So I am totally stealing this idea from the Minkettes. I love the fact that the thread is so active and supportive. The idea of combining the love of a designer and weight loss is perfect!

So I figured I would see if any LV lovers are out there in need of some encouragement and support if trying to lose weight and/or maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

So here is my story.

When I was in law school 13 years ago, I worked out all the time and ate super healthy. It sounds crazy, but it was easy for me my first two years. Then I got my summer clerkship and I was spoiled by amazing food. With the pressures of law school significantly alleviated in my third year, I started to eat poorly and go out a lot more. I gained about 7 pounds. Then came the real world - work and marriage. I added a few more pounds. Each year I added a few more pounds and got lazier and lazier. I would go through phases when I would get on diet or work out and drop some weight. Then I'd gain it back with a few extra.

Two years ago, I trained and ran a half marathon. I thought that was a turning point. But once the race was over, I took a break and gained the weight right back. It was truly appalling.

With my 20 year high school reunion in 2012, I decided this would be my year to get it together. So far I dropped 41 pounds. I have gone from a tight size 12 to a size 6. I still have about 9 pounds to lose. I want to start distance running again.

The thing that scares me at this stage is that have been here before. And I have yo-yoed time and time again. I lost the weight doing the hcg diet. My final round ends on Tuesday. Then I have to transition back to normal eating. That is scariest part for me. I can follow a strict diet. I have a tougher time when left to my own devices. My plan is to continue with a more Mediterranean diet, keeping refined carbs and sugars to a minimum. I no longer drink any soda - regular or diet. I also changed cow's milk to almond milk.

Holy guacamole! You've done an amazing job. Kudos to you.

My story? At the tender age of 44 I developed IBS. For about a year I was clued out as to what was going on and what my triggers were. I just knew that I was blowing up (at one point I started to look like I was 7 months pregnant).

Through a process of elimination (no pun intended), I realized that I'd developed problems with eating gluten and dairy (casein, which also rules out soymilk)! WAH!!!

Oh, and stress ... stress is a big no-no.

So, I had to not only get serious about my diet, but also about exercise.

In January, I started pilates and yoga (2-3x a week), plus aerobics (2-3x) and walking.

My issue is boredom. I am easily bored if there's no challenge, so it's easier to come up with excuses to slack off. Boredom also means I'm more willing to let my guard down on the food front (just one caramel latte at Starbucks can't be that bad, can it?).

Hi DrDior! Thank you for your kind words! I'm sorry to hear about the IBS. I'm glad you were able to pin the triggers down. I also need a challenge. I think that's why I love doing hcg because it's rather challenging to eat only 500-600 calories. I also love training for races. And if I'm not focused, I got nothing! And I eat! And I bake! And I love football and tailgating so my bad time of the year is right around the corner.

We really need to do this for our health! I have a congenital hip defect so one of my legs is shorter than the other. My parents were told I'd never walk and red multiple surgeries. No surgeries yet and I've done more than walk. But all that extra weight mad my hips hurt, activate arthritis that has been there since I was 7 and really was a pounding on my knees and ankles. At 37, I need to accept that my metabolism is not what is once was and that I need to take care of this before I cause permanent damage.

I am happy to say that I lost a pound!

Yanno, have you ever thought of trying pilates?

At first I completely dismissed it as one of those fad-y bandwagons that beauty queens jump on, but I started to get into it when I reinjured my lower back doing yoga.

I not only like the challenge of it, but also that it helps you work within and start to move past your physical issues. I have a SI joint problem on top of everything else, so I do a lot of work on releasing my hips. Plus all that ab work has given me a 3 pack. lol.

I do Pilates and hot yoga when I'm training. i know i should dedicate myself to the practice more so as it helps so much with flexibility and creating that lean look that i sooooo wish i had. And its easier on the body than running.

I have some Pilates DVDs because it costs a fortune for reformer classes here. It was a fantastic workout but $40 to $75 per reformer class is too rich for my blood!

I want to join this group! I'm 20 right now, 5'3 and around 120 lbs. I've been feeling really self conscious about my body recently because I've started to live by myself and haven't been eating very well. I went home for a vacation and my parents were constantly displaying their shock at how much 'bigger' I've gotten. :(

Throughout my whole life, I've been against the idea of exercising. I would skip gym classes starting from grade 8 and had no physical activity whatsoever. I never thought it was a problem because I would eat whatever I wanted and still be able to fit into my size 2 pants. But up until recently, I learned that I somehow went up to size 6 and I've been feeling insecure with my legs and body. I figure that if I don't do anything now, it will only keep getting worse in the future. Health was never a concern for me because I just cared about physical appearance. :(

So last week, I went out and bought work out outfits, running shoes (never owned them in my life) that I really like and hope it can serve as motivation for me to use it! It cost me almost $400 so I definitely don't want the stuff to go to waste. I ran about 5 km around the park yesterday and was absolutely dead towards the end. My leg muscles are sore today so I hope to hit the school gym and work on my upper body. Thanks for letting me share! I'm a huge LV fanatic

clu13, I know! I just booked a reformer session for $78 and I had to swallow hard when I did it. Usually, I do mat classes, but I need the reformer class to keep my interest piqued ... so I'm shooting to choke down the $78 bill once a month.

I did find pilatesanytime.com and, for $18 a month, you get access to unlimited video classes online. Being me, though, I did a class and promptly screwed up my back again.

glamourdoll, good for you! I wish that I would've had my **** together when I was in my 20s. It would've saved a lot of wear and tear on my body.

If you're in Vancouver and want a good workout, you should try hiking up the Grouse Grind. I personally have never done it - I could barely get around Stanley Park - but my girlfriends swear by it.

Hi, I am not on any particular program. I went to a new internist 2011 April and when discussing my family history, probability of me catching any number of multiple hereditary diseases....dying young...etc.

Background : I work at a boarding/ day school that provides 3 meals a day. I ate breakfast and lunch there and unfortunately made the wrong cHoices. I was eating pancakes, waffles, French toast with a side of eggs and meat daily. My doc informed me that this was more of a wknd brunch selection and not a daily choice (weekly).

I was not a big sweets eater and did not do the candy, soda, fruit juices or things like that so that wasn't a big problem. And we also were starting one of those stay fit programs at work so it was perfect timing. The goal was to earn points (as a team) walking 12000 steps a day, drinking 8 glasses of water, eating 4 servings of fruit/ vegetables and working out at least 45 min. This only lasted 5 weeks so it wasn't intense by any means. The timing was perfect. I also did this 7 day detox taking these horse pills that that kick start about 5lbs of waste.

I opted to only eat 2x a wk for breakfast at school and the other 3 and wknds I would eat from home. The doc also suggested rice cEreals instead of flake so I ate rice crispies with 1tsp of sugar because that's the only rice cereal I liked. I Also ate a bagel w/ cream cheese or an activia yogurt and special k breakfast bar ortoast.

I typically worked out only 5 days a wk and did 45 minutes (15 each on elliptical, stationary bike and treadmill) the first wk only. We stopped buying red meat to cook at home but I still eat red meat about once every three weeks.

I cook only grilled or baked chicken or fish and if we eat out I eat crab, fried shrimp alternating fries or mashed potatoes (cheescake factory, Fridays or seafood place). I also eat a 2x2x2 at ihop. i am particular and have allergies so wherever i eat out, i typically eat the same thing every time.
Now I have not worked out regularly since January 11' and it's actually more about watching what I eat and recognizing when enough is enough. When I want to eat more, I know I may need to work out. And if I don't want to work out...I just say no.

If you need any more info let me know. Oddly enough when I tell people how I lost the weight, they don't believe that's ALL I did and that I am not a work-out-a-holic!

I saw inches first and then pounds. I have a scale so i was on it everyday checking and keeping in check.I also have all of the equipment in my house so I did not have to go to the gym. i lost about 30 lbs total and was able to keep it off 2 yrs this month. The total weight loss pd (from 235) was about 5-7 months and again, I have been able to maintain my current (205) for about 2 yrs

believe me i understand about the baby thing. i gained sixty lbs with my first son and only lost 30 the day of. five yrs later with my second i started at a loss, gained 30 more...and ended up right back where i started. needless to say, 10 yrs later, i was still carrying around my baby weight. i am tall 5'10 so i carry weight differently but i was still well over 200 lbs and didnt really see it until i lost it and looked back at old pics. i was happy then...but happier now







and my husband was a huge role model in the implementation of this plan. it became a family process and there were more negative influences outside of us that could become road blocks (friends wanting to go out for drinks or ice cream, kid parties with ice cream and cake, family with negative comments). you cant be the only one on board. my family would excercise together and eat the same things (we used to prepare two meals...one for the kids and one for us) its a more concious effort to watch what i eat and have some type of physical activity regularly. good luck
let me know if you have any questions or want to see my before and after pics







and clothes do play a huge part. my hubby recognized that my clothes were getting loose but i didnt have $ to get a new wardrobe. he said if i kept the old clothes, i would grow back into them. i got it...and slowly (after about a year, bought new clothes) and shopping was not a really good experience. nothing seemed to fit partly because i didnt now what size i was. i had went from a 20 to a 14-16...hadnt been that size since high school/college.

now as i am reworking my wardrobe (you know how you may be one size at 1 store, but a different size at another) i only buy clothes at stores for the size i want to be. this limits me to a few stores, but i am still happy and have some rotation of items in my wardrobe

sorry to be so lengthy

And here's what I look like today. I loss the last 7 lbs









I actually wore two bikinis at the beach this summer....for the first time in my life. I hAvent been this weight since...roughly, 1998

Originally Posted by drspock7

And here's what I look like today. I loss the last 7 lbs I actually wore two bikinis at the beach this summer....for the first time in my life. I hAvent been this weight since...roughly, 1998

You look fantastic! I hope to wear a bikini one more time!

Here's my shining achievement! That was on Friday. Since then, I've lost 2 additional pounds. The wii told me I was obese or overweight for as long as I have owned it! I never dreamed it would tell me I was normal! If I ever get myself together, I will post a before and after picture. I'm getting reading to go over to London to catch the tail end of the the games (and have my VIP experience at New Bond Street LV).

Originally Posted by clu13

Here's my shining achievement! That was on Friday. Since then, I've lost 2 additional pounds. The wii told me I was obese or overweight for as long as I have owned it! I never dreamed it would tell me I was normal! If I ever get myself together, I will post a before and after picture. I'm getting reading to go over to London to catch the tail end of the the games (and have my VIP experience at New Bond Street LV).

have fun---hope something new LV makes it home. maybe one of the "house" keychains...a litle motivation of sorts.

Originally Posted by clu13

So here is my story. When I was in law school 13 years ago, I worked out all the time and ate super healthy. It sounds crazy, but it was easy for me my first two years. Then I got my summer clerkship and I was spoiled by amazing food. With the pressures of law school significantly alleviated in my third year, I started to eat poorly and go out a lot more. I gained about 7 pounds. Then came the real world - work and marriage. I added a few more pounds. Each year I added a few more pounds and got lazier and lazier. I would go through phases when I would get on diet or work out and drop some weight. Then I'd gain it back with a few extra. Two years ago, I trained and ran a half marathon. I thought that was a turning point. But once the race was over, I took a break and gained the weight right back. It was truly appalling. With my 20 year high school reunion in 2012, I decided this would be my year to get it together. So far I dropped 41 pounds. I have gone from a tight size 12 to a size 6. I still have about 9 pounds to lose. I want to start distance running again. The thing that scares me at this stage is that have been here before. And I have yo-yoed time and time again. I lost the weight doing the hcg diet. My final round ends on Tuesday. Then I have to transition back to normal eating. That is scariest part for me. I can follow a strict diet. I have a tougher time when left to my own devices. My plan is to continue with a more Mediterranean diet, keeping refined carbs and sugars to a minimum. I no longer drink any soda - regular or diet. I also changed cow's milk to almond milk.

i totally understand ...about the Free Food. my school offers free meals as well (private boarding school), unfortuantely i was making the wrong choices and combining the wrong things. my DR told me my everyday breakfsats should have been wknd brunches. i now eat 2x a wk at school. and a yogurt/ special k cereal bar or cereal the other days.

unfortunately in the midst of all of this i went intoo anaphylactic shock eating my son's bday cake and landed in the ER with a host of other allergies i was unaware of. quite frankly it cuts out my food choices especially when it comes to fruit/ grain options. i was allergic to about ten things which inevitably helped me.

i never really tried to diet in the past. i alwys tracked my weight up to and through HS i was 185 when i graduated college and 3 mos pregnant with my first i was 200. i gained 60 lbs with him, lost 30 the day he was born and got stuck. five yrs later had my second, gained 30 lbs which put me back at 260 and it took me a long time to get that addl 30 off. i lingered around 235 from dec 2003 until april 2011. i am now 197 at the end of the day---which is OK with me.

my doctors wanted me at 185 and i told them i would compromise at 200. it was give and take for both, but i could not dare go back to my HS weight. i am happy now...but i was then too. i often feel like people have a false sense of happiness and acceptance based on circumstance and lifestyle: but thats another soapbox.

i was recent;y reading an article in SHAPE magazine about jordin sparks 50 lb weight loss and she mentioned something that most articles dont tell you. she had to change the kinds of foods she was eating first. that little compromise gave her enough energy to pursue working out. there was no way she would have enough energy to work out at the weight she was and you have to get the right mindset first. just like jennifer hudson, i thought they looked GOOD before (but to put it in her own words best) she's BETTER with the weight loss!

Since January I've lost about 7 pounds by basically cutting out wheat and dairy products and upping the exercise.

Of the two, I would definitely say that the modifications to my food intake made the biggest difference to weight loss. The exercise just helps me tone what's there.

I'd still like to lose another 3-5 pounds, but that's because I want to get into a bikini without any funny little pooches hanging out over the top. Why couldn't I have been born one of those women who gains in the back end?! WHY??!!!

Originally Posted by clu13

Here's my shining achievement! That was on Friday. Since then, I've lost 2 additional pounds. The wii told me I was obese or overweight for as long as I have owned it! I never dreamed it would tell me I was normal! If I ever get myself together, I will post a before and after picture. I'm getting reading to go over to London to catch the tail end of the the games (and have my VIP experience at New Bond Street LV).

Adorable picture! You are doing amazing job!