

Got my shit together in mid 2013 and allowed myself to eat whatever I wanted while I focused on rebuilding my career and making exercise a part of my daily routine. I started with basic yoga and have gradually, very slowly (with many setbacks), built up a consistent routine that makes me feel great and that I have time to fit in my absurd work schedule.

Since October 2015, my fitness routine has consisted of HIIT on an elliptical machine 3x/week, and an "easy run" (~6 miles on the elliptical or ~2 miles on my local trail at whatever pace I feel like) 2 days a week. Sometimes I go to a spin class instead of using my elliptical machine at home if I can get a Groupon or something.

I do some form of yoga every day. Most sessions are ~1hr long mix-and-match "Yoga with Adrienne" videos in my living room, but on the weekends I will enjoy a longer studio class with an instructor to make sure my form doesn't suffer. Occasionally there are days where I just do 15min of breathing exercises and vinyasa because that's all I have time for before work.

In February, after a beach vacation to Florida, I realized I was finally ready to get my diet under control. I have worked really hard to undo some destructive thought patterns related to my eating habits, particularly regarding counting calories.

Under the supervision of my psychiatrist, I started using MFP to track calories & exercise. Initially I started at 1500 cal/day and lost weight a lot quicker than I intended to, so I did some research (side bar here is super helpful) and upped it to ~1600 a couple weeks ago. I have lost almost 17 lb so far!

I have a wedding to attend in May and bought the dress for it when I was at 125, so I'm trying to maintain at ~120 until after then. I might go to 115 if I'm feeling it after the wedding.

I just wanted to share my story hoping it would help someone else in a similar situation. For the first time in my life, I really like how I look naked and feel awesome about how I got there.

If anyone has any advice/suggestions on my routine, I'd love to hear them (always looking for new fitness ideas). Also happy to answer questions if anyone has any.

TLR: You don't have to beat yourself up to like how you look naked! Also, cutting back on alcohol helps. Also, read the side bar! You might be able to eat more than you think and still lose weight.

 

[crr]

@proud_mama_2009 Woah I feel like there's so many of us in this boat. I'm 5 foot 2.5 (YES! that .5 matters!!) and was 123 (but no muscle) at my lowest. I had lost 50 lbs at that point. I started focusing on muscle gain but inevitably gained fat too. that, and getting more "relaxed" about healthy eating has brought me back to ~132-135. that being said, I'm a lot stronger/I have morning abs and I love it. however it would be nice to see that scale go down juuuust a bit more. I know I don't NEED to, but I really want to, for me. Thanks for the inspiration

 

[carolynblount]

@proud_mama_2009 Wow! Great work!! I agree, you can eat more than you think and still lose weight. I've been averaging around 1800 calories a day and I'm losing.

 

[dawn16]

@proud_mama_2009 Amazing! My mind is blown by people who lose weight that quickly and consistently at that intake. I don't know what's wrong with my body but I don't lose on 1500 and I don't know why! But your story is so inspiring! Great work.

 

[setso]

@dawn16 Im five zero and I eat under 1100 a day and am trying to be active and am watching carbs and I still can't seem to lose anything much. It likes to hold on, I guess.

 

[tonyshawjr]

@proud_mama_2009 We're the same height!
A month and a half ago i was 137.6lb and the last time i checked i was 131.8lb. Im hoping to get down to 118lb (maybe a bit less...)
What does your daily food look like? Im stuggling so much with eating enough protein for my body, i loft weights but i dont think ill see much progress unless i cab up my protein

 

[proud_mama_2009]

@tonyshawjr

What does your daily food look like?

It varies wildly. I love food and could talk about it all day, so this response is kind of long. TLR: I focus more on making good dietary choices and portion control rather than sticking to hard-and-fast rules or a meal plan.

For context, I work as a recruiter for a venture capital firm in Boston. My days are crazy long and involve going to multiple offices around the city in a single day, as well as attending networking events (read: booze and food fests) in the evenings at least once a week. I don't have a lot of control over my food choices - many of the offices I work out of provide free lunches, booze, and snacks. At work, the biggest thing that has helped me by far has been limiting my alcohol intake. I'll chug Polar seltzer water (love the blueberry lemonade flavor) instead of the beer on tap in the office. Or I'll walk around the networking event with a club soda + lime and act extra bubbly so no one asks me why I'm not drinking. I also go for veggies and limit my intake of high-calorie foods. So for example, at a networking event I'll stick to the shrimp cocktail and crudite instead of cheese fondue. When the office orders lunch out, I'll go for whatever option on the menu involves veggies, salad, avocado, and/or hummus.

When I first started dieting, I had a very real problem with hunger/appetite. I get hangry fast, which is a problem because my job involves dealing with a wide variety of people (everyone from important investors to nervous job applicants). My performance suffers if I'm bitchy, basically. I combat this by always having a snack on hand - I know a lot of ladies here like protein bars, but my savior has been semi-sweet mini chocolate chips. I put a tablespoon in a baggie and toss it in my purse, so if I get stuck without food (like in traffic or in a meeting), I can easily sneak a couple chocolate chips. It really satiates my hunger and lifts my mood - plus, 1 tablespoon is only 70 calories, so even if I eat the entire baggie in one day (which hasn't happened yet), it's not a big deal. I also really like coconut water for this in a pinch (my favorite brand is less than 100 calories per bottle).

I also bought a food scale to help me with portion control and my boyfriend and I split a fruit/veggie CSA that gets delivered every two weeks. My live-in boyfriend is a doctor and works equally insane hours, so neither of us has any energy to cook at the end of the day. We often get frozen prepared foods from Trader Joe's (seafood paella, marinated mahi mahi, and veggie flatbreads are our favorites) and pair that with whatever veggies/salad we have on hand.

The one meal I am consistent about is breakfast. I have a banana first thing in the morning before my workout with my coffee - I absolutely love bananas and it puts me in a really good mood. My coffee intake is anywhere between 12-32 oz depending on the day, and I take it with tons of cream. After my workout I'll have fage 0% yogurt mixed with whatever fruit I have, or I'll have a piece of sprouted grain toast topped with something awesome like peanut butter, avocado, or yogurt & fruit.

 

[proud_mama_2009]

@rogers91

I also found that when I first started out and ate at 1200 it wasn't worth the crankiness and mood swings.

Dude. Once I get to the point where I'm so hungry I'm nauseous, I literally can't function. I'll have a terrible headache, super cranky, and all I can think about is eating. Having frequent small portions helps, and thank god for Polar seltzer.

 

[shovon27]

@proud_mama_2009 You look awesome! I really appreciate the fact that you spent time figuring what works best for YOU, personally. I know I struggle a lot with making my routine similar to someone else because I admire their physique or whatever, but what is right for one person won't be right for another. You go girl!

 

[not_a_unicorn]

@proud_mama_2009 I am also 5'2" and I'm currently around 138/137 and my goal is 120-ish! A coworker the other day just told me to 'not lose much more weight' even though I'm technically still overweight! flips table. And this is really inspiring! I can't wait until I reach my goal!

 

[proud_mama_2009]

@not_a_unicorn

flips table

Haha, yes! I got very similar comments when I first started. Do you find that you "carry" your extra pounds fairly well, so people don't seem to think you're overweight? I'm not sure if it's my height, bone structure, or some other factor that I'm not even considering, but I found it pretty easy to find clothes that flattered my body type and hid the pudge, so when I first told people I was trying to lose weight they were like, "but you look great!"

The thing is, there are so many other good reasons to get in shape other than your appearance. For example, I live in a big city and take public transportation regularly, plus I live in a third-floor walk up. So multiple flights of stairs are involved every time I leave the house. I used to struggle getting up the two flights of stairs at my office's subway station, but no more. It's so nice to not feel winded after my morning commute!

 

[canuckster]

@proud_mama_2009

Do you find that you "carry" your extra pounds fairly well, so people don't seem to think you're overweight?

This is exactly my problem! I have big thighs and a big booty, and when I wear pants/dresses, I find the styles that most compliment my body so I can work those curves. But I'm overweight, and my thighs got serious jelly that I can see when I'm in my underwear in the mirror.

ughhh it just drives me bananas when I'm eating well and exercising my butt off (literally) and trying to live a healthy lifestyle, and people tell me to stop losing weight or I'll "lose too much." WTF? I'll say when I'm done, dammit! rages

You look great, and you're working hard! You're really inspiring, thank you for sharing your progress!

 

[not_a_unicorn]

@proud_mama_2009 Yeah, basically. Despite being quite short people never really thought of me as fat before, even though I was!

 

[rogers91]

@not_a_unicorn Hey! Same stats at the moment and also goal of 115-120!

How has your journey been? I'm always so curious about women of similar heights!

 

[not_a_unicorn]

@rogers91 Pretty good! I was 159.5 on December 9th and officially started an eating plan Jan 4th. I weighed in on Wednesday at 137. So it's not like the weight is just DROPPING off, but I cheat enough that I'm entirely satisfied with my progress for now. My boobs haven gotten a bit smaller (they're on the larger end) and my legs have gotten thinner despite my not feeling like they need to. I'm just waiting to get rid of most of the gut fat now. Even my back fat has made a major reduction with just 22 lbs lost.

 

[tomasz]

@proud_mama_2009 Thanks for posting this -- I'm 5'1" and have been both your weights, with your lower end weight being my goal weight as well. I've been over 130 for a long while, but still have some clothes that prove to me that I didn't always weigh this much .

Can I ask what you do for HIIT? Also, how much progress did you see from yoga alone (if you know)?

I'm not a very consistent exerciser, but I'm getting better. Food is the much harder variable for me to control.

 

[proud_mama_2009]

@tomasz

Can I ask what you do for HIIT?

Sure!

3x/week: (30min minimum)

3 min - low resistance

3 min - medium resistance

3 min - low resistance

6 min - medium resistance

3 min - low resistance

6 min - high resistance

3 min - low resistance

3 min - medium resistance

If I have more time/energy, I will add an additional high resistance circuit (3min low, 6min high, 3min medium, for 12min total). I increase my intervals regularly - what was my "high" resistance level when I started in October is now my "low" setting.

For some idea of my progress, when I first started in October my distance/calories burned metrics for a basic 30min workout were 5mi/50 cal. Now, it's 7.2mi/140 cal. I understand these numbers aren't accurate, but it does provide some indication of improvements. For reference, my elliptical is a Schwinn a40.

Also, how much progress did you see from yoga alone (if you know)?

In terms of my appearance, not a whole lot. From October to February, (when I was doing yoga + cardio with no calorie counting), I lost ~6lb.

However, I made a lot of progress in terms of my strength, stamina, balance, and flexibility. The progress I made in yoga helped bolster my confidence and motivated me to keep going.

 

[lostsoul60]

@proud_mama_2009 You look great!! This is really inspiring as I am the same height as you. I have been staying around 130 for the past 2 months and just need to commit to my diet a little better to lose another 5-10lbs.