How To Lose Weight Without Dieting (-112 pounds) tips

naturaldiv4

I am very late on reading this but this is a very inspirational post!! I have been using myfitnesspal off and on for about 2 years. I just recently told myself that this will be my last time restarting because I want to stick with it and finally start seeing results!!

positivechic1978

Wow, you look great!!! Thanks for sharing!!

WallyH4EverVersion

Congratulations, you look great! Thank you for sharing your journey, very inspiring!!

PinkyKiwii

Congrats!
Bumping for later

lsorci919

Wow you look amazing! Congrats on your success!! You are so close to your goal! Most of your advice is what I'm doing now and yes I have to agree it works! I'm working on the scale one lol I actually like seeing how much my weight fluctuates. It actually doesn't bother me at all to see it go up and down, I'm weird though.

abalipadi

Wonderful tips and all seem like "that can be done". Kudos on your progress! Hope to get fitter soon!

indie_hearts

Amazing job, Steph! Thanks for the post. I did Weight Watchers 2 years ago and lost 50lbs, but I'm moving out of my comfort zone with my weight now. I definitely needed to read this post! Very inspiring. Keeping it simple truly is the best solution. I like what you said about setting small goals for yourself. I need to remember that the overall goal will happen eventually, but to set those mini goals so I have smaller achievements is equally as important! Thanks again, I will definitely be looking back at your post when I'm feeling down or struggling!

suzyfj8

You are an inspiration well done congrats

fraklein

I didn't start losing weight until I stopped counting calories and exercising for exercise' sake. I now eat as much fat as possible and under 50 carbs a day. So far, in less than 3 months, I've lost 24 pounds, have a normal blood pressure of 122/72, and normal blood glucose <100. I started my diet when my doctor told me that I was diabetic, and I wanted to avoid taking medication for it. I admit it's been hard unlearning my old beliefs about fiber and fat and exercise, but my health has improved so much with the low carb/high fat diet.

supersparklegirl

Thanks for sharing what's working for you, very inspiring!! And, watch out Europe, I bet you'll get there soon!

123stefania

Wow...nice post.
I agree with all the tips you gave. I have been doing the same thing since the beginning of my journey.
The only thing I dont have is a HRM.
I think I will go shop for that.
Me too, I gave myself rewards, very motivating!

fpelletier

Pretty sure just reading this for the first time, and I see it's quite an old post but it was perfect timing for me! I think we're long lost twins lol I am pretty much on the same page as you as far as eating & exercising. I am not denying myself foods or killing myself working out and it's still working for me.

Thank you for posting & congrats on your weight loss!

VanessaRudden

Well Done with the Weight loss - you deserve a medal!!! Very Inspiring - thanks for posting.

sherisse69

Amazing story and success! Thank you for sharing

sranney2

I love that you have been able to lose weight by portion size. I am embarking on a weight loss journey. I need to lose 35 pounds. It may not sound like a huge amount, but I am a small frame and my body is very unhappy with the extra weight.
seeing that you have been able to do this counting calories and portion control encourages me because this is my dieting style. Yay for you !

ladonnabeard7

hi,

I'm not sure if you are able to read all of your replies but if you do I just want to tell you congratulations on your journey you are such an inspiration. I just started this journey 3 weeks ago I was 5'0 and 305 lbs ( time for a change). I am a mother of 3 wonderful children and a great husband that I also met on the internet. I was at the heaviest I have ever been. My 2nd child had a muffins with mom day at school and I went with her and when she came home from school that day she told be that the kids made fun of her because her mother was "fat". I was also a smoker, the same day my 4 year old told me that she wished that I would quit smoking because she didn't want me to die....I cried myself to sleep that night. The next morning I decided that it was time for a change I quit cold turkey (smoking) and decided to get off my butt and do something about my weight. It is not much but I am happy to say that I am down 6 lbs and I haven't smoked in 3 weeks. I am so glad that I came across this website/app I use it daily. I hope in a year or so I am able to show my success story like so many others. Once again congrats on your lifestyle change!!!!!

Healthy_4_Life2

Fantastic job on your wonderful progress! Wow!

elghee123

Thanks for the share!

tbs41

Thank you for this today! I love what you said about portion control, logging EVERYTHING you eat & eating normal foods, and weighing yourself only once a week! I'm using you for my Monday morn inspiration, since you are truly that to me! I know you will reach your ultimate goal of 140, & you look absolutely fab!

mkghbrad

Needed to read this today!! Thank you and congrats on your weight loss so far. As this post is nearly a year old - I guess you're at goal now??

GabriellaMaria

this is just brilliant..thankyou for sharing...
love the sneaky eyes quote too!!

suz155

You look great!!

Healthy67Chick

Wonderful post! Thanks for sharing and CONGRATS on your weightloss!

pistachiopeas

Very inspiring post! Congratulations on your success.

saragatch

awesome!

saragatch

1. Count your calories - know what you are eating and log everything that you’re putting into your mouth. I use MyFitnessPal (myfitnesspal.com – though I mostly use the phone app) to track my daily caloric count, which includes the calories I eat and the calories I burn with exercise. Be honest with yourself, and track your food! It doesn’t matter if it’s good or bad, but track it! Use portion control – this was key for me! Also, as a sidenote – I met my fiance on MyFitnessPal – see, becoming healthy has changed my life in more ways than one.

2. Exercise – this one seems like a given, but seriously, get off your butt and move! When I first started, I could only do the elliptical for 6 minutes – and that was okay! I did what I could to start, and now I could work out for hours if I wanted to. Start small and keep building up. I currently work out 4 days a week for about an hour each time. This includes going to the gym and doing a lot of cardio with some weights, or going for a run. I started with short work outs though, and that’s okay – as long as you’re moving! Don’t overdo it, but still push yourself! When I first started, I was working out 7 days a week. After awhile, I realized that was too much, and it was not something I could keep up with for the rest of my life, so now I work out 4 days a week because, realistically, I can maintain that for the duration of my life.

3. Food Scale - if you can afford it, I would highly recommend you get a food scale. They’re fairly inexpensive (about $20 on Amazon), and they will change your whole perspective on food. Weigh everything that you can, and log accordingly. Most food will have a serving size in grams or ounces, so follow that. I weigh my food so that I know exactly how much I’m eating and how many calories to log. If I’m not eating at home, I do my best to guess on the calories and amount, but when I’m home, I’m weighing all my food. I also weigh my lunches before work and then pack them up.

4. Heart Rate Monitor - this is another tool that, if you can afford it, I would highly recommend you get. My HRM is currently in need of repair, but it’s a real lifeline for me when I’m working out. As I said, on MyFitnessPal, you log the calories you eat as well as the calories you burn. When you burn calories, you obviously get to eat more, so the HRM helps me figure out exactly how many calories I burned with my exercise and therefore how many calories I can/should eat on a workout day. I generally eat back about 50-80% of my exercise calories.

5. Cheat Meals - this is a huge one for me and one of the most important tips I can give you. Once a week, I have a cheat meal. That means that my fiance and I go out to dinner once a week and eat whatever we want and don’t log the calories. This not only gives us something to look forward to, but prevents us from going crazy. Listen, I guarantee you that if I didn’t have cheat meals where I allowed myself to indulge once a week, that I would not have stuck with this for 16+ months. How did I get fat in the first place? Because I love food! If I denied myself this stuff all the time, I would have thrown in the towel, but since I always know I have a delicious meal to look forward to every week, I’m able to stay on track the rest of the week. Yes, I have lost over 100 pounds and still have cheat meals. It really helps.

6. Don’t deny yourself - kind of going along with the cheat meals… don’t deny yourself the stuff you love, even on non-cheat days. If you can fit it into your daily calories, I say go for it. Many people look at macros and whatnot, but for me, I only look at calories, and this works for me. I have a wicked sweet tooth, and I have something sweet almost every day. If I want a cookie, I’m going to have one… I’m just not going to have three of them like I used to, you know what I’m saying? Again, if I denied myself yummy stuff, I would have quit long ago. I’m of the belief that if it fits into your calorie goals, then go for it! If not, then wait for another day when you have extra calories left. Seriously, when I’m at work and I’m doing the shifty eyes between my phone and the delicious treats one of my coworkers has brought in, then I’m likely to indulge in that brownie instead of driving myself crazy staring at it. THIS IS OKAY! I’m just going to account for it in my food diary and make sure it fits in my calories. Surprisingly, I’m not hugely into fruits and vegetables, though I’m working on it! Some people are appalled at my food diary, as there are many days where I don’t have any fruits or veggies. Again, I’m working on it. I try to eat vegetables and fruits a few times a week, but I don’t always, and again, this works for me. Like I said, just an average girl, eating average stuff, not a health nut by any means. I kind of wish I was, but I’m just not. There hasn’t been a whole lot of food I’ve given up, I just use portion control. I’ve tried to add in a few healthy foods too, but for me, it was all about cutting back, counting those calories, and eating proper portions.

7. Weekly Weigh-ins - I used to step on the scale every day, multiple times a day. Well, weight fluctuates like crazy on a weekly and even daily basis. Seeing my weight go up and down drove me absolutely nuts, so now I have just one weekly weigh-in. The scale is away and hidden the rest of the week. For your weigh-in, do it first thing in the morning, before you’ve eaten or drank anything, and before you’ve exercised. Also, do it in the buff! Don’t drive yourself crazy – weigh in just once a week if you can!

8. Set Goals and Rewards – set mini goals for yourself so you’re not always looking at the big, huge, scary picture. When I first realized I wanted/needed to lose 140 pounds, that was terrifying. I really didn’t think I would ever get there, and now I almost am! To get rid of those overwhelming feelings that may cause you to quit, cut that big goal down into smaller ones so that you realize what you’re accomplishing. Set rewards for your mini goals too. You’re busting your butt – why not reward yourself? My first goal was 50 pounds, and for that, I got a tattoo. For my ultimate goal of losing 140 pounds, I really want to travel to Europe. I don’t know if I can afford that, but I think I deserve it. Maybe someday. Anyways, set small goals with rewards such as new clothes, a spa day, new sneakers, a tattoo… whatever you think will push you to work at it.

9. Dream BIG – I easily could have told myself to just lose 10 pounds and be done with it, but I figured, why not go big or go home? If I’m going to commit to myself, I might as well become the best me that’s possible, not just a better me. My dream is to become a healthy, normal weight, and I won’t stop or give up until I reach my goal of losing 140 pounds. I also decided to dream big with my running. Heck yeah, I was thrilled the very first time I ran a mile straight through, and I could have stopped, but I kept going and now run fairly long distances. For me, dreaming big means running a marathon, so that’s another dream I’m working on. All of this stuff is hard, but embrace it!!!! Don’t be afraid to dream. Be the best you possible. You will never, ever regret it.


The direct link to this post is: http://www.stephthebookworm.com/2013/05/31/how-to-lose-weight-without-dieting-or-how-i-lost-112-pounds-without-starving-or-going-crazy/

And some other weight loss posts I have done. I hope you'll read them:

On Doing Hard Things - My Story (So Far) - http://www.stephthebookworm.com/2012/11/09/on-doing-hard-things-my-story/

this is the best advice ever!! I was thinking of doing things this way and I am so glad to hear of your success story. I feel like I am doing it right! And one day I will also have a success story up here!

congrats on everything!

sunnykay2014

Thank you for sharing. Gives me hope that if you can do it I can achieve my goals too.

runningagainstmyself

+1 to this. The difficulty in losing pales in comparison to the challenge of keeping it off. I'm back on the losing wagon after gaining 40lb. back in a scarily short period of time.

I will do it this time. I will. I will, damnit!

Oh. Also, to add to the OP... Focus on 5lb. at a time -- small challenges. Then you won't lose your mind when you look down the road at where you want to be.

losing it is the easy part. Keeping it off is the hard part.

Just trying to keep it real.

And congratulations!! I don't think it has anything to do with calories but that's just my opinion. Remember - maintenance is for life. (You don't go on a diet, you change your diet).

rabbyduby

bump

TheUnwritten

My wife will be thrilled to see you guys giving her so much appreciation. Also by keeping her thread alive. I will will let her know that people are still reading this. Thanks a lot everyone!