Monday, September 6, 2010

How I lost 32 pounds in 3 months!

My weight loss journey began after gaining 62 pounds during pregnancy. I was able to lose 30 pounds in the first few months after giving birth to my beautiful daughter. Then the holidays came and my weight loss came to a standstill between Halloween and New Year’s Day. I had hit a plateau, and I was becoming frustrated that my weight was no longer coming off.   This all changed when I made a commitment to a lifetime of healthy living.  In only 12 weeks I went from a size 16 to a size 8. My weight went down from 171 pounds to 139 pounds.

I lost the weight by following my own plan of eating 1,200 calories a day and working out 5-6 days a week for 30-60 minutes. I kept a food, exercise, and weight loss journal.  I noticed that I lost the most weight when I was diligent about writing down what I ate during the day. It kept me from mindless munching and falling into my old eating habits that caused me to gain the weight in the first place. I constantly renewed my focus to get into shape by eating nutritious meals and exercising on a regular basis. I was able to keep my motivation by seeing the progress from my workouts and by rewarding myself. I saw incredible results from all of the gym equipment and enjoyed attending a variety of Group Fitness Classes. I especially loved how quickly the Spinning and Body Pump classes toned me. I pampered myself every time I lost a few pounds by getting myself new clothes, shoes, manicures, pedicures, and enjoying bubble baths. I got an adrenaline rush every time I achieved each mini-weight loss goal.

My brother, Mike, lost an incredible 55 pounds 2 months eating only 1,200 calorie a day combined with aerobic exercise and lifting weights.  He started out at 275 pounds and went down to 220 pounds.  He videotaped his progress with a series of YouTube videos and explained how he did it on  www.thomasdiet.com

My brother, Ed, entered a Biggest Loser type contest at his work and won by losing 60 pounds in 3 months.  He did it by eating 6 mini-meals a day that were just 200 calories each.  He wanted to prove that he could lose weight without exercising, so he only counted calories. 

We were all determined to lose weight quickly so we had very good willpower to stick to a plan of eating less calories.  I know that this can be difficult sometimes, so I have gathered some resources to help others lose weight and become more fit.

Always consult your doctor before beginning any weight loss program.