What I wish I knew when I was just starting out

rpachigo

slow and steady wins the race.
cheat meals are alright not cheat weekends.
smaller plates and chew slower.
drink plenty to water.
limit sugar.
high fat is not the enemy.
whole grain/sprouted carbs are not the enemy.
wrap thingy - oh yeah - that don't work.
and those skin tightening lasers (they mostly don't work).
enjoy your food just don't eat too much of it.

We cannot outrun out diets ever...

yourstorycpt

thorsmom01 wrote: »

These are the myths I wish I would've ignored-

Carbs are bad they make people gain fat - myth( some people with medical conditions may need to worry about carbs ) but carbs do not cause people to gain or prevent them from losing.

You must eat only 1200 to lose- myth
( I suffered for a while be cause I believed I had to starve to lose ,its not true . again, if someone was very old and very short then maybe they would have to eat 1200 but I'm neither )

Its all about the scale - myth.
I've saw people at 110 lbs look terrible, loose hanging skin and flab ! And I've saw people at 180lbs with abs ! So its not all about just seeing a loss on the scale. Those people that are only concerned with seeing a fast loss, may be in for a rude awakening once they hit goal weight. Incorporate a strength training program early and slow and steady weight loss !

So save yourselves the grief and don't believe the myths. For weight loss, cico ! Don't fear carbs. There's some evangelists on here that will claim keto and low carb cures every ailment and caused them to lose tons of weight. Don't be fooled by these derpers , they are as crazy as they sound !

jjdig

What I've learned is that even if you're active a LOT - if you ignore sugar (because nowadays it is in EVERYTHING) - and you don't pay attention to what you eat -- you'll stay the same.
The sugar thing has blown my mind. When did tomato sauce get sugar added in?! Most stuff you wouldn't think sugar would be in - it is. So --- learning to scan labels for SUGAR (or, all the fancy ways they say it "organic dried cane syrup") - has made the biggest difference.
It took me a week to get rid of the cravings. I still have it now and then, but it makes me fat!

yourstorycpt

Love this post! Especially the scale. I didn't realize it, but I had an unhealthy addiction to the scale. It made things worse because my weight wouldn't move from the sheer stress and guilt over the stupid thing. My resolve? I put the scale where I knew I wouldn't touch it but once a week…and that was after breaking myself for two weeks. I also get skin fold measurements and pay more attention to how my clothes are fitting. I am not cured, but I am working on it.

gramarye

godlikepoetyes wrote: »

Just be kind to yourself. No matter what, do not punish yourself or "whip yourself into shape!" Just be kind and keep listening to yourself. You know will figure out what works for you.

Yep, this one. Also: I wish I'd understood that I have to make changes I know I can sustain, not sweeping changes that don't work for my daily life.

I also wish I had known how much I appreciate and respond to data. I think I would have understood a lot about myself sooner in life, if I had just understood how data works with my brain. It wasn't until I was using MFP for a while that I realized it.

GBrady43068

Scamd83 wrote: »

- It's fine to eat after 7pm, especially carbs.

- Anyone who utters the words 'you should avoid [insert food here]' is usually bs'ing you based on their own paranoia.

Yes...especially ignore this one. People will say this again and again but it's not true unless you have a medical condition and your doctor has told you to avoid specific foods.

GBrady43068

smh1963 wrote: »

agree with others , don't eat back your exercise calories.

CORRECTION: Don't eat back ALL your exercise calories. You should certainly eat back some of them because in order to work out like a beast, you need fuel. Particularly if running is included in your workouts. A good rule of thumb is to either log only 50-66% of the burn that MFP or the machine gives you (thereby leaving a little bit of surplus) or if you're able, use a heart rate monitor to get the most accurate calorie burn value.

sault_girl

I wish I had known that by eating a high fat, moderate protein, low carb diet, that I could lose weight without being hungry. Hungry always derailed my efforts in the past.

charmmeth

I wish I had realised earlier that sleep really does make a difference! My body seems to do a whole lot of digesting in the hour or so, and if I only sleep five hours I miss out on that!

samwiserabbit

Go slowly so you don't yo-yo. No matter how many times I heard it, I thought I was special and would exert my iron will to maintain my goal after a 2 or 1.5lb/wk loss. Turns out, I'm not that special, or strong, and every swing up gets higher and higher. Think about what you want your body and lifestyle to be like 3 or 5 or 10 years from now and plan accordingly. Just imagine how great life would be if you'd done that 5 years ago Your future self will thank you.

Montepulciano

So much good stuff here. Patience, kindness, consistency and accuracy are the big ones. Moving more lets me eat more, and feel better, so big win there.

I think beyond the basics of CICO, it really is about finding what works for you. Some people love low carbs, others feel utterly denied by cutting them out. Make a small change, make it a habit, add another small change. Habits are for a lifetime.

Thanks for creating this thread!

sanfromny

Been seeing a lot of new people joining MFP so decided to "Bump" this!

LivingtheLeanDream

kgb6days wrote: »

How much better I feel eating healthy and being more active

and I wish I had known more about portion sizes. It was a total learning curve, but knowledge is power

rldeclercq4

You will get bored of/annoyed/fatigued by logging and tracking everyday - and when you do, you will stop losing weight.

Weigh. Track. Log. Lose.

LillysMomma09

rldeclercq4 wrote: »

You will get bored of/annoyed/fatigued by logging and tracking everyday - and when you do, you will stop losing weight.

Weigh. Track. Log. Lose.

THIS!!!!!

jelleigh

*That although you need to find a program or system that appeals to and works for you, ultimately its all just CICO.
*You don't HAVE to exercise to lose weight (although it's better for body recomp and health). I've lost 25 lbs so far, 10 in the last month alone, and haven't really exercised .
*1 lb is actually a lot to lose! That's 3500 calories you cut out! It's not a small or inconsequential thing.
*Scale readings that bounce around are not a sign that I ruined anything, or came across a magical fix, it's just water weight.

rxchica82

I use a lot of exercise DVDs at home and I've learned that the modifier is my friend. I felt like being young and only a little overweight meant that I should be able to keep up with the instructor, but the truth is, there's no shame in starting out on the "easy setting." Following the modifier means that I'm not sore and frustrated everyday and I don't need as many recovery days.

myhungryjack

v_cowley wrote: »

HappyCampr1 wrote: »

ETA - Oh, and I wish I had known that for entries in the database, the serving sizes had a drop down so you could change them. I wasted four months or so, searching entries for ones in grams because the default serving size wasn't showing grams. Things like...sweet potato, raw, unprepared. The serving size on the official entry shows 1 cup cubed, but if you click the serving size, you can change that to grams. So much time wasted looking for entries that I couldn't find because I didn't know that.

I have been using MFP since Oct 14 and I did not know this. I now feel like a real dingbat. Thanks for sharing it though!

I've been on MFP for TWO years and didn't know that, but it's a great thing to know.

CrabbyCancerMama

wish in the beginning I would've started weights/strength training I stead of killing get myself with cardio.

treehugnmama

focus on the positives example the 5 walks you did instead of the one you missed

take lots of pics, frontal back shot side shot and compare them every month so much better then the scale.

you can suck at measuring lol I do but that's ok

the scale lies and don't let it be your only measurement. I had a month of not loosing but went down 1.5 sizes in my jeans.

pick something and stick to it tweak it but don't start over with something new every Monday

save your biggest underwear. when I'm having a down day I pull them out and set my current ones on top the size difference keeps me going.

if you mess up don't let it through of your whole meal or day...move on. I'll get back to it tomorrow doesn't work it will be no easier tomorrow.

water weight is real!!! and a real *kitten* don't let it discourage you it happens.