But what did you really do to lose weight?
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Basically I counted cals, watched my macros, and started moving - first just walking, then adding in some workout videos, Jillian Michaels stuff. Weight started coming off & I reached my first goal of dropping 10lbs.
When I decided I wanted more than just a lower scale number and my squishy self slimmer than I was, I looked to the people on MFP who had that firm, fit body that I was after. They were working out less than me, and eating more! I had to know more!
I started adding more weight/strength training, really focused on getting enough protein, and made sure I was eating enough cals rather than too few. Two specific sources I followed are In Place of a Road Map and Eat More To Weigh Less, two groups you'll find here on MFP as well as on Facebook, etc. Great info, great testimonies.
I've gone from a size 12 to a size 4/6 and maintained it for over 3 years. I've lost inches and pounds and fat, and gained strength, flexibility and endurance. I'm eating pizza right now. I still drink alcohol, enjoy dining out, going to parties, and celebrating holidays. No crash diets, no huge calorie restrictions or temporary fixes.
As for exercise, I workout from home 5-6 days a week. I alternate days of strength with running (3-5 miles, tops), and 30-45 minutes of strength training with dumbbells at home. I'd go for the big barbells, but don't have the space for them right now, and I'm not into the gym. I use FitnessBlender.com for free workouts - check them out, they are awesome.
Mostly, it's been about a sustainable lifestyle change - make time for exercise, eat well, drink water, get good sleep.
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I'm down 77 lbs in the past 11 months. What I did:
Weighed my food and logged accurately on mfp
Almost never went over my calorie goal except for a random day here and there
Worked out most days of the week doing a variety of things and ate back 50% of my estimated burned calories
Increased my protein intake significantly because I wasn't getting enough and it was affecting me negatively
I didn't give up ANY foods that I love. I ate chocolate every day. Ordered pizza once in a while. Ate ice cream. Just fit everything into my calorie goals and macros
I didn't give up. Not every day is perfect. Sometimes I stay under my calorie goal but I ate crap all day and I feel gross. I just pick up the next day. I went through a highly stressful time in my family so I stopped logging for a while but continued being mindful of my food and exercising. I managed to maintain and when I felt less stressed I went back to logging.
I'm only a few pounds away from my goal weight. It's actually harder losing weight now because I'm less motivated and my calorie goals are much lower. But I'm happy to lose slowly if that's what I do!0 -
I am awful at moderating my sweets. Awful. When I tried to cut back I gained weight. A real problem because I was developing insulin resistance.
I decided to try a very low carb ketogenic diet. I was shocked when my carb craings were gone within days and my appettite fell. I was feeling healthier and that made me feel less like eating for energy as well.
I ate 5% carbs (about 20g) with 20% protein and 75% fat. My caloric goal was 1420 kcal, which I usually ate over. Regardless, I was losing 2-3 lbs per week until I hit 155lbs, which is well into a healthy BMI for my 5'8" height. I've upped my calories some more (more like 1800) and I've lost 5 more pounds.
I didn't exercise more than a handful of times while losing weight.
I think eating LCHF was the key to my success. I am not very successful at restricting calories on a moderate or higher carb diet.0 -
jonathansilas1984 wrote: »I eat one meal a day . breakfast is black coffee, around 4pm ill have a V8 juice then around 8pm ill eat anywhere from 900-1300 calories.
This is not only miserable but that's an unhealthily low number of calories.
Intermittent fasting is fine if it works for you but eat enough during your eating window.
900-1300 calories per day for an adult male is not enough. Please stop starving yourself.0 -
I ate less calories than I burned.0
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For the first 50 pounds I lost, I didn't even know about MFP. One day I got on my parents' treadmill after work and started walking, then jogging for very short time periods, then walking, then jogging. I did this about three times a week for 30-60 minutes, each time being able to jog a little longer.
While doing this, I also cut out fast food and most "junk" food. I also completely quit drinking and smoking within a couple months of each other. Prior to this I drank daily, and my diet consisted of cigarettes and coffee for breakfast, no food all day until I got home from work, then i'd gorge on things like mac n cheese, Oreos, ice cream and chips. So I pretty much turned my whole life around. Started cooking my own meals, and limiting my portions. Instead of a giant mixing bowl of cereal, I'd have a serving. Things like that... I didn't really count my calories, and I would still eat things I wanted to eat, but definitely cut back and made a lot more healthy choices. The weight came off consistently for me for a long while, at 1-2lb per week.
After losing the 50 pounds, I moved to New Orleans and my routine got really screwed up. A lot of life-changing crap and awful drama and depression happened. I stopped working out for a while, but was still eating pretty healthy. So I basically stalled out for several months.
Then one day I decided to face my fears and join a gym. Either shortly after or before, I discovered MFP and began counting calories which worked great. At some point over the last year I also purchased a food scale to be more accurate in my counting. I still cook most of my own meals, limit junk food, no alcohol, and almost never have fast food (every few months I'll indulge on some Whataburger though).
My workout routines have varied greatly over the years. It's gone from just the treadmill as mentioned, to becoming a full on gym addict 6x a week, combining strength and cardio, to doing mainly strength, to abandoning strength training and just doing running... I vary a lot because I get bored. I make new goals all the time to try not to lose motivation. Currently I go to the gym one day a week for strength training, and I do cardio almost every day, as well as fitness blender videos and body weight exercises & calisthenics at home. Lots of variety - trying not to get bored
Right now my calorie goal is around 1350 - I'm 5'3", 165 and would like to lose 25+ more pounds. I believe I have MFP set to lose .5lb per week.
This was really long, but you asked for detail so there ya go! 0 -
- I put my stats into MFP.
- I read all the stickies in this forum.
- I made friends with the unicorns and learned a lot from them.
- I ate all the things I loved - just less of them.
- I fell in love with walking, and began running.
- I ate back my exercise calories and got to eat more and still lose weight.
- Did some bodyweight and overhead press machine exercises for upper body strength.
- Started doing Les Mills Body Balance in December.
- I used Happy Scale to track my daily weight, which smooths out the daily fluctuations and shows the general trend.
- I used iPeriod to track my monthly cycle and give me data I can compare with Happy Scale.
- I made a plan to keep using MFP and the other apps because I see maintenance as a similar challenge to weight loss.
- I lost 29 kg (64 lbs) since April 2015, and only need to lose 4 kg more.
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I had to find the right plan for me. I've tried them all:) I've recently lost 13!bs by trying to eat as clean as possible and drinking green smoothies. I have1to 2 a day usually for breakfast and/or dinner and a healthy meal; 2 -3 snacks (raw fruit and veges with hummus, almond butter or plain; plain Greek yogurt with fruit, cinnamon, sometimes add vanilla or almond extract to the yogurt .
I have JUST resumed exercise after a break of several months. I love all types of exercise. Due to a back disorder, I'm a little limited. I ride a stationary bike and use the elliptical. Working my way back up to 5 days/ wk, 2 hr/ day.0 -
I went from stuffing myself to starving myself to lose a lot of weight. I was going through a pretty rough time and let some hateful thoughts about myself get to me. I wouldn't reccomend this to anyone and regret letting it go as far as it did.
Now, my focus has been maintaining in a way that's good for my physical and mental health. I look for recipes that fit into my goals on Pinterest and freeze as needed, discovered a love of running, do a bodyweight because I don't have access to a good gym, prelog the next day to fit what I have planned, use Fitbit with MFP to determine my TDEE, keep track of my weight on Trendweight, weigh what foods I can, and let myself take it easy if I need to0 -
jonathansilas1984 wrote: »I eat one meal a day . breakfast is black coffee, around 4pm ill have a V8 juice then around 8pm ill eat anywhere from 900-1300 calories.
But whhyyy0 -
I counted calories at first, figured out how much I needed, how much I burned. I learned which foods are high, moderate and low in calories. Then I stopped counting because it made me very obsessive over food and it caused me to binge.
Once I stopped counting, I started focusing more on health and creating new habits. I exercised daily (it became habit, I still do), I started eating more whole foods and more balanced meals (I made sure I had lots of veg, a decent serving of protein, and some carbs) and I've learned to LOVE this WOE. It's something I can definitely do for the rest of my life.
Most importantly, I started eating the way I imagined the thinner me would eat with regards to portions and types of food. 80% healthy and 20% indulgence.
I've lost 28lb using that technique.
BUT. I never would have been able to do it, if I didn't learn about the calories in food first. I had to have the knowledge of calories before I could make it happen.1 -
As I read through this thread where many people have successfully lost weight, I notice a few commonalities:
1) They ate less than they burned (CI<CO is king).
2) Many of them took up some sort of exercise program.
3) Although there were many different dietary approaches, they all emphasized caloric deficit.
A few of the things I didn't see in these people's posts:
1) Cleanses/detoxes.
2) "Fat burner" pills or potions.
3) Fad diets (military diet, cabbage soup diet, juice diet, etc.)
4) MLM scam products (Advocare, Beachbody, Herbalife, etc.)
The latter things are not necessary, not helpful and not the key to sustainable weight loss. If you read through the "Success Stories" forum here, you'll notice the same thing. People who have successfully lost weight and maintained the loss did so in a manner which was sensible and sustainable.
In general, people who rely upon the "quick fixes" and diet scams are the ones who you'll see post for a week or two exclaiming how well it's working for them and how they've lost 8, 10, 12 pounds. Then they either fall off the radar entirely and/or resurface a month or two later with a "HELLLLLLP, CAN'T LOOOSE WEIGHT!!!!1!!" thread. That's because what they were doing wasn't sustainable (or didn't work in the first place beyond creating some water weight loss) and they went back to their old way of eating and put all the weight right back on.
Eat a sensible, reasonable diet that you can live with and maintain a caloric deficit. If "clean eating" makes you feel better, cool - if it's vegetarian, vegan, paleo, low-carb, moderation/IIFYM - whatever. Whatever is easiest for you to adhere to, because adherence is what matters in the long term. Mix in a little exercise - it's not necessary for weight loss, but it's good for general health reasons and a lot of people find it makes them feel better. Try to make it something you enjoy so you'll stick to it and maybe even have some fun with it in the process. Losing weight isn't easy, but it *is* simple.0 -
The same as most on here CICO. When I go to the gym I don't lose0
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This is best answered by women because men tend to lose weight differently.
I am merely a man, but I am pretty sure that what made the biggest difference for me WILL work for you. I stopped snacking on chocolate biscuits during break times at work.
I changed my perspective to stop seeing them as some sort of treat. Doing this day in day out meant I was eating fewer calories than before (creating a "calorie deficit" each day, if you like) and I began to lose weight.
But I am a man, so who knows if that works for women?
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If you want to lose weight, you have to make a commitment to yourself. That's hard to do when you're a mom and you have a full-time job. I have a tendency of putting others and things before myself. The truth is though, I am better when I am taking care of myself.
I lose when I cut out processed foods and limit my carbs. Alcohol holds up my weight loss, too, so I don't drink anymore than 2 glasses of wine a week if I have to lose some pounds. The other thing that helps is cardio and a little strength training. I just do it all at home....30 minutes on the treadmill and some simple exercises with Dumbbells. When I'm on the treadmill, I do at least 2 miles jogging and walking in spurts to increase the burn. I'm in my 40s and a new runner so I don't go fast. Everyday that I do the treadmill, I do 100 sit-ups on my exercise ball. It helps strengthen my core.
I've found what works for me. The key is to make that commitment to yourself.0 -
I am happy to answer this! I am 53 and just last year finally found out how to lose, after 3 decades of practicing how not to. And I will sum it up in a few words, and let everyone else do the reading and research because I don't have time right now to write that much, and I will leave links.
Low carb and intermittent fasting
To learn how and why www.intensivedietarymanagement.com
"Good Calories, Bad Calories", by Gary Taubes
The plan to get you started on an east fasting plan, just 2 days a week: "The Fast Diet" by Dr. Michael Mosley
I lost 35 lbs from May to July 2015 ,kept it off in maintenance, starting again this year for the last 20, am already down another 4.
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You know, if you look at any of my other posts, it's always in the style of ranting. It's what I do best. Every college paper I ever got praise for was also a well-organized rant.
ANYWAYS- I'm trying to crack the case:
What did you REALLY do to lose weight? This is best answered by women because men tend to lose weight differently.
I always see success stories and the answer is always so vague: "Oh, I just worked really hard. Ate clean and worked out five days a week." "It was all strength training." "Oh I walked 30 minutes all day" "I only ate pickles for all year."
Great. Glad for you. But can you be more specific? Give a general idea of your workout schedule? Did you do it home, at the gym, with weights, circuit training, how many calories were you working with, etc?
So tl;dr: What, in reasonable detail, did you do to lose weight?
I'm not looking for sassy responses or "constructive criticism." Just a straight answer.
I joined a fitness center called FARRELLS. They taught me how to eat and what to eat. I started eating smaller portions about 5-6 times a day (every 2 hours roughly). I cut out ALL processed foods. I cut out 90% of my sugar intake including artificial sweeteners. I stopped drinking Pop/Coffee or anything else w/ caffeine. I tracked EVERYTHING I ate - If I decided to sneak a handful of M&M's at work, I tracked it. I had to be accountable for everything. I was allowed 1 cheat day a week so I didn't go into binge mode. AND - I exercised 6 days a week. I did kickboxing 3 days a week for my intense cardio (you burn like 900 calories an hour doing kick boxing!) and the other 3 days was strength training with bands. The best part is that it's not a typical gym - they have instructors that teach the classes every day, so you never have to try and do it on your own. Someone is there telling you what to do and keeping you accountable and motivating you to push harder. I've been doing it since 04/2015 and I'm down 46 lbs and went from a size 24 dress to a size 16. Still a long way to go to where I want to be - but definitely on the right track! -1 -
I've read the book of the Beck Diet Solution to help change my mindset to think like a thin person. At first I was never succesful to lose weight, but since I read the book I am.
I've learned to not eat anything while I'm standing. This sounds weird, but if you think about it: how often do you eat a free sample at the supermarket or eat out of the pan while you're cooking, or eat while putting your leftovers in a tub, or when you walk from the fridge to your chair? These all count up to quite some calories which you don't even notice, so actually a waste of the calories.
I also plan what I eat the day beforehand and I know that I can't eat anything else than what is on my plan. This way I have much less craving, because I have less discussion and stress in my mind if I should eat something or not: if it is on my plan I will, and otherwise not.
And what also deffinately helps is to give yourself credit if you do something which is good for losing help. Such as that I'm giving myself a HUGE compliment if I resisted the piece of chocolate that I got with my tea in the restaurant, because it was not on my food plan. Because I'm complimenting myself, I'm much more likely to do that behavior again
And lastly I'm sometimes practicing at home to resist food. Because my weakness is to have food in front of me that I can't eat. So sometimes I serve myself more food than I should eat, put the food which I shouldn't eat on the side of my plate and try to not eat it. I've now managed that a couple of times, so now I will practise with candies and chips. This practices really help me a lot.
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I vary a lot because I get bored. I make new goals all the time to try not to lose motivation.
Hello. Twins...at least on this.I've gone from a size 12 to a size 4/6 and maintained it for over 3 years. I've lost inches and pounds and fat, and gained strength, flexibility and endurance. I'm eating pizza right now. I still drink alcohol, enjoy dining out, going to parties, and celebrating holidays. No crash diets, no huge calorie restrictions or temporary fixes.
And where I hope to be someday. Gotta deal with resistance training. I hate DOMS...legs day.
Just gonna have to deal.
Thanks for the thread...I like details too.
I've done different things different times. Less calories more movement.
On the changing things up thing, just added the rowing machine to my cardio time at the gym. It is a high intensity exercise for me...open mouth breathing at a good clip, and less than 15 minutes so far. Lost an inch off my waist after the second round...hard to believe but true. And, after being flat on weight loss last week this week, I'm down 4 pounds.0 -
For a specific breakdown by time:
5:00am- coffee with 1/4 cup nonfat milk
6:30- oatmeal with brown sugar (or similar for 100-200 calories)
8:45- snack (around 100 calories)
10:30- snack (around 100 calories)
12:30- lunch (salad, protein, similar between 200-400 calories)
5:00pm- dinner (biggest meal of the day, but still aim for around 600 calories)
7:00- snack/dessert (around 100-200 calories)
So I suppose my goal is to eat regularly in small amounts.
My workout of choice is fast walking for about 4-5 miles. (I will add an extra snack or more calories to the meals on these days).0 -
I use a troubleshooting technique taught by Stanford.
http://patienteducation.stanford.edu/programs/cdsmp.html
I define a problem, consider several solutions, apply one for a week or so and then re-evaluate. I keep doing the things that work. Over the past three years I have steadily transformed my habits.
I also underwent Bariatric surgery. These days I:
- eat about 1700 calories daily.
- I eat a variety of macros at every meal and snack, but this is not necessary for weight loss. It just guarantees me a healthy balance.
- I run every other day and track my steps. To keep me going out the door I sign up for races and events.
- When I sense boredom coming on I find a new engaging activity to keep me going.
- I never deprive myself but portions are drastically reduced. It might be ONE chocolate truffle at the office party, ONE glass of wine chased with water for the rest of the evening.
- I eat slowly and mindfully and if I have to choose between quantity and quality I go for quality. I have an ancient aged cheddar in my fridge right now which will be shaved over dozens of dinners, and truffle flavoured salt.
- Give chopsticks a try. Food has a different texture on the palate if it is placed there instead of being shovelled in.0 -
I tracked what I consumed as honestly and accurately as I could. I bought a food scale to use to weigh solid foods.
I experimented to find a calorie goal and macro balance that kept me satisfied.
I eat foods I like and I don't eat foods I don't like. I don't "eat clean" by any stretch of the imagination. I mostly eat smaller portions of the types of foods I've always eaten and will continue to eat after I've lost all of the weight I want to lose. My freezer is full of handy frozen meals and frozen steam-in-bag veggies so that I can fix a meal in 10 minutes or so whenever I'm hungry.
I don't exercise. I know that I won't exercise on a regular basis during maintenance either so I'm losing weight in the way I mean to continue.
This sounds a lot like me also. Although I DO exercise some and always have, even at my heavier weights (over 100 lb higher than today) I was walking, at minimum, several miles per week. I know that I would never consistently work out in a gym, Zumba classes, or go on runs. So I stick with stuff I like to do and do it as much as possible...walking, deep cleaning my home and organizing stuff a lot in my office. I know that sounds lame as "exercise" but I'm talking about a few solid hours of rearranging, light cleaning, carrying boxes and light cargo and such...when I could feasibly just sit in one position looking at the interwebz. That's the sort of exercise I enjoy. On weekends I typically go on a 2 hour hike (at least). I've never so much as touched a treadmill though. I know I would not stick with that.
My diet is not "clean" but I do avoid a lot of processed stuff. My husband and I tend to eat a very very basic diet of staples like fruits, veggies, lentils, beans, tofu, seafood, etc...punctuated with burgers and cookies, and after long hikes we enjoy going out for things like Thai or Mexican food on the weekend. I still eat all of my favorite stuff, just less of it. Have cut out a few items I never cared much about anyway, like chips.
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I started recording everything I ate, not just to track calories but to actually see what I was eating in a day. I have found my issue is I eat when I am not hungry, it is a newer habit of mine. Started maybe 7-8 years ago and it is the reason I put on so much weight (goal weight: 145, starting: 185)
I also really make sure I hit those 10,000 steps a day, there may no actual science behind the number but that is my goal. I use my iWatch to make sure I stand up throughout the day and have started to add more workouts slowly. I like using Amazon for videos and doing some of the dance videos, yoga and pilates. My next step is starting adding more strength training.
I have also found outdoor activities that enjoy and are a workout. I love to ride horses and did as a kid, so I have returned to that. Hiking is a new passion I have found and I have a goal to hike my 2nd 14er this summer. I do a Muckfest with my family, we camp, I want to try snowshoeing. I still have a ways to go to hit my goals but I'm well on my way0 -
Fasted every other day for coming up to nine months now. Why? It offers quick weight loss, benefits my health in other ways, and I enjoy it.
I give a rough estimate to calories consumed and stick with that. If I'm a tad inaccurate - so what? As I eat one meal every other day around 7pm, I'm hitting my deficit anyway (again, for health reasons and enjoyment as much as the weight loss. No issue with sticking with this for life) so if I'm a bit out that's fine. Whilst I respect some people wish to count calories and weigh their food for life this definitely isn't something I'd be willing to do. In my mind, life is too short to be ruled by a scale.
Exercise - not too strict on it even if I should be. I just wanted to get the weight off fast, and even now I'm losing around a pound a week. No I'm not interested if certain people deem this unhealthy; my doctor is fine with me doing this. As I'm still losing around 1% of my body weight every week (currently 129 ibs, and definitely losing just over a pound a week) and eating enough protein, fibre etc, not interested in any dietary advice. Sorry but I know how this forum can get sometimes
. It's great if you want/ ask for the help, but can get dicey if your method isn't something certain people agree with.
That's about it for me. I'm in great health, I eat great food without depriving myself and have found something to sort any health issues I have. Good luck.0 -
I forgot what I did.0
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Most people are creatures of habit. By that I mean we typically have the same thing for breakfast everyday, we'll order the same thing at McDonald's every time we go, or we eat one of the same 5 dinners in our typical routine. If you have a "routine" than simply cut it down. I eat the same things I did before but just in smaller portions now. If you use to go to In-N-Out and got the Double Double, fry and a Coke than order just the regular cheese burger, eat only half of the fries and get a Coke Zero. Cut your "routine" meals in half, learn to eat smaller portions and you will lose weight.0
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I did Weight Watchers while losing most of the weight, but same concept. I tracked (and continue to track) the vast majority of what I eat, or at least do so about 90% of the time. I have a food scale and measuring cups but I've typically always been an estimator and prefer to estimate my portions and I've never found that to be an issue. If you're not trying to deceive yourself and sneak in more than you are tracking, I think estimating is a fine enough measure. I've never been hardcore about sticking very rigidly to my points/calories and allow myself plenty of days to enjoy myself. I still drink alcohol. I still eat nachos and French fries. Sometimes it fits into my calorie goals and sometimes it doesn't. It's not about being perfect all the time.
I started out working out 3 days a week and eventually moved up to 4 or sometimes 5, but never more than that. I do a lot of cardio like running, kickboxing, HIIT, etc. but also try to build in strength.
I lost weight slowly so that I never felt like I was making any drastic life changes. I didn't tell everyone about all of the things I was doing or going to do, I just did them. It took me about 3.5 years to lose 115 pounds but it has stayed off for the past 3.5 years. I'd still love to lose another 15 pounds or so but if it never happens so be it.0 -
To lose weight I ate less then I burned. Weight loss is always going to come down to calories . calories in / calories out. Eat less then you burn and you'll lose weight. (That goes for whatever way of eating chooses )
I realized for me there was no reason to pick a special diet like low carb , paleo, and so on because weight loss comes down to calories. Not the foods you eat or don't eat.there's no advantage to picking a special diet. It comes down to cico always.
So after I realized that deprivation wasn't for me, I was good to go! I ate the foods I loved but within my calories.
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I entered my stats into MFP and selected lose 0.5 pounds/week. I weighed my food and kept track of the calories I was eating. I entered my exercise into MFP and ate back the number of calories it said I burned.
I didn't make any big changes to my diet. Just little things to save calories. For example I used 100 calorie sandwich flats instead of sliced bread. I stopped using mayo and used mustard or hot sauce instead.0 -
I entered my stats into MFP and selected lose 0.5 pounds/week. I weighed my food and kept track of the calories I was eating. I entered my exercise into MFP and ate back the number of calories it said I burned.
I didn't make any big changes to my diet. Just little things to save calories. For example I used 100 calorie sandwich flats instead of sliced bread. I stopped using mayo and used mustard or hot sauce instead.
It is amazing how those little things add up to make a painless deficit.0
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