Tips, tricks, and what you've learned

bluecheesesticks

hey peeps, what are some things you have learned that have helped you in your weight loss journey? What are some helpful habits you have picked up or some tricks that help you? I would love to hear from you and your experiences. Especially if you have been using MFP for calorie counting in the long term, what has really helped you?

mizzlarabee

Planning ahead. I always put in my final meal for the day ahead of time so I know I have my yummy oats and fruit already accounted for

Basing my diet on 80% nutrient dense foods, and always leaving room for treats, because this is life, not a temporary thing.

Don't agonize over details. Consistent and accuracy are key, but everything in nutrition and diet has a margin of error. Your intake is an estimation, the nutrition label info has a 10-20% margin of error. So don't fret over details. Be consistent and patient and the results will come.

strong_curves

The first post in this thread helped me enormously:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

Liftng4Lis

Prelogging my day.

AmyRhubarb

Logging in daily. Realistic calorie, exercise and fitness goals that fit into my lifestyle, so I can stick with them forever.

Logged my 1359th day this morning, I think I've made it a habit.

takeanchor

For me, I work from home and out of my car alot. I dont eat weel either being out and busy and not eating or always snacking at home. In the car, I keep one serving individual packs of my favorite coconut peanut butter. I know when I am hungry for that I should eat it and start planning for a healthy lunch. At home, I make sure I have premeasured snacks ready or have as many cucumbers or celery as I want.

carolinaem

1) Preparation. By cooking and meal prepping AND by having something healthy available when you just can't bring yourself to cook and meal prep.
2) Food scale. Amazing how the gram serving for peanut butter does not fill two tablespoons...
3) Find an exercise you love and do it. Extra calories from exercise are clutch.
4) Always weigh-in and even record the crummy ones. Funny how that number grows when the scale is avoided.
5) Water. Lots and lots of water.

tomatoey

- Daily exercise keeps me on track. Work hard but work SMART. Don't kill your joints, go low-impact
- Make everything easy for yourself. Go to a gym stupidly close to where you live or work. Have some gear at home so you have backup.
- Same breakfast every day. Figure out a handful of reliable standbys for lunch and dinner to rotate. Repeating meals makes life easier - less decision-making, you get fast at making those things, you can predict your response to those foods and plan around that feeling
- Oatmeal and cottage cheese are low-cal yet filling snacks (they deserve their own line)
- TDEE is way easier (for me) than the eat-back NEAT thing. Don't try to do half of each and combine the two (I did this for a bit and double-counted )
- Eat as MUCH as you can get away with while losing. Don't go right for the nuclear option (huge deficit, 20% or 2 lbs a week). Do a slow loss. That way you don't feel deprived, you have enough leeway to enjoy food socially, etc, and it makes maintenance easier. Start with TDEE -10 or even -5%, or - 0.5 lbs a week if you do decide to do NEAT. (You'll get results, as long as you work out hard.) Check your scale. If you're not losing, then adjust downward. Be patient and let each change in calories work for a few weeks, though.
- Have treats now and then, but have them out of the house. Don't keep things that are triggers for you at home. Or if you do, buy small, single servings, not a whole big bag or box.