To all the "MFP Success Stories..."

sympha01

I plan ahead. It's too easy to start off with good intentions and then weaken as the day wears on and you get tired. Pre-plan, pre-log as much as you can. It can be hard at first, but like any healthy habit it really gets easier the longer you do it. 2+ years in, >175 lbs lost.

Also: don't make it hard. You don't get extra points for making yourself miserable. Making it hard just guarantees you will give up when you -- inevitably -- get stressed out over whatever. All you need is a reasonable calorie deficit. The vast majority of people don't need to totally give up their favorite foods (just eat high calorie foods in smaller portions and with less frequency). And NOBODY needs a giant whopping deficit. I lost weight on 1850 cals a day, and tbh the smaller I got the MORE calories I allowed myself (I'm still in a small deficit at 2000 cals a day) because getting smaller actually made it easier for me to increase my exercise intensity. I'm a glistening sweaty badass when I work out now.

GeddesFit

I find I go through phases where I'm more hungry at night so I just eat a lighter breakfast and lunch so I have more calories for at night time. It's extremely extremely rare that I go over my 1200 calories in a day and if I do it's only by a little bit.

coreyreichle

I started by just logging what I normally eat, without trying to meet calorie goals. Did that for about a week. Then, afterwards, I started reviewing the past week, saw what the calorie "bombs" were (Danishes. Farking danishes. 650 calories EACH). Pared those out.

As the weeks went on, kept doing that, now it's a matter of trying to meet goals, while not beating myself up for going 100 or or so.

allenpriest

I started by simply trying to get everything recorded and stop gaining. So first I did maintenance. Then I set the goal to lose only .5 pound per week. Then after getting comfortable with that calorie deficit I increased it to 1 pound per week and now 1.5 pound per week. I have made sure to log everything and frequently pre-log to help me make good choices.

I took 25 years to gain 200 pounds so I knew it would take a long time to lose the weight. I figure it is a 3 year project at least. And I'm OK with that. Because it is not a diet. It is a complete change in the way that I live.

Psychgrrl

The wearable tech helped me a lot, personally, by keeping me accountable and putting it right out in front of me--what I was doing and how much I was eating.

When I went to upgrade a few months ago, I used this site to help me as a starting point:
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2404445,00.asp

I ended up buying a Garmin Vivoactive and I LOOOOOOOVE it! Good choice for me!

AnnPT77

Are you getting all the ancillary things right: Drinking plenty of water throughout the day? Getting enough sleep at night? Eating enough protein? Eating some healthy fat? Figuring out which foods make you feel more satisfied for longer, and including those in your diet? (Some common foods that some segment of people find satisfying are high-volume but low calorie foods (like most veggies), protein foods (meat, milk, fish, beans, etc.), oatmeal or similar high-fiber grain, healthy fats (nuts in reasonable portions, avocados).) Figuring out whether exercise makes you hungrier or less hungry (type and time of day may matter)? etc. While calories in/calories out is the basic issue, some of those other things can make you feel hungrier or less hungry, support or sap your willpower, etc.

PaulaWallaDingDong

Planning ahead. I plan my main meals the day before, and if there are calories leftover, I save them for snacks. In your case, you might plan calories specifically for snacks. Just remember there is no schedule that you have to stick to (if every 3 hrs suits you, then by all means, do it, but you seem to be having trouble in spacing your calorie allotment out). Also, there is no cutoff time. If you don't want to eat anymore after 6 pm or whatever, you don't have to. If you like to get in your pj's, get in bed, have your snack and pass out, that's fine, too (could be bad if you have GERD or something, but otherwise, fine).

victoria_1024

I've lost 60 pounds, around 15 left til my goal. I don't really feel like I did anything special, other than the usual weighing my food and sticking to my calorie goals every day. I do make it a priority to eat chocolate every day! That's been very important to my success because I don't think I could have stuck with it this long without chocolate. Also, like others mentioned, I love late night snacking so I save a lot of calories for a 9 pm snack after my kids go to bed and I can just sit and relax. I mostly have done baby steps as well, rather than making huge changes all at once. I started just focusing on sticking to my calorie goals. Then I started adding in exercise. Then I started trying to increase my protein and think about my macros more. If I had tried to do everything at once, it would have been overwhelming I think.

Protranser

You say you're sabotaging yourself at nights. My question is, are you going over your daily deficit? and by how much?

If you have a 1000 cal a day deficit, and you're only eating 500 into it, then you're still at a 500 deficit, which is going to equal weight loss (1 lb rather than 2 per week projected rate)

The idea is, by the end of the week, if you're doing a 1000 cal deficit (and from what I've been reading, this is a deficit that's best suited for people with 60lbs or more to lose, if you have less to lose then your deficit should be smaller than 1000) and you had a few days off, you'll still be in a deficit and lose weight... just not the full 2 lbs projected per week.

To summarize my poorly ordered thoughts: Maybe you just need a smaller deficit. A calorie deficit is better than a surplus, imo, unless you're already at a healthy weight.

Jmgkamp

I get hungry at night, so most days I save all of my calories for after 4 PM. I'm good without eating during the day. It works for me. I drink 128 oz of water each day, and after that I drink crystal light or a diet soda,

Keep tweaking until you find a winning combination.

I'm not a success yet - but I'm at 157 from 219 with 27 more to go...

lbrodnax83

As far as the Fitbit goes- I started with the Flex and moved up to the Charge HR. The HR does heart rate and has a more accurate cal burn, IMHO.

6 months in and 66.5 pounds down, there are a couple of things I can tell you:

1.) LOG, LOG, LOG. And WEIGH stuff. Every time I've stopped logging/weighing I back track. You'd be amazed at just how much that "single serving is"

2.) Pay attention to your Macros. It's all well and good to say you've eaten 1,200 calories (or whatever) per day, but if that's all sodium? You ain't gonna loose.

3.) Drink at LEAST half your weight in oz of water per day. I learned really quickly that helps, BIG time.

4.) I know you said you like sweets...and that's totally cool. You don't have to cut out all the good stuff- just pay attention to your macros and serving sizes (hint: those single sized snacks are AWESOME for this purpose). Like sweets? Dark chocolate is awesome!

5.) When I started out I was at like 1700 cals per day...but now sometimes 1200 seems to much!

Good luck!

Machka9

SylviaCherie wrote: »

How were you able to make MFP work for you? Each day I start off strong and every evening I sabotage myself by overeating. Please share tips on how you were able to be consistent enough to achieve your weight loss goals. Thanks so much!

First ... background. I started here mid-Feb and lost the 15kg I wanted to lose by mid-June. Then I took a break for a few weeks (holidays! ). When I returned, I figured I'd try losing a bit more ... see if I could get back down to a weight I haven't seen in about 8 years. I'm currently on an end-July to end-September plan now. When I reach the end of September I'll reassess the situation. Meanwhile, mid-way through that plan, I've already lost 4 more kg for a total of 19 kg so far.

Second ... I just stick to it. Why wouldn't I? I know that when I stick to it, I lose weight. Seeing regular results helps keep me going.

But I found that giving myself a time-line was especially effective. Rather than going at it from the perspective of ... I'm going to be here until I lose XX kg however long that might be and it could be years ... I went at it from the perspective that I am on a mission to lose as much weight as I can on a net 1250 cal diet by mid-June. And wherever I ended up mid-June, I was stopping and taking a break for a few weeks while I travelled. So if, on an afternoon in April, I was tempted by some goody ... that's OK. Mid-June I could have all of those I want ... just not right then.

Also, I opted not to deprive myself. I actually eat a wider variety of food now than I used to. I went to the grocery store several times, browsed the aisles and read labels until I found food that was both low cal and delicious. I crave the foods I've found. Today, for example, I was feeling very stressed and so I've just finished my favourite low-cal soup for lunch. So good. It's my new comfort food.

In addition, if I want higher calorie foods, I work for them. I exercise quite a bit. Even on my birthday, I went for a long bicycle ride earlier in the day so I could have cheesecake later.


And pre-logging really helps. I don't do it days in advance, but usually by lunch, I've pre-logged several things.

ogmomma2012

Support and shortcuts really help. Eat off smaller plates and bowls, get used to using a food scale. Make simple combinations of foods that you like and keep them in rotation. Having my calories laid out on a WEEKLY frame instead of a daily frame really helps my mind stay on track as well.

ACSL3

SylviaCherie wrote: »

Just looked up the fitbit really quickly on amazon.com which one is the best one to buy?

If you go to the Fitbit website they have a chart that compares them all, so you can find the one you want. Personally, I have the One and like it - I clip it to my bra. I thought about the charge, but I hate wearing something on my wrist all the time. It bugs me. But that's just me

12by311

SylviaCherie wrote: »

vivmom2014 wrote: »

Re: sabotaging yourself at night - you know you can save calories for the evening. Have a lighter-eating day, and spend the rest (or most) of your calories at night. It works!

Definitely have to go lighter in the am.

If you like to eat in the evenings, Maybe look into IF

kristen6350

Lost 50lbs in 2012 and have maintained the lose within 5 lbs. While I was losing I planned a day ahead, pre planned meals. Only had protein for breakfast (carbs I found made me hungrier earlier and the rest of the day) and told myself "no" a lot. I had decided that it was more important to lose the weight than to eat something that would ruin my progress. I wanted the size 6 jeans to fit more than I wanted the cake.

While I'm maintaining, I don't log. I eat every 2-3 hrs still, small meals. I eat the same foods, with maybe something good thrown in that I couldn't fit in while I was losing. I weight 1x week and if that # goes above a certain pre-determined #, then it's time to cut back for a few weeks.

I believe it's totally a mind game. If you are persistent, patient and willing to accept that you won't be perfect, YOU can do this too!

toriraeh

I agree with almost everyone on here- PRE-LOG! It's a lifesaver! I prelog every day and most days I can have a sweet snack either midday or after dinner. Also, if you find you've over eaten, go do some exercise. It doesn't have to be anything crazy, but a walk through your neighborhood. It'll help you burn the calories, keep you occupied and get you moving.

The thing is, you can have something sweet or a snack, you just have to make it fit in your daily goals. For me, I eat a small breakfast (200 cals), a small lunch (200 cals), a larger dinner (between 500-700) and this usually leaves me between 100-300 cals for a snack of some sort. This does not include exercise cals, either. It CAN be done. It does come down to will power though.

You can do this if you put your mind to it!

snowflakesav

I am a evening snacker too. I can relate to feeling like overcoming it is impossible. I have not yet found success in fighting the night time munchies...but I have found that it doesn't prevent weight loss.

So I work with the tendency. I bank calories during the day. Breakfast and lunch are 200 to 400 calories each.
The other thing I do is try to select satisfying snacks that are filling in the evening...limit the sugar.. Lots of fat and fiber. My favorite is 2 graham crackers and a single serving cup of peanut butter. The other thing that I can not stress enough is keeping the junky that tempts me in the evening out of the house.

I am a cardio bunny...the exercise really helps. However if I take a day or two off running I also find that I am not hungry in the evening and it is easier to avoid snacking.

Francl27

Domicinator wrote: »

I just had to want it enough. I have tried this several times with no success. This time it caught on. I am more stubborn than this fat on my body.

This. There's no magic trick. If you want it badly enough, you'll make it work. I did have some good knowledge about nutrition though, so obviously it helped to know what I should eat and what I should avoid.

Mostly though? Make every meal count. You're less likely to make bad choices if your meals are satisfying.

Also I didn't go crazy and pick 2 pounds a week loss. No way. I went for 1 pound, so it was easier to actually stick to it.

SylviaCherie

mewilliams11 wrote: »

I am by no means a "success story:, but I have achieved success this past month. I think the biggest thing is just wanting to lose the weight more than anything else. I've joined WW about 10 times & had great success at times, but I've never stuck to anything for very long.

I've watched the numbers on the scale go up & the years pass by. I constantly make excuses for myself & was constantly lying to myself. "Oh I'll start dieting again for the New year", " I'll have this weight lost by the time I turn 25, 28, 32, 35, etc...", " I'm going to fit into those jeans, that shirt, etc.. " I seriously got so tired of disappointing myself over & over.

Sad when I tried on new clothes, never feeling good enough in social situations, never enough energy to really do what I wanted... I could go on & on.

Being overweight has held me back so much, it's prevented me from reaching my full potential. I used to always here the quote, "if you want it bad enough then you'll find a way". Well I thought that was crazy! Of course I wanted it bad enough, I wanted it more than anything... or did I?

You have to believe in yourself, you have to truly want to lose the weight more than anything else. You have to make yourself the priority! Trust the process because it does work if you allow it to.

I can so relate to everything...I feel like you're writing a page about my life...