Sharing what we've learned

Bella_Figura

Hi everyone

I'm 48 years old, and currently engaged in what I hope is the last of many, many weightloss attempts. I'm hopeful and confident that this time I'm going to make it all the way to the finish line, and that when I get there I will have the necessary skills and tools to help me maintain a healthy weight for the rest of my life.

Often I find myself bitterly regretting that I didn't push on to the end years ago, and all those failed attempts make me feel like a failure. But, actually, I don't think they were failures at all, really, as each and every attempt taught me something valuable that I've been putting to good use since I climbed back on the wagon last August. I have tons of experience of losing weight, and I'm drawing on that experience now on a daily basis.

From those past attemtps I've learned what works for me, and what doesn't. I've learned what foods I can happily give up, and what foods I prefer to make room for in my new eating plan, because I love them and I don't want to live without them. I've learned what exercise I like and what I hate, what keeps me 'regular' and what bungs me up, what lifts my mood and what makes me feel like crap, what activities are good at distracting me from food cravings, and what activities make me want to run straight to the fridge...

I figure between all the members of this little group, we must have a whole wealth of valuable tips, hints, suggestions, tried-and-trusted methods etc. that we could share to help each other along the way. Anything from simple tips (All Bran Biscuits contain 8 grams of fibre!) to nuggets of distilled wisdom about the meaning of life...so let's share!

I'll start the ball rolling...

Sorry if this is too much information, but I've learned that - for me - a calorie restricted diet always causes me to get 'bunged up' eventually, regardless of how much fibre I eat or how much water I drink. After doing tons of research, and trying lots of different strategies, I've found out that a way to prevent this from happening is if I include a moderate amount (25g a day) of good fat in my diet (e.g. ollive oil), and include half a pint of skimmed milk in my daily diet. Skimmed milk has been scientifically proven to promote gut motility, and I can testify from experience that it really works...and as for the fat, I don't know if that's been proven or not, but it works for me!!!

Does anyone else have any tips, hints, suggestions etc to share?

antxoable

Hi there,
I am an Spanish girl, 24 years old, i have never been overweight but neither skinny. At the moment i weight 64kg or 10 stones, and i am 5'9'' so i am happy with that, couple of years ago, when i moved to England i got to 74kg or 11.11 stones... At that point of my life i never ever new how much calories had one thing or other, now i am a walking calculator, sometimes even worries me, but thats how i keep going, if i dont count my calories i put on few pounds but as soon as i come back to my regular exercise of 3 to 4 times a week mixing different classes and control my diet, for about 1600 cals a day and 2000 over the weekend.
So that is my trick, exercise!if i quit the gym i put on weight, if i dont count calories too.
But when i go home(Spain), i do not need to worry because eating what all my life i consider normal doesnt make me creep on the pounds, my mum's food is plenty of vegs grill fish roast meat bbq...not process food at all and not picking because lunch is so filling i do not need anything else till dinner, when i usually have soemthing light, 300 cals aprox....the only thing i need to look after is the meeting with friends when i eat tapas and beers...lol

ms_leanne

Sounds like us Brits could learn a lot from the Spanish diet. I also hear the French way of eating is also very healthy. I love my veggies but my main issue has always been with portion control which is where the scales come in very useful. My other downfalls are chocolate and cake so much so that I am still looking for good sweet fix ideas that are less than a chocolate bar.

Bella_Figura

Yes, I think we could learn a lot from the Spanish and French...the Italians too, although like us Brits they tend to get fatter as they get older, whereas the French tend to start out slim and stay slim for the rest of their lives. I visit Italy a lot, and l Iove the italian diet of fresh veggies, salad and fish, which sounds very similar to the Spanish and Greek one. Italian meals - especially lunch - tend to be larger than our UK ones (Spanish ones too from the sounds of Antxoable's post) which means you're less likely to pick between meals, which is where (in my case) most of the damage was done.

I can't help you on the lower calorie sweet stuff, I'm afraid, as I'm a savoury girl all the way, and don't tend to eat sweet stuff, apart from Shape Chocolate Delight, which is a scrummy dessert for only 109 calories. I'm sure some of the other people with a sweet tooth will be able to help though!

ms_leanne

I'll have a look for that Shape Dessert!

jannemarie74

i have learned that if i do not have fat in my diet, i end up with really itchy fragile skin which when i scratch, bleeds. with a portion or two of healthy fat each day this has completely gone away. i think the vitamin e in healthy fat promotes healthy skin.

Bella_Figura

That's interesting Jannemarie, I think we tend to underestimate the importance of good fat to a healthy diet. We think we're being so good to cut out fats completely, but I think they're an essential part of a healthy diet, even for those of us who are restricting our calorie input.

kendrafallon

The biggest lesson I've learnt is not to cut out any food groups, to try and eat everything in moderation. And if there is a hiccup and I go OTT to draw a line under it and start afresh without recriminations. After all the eating right and keeping fit is a way of life and not just a temporary fix.

Stacebob85

One of the best things I've learned is the old 'metabolism-kickstart'. Most times that I fell off the wagon previously would be because my weight stayed stable for an extended period of time (i.e. I once weighed 13st 8lbs for a whole 3 months!) I'd get disheartened, start comfort eating and then slip back into my old habits. I've yo-yo'd like this a few times, all because of plateaus, but what I've found now is that if my weight sticks in one spot for a couple of weeks, I just need to kick my metabolism in the bits by having a few days-one week of eating more. Not 'pigging out' or helping myself to junk/fast foods, but just increasing my calorie intake by about 200-300kcal a day. I might gain a pound or 2 that week, but then when I return to my previous lower calorie intake, the pounds start to come off again. I now actually look forward to plateaus cos they give me an excuse to treat myself a bit :P

markdoutre

Totally agree with Stacebobs85. I've had a couple of "stuck" periods, and a slight increase in calories then a drop back tends to kick the metabolism again. I tend to make the most of it, go out for a meal or allow myself a few beers.

Bella_Figura

Yes, I totally agree with the above too! I got stuck at 70.8kg for 3 weeks and tried to kick start by cutting my calories to 1050 a day, which was a complete failure. I then increased my calories to 1600 a day for 7 days, and then dropped them back to 1400 cals a day (which is higher than before my original cut to 1050) and in the fortnight since I've lost 3.4kg.

Camera_BagintheUK

You MUST eat fat though - obviously not too much, but you must have SOME fat. It's not the fat that makes you gain weight, it's the calories, so you need to limit how many of your calories you get from fat.

I eat too much fat :grumble: I know I do. And far too much dairy fat. Still losing weight though, because it's all within my calories - just probably clogging up my arteries:ohwell:

I remember watching programme on TV some time ago about how all living creatures are programmed to crave fat and search it out because it's essential - but scarce in nature. But of course we humans have discovered farming and processing food, so we have an abundance of fat at our fingertips and have trouble avoiding it!

Camera_BagintheUK

What have I learned? I've learned that you CAN lose weight! I don't do diets, but I tried to lose weight by swimming and cycling. But never lost a thing. So I got to the point were I just believed totally that this was me and this was how I was going to remain for the rest of my life, slowly putting on the pounds. But since November I've dropped 2 stone and 1 dress size :cheer: (they dont' do enough smily's to they!)

I've been stunned! The weight is coming off. The impossible is happening! My lesson to share - just DO IT - it won't happen till you make it happen, and all you have to do is eat less calories! Stupidly simple!