Top non-food or exercise tips for success

segacs

For something a little different, here are a few non-food or exercise related tips I think would be super helpful for people trying to lose weight via a calorie-counting approach like MFP. Feel free to add your own.

1. Take a statistics class. Nope, I'm not kidding. An introductory stats course -- if you've never taken one -- is maybe the single most valuable thing you can do to help understand all the math behind calorie counting. It will help you put fluctuations into perspective. It will help you understand statistical variance, trends, and calculations related to your own weight loss. Furthermore, a basic grounding in statistics is an amazing way to better understand all the media reports about health, diets and studies. Being able to skim past an article's clickbait title and understand things like a study's confidence interval, standard deviation or n= value is super useful in honing scientific literacy and skepticism skills and in separating the facts from the *kitten*. I'm not saying you have to become an actuary or a statistician, but a basic intro class or refresher course is pretty valuable for everyone. If it's been a while since your student days, there are some great intro stats courses available for free in e-learning format on YouTube and elsewhere.
2. Get mentally healthy. Or, at least, get as healthy as is realistically possible for most of us. This is particularly true if you're battling depression or other similar issues. There have been loads of threads about it, but what it comes down to is this: You have to love and respect yourself enough to want to do this for yourself. Self-loathing and depression make successful weight loss harder, not easier. And you have to have enough trust in yourself to be able to stay calm and keep going through all the ups and downs. That takes some amount of mental fortitude. Learning how to cope with your issues -- with help, if necessary -- is one of the best things you can do for yourself.
3. Taking a sewing class. Losing weight is expensive, yo. If you have a lot of weight to lose, you're looking at investing in a whole new wardrobe, maybe several times over if you're losing over a long period of time. Make those clothes last as long as possible by learning how to take in seams or adjust them downwards by a size or so. You may be able to extend their wear over a season or two before you're forced to buy new stuff, allowing you to shop only every 2-3 clothing sizes -- and saving loads of money in the process. Also get familiar with your local friperies or thrift stores, since they can be a great place to find bargains in those in-between sizes during weight loss. Also, sewing is one of those skills that it's always good to have.
4. Take up a (non-food) hobby. My favourite one is photography, 'cause it gives me an excuse to go out and walk a lot without needing a destination in mind (like a restaurant or a convenience store, where I'm sure to buy food). Better yet, find some friends with the same hobby, so you can socialize with them without it needing to revolve around food.

AliceDark

Sort of related to #2, but...have non-food-related methods for self-soothing/calming down ready and waiting. Figure out what you can do to decompress at the end of an awful day before you have that awful day.

Need2Exerc1se

Don't get obsessive about weight loss. The list of things you don't have to do for fat loss is infintely long. The only thing you have to do is be in a calorie deficit. Everything else is personal preference.

missblondi2u

Brace yourself for unsolicited advice and commentary from friends, family, strangers, etc. Everything from "oh you're such an inspiration" to "weighing food is a sign of an eating disorder." Everyone will have something to say.

Also, expect tons of weight loss questions from people who don't really want to hear that its all about CICO.

segacs

missblondi2u wrote: »

Brace yourself for unsolicited advice and commentary from friends, family, strangers, etc. Everything from "oh you're such an inspiration" to "weighing food is a sign of an eating disorder." Everyone will have something to say.

Also, expect tons of weight loss questions from people who don't really want to hear that its all about CICO.

Yeah. One of my points was going to be "finely hone your resting *kitten* face."

tracie_minus100

I agree with #2 for sure. I had major issues with emotional eating, and I worked extremely hard at conquering that, and that has been one of the biggest factors in my weight loss success.
#4 as well...I took up running and love it. I enjoy it, it's good for me, it allows me to eat more, and it is a stress reliever. So for me, it's pretty much the perfect hobby.

kshama2001

AliceDark wrote: »

Sort of related to #2, but...have non-food-related methods for self-soothing/calming down ready and waiting. Figure out what you can do to decompress at the end of an awful day before you have that awful day.

As a former emotional eater, this is crucial for me. I am now successfully exercising stress instead of eating stress.

Unknown

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youdontknowwhatyousaw

Love your body how it is right now. You be much more forgiving of your slip ups and you'll want to treat your body right. I found weightloss much easier when it was no longer mainly about weightloss, but about making my body healthier.

fidangul

I don't know whether it'll count but where possible, GROW YOUR OWN. Even if it's just some parsley in a window box. I think it truly helps with the appreciation of food and understanding where it comes from. I also think the patience needed while waiting for the growth of crops will help towards the patience needed in weightloss. There's probably a lot more benefits.

Anyway I don't know how well/bad I've worded that but I hope my point makes a little sense.

azulvioleta6

fidangul wrote: »

I don't know whether it'll count but where possible, GROW YOUR OWN. Even if it's just some parsley in a window box. I think it truly helps with the appreciation of food and understanding where it comes from. I also think the patience needed while waiting for the growth of crops will help towards the patience needed in weightloss. There's probably a lot more benefits.

Anyway I don't know how well/bad I've worded that but I hope my point makes a little sense.

It totally makes sense and I think that it is a wonderful point.

I would add find active hobbies to the list. It's great to be able to have fun, make new friends and burn calories at the same time. My favorites are community gardening, social dance and hiking. It's easy to make a healthier lifestyle sustainable when you are enjoying yourself.

Working2BLean

missblondi2u wrote: »

Brace yourself for unsolicited advice and commentary from friends, family, strangers, etc. Everything from "oh you're such an inspiration" to "weighing food is a sign of an eating disorder." Everyone will have something to say.

Also, expect tons of weight loss questions from people who don't really want to hear that its all about CICO.

Oh yes to the weighing food comment. Usually from
The friend with gut that sticks out far enough to set his beer on while dispensing that great advice

Orphia

segacs wrote: »

[...]
Take up a (non-food) hobby. My favourite one is photography, 'cause it gives me an excuse to go out and walk a lot without needing a destination in mind (like a restaurant or a convenience store, where I'm sure to buy food). Better yet, find some friends with the same hobby, so you can socialize with them without it needing to revolve around food.

Great list, and I love this point!

I love taking photos too. I get to take photos of things I see on my many walks (and more recently, runs).

I'd love to see your pics, @segacs !

madammags

Awesome list. I think in our current media world, having a basic grounding in statistics would benefit pretty much anyone.

And so yes! to number 2. I have tried to lose weight many times before and the only times I've succeeded (this and once before) have been when I've been at my mentally healthiest. I'd say a big part of the reason I gained it back last time was mental health.

I agree with both non-food and active hobbies. I knit and find keeping my hands and mind busy makes me so much less prone to idle snacking. And of course activity is just generally awesome

slimzandra

Great list:
Just adding that stressing about losing weight can hinder your progress:

These were interesting articles about cortisol levels in women:

http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/research-review/dietary-restraint-and-cortisol-levels-research-review.html/

http://biomedgerontology.oxfordjournals.org/content/61/6/628.full