Weight Loss Success Stories to Motivate You

Losing weight is one of the hardest goals to achieve. There are so many reasons to want to lose weight. Whether it's to improve your health or simply fit is a smaller sized dress for your wedding, the goal is easier to set than to achieve. If your body has a low metabolism then getting rid of those extra pounds will require a great amount of effort on your part. Through time people have tried so many different ways of losing weight. There are diet plans that promise instant success - diet pills, surgery and so on. Out of these different methods you are bound weight loss success stories that will motivate people to try the method out.

There may be a certain view that the majority of the people who want to lose weight are women, but men also set similar goals. The reasons may be different but the goal is still the same. A good example of weight loss success stories from men includes that of Kris. Throughout his childhood, Kris was overweight. He was unable to do certain activities and would always feel tired. Kris wanted to join the high school football team but in order to do that he had to lose the weight and gain some muscle. So he joined the gym and start lifting weights. He combined this with some cardio workouts that helped him burn off the fat. Kris started to see results in his energy levels within two weeks but it took him 6 months to move from 230 pounds to 180pounds losing 50 pounds in total. Other than exercising Kris also improved his diet by eating healthy, getting rid of sweets, fast foods and junk from his diet. Since losing weight Kris is much more energetic, he joined the football team, sleeps better and is generally healthier.

Brenda, a mother of three set out on her journey to lose weight when she was 54 years old. Already used to cooking large meals due to her family of 5, it was hard to cook for less when her kids moved out. For Brenda, her health was the main reason she wanted to lose weight. Being overweight stopped her from joining in family activities such as hill climbing or simply going for walks. After attending her son's graduation and struggling to fit into the seats, she decided it was time to shed off that extra weight. Brenda had tried several diets before but she always thought of them negatively which hindered any progress. She made a calorie food diary where she would keep track of what she ate; she also set weight loss goals for herself. For example she would start by working out for 10 minutes a day using a simple workout DVD and increase it every other week. She also reduced the portions of food that she ate. Instead of eating a cheese sandwich before dinner, Brenda would take something healthier like fruit. Brenda who weighed 18st was able to lose 6st and now weighs 12st. She is happy with her current weight and is amazed at how great she feels.

10 Secrets of Weight Loss Success Stories

I often peruse through MSN to look at the headlines and read the daily news. Today, something caught my eye. It was a headline about weight loss success stories from MSN Health.

As a fitness author, I decided I'd go through some of these weight loss success stories to see if I could find some pertinent information that my readers could benefit from. I've always found that it's good to look at those who succeed to find out what they did to get to where they're at, and to learn from their mistakes.

I read through several weight loss success stories of both men and women from all over the country. Some were in their early twenties; others were closer to middle age. Some were married, some were single. Some were extremely obese to the tune of 300 lbs and over. Others were 20 to 50 lbs overweight. I read diligently jotting down notes as I went along.

You'd think that with such disparate people, you'd have completely different stories to tell. The details may have been different, but as I went through more and more stories, I began to uncover recurring patterns and commonalities.

I was amazed at the information I was gleaning. Many people pay good money to get this information, but here it was, free for anyone to read. With a good eye for patterns, I deciphered 10 common themes.

Here's what I discovered about the individuals who achieved the greatest weight loss success:

1. They got someone to push them through tough workouts. In some cases it was a personal trainer, others used a video trainer, and some used a friend.

2. They kept a food journal to keep them on track. This allowed them to see exactly what they were putting into their bodies, and make changes to their diet when the need arose.

3. They used a support group. Some used family and friends, others used Weight Watchers, to keep them motivated, honest, and keep their spirits up.

4. They stayed away from temptation. Having proven to themselves they don't do well in the face of temptation, they simply stayed away from sugary, and fatty foods. Like the old saying goes, out of sight, out of mind.

5. They used diet effectively by eating the right amount of calories based on their goals, controlling portions, and making healthier food choices.

6. They combined weight training with cardio. Most did weight training at least 3 times per week, and cardio anywhere from 3 to 6 times per week. Many also found that doing something they enjoyed (i.e. swimming, biking) helped them stay on track. Others found that working out with a purpose (i.e. training for 5k, 10K run) helped them push themselves more than they otherwise would have.

7. They stayed off the scale. It's demoralizing to step on the scale and not see a change. The scale is not always a good indicator of fat loss so most just stayed off of it completely, or only weighed themselves once per week, or once per month.

8. If they slipped, they didn't beat themselves up. They accepted it and moved on. They took it a day at a time so if they messed up today, they started fresh the next day and kept going.

9. They found other ways to cope with stress. Most of the people that were extremely overweight or obese got that way because they dealt with stress or emotional situations by eating. Once they realized it, they made a commitment to not be an emotional eater. Most found other ways to deal with stress such as going for a walk, run, or doing a workout.

10. They weren't afraid to examine their lives. By figuring out why they over ate, they were better able to cope with stress and emotions. Some even discovered that they were addicted to food. Through self examination, they were able to get at the root of the problem and deal with it differently than they had been doing all their lives.

As promised, I delivered 10 secrets of weight loss success stories. Take them for yourself and use them to help you achieve your own weight loss success. Soon, you will be the one with the weight loss success story of your very own.

Weight Loss Success Stories - Ladies, Yes You Can Lose Weight Fast - Just Ask These Folks

When you're in a weight loss program, sometimes it seems like weight loss was the last thing that the program was designed to do.

Can you imagine how frustrating that would be? You set a goal. You lose some weight, and you're happy for that. But, as soon as that feeling of initial triumph shutters up your spine, you run face first into the wall of zero weight loss.

You say to yourself: "It's happened".

I've "plateaued". And, now, your hard work doesn't seem to be paying those big dividends anymore. Of course, this isn't the truth, but it is the reality that you allow yourself to believe, and believe it or not there have been many woman that's given up because of it.

Weak moments like this can be chased away with weight loss success stories. So, let's take a look at some of them, and see if they inspire you to reach your goal.

The most famous success story is Jared from the "Subway Diet." While not officially touted as a diet at the time, he decided to incorporate Subway's "7 Under 6" sandwich deal into his diet after reading the nutritional information available at his local Subway.

He started out weighing a whopping 425 pounds, and ate about 10,000 calories a day! And by the end, he had lost more than 240 pounds and has managed to perform the impossible trick of keeping the weight off. He ate two Subway sandwiches a day, and walked a lot. He loss the weight, and now he is Subway's most well known advocate.

For many of us, famous people like Jared just make us feel less likely to lose the weight we need. So let's take a look at some real-life weight loss success stories, and see if this won't get you started on changing your life for the better.

Samantha of Frederick, Maryland lost 145 pounds in 10 months. That's like removing an extra person from your frame. To do this she made simple changes to her diet. She cut out the late-night wings and white-bread sandwiches, and started eating veggies and fish instead. She made sure never to skip breakfast.

Initially, she took up walking about two miles a day, which is not a lot or ground to cover, and by month 3 she was jogging that same distance. After about month five, she had lost a lot of weight. Her self esteem was higher than its ever been, and she began to do a bit of gym work. Now she's been her target weight of 140 pounds for well over a year.

When Melissa (San Francisco, CA) decided she wanted to lose weight from her 283-pound frame, she knew she would need the support of others. She had a busy lifestyle that made it impossible for her to commit to meeting with a group on at a specific hour on a specific day of the week.

To get around this, she found her inspiration and encouragement from online diet groups that gave her support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. She appreciated the flexibility that allowed her login for guidance and help-even in the middle of the night. Now, she's a considerably healthy svelte 200 pounds, and she hasn't looked back since.

Jane of Oklahoma City, OK had been heavy her whole life. When she went to college, she went into extreme diet mode in order to fit in better. Unfortunately, her diet was made up of popcorn and Diet Coke. Oh, she lost the weight, but her health was seriously affected. She finally joined a weight loss program that she found on the Internet, and started to lose weight. She had to have exercise in her life, the one thing that she hated. To overcome this, she simply made excuses to do more activities, while not really exercising, like walk the dog after dinner or go dancing with friends, and now, she's 78 pounds thinner!

Fast Weight Loss Success Stories - The Biggest Loser Twins Then and Now

There are many fast weight loss success stories that have come out of The Biggest Loser TV Show but none as captivating as the story of The Weight Loss Twins, Bill and Jim Germanakos.  This article shares how they got motivated to lose weight, how they did it and how they are doing today.

Bill and Jim knew they were heading down a bad path, at 40 years of age they already had high blood pressure and high cholesterol and with a history of premature death related to obesity (their father died too young from his own obesity complications) they knew something had to change.

An ah-ha moment happened for Jim that pushed him to apply to be on the Biggest Loser show.  Jim, who is an Eagle Scout himself was raising a 16 year old son with similar aspirations.  They had an opportunity to go on a special camping trip as father and son but once they got there Jim was told that he was too heavy to go on the trip.  He and his son had to leave.

This devastated Jim because his son was so hurt but it put him on a new path that led him to the reality show and eventually to he and his brother becoming fast weight loss success stories.

When the twins got accepted to be on the show they weighed a combined 695 pounds.  In just 8 months they had shed half their body weight each and together lost 345 pounds.  And, I might add that Jim was voted off the show after week 5 yet still managed to lose 134 pounds at home while working a full time job.

They credit their success to the education they received from the many medical doctors, trainers, dieticians and psychologists they worked closely with while on the show.

When they got to the ranch they realized that they were doing many things wrong with their diets and lifestyles.  Some of the things they began to do that lead to their rapid weight loss were to start eating smaller meals throughout the day, track their food intake in a journal, count calories, exercise aerobically and against resistance and of course work on their positive mental attitudes.

All of these factors combined to give them rapid fat loss and catapulted them to fame as the Biggest Loser Grand Champion (this went to Bill) and the champion among eliminated players (Jim's accomplishment).

The brothers were so grateful for the new life they were given that they vowed to "pay it forward" and dedicate themselves to helping others who struggle with weight.  Today they maintain healthy weights and they have created a rapid weight loss system that details what to eat, how to exercise and everything you need to drop weight fast.  Their hope is to take their success and turn it into many more fast weight loss success stories.

The winners of Season 4 of The Biggest Loser are about to reveal The Truth About Diets.

Should You Believe a Weight Loss Success Story?

Losing weight can be tedious and often times disheartening. With all the hard work - physically and emotionally - that you have to put into dieting and exercise, it definitely takes a lot of patience, determination, and strong will to make you trim down to your ideal body size. This is the reason why people are now relying on weight loss success stories to keep them motivated and to get tips on how to lose weight effectively.

Content

A weight loss success story is an inspirational story that tells of the experience of a particular obese person and his or her path to weight loss. A weight loss success story may contain tips and even recommend diet products and programs that helped in that person's weight loss.

The aim of a weight loss success story is to inspire someone as well as to sell a particular diet program, product, or method. This is the reason why many weight loss success stories are tied with a specific diet program or product. You will find, at the bottom of the story, a recommendation to purchase that diet product.

A typical weight loss success story goes like this:

"Maggie Sorrells used to weigh 440 pounds. And her husband was even bigger. They've lost an astounding 580 pounds between the two of them. Maggie now weighs 140 pounds.

They went on a faith-based weight loss program soon after they married. The workshop teaches people to conquer their addiction to food by turning to God."

A word of caution

It may be tempting to easily believe a weight loss success story you see online or on television. But before you easily fall for their sweet and inspiring words, you to have to keep in mind that these stories are made to sell a particular product. The aim of some of these stories is to sell these products to you.

Success stories should also be read with an open mind. Since you do not know these people personally, it may be hard to find them believable. After all, you can easily make up a story online. Hence, if you are thinking of following what the weight loss story recommends, you have to consult a professional first.

Remember, these stories are only meant to inspire and not to be exemplified.