If youre like any of the women in these incredible weight-loss transformation stories, youve struggled with hitting walls while trying to drop pounds and, at least once or twice, felt the temptation to throw in the towel on the whole d*mn thing. That just means you're human.

It also means that you could use a serious dose of inspo from ladies who have stuck out their journey long enough to see real success. Because let's face it: Losing weight is hard, and it's even harder for women than men, thanks to metabolic and hormonal differences, research shows.

Most of the weight-loss warriors here tried multiple avenues, from going vegan to intermittent fasting to at-home Pilates workouts, before finding the methods and eating regimes that worked with their lifestyles. And part of their success was being realistic about what was achievable in the long run. Take it from one wise woman: "I promised in the beginning that I wouldnt want to eat or do anything while losing weight that I wouldnt want to eat or do once I hit [my] goal, even if that meant it took a little bit longer," says @ashleys_officially_lost_it.

Finding a workout routine you love can also help keep you on track throughout the ups and downs. As one woman, @kaitlynesse, says, "Truly all of my weight loss came from working out to feel better and not to look a certain way. I just found this passion for it weightlifting I never had before," she says, noting that lifting helped her fight through a bout of depression after a breakup.

One more nugget of advice? Don't underestimate the small stuff, since any effort is better than no effort. "Even when you think those 30 minutes of walking wont add up to anything, trust meit will," @branjay24 says. You have to keep telling yourself, "'Yes, you are worth it!'" she adds.

Together, these powerful women lost more than 2,500 poundsand gained so much strength along the waywhich youll see in these dramatic before-and-afters. Take them in as needed to stay focused, inspired, and invested in your journey toward achieving your own health goals. If they can do it, so can you.

@stellaisstriving lost 243 poundsmore than 42 percent of her starting body weightby overhauling her eating habits with the keto diet and focusing on fat loss (not just losing pounds).

@_jens_journey_ started out doing keto but didn't feel that it worked for her, so she stuck with intermittent fasting, a sugar-free diet, and keeping her carbs down. She dropped more than 100 poundsthen gained back about 15 of those pounds to feel her healthiest, she previously told Women's Health.

It was WW that got @sweet_pea_leigh to a place of kicking her food addiction, which had been causing her to keep gaining weight as well as numerous body aches and pains. She's lost over 150 pounds.

The Couch to 5K app was hugely transformative for @lizzy_rockzsoon after hopping on the app, she started triathlon training and subsequently ran four marathons. Meal prepping with lots of protein and few carbs was huge for her, too, in her journey to lose about 150 pounds.

@rachellsharp93 went down a little more than 100 pounds, starting with her own version of alternate-day fasting, consuming small amounts of food in between days, and then segueing into another type of intermittent fasting.

Down about 220 pounds, @losing_for_health started out doing keto, then continued to count her macros with a free online calculator.

Originally through gastric bypass surgery, @kathleeng1112 shed 179 pounds, but she kept it up by eating tons of protein and few carbs. She stays active with Pilates, yoga, and at-home workouts.

@gessisfitnessjourney hit her goal of losing 124 pounds first by trying going vegan, then vegetarian, and low-carb, but she ultimately succeeded by tracking everythingcalories, stepson her Fitbit.

It was a combination of keto and intermittent fasting that helped @gritandgrace__ lose more than 50 pounds and her status as prediabetic. Once she cut out sugar, her PCOS symptoms were more manageable, too.

@hannah_day28's big turnaround came from BeachBody toning workouts. She also began practicing clean eating and portion control. She still eats buffalo chicken, but in a zucchini boat rather than fried.

She started out with VSG surgery, but @cam_bree_uhhh kept off 148 pounds by eating a vegan diet. She now belongs to two different gyms to stick with her love of weight lifting and doing circuits.

@carlywontquit lost 108 pounds with a strict policy of no added sugar, even in her coffee. She's also a cardio fanatic and can't get enough of Zumba or Total Body Pump.

Realizing the power of a nutritious home-cooked meal turned @_iwokeupinbeastmode;s nutrition around, helping her to lose a total of 130 pounds. She started out tracking every macro, but after hitting her goal, she stopped counting calories and focused on just eating clean instead.

@laurenlosing did VSG surgery in 2013 as a tool to change her lifestyle. She kept going with eating a high-protein diet, counting macros, and weight lifting.

A new-found love of lifting heavy was a major transforming factor for @kaitlynesse. She lost 80 pounds in about a year, focusing on squats and deadlifts, which she says made her feel strong and powerful. She also put on about 10 pounds of solid muscle in the process.

Keto and kickboxing were the power duo for @thestairlady. She went down 100 pounds in a year without giving up her favorite food, pizza.

@healthylivinislife's weight-loss journey started with VSG surgery. She continued to drop 120 pounds through the keto diet, and then a general low-carb eating plan. She also supplemented with a hot-yoga routine to help with her anxiety and started running and amping up her core workouts, too.

Struggling with symptoms of both PCOS and IBS, @get_moefit first cut carbs and started going beast mode in the gym, and then worked with a nutritionist to do an elimination diet. She cut out some cruciferous veggies that bothered her, as well as beef and pork (but kept other types of lean meat) to reduce GI issues and lose 80 pounds.

Starting with gastric-sleeve surgery, @gi_sciortino shed 120 pounds and kept it off with intense strength-training and HIIT workouts.

Counting calories with the My Fitness Pal app was a factor for @hayleysweightlossjourneyx to lose 70 pounds. "It was the simple science of tracking calories in vs. out, mixed with self-discipline and self belief," she says.

@journeytoslimsyddie dropped 140 pounds between VSG surgery, three to five weekly hard-core workouts in the gym, and eating mindfully (with a low-carb and high-protein diet).

It all started with a fun, competitive "biggest loser" challenge at work for @branjay24. She lost 105 pounds by cutting out carbs and sweets and exercised six times a week. Another major factor for her? Taking care of her mental health throughout.

In the beginning, @ashleys_officially_lost_it tried losing weight simply by counting calories, but she needed more accountability and support, she says. She jumped on the WW (formerly Weight Watchers) bandwagon and later became an ambassador in the midst of her 120-pound weight loss, which she's maintained for almost two years. Her transformation was mostly accomplished via healthier food swapsshe loves to make cleaner versions of favorite fast-food dishes, like a chipotle chicken avocado sandwich from Panera.

Down 80 pounds from clean eating and at-home workouts, @beast_girl_22 toned up using BeachBody Body Beast. She also made a major change in her eating routine: switching from eating three healthy meals a day to eating smaller healthy meals every two to three hours, with lots of water.

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25 Inspiring Weight-Loss Transformation Before And Afters - Women's Health

Researchers at McMaster University have unlocked one of the secrets behind the many benefits of metformin.

One of the most widely used medications in the world, metformin is commonly prescribed for Type 2 diabetes. However, in addition to its effects on lowering blood sugar, in preclinical models, metformin shows benefits on aging and a number of diverse diseases such as cognitive disorders, cancer and cardiovascular disease.

One question researchers have been asking is how this is being achieved.

A multi-year study led by a collaboration of McMasters basic science and clinical researchers has found that metformin induces the expression and secretion of a protein called growth differentiating factor 15, or GDF15.

The results were published today (December 9, 2019) in Nature Metabolism.

Hertzel Gerstein, left, professor of medicine; Emily Day, PhD medical sciences student, and Gregory Steinberg, professor of medicine at McMaster University. Credit: McMaster University

Studies over the past two decades have shown that metformin does more than lower glucose, but we havent understood why, said Gregory Steinberg, senior author and professor of medicine at McMaster. He is also co-director of the Centre for Metabolism, Obesity and Diabetes Research at McMaster.

We went into this study with the idea that metformin might communicate with other tissues in the body by causing the secretion of a protein from the liver. We were totally surprised when we found out that metformin caused the secretion of GDF15, a protein which is known to suppress appetite.

The study team took that knowledge and applied it to mice to better understand the science behind the outcome. Scientists deleted the gene that makes GDF15 in mice, then treated them with metformin. The results showed that mice without GDF15 did not eat less or lose weight, despite being administered metformin, establishing GDF15 as the connection between metformin and weight loss.

The researchers say the findings open a number of avenues of research. There are currently over 1,500 registered clinical trials to test the effects of metformin in aging and different diseases.

The possibility that GDF15 has a role in multiple beneficial effects of metformin treatment on aging or diseases like cancer needs to be studied, Steinberg said.

Reference: Metformin-induced increases in GDF15 are important for suppressing appetite and promoting weight loss by Emily A. Day, Rebecca J. Ford, Brennan K. Smith, Pedrum Mohammadi-Shemirani, Marisa R. Morrow, Robert M. Gutgesell, Rachel Lu, Amogelang R. Raphenya, Mostafa Kabiri, Andrew G. McArthur, Natalia McInnes, Sibylle Hess, Guillaume Par, Hertzel C. Gerstein and Gregory R. Steinberg, 9 December 2019, Nature Metabolism.DOI: 10.1038/s42255-019-0146-4

The study was funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) and Diabetes Canada.

More here:
Secret Behind Metformins Weight Loss and Anti-Aging Benefits Revealed - SciTechDaily

Dr. Sophie Jacob provides more than just your average Chiropractic care in Tucson. She is your partner in wellness. If you suffer from chronic pain, need to lose weight, or desire to live a healthier life style it all starts with Dr Jacob.

No pain, surgery or downtime; this weight loss has helped Tucson women's succeed and thrive. Click here for more information.

Losing "stubborn" fat is hard and as you get older - it just gets harder and harder. You might go to the gym five days a week, sweat on the treadmill for an hour, and see maybe a pound or two drop in a month. Is that really worth your time? Or... imagine going to a medical facility, laying down, spending 25 minutes relaxing, then getting up and finding out you've lost two inches around your waist. Which do you prefer? What if you could keep doing that and losing more and more fat until you looked like you did years ago? If you have any interest in this and how it works when it comes to inch loss, you should stop what you're doing and call the office for an appointment immediately. This new treatment technology - now available in Tucson - uses a special light therapy to trick your mitochondria (in your fat cells) to release their fat content. ULTRASLIM is now cleared for prescription use in the United States as the only noninvasive treatment for immediate fat removal without dieting, exercise, or pills.This treatment is safe and painless!If you eat better, drink plenty of water, stay away from sugars, and carbohydrates, this can lead to permanent fat loss without surgery. Here's a heads up. If you have tried liposuction in the past - you know that when you"regain the weight" it goes to different places-making your body look distorted and then unfortunately, you're back to where you started, only worse. With this technology we don't destroy your fat cells. What we do is we simply drain the contents of the fat cells so you lose the inches and look good again.

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Incredible weight loss stories happen here - KGUN

Weight loss surgery

Weight loss surgery might not just be a last resort anymore.

ATLANTA - At 19, Ruby Hernandez has become a runner, something the Georgia Gwinnett College sophomore could never have imagined just a year ago.

"I had a lot of depression growing up," Hernandez says. "A lot of it was linked to the disease that I had, and my obesity."

Ruby Hernandez, 19, has lost just over 100 pounds since undergoing weight loss surgery in May of 2019. (Ruby Hernandez)

At 10, Hernandez was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease that causes painful skin abscesses, which are worsened by weight gain and have required surgery.

By 18, she was having heart palpitations.

"I was, like, 'Okay, I think my body is trying to send me signals: you're shutting down at this point,'" she says.

Last fall, Hernandez and her mom came to see Children's Healthcare of Atlanta's Dr. Stephanie Walsh, the Medical Director of the Strong4Life program, to see if she could qualify for weight loss surgery.

She began a 6-month evaluation process, that Hernandez saw as her "crunch time."

Ruby Hernandez underwent gastric sleeve surgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in May of 2019. (Ruby Hernandez)

She would need to prove to the Children's team that she was emotionally ready for the changes weight loss surgery would bring.

"I was really trying to better my diet," Hernandez says, "I wasn't napping anymore, I was exercising, trying to better myself. Because I knew this was going to be a slap in the face, and I wasn't going to do much, if I didn't fix myself before the surgery."

Going under the knife to lose weight may seem extreme.

But, with 4.5 million teens and kids in the U.S. now considered severely obese, the American Academy of Pediatrics, or AAP, says bariatric surgery can be a safe, effective way to help very overweight teens unlikely to be able to lose weight on their own, even with the best of medical care.

"So, (we're) realizing that obesity is a disease, and we need to treat it, and we need to treat it properly," Dr. Walsh says. "So, if this is an option, and we know it can cause extreme benefits for kids, then it's something we need to offer them."

Ruby Hernandez, 19, underwent gastric sleeve surgery at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in May of 2019. (Hernandez Family)

The AAP says studies have found the two most common bariatric procedures, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and vertical sleeve gastrectomy, had low complication rates and no attributable deaths when they were performed at a comprehensive pediatric surgery center like the one at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.

In the Strong4Life program, teens are individually evaluated, based on factors like their weight, health conditions, maturity and family support.

Dr. Walsh says the lengthy evaluation period is designed to prepare young patients for the lifestyle changes that are critical to the success of their surgeries.

The AAP and Dr. Walsh also agree surgery should be offered to more young people, and not just as a last resort, when nothing else has worked.

"A lot of times, people were waiting until kids were extremely heavy," Dr. Walsh says. "The the surgery was able to help, but not help in the way it could. So we want people to realize this is an option."

Ruby Hernandez underwent gastric sleeve surgery in May of 2019.

Ruby Hernandez underwent a vertical sleeve gastrectomy in May of 2019, which reduced her stomach size by about 85%. T

The heart palpitations stopped, and she couldn't believe how little she could eat after surgery.

"It was crazy," she says. "I could eat only, like, 2 ounces, and that wasn't what I used to eat, I used to eat big plates of food."

Walsh says the procedure diminishes a person's hunger.

That's something for the kids to get used to," she says. "No one is used to not feeling hunger that way. So, they have to retrain themselves to eat and to eat regularly."

Anna Valle of LaFayette, Georgia, underwent the same surgery in September of 2016, when she was nearly 365 pounds.

Three years later, she down about 150 pounds and holding.

Valle, a popular student athlete, was recently elected her school's homecoming queen.

Anna Valle underwent gastric sleeve surgery in September of 2016.

"To see Anna now, it's like a whole different kid," Dr. Walsh says. "She lights up. She just can't wait to talk about herself."

Ruby Hernandez is six months out from surgery, and down 100 pounds.

For the first time in her life, she says, it feels like anything is possible.

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Pediatricians' group says obese teens should have easier access to weight loss surgery - FOX 5 Atlanta

(Reuters Health) - Obese women who have weight-loss surgery between pregnancies may be less likely to experience complications like high blood pressure and preterm births in their second pregnancy, a recent study suggests.

Researchers examined hospital records from 2002 to 2014 for more than 1.6 million women 15 to 45 years old in New South Wales, Australia. The study focused on 326 women who had bariatric surgery between their first and second pregnancies and 461,917 women who had two pregnancies without a weight-loss operation in between.

The study found that for obese women who had the surgery between pregnancies, the risk of complications dropped markedly from the first pregnancy to the second, although it didnt reach the level seen in the general population of women.

The odds of adverse pregnancy outcomes among women who have bariatric surgery do not decrease to the level observed in the general birthing population; however, there was substantial improvement, lead study author Dr. I Ibiebele of Royal North Shore Hospital in New South Wales and colleagues write in BJOG.

Although body mass index (BMI) was not directly assessed in this study, bariatric surgery performed for the management of obesity, in accordance with current clinical criteria, is likely to result in improved pregnancy outcomes in women who have a subsequent pregnancy, Ibiebele and colleagues write.

During the study period, there was a 13-fold increase in hospitalizations for women having bariatric surgery for the first time, the analysis found.

Compared with women in the general population, those who had bariatric surgery had higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes and preterm deliveries overall.

But women who had bariatric surgery between their first and second pregnancies were 61% less likely to experience high blood pressure, 37% less likely to have infants that were large for their gestational age, 63% less likely to have a preemie and 36% less likely to have their baby sent to the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) than in their first pregnancies.

Women who had surgery and those in the general population were around the same age when they had their first pregnancy. But the women who had bariatric surgery waited an average of two years longer to have their second child, the study found.

The women who had bariatric surgeries between pregnancies were also more likely to use assistive reproductive technology (ART) to conceive and to have multiples.

Even though diabetes and high blood pressure rates were higher for women who had bariatric surgery between pregnancies, these women did have a bigger drop in the risk of these complications from one pregnancy to the next compared to the general population.

After bariatric surgery, womens risk of high blood pressure in the second pregnancy fell by 67%, compared with a 49% reduction for women who didnt have the weight loss procedures.

And the risk of gestational diabetes, a form of diabetes that develops during pregnancy, dropped by 39% in second pregnancies for women who had bariatric surgery, compared with a 24% decline for women who didnt have surgery. This difference, however, was too small to rule out the possibility that it was due to chance.

Although preterm birth rates were higher in the bariatric group in first pregnancies, in second pregnancies there was a 63% reduction in the odds of preterm birth in the bariatric surgery group compared with a 20% reduction for women who didnt have surgery.

For women who had bariatric surgery between pregnancies, the odds of having an infant large for its gestational age were higher in the first pregnancy. But the risk of this outcome decreased 37% in the second pregnancy, compared with a 74% increase among women who didnt have bariatric surgery.

The study wasnt designed to prove whether or how weight loss surgery might directly impact pregnancy outcomes.

One limitation of the analysis is that researchers lacked BMI data to see if the magnitude of weight change between pregnancies might have influenced the risk of various complications.

SOURCE: bit.ly/33VvJHM BJOG, online November 20, 2019.

Link:
Weight-loss surgery between pregnancies tied to better outcomes - Reuters

Posted: Dec 9, 2019 / 11:54 AM MST / Updated: Dec 9, 2019 / 01:38 PM MST

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This article contains sponsored content.

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Why weight loss requires correcting the metabolism first - ABC 4

While we all like indulging in our cravings and eating junk food, we don't realize the damage it does to our bodies until later. 25-year-old Lipsa, an auditor by profession went through the same ordeal. An unhealthy relationship with food made her overweight. Determined to look her age, she fought off the flab and lost 16 kilos! To know how she did it, read the entire story below:Name: Lipsa Priyadarsini ChaudhuryOccupation: AuditorAge: 25 yearsHighest weight recorded: 76 kilos

Weight lost: 16 kilosDuration it took me to lose weight: 5 months

The turning point: While I was never really bothered about how much I weighed, I was always conscious about my looks and what I ate put me at fault. I used to eat everything without realising the number of calories in them. I just ate what I felt like eating and ended up paying a high price for this habit. I used to munch on something every other hour and it was usually something fried or junk. My midnight cravings, the biggest culprit and the sedentary lifestyle made it all worse!

At 76 kilos, I felt so lazy and there was zero excitement in life, so much so, there were days I couldn't drag myself to work! My self-confidence was hit really bad. Getting ready in front of the mirror was hard. Whenever I used to stand amongst my peers, I used to feel like I was the oldest one in the group. This was the time I decided to take the matter into my own hands. As the saying goes, A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, the same happened with me. With sheer determination and will, I was able to drop down 16 kilos.

My breakfast: 2 egg whites and oats/muesli.

My lunch: 2 Chapati with a cup of daal, chaas (buttermilk) and salads.

My dinner: For dinner, it is usually something like grilled chicken/ sauteed paneer with a bowl of slightly tempered daal. I also upped my water intake and keep myself hydrated by drinking around 4 litres of water every day.

Pre-workout meal: Coconut water/ Black coffeePost-workout meal: Fruit (like an apple or banana) or a handful of nuts and seeds.

My workout: My workout is largely centered on doing aerobic exercises. I do Zumba six times a week, at home. I also supplement it with some essential cardio moves. This has helped shed the flab faster.

Fitness secrets I unveiled: More than the exercise, it's the diet you follow that matters. I made a lot of conscious changes in my diet. Timely food intake, mindful calorie count and following a strict disciplined diet helped me get the shape I always desired to have.How do I stay motivated: The one thing I have realized is that weight loss is a slow, gradual process and you have to be consistent with your goals. Plus, it is also important that you have to take note and realize every step of progress you make. I consider that a reward in itself, noticing every positive, helpful development.How do you ensure you dont lose focus: I have invested in a weighing scale, which I keep at home. This helps me stay watchful and track my journey accordingly.

Other than that, I won't deny that the transformation in itself feels tremendous and works wonders. Yes, you have to make conscious choices and eat the right kind of foods (which aren't always what your taste buds demand), but when you start seeing the progress, you will never want to go back to the old lifestyle. Plus, seeing the fitness models on the internet always picks me up on the low days.

Whats the most difficult part of being overweight: When I was overweight, I experienced a crash in my motivation and self-esteem. I was less enthusiastic about life and suffered from low confidence. This made me really unhappy.

What shape do you see yourself 10 years down the line: I want to be able to sustain the shape I am in right now, work on my body and if I manage to be an inspiration to others, I will be really happy and feel that I have taken steps in the right direction.

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Weight loss story: 'At 25, my BMI levels showed my body age as 60!' - Times of India