June bride wanting to lose 20 lbs before wedding!

Don't over-do it. Watch your portion sizes, cut out the non-essentials like soda and fast-food, and work hard for short periods of time.

So my wedding is before yours, in May! I didn't want to start my weight loss until after the holidays, because FI's family has huge holiday functions. I couldn't miss out on pie. Anyway, I lose best on a high protein diet from past experience, but I wanted to be healthy about it. I started Paleo diet that is 95% strict and 5% not (think cheese, creamer in my coffee etc.) I have officially as of today lost 10 pounds in 4 weeks! I only have 10 more to go and I plan to shed those before my dress fitting on February 20th. I lost the first 10 pounds without going to the gym and just doing some regular walking. Now I plan to go to the gym to jumpstart the next 10 pounds.

Just want to give you the motivation that it is DOABLE. and also the PALEO diet is AMAZING. I can eat and feel full. No starving, no gimmicks. And no killing yourself at the gym.

@livelovelearn, I agree, Paleo is the way to go. I'm doing the 30 Clean program,: no sugar, dairy, soy, grain etc. Prepping the food is a bit of work, but it is so worth it! I can't wait to go for my dress fitting to see how many inches I've lost.

20 pounds in 5 months is VERY doable. Everyone gave great advice. I started this 28 Day Fit Girl Challenge at the beginning of the month and am already down 12 pounds. Like PP said - diet is HUGE. That's the hard part. Check this out if you want. The new group starts Feb 8th.

https://www.fitgirls.com/products/28-day-jumpstart

I track all my calories on my Fitbit. I put in my goal weight and when I wanted to be there, and it guides my caloric intake. I also drink TONS of water. I love coffee, so I got a huge starbugs reusable tumbler with a straw, and it goes with me everywhere. You can infuse the water with fruit if that helps.

I track all my calories on my Fitbit. I put in my goal weight and when I wanted to be there, and it guides my caloric intake. I also drink TONS of water. I love coffee, so I got a huge starbugs reusable tumbler with a straw, and it goes with me everywhere. You can infuse the water with fruit if that helps.

FIRST: Don't look at a scale. It's only there to discourage you or give you false hope.

I lost 40 lbs last year and it surprised me how simple it was to do. (to be fair I gained it back because I became careless so now begins my quest to lose again :] )

Stay active. Sitting around all day at home or at work is a HUGE deterrent to weight loss. If you have a desk job, get up and stretch occassionally or go for a short walk every few hours.

If you stay at home during the day, then you can clearly get in more activity, such as going to the gym or doing workouts at home.

I never went on a diet, ugh so repulsed by the word, but what I did do was portion control. I ate less ( and by eating less I mean I actually had correct portions and didn't overeat) and had healthier snacks during the day, like almonds or fruit.

That's essentially all I did and I was surprised at how well my clothes started to fit.

Time to do it again Shame on me.

I suggest both exercise and changing your diet, but if your limited for what you can do, the most important thing would be to change your diet. Obviously limiting your caloric intake to what you realistically need in one day is important, but so are the kinds of foods. Choose nutrient dense options over empty calories and limit alcohol.

If you're looking for an exercise program, something involving HIIT would be good. It's more effective on your metabolic rate as compared with steady state cardio.

Also ladies, be wary of tracking your steps as a measure of exercise. You need to walk for at least 10 minutes for it to really "count" toward something.

Good luck date twin! I've started by changing the food i eat. I know i still eat too much but i'm working on that but at least what i'm eating is a lot healthier, i also go to the gym 3 days a week for 1-2 hours. A lot of cardio will help shed fat.

The best thing you can do is clean up your diet and get moving, but eating right is the most important part! You can't out train a bad diet.

I would go on bodybuilder.com and find out how much you should be eating. I track my macronutrients (or macros), which consists of protein, carbohydrates, and fats. I lost twenty lbs in three months by measuring out my food, eating the right amount of macros, and going to the gym. There is a macro calculator on their website!

Strength or resistance training (lifting weights) will also help you. If you break down the muscle by lifting weights, then the muscle will develop more over time and continue to burn more fat, so your exercise will do double the work. Cardio doesn't do this, and excessive amounts of cardio will actually make you lose muscle. The best mix is light cardio and more intensive weight training to build that lean muscle up!

I'm currently in a program designed by Jessie Hilgenberg, and it shows you how to count your macros and gives you great workout plans. It's only $88 (cheaper than a trainer), and you get access to a private facebook group that is absolutely full of women who do nothing but build each other up and work to reach their goals! I'd highly suggest it! It's definitely helped me stay on track!!

I kick started mine by cutting carbs. This was basically my meals every day.

Breakfast: some sort of soup

Snack: Apple or string cheese

Lunch: Chicken or steak and veggies

Dinner: Chicken or steak and veggies

Lots of water

I walked 2 miles with my kids 3 times a week too.

I went from 170 to 150 in 2 months.

Then I started craving real food again haha

Definitely throw out the scale. I'm 5'5" and weigh 160 pounds, but wear a size 4, sometimes 2.

Try FitnessBlender.com they have hundreds of free workout videos with lots of variety, plus a blog with tips on weight loss and healthy eating and even some recipes.

Ditto to what most people are saying and also drink lots and lots of water!

I've been tracking all of my calories via the LoseIt! app and am sticking to 1,200 calories/day, plus 2 days/week of cardio/weight lifting at the gym and I climb about 17 flights of stairs/day during the week at work. I've been doing this since mid-October and am down 30 lbs. Diet is key!!

Eat less, move more. Weigh your food to get accurate calorie counts, most people vastly underestimate. I thought I was eating at 1,200 calories, it turned out to be more like 1,600 calories. It really is a game changer. Eat whatever you want, it isn't carbs or gluten or sugar that make you fat, its how many. I've lost 20+ pounds in 1/2 that time without giving up anything.

Use Myfitnesspal to track what you eat and see how much sugar, fat, carbs, and calories you are consuming. No junk food. Start eating healthier foods as well as smaller portions a day. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner. I'm using shakes as well. GNC lean 25. I make one in the morning with Almond milk. Snack is string cheese. Lunch might be left overs but small portion. or I'll get Joseph's wraps and make chicken or tuna in it. Another snack is the serving of nuts. Then dinner is whatever but small portion. Lots and lots of water. I do have a fitbit, but since I sit at work a lot, I changed my daily step goal to 7,000. Its more reasonable for me. I also use Zumba, which is fun. I do have a Julian Michaels DVD as well that I will start using to mix it up. You can also use the free 30 day challenge apps to tone up- legs, planks, arms. Sticking to it is hard. I just started back again and already have messed up twice. I gained back what I lost. But now I'm so annoyed that I had to re-lose those pounds that could have been even more weight loss total. That helps me stay on track for now.

The gym is my life and I'm so lucky I get to share the same passion with my husband. All I'm gonna say is you have to be committed all the way through. I set a goal for myself and I achieved it bc I didn't quit.

Start out with doing a lot of cardio especially if you're trying to burn a lot of fat and then incorporate some weight lifting. Cardio should at least be 30-45 mins a day for people who are looking to lose weight. And start out with that to get yourself commited to going to the gym everyday. When you feel like you're ready, then you can start hitting the weight room. Always, everyday, do abs. No matter what exercise you know, do it. Drink a lot of water. Don't cut out a lot of food all at once bc it's gonna make you go crazy and say whatever and just go back to it. Drink lots of water and use small plates. Snack throughout the day, fruits or yogurt or even granola bars to keep your metabolism going. Most importantly, try to get your FH involved in this with you. Be each other's motivation bc it will help you a lot!! You got this girl!!

Check out JJ Smith, Green Smoothie Cleanse. I've lost over 30lbs in three months following her cleanse and meal guide.

Ideal Protein....look for the support groups on Facebook and also the IP alternatives support group too. I lost 45 lbs in 3-4 months!!!!!

^ bullshit. Ignore people like this.