What is the best advice you have heard so far on your journey? Im looking forward to reading these

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Replies

  • Lourdesong
    Lourdesong Posts: 1,492 Member
    ashliefisch wrote: »
    The concept of "flexible" dieting changed my world. Just the idea that there is no such thing as good or bad, just not enough and too much. Made this a lifestyle and not something temporary.

    Yes, this.

    Also to take responsibility, look inward not outward. The power to change lies with me, not anyone else, not the government, not the corporations, etc etc.
    Also to look forward and not backward. The past is what it is, learn from it, don't get stuck in it or stuck in your head or your feelings about it. To do so is usually pointless, or more cynically, a stalling tactic since you can't actually do anything to change what has happened.

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    Lift heavy.
  • TammyLML
    TammyLML Posts: 429 Member
    Great post! There is a lot of wisdom here! :smile:

    For me, one of the best things to realize is, you can't "go on a diet". It has to be a lifetime commitment. Diet fads, trendy gimmicks, pills, etc. will ultimately fail if you aren't willing to maintain them for a lifetime. Focus on living a healthy lifestyle that is sustainable.

    The other thing that helped me tremendously is to not throw it all away because you had a binge, or a bad day, or even a bad month! Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and carry on. Mistakes happen. It doesn't negate all the good you've done, or will do in future. I quit smoking five years ago with a support forum, and I can't tell you how many people I've seen slip and smoke one cigarette, and then beat themselves up so badly over it that they go and buy a pack, and throw it all away by continuing to smoke. Slips happen. Get over it, and carry on quitting!
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Look both ways before you cross the road.

    It's an oldie but a goodie.
  • nvmomketo
    nvmomketo Posts: 12,019 Member
    For me it was a LCHF diet (not advice from around here LOL). I find it easier to eat at a deficit, am more satiated, and my sweet cravings are taken care of - gone.

    A very LCHF diet isn't fr everyone but it fits me very very well and made weight loss pretty easy.
  • Kalikel
    Kalikel Posts: 9,603 Member
    On the boards, the best advice I got was to make my own bread. I wish I could thank whoever suggested it. I thought I hated whole wheat and whole grain breads until I tried that suggestion. Now, I love them! :)

    In real life, the best advice I got was actually good in an indirect way.

    My neighbors insisted that if I ate spicy food like they do, I'd lose more weight - that the spicy food was why they were all thin. Well, the fat one silently disagreed, which was hilarious, but the rest insisted. As it didn't cause me to deviate from my overall plan, I gave it a shot and increased the amount of heat in my foods. I didn't lose more weight, lol, but I can now eat spicier foods.

    I cannot eat the ridiculously spicy foods that people who come from places where they get it from breast milk as babies and keep getting spicier can! I don't know why little toddlers can eat ridiculously hot peppers and I cannot. Must be in the genes. ;) But I can have peppers in my food now without my eyes watering and my mouth being on fire, so it's a huge bonus and opens up a whole new world of food I can eat! :)
  • Kimegatron
    Kimegatron Posts: 772 Member
    Food scale. I actually was really successful with eyeballing what I was eating, was probably eyeballing lower than what I was actually eating, and I didn't stall in weight loss once. But I knew that the closer to goal that I got, that I would need to be diligent with what I'm eating, so I decided to start weighing, to get used to it. That way, I wouldn't freak out and get frustrated when it started to matter.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
    "The best diet is the one you'll stick to..... provided it involves a caloric deficit"
  • threadmad
    threadmad Posts: 190 Member
    Weight loss is not linear! Saved me a lot of stress over the daily fluctuations up and down.
  • MarcyKirkton
    MarcyKirkton Posts: 507 Member
    Log everything honestly. People who log their food are far more successful than those who do not.
  • frankiesgirlie
    frankiesgirlie Posts: 669 Member
    1)set your goal for 1/2 lb a week so that when you hit goal you are close to what your maintenance calories will be and won't have a "jump" in calories which may cause weight gain, plus makes this a sustainable lifestyle and not a "diet". This one was huge for me because I came on MFP with the last 10-12 lbs to lose and had my goal set at 1 1/2 lbs loss per week. I was starving and not losing an ounce. After 3 weeks a lovely lady on these boards told me to change my goal to 1/2 lb per week which meant eating MoRE food. I was skeptical because I was accustomed to starving for weight loss. Now 12 weeks later I'm down 7 lbs and only 4 lbs from my goal weight. Lowest weight in 15 years and it's sustainable because I'm EATING!
    2)Food scale. Weigh Everything!
    3)if you mess up a meal, a day, a week no matter just keep going and logging. I've had really bad days of going over calories huge. I logged it and kept going and still lost weight.
    4)log honestly...you are fooling no one and can use the REAL data later to evaluate your progress or lack of progress.
    5)Doesn't matter what or when you eat as long as you hit you calorie goal in a consistent basis you will lose weight
    6)you can eat fat, carbs , cookies, candy, whatever and still lose weight (that is unless something triggers a binge for you then DONT keep it in the house!!)
    7) the latest fad diet will cause you to lose weight but is it the way you intend to eat forever? Realistically? If the answer is no then you probably are going to gain the weight back. I stopped drinking alcohol because I could see a life without those calories. Give up Hershey's? Not realistic for me. Cut back yes, give up NO!
    8)You can lose weight without exercise but probably won't like the way your skin looks. Counting calories is for weight loss, exercise is for firming, toning.
    I've learned SO much on MFP. I now understand weight loss. There is nothing mystical about it even though the diet industry would like your pocketbook to think so.

  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    "stop being so obsessed with weighing, measuring and logging. It really makes you not a whole lot of fun to be around." - said by my 19 year old son

    So, don't make yourself crazy :wink:
  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    Just don't quit. Everything else, you can sort out along the way.
  • jana_knowles
    jana_knowles Posts: 22 Member
    goldthistime wrote: »
    You need to consume 3500 calories above maintenance to gain a pound. The scale may bounce higher because of fluid retention associated with higher glycogen levels after that big carb day you had, but it's definitely NOT a pound of fat. Calm the eff down.
    I'm sorry but that's just to funny. Haha
  • girls_read_comics
    girls_read_comics Posts: 46 Member
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    "stop being so obsessed with weighing, measuring and logging. It really makes you not a whole lot of fun to be around." - said by my 19 year old son

    So, don't make yourself crazy :wink:



    So this! I hated going out to dinner and spending time on my phone
  • girls_read_comics
    girls_read_comics Posts: 46 Member
    frankiesgirlie wrote: »
    1)set your goal for 1/2 lb a week so that when you hit goal you are close to what your maintenance calories will be and won't have a "jump" in calories which may cause weight gain, plus makes this a sustainable lifestyle and not a "diet". This one was huge for me because I came on MFP with the last 10-12 lbs to lose and had my goal set at 1 1/2 lbs loss per week. I was starving and not losing an ounce. After 3 weeks a lovely lady on these boards told me to change my goal to 1/2 lb per week which meant eating MoRE food. I was skeptical because I was accustomed to starving for weight loss. Now 12 weeks later I'm down 7 lbs and only 4 lbs from my goal weight. Lowest weight in 15 years and it's sustainable because I'm EATING!
    2)Food scale. Weigh Everything!
    3)if you mess up a meal, a day, a week no matter just keep going and logging. I've had really bad days of going over calories huge. I logged it and kept going and still lost weight.
    4)log honestly...you are fooling no one and can use the REAL data later to evaluate your progress or lack of progress.
    5)Doesn't matter what or when you eat as long as you hit you calorie goal in a consistent basis you will lose weight
    6)you can eat fat, carbs , cookies, candy, whatever and still lose weight (that is unless something triggers a binge for you then DONT keep it in the house!!)
    7) the latest fad diet will cause you to lose weight but is it the way you intend to eat forever? Realistically? If the answer is no then you probably are going to gain the weight back. I stopped drinking alcohol because I could see a life without those calories. Give up Hershey's? Not realistic for me. Cut back yes, give up NO!
    8)You can lose weight without exercise but probably won't like the way your skin looks. Counting calories is for weight loss, exercise is for firming, toning.
    I've learned SO much on MFP. I now understand weight loss. There is nothing mystical about it even though the diet industry would like your pocketbook to think so.

    You have so much great advice this should be a blog post!
  • mingle287
    mingle287 Posts: 44 Member
    My favorite one is "progress...not perfection"
  • wonko221
    wonko221 Posts: 292 Member
    edited November 2015
    frankiesgirlie wrote: »
    1)set your goal for 1/2 lb a week so that when you hit goal you are close to what your maintenance calories will be and won't have a "jump" in calories which may cause weight gain, plus makes this a sustainable lifestyle and not a "diet". This one was huge for me because I came on MFP with the last 10-12 lbs to lose and had my goal set at 1 1/2 lbs loss per week. I was starving and not losing an ounce. After 3 weeks a lovely lady on these boards told me to change my goal to 1/2 lb per week which meant eating MoRE food. I was skeptical because I was accustomed to starving for weight loss. Now 12 weeks later I'm down 7 lbs and only 4 lbs from my goal weight. Lowest weight in 15 years and it's sustainable because I'm EATING!
    2)Food scale. Weigh Everything!
    3)if you mess up a meal, a day, a week no matter just keep going and logging. I've had really bad days of going over calories huge. I logged it and kept going and still lost weight.
    4)log honestly...you are fooling no one and can use the REAL data later to evaluate your progress or lack of progress.
    5)Doesn't matter what or when you eat as long as you hit you calorie goal in a consistent basis you will lose weight
    6)you can eat fat, carbs , cookies, candy, whatever and still lose weight (that is unless something triggers a binge for you then DONT keep it in the house!!)
    7) the latest fad diet will cause you to lose weight but is it the way you intend to eat forever? Realistically? If the answer is no then you probably are going to gain the weight back. I stopped drinking alcohol because I could see a life without those calories. Give up Hershey's? Not realistic for me. Cut back yes, give up NO!
    8)You can lose weight without exercise but probably won't like the way your skin looks. Counting calories is for weight loss, exercise is for firming, toning.
    I've learned SO much on MFP. I now understand weight loss. There is nothing mystical about it even though the diet industry would like your pocketbook to think so.

    Great advice here!

    I like your reasoning for setting the goal weight at 1/2 lb per week, but came at this slightly differently.

    Early on in finding MFP, I looked at my "goal weight" maintenance calories to get a picture of how horribly restrictive my healthy life would be. I was surprised (DELIGHTED) to learn that healthy me would actually be enjoying a very reasonable number of calories each day. Plenty to incorporate my favorite foods, if mindfully eaten.

    And that is what kicked me into success mode - coming to terms with the fact that my enemy wasn't food; it wasn't a food addiction; it wasn't some dark struggle against uncontrollable compulsions. It was bad habits. It was little things. It was dealing with depression by munching french fries, and grabbing sugary drinks when i was thirsty, instead of water. It was being mindless about how i was treating this magnificent machine that is my body.

    I have set my daily goal at the maintenance for my goal weight, and am making slow, steady progress. I am happy, and feeling good, and already satisfied with the eating patterns that i'll stick to when i'm "done."

    I can still have those high-calorie foods, from time to time. But i'll be mindful in portions, and i'll make concessions elsewhere to buy that wiggle room.

    If i am out with friends and binge a little, that's fine. Didn't get fat in a day; a long life of my new healthy habits will smooth out this one wrinkle - as long as i don't make it an excuse to develop a pattern.

    As to the original poster - great thread! Thanks for getting folks to share these. In addition to the nuggets of wisdom already listed that have helped me greatly, i'll add in one that helped me break a bad eating habit:
    • Don't let guilt lead you to "clean your plate!" The extra food on your plate is already wasted, but you don't need to let it harm your body, too.
  • fiddletime
    fiddletime Posts: 1,868 Member
    "It isn't a holiday season, it's only 3 days, so enjoy the 3 days but don't make them 2 months" (Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas).
  • AspenDan
    AspenDan Posts: 703 Member
    It's all just one big, long, experiment. Try something for a while, if it works, keep at it, if it doesn't, reassess.
  • scyian
    scyian Posts: 243 Member
    Buy a digital food scale. Log honestly and don't beat yourself up over one bad day, just move on. Stop calling it a diet, it's a permanent change in your eating habits and it has to be sustainable and enjoyable.
  • Tedebearduff
    Tedebearduff Posts: 1,155 Member
    satanicbunny wrote: »
    For me it was

    A day of junk food will not make you fat
    Just like a day of salads will not make you fit

    I have a difficult time being nice to myself and letting myself make mistakes.

    Think of where you could be if you had started a year ago today.

    That was probably the most motivational and helpful thing that got me started and helped me change my life.
  • ejcanavan
    ejcanavan Posts: 52 Member
    That food that is good for you can't taste good too. I used to cringe at the thought of another chicken breast or can of tuna. Now I play more with trying new recipes and it has made me enjoy making my meals, not dread them.
  • girls_read_comics
    girls_read_comics Posts: 46 Member
    ejcanavan wrote: »
    That food that is good for you can't taste good too. I used to cringe at the thought of another chicken breast or can of tuna. Now I play more with trying new recipes and it has made me enjoy making my meals, not dread them.

    When i eat food I do not like it makes me eat double at the next " good" meal
  • _Justinian_
    _Justinian_ Posts: 232 Member
    goldthistime wrote: »
    You need to consume 3500 calories above maintenance to gain a pound. The scale may bounce higher because of fluid retention associated with higher glycogen levels after that big carb day you had, but it's definitely NOT a pound of fat. Calm the eff down.

    Thank you for this. This is just what I needed to read today.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    I heard this long before I needed to lose weight, but the best advice I've heard was from Nike. "Just Do It"

    It's brilliant advice.

    I can't think of anything else I've been told that has been helpful.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    be disciplined
    be consistent
    be patient
  • Tigg_er
    Tigg_er Posts: 22,001 Member
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    "stop being so obsessed with weighing, measuring and logging. It really makes you not a whole lot of fun to be around." - said by my 19 year old son

    So, don't make yourself crazy :wink:

    Some truth to this !
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
    satanicbunny wrote: »
    tracyannk28 wrote: »
    "stop being so obsessed with weighing, measuring and logging. It really makes you not a whole lot of fun to be around." - said by my 19 year old son

    So, don't make yourself crazy :wink:



    So this! I hated going out to dinner and spending time on my phone

    yeah - in hindsight I shouldn't have been so OCD (as many of us get when it comes to logging). The weight would have come off even if I didn't get the exact amount of mustard correct on the food scale.
  • girls_read_comics
    girls_read_comics Posts: 46 Member
    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    be disciplined
    be consistent
    be patient

    I am not patient

    Very veruca salt

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