-Highest weight was over 250 lbs (I stopped weighing myself after that)
-Lowest weight 140
-Currently, I fluctuate between 150-155
-I exercise 5-6 days a week. MOSTLY weight lifting. I lift heavy weight (meaning: I rep until I hit failure, between 8-12 reps; if I can lift it more that 12 times, I go up in weight). Very little cardio, maybe 10-15 minutes before or after a workout. Sometimes none.
-Food: I track my macros and calories. I make sure to hit my protein goals everyday (so important for muscle growth/maintenance), and my carbs vs fats will fluctuate based on my activity. Higher carbs on intense workout days, lower carbs on off days or low activity days. So, calories stay the same, protein stays the same, how many carbs or fats varies based on activity.

Biggest Lesson Learned:
In your first year of guaranteed weight loss, take the time to change your habits & lifestyle. THIS HAS TO BE A LIFESTYLE CHANGE! Get rid of the trigger foods. Most of those trigger foods are sliders! As your stomach stretches and you get passed that year mark those sliders will slide right past your sleeve much easier than your proteins & veggies. Those slider foods become your “grazing” food, too. Then, before you know it, despite your restriction, you’ve grazed your way into a calorie surplus and you’re no longer losing & start gaining. Plan 5-6 meals a day so that you feed your metabolism and you are never starving & risking over eating.

Also: EXERCISE. Incorporate that exercise. Go for that walk. Bike ride. Treadmill. Weights. SOMETHING. Tired, not tired, make exercise a habit and JUST. DO. IT. I mean this literally: SUCK IT UP & DO IT. You might just find—later down the road—something that you enjoy and become passionate about. This was my experience with powerlifting 2 years post-op.

You look amazing, congratulations! Thanx for sharing your story and for a great advice. Very motivating to gear from veterans.

On 05/24/2020 at 14:01, Bari_KS said:

You look amazing, congratulations! Thanx for sharing your story and for a great advice. Very motivating to gear from veterans.

Thank you!!!

Oh dear lord, your arms and back are the stuff of my dreams!

I totally HATE strength training (though I force myself to do 20 mins of it every day...cursing the entire time, btw), but if I can end up looking like you someday it will TOTALLY be worth it.

Your newest fan,

ms.sss

1 hour ago, ms.sss said:

I totally HATE strength training (though I force myself to do 20 mins of it every day...cursing the entire time, btw), but if I can end up looking like you someday it will TOTALLY be worth it.

Have you tried bodyweight training? I hate machine training as well, that's why I never followed through with it for longer. Haven't touched a machine in like ages.

I have recently started again slooooooooooowly after only doing some low-dose rehab training for my shoulder since ages.

??Congratulations??

On 5/26/2020 at 1:54 PM, summerset said:

Have you tried bodyweight training? I hate machine training as well, that's why I never followed through with it for longer. Haven't touched a machine in like ages.

I have recently started again slooooooooooowly after only doing some low-dose rehab training for my shoulder since ages.

LOL, 90% of my weight training is with body weight. I'm already doing as little as I possibly can! I only use "machines" for pull downs (though I do use free weights sometimes for arms and shoulders). I've long ago accepted that I will likely never enjoy doing these things. BUT I do them anyway. I can see the difference it makes (even with as little as I do) and it's a price I'm willing to pay (for now).

9 hours ago, ms.sss said:

LOL, 90% of my weight training is with body weight. I'm already doing as little as I possibly can!

How's body weight training "doing as little as you can"? ?

I think there are truckloads of really challenging BWE you need lots of skills and strength for. (I guess this woman here can dream of being able to do a tiger bend push-up one day, lol).

7 hours ago, summerset said:

How's body weight training "doing as little as you can"? ?

I think there are truckloads of really challenging BWE you need lots of skills and strength for. (I guess this woman here can dream of being able to do a tiger bend push-up one day, lol).

Haha, I meant that I am using the absolute least amount of weight to exercise (i.e., my body weight, lol).

I agree, there is TONNES of skill and strength involved for many body-weight exercises/poses (just not the ones I can currently execute!). That tiger bend push up is crazy.

This one in particular (eight-angle pose/astavakrasana), I have been working on for the past 2 months now. Mr. has been helping me "train" to complete it. I can only barely hook my right leg over my bicep at this point (I've given up on the left leg...that side of me is just not bendy enough right now), and lift maybe half of one butt cheek off the ground, so it's still months in the making...

The fact that Mr. can do it effortlessly is the fire that makes me determined to do this one day...

Edited May 28, 20206 yr by ms.sss

Ah, yoga poses - I hear you. I'm so much of a chicken when it comes to balance poses or inversions.