One tweak or change that helped

NotSoPerfectPam

Is there one thing that you did that made a difference: in how much weight you lost, how you felt in general, your hunger level, etc??

For me, giving up alcohol really helps me keep at my calorie goal. I also am trying to move to more "whole foods" because I'm realizing that I don't feel as good as I could eating processed foods.

What else have you done that's helped?

sbl1881

Moving towards "whole" foods and weighing everything are the big ones for me.

xcaranicolex

Losing the all or nothing mentality made a huge difference. One bad day doesn't mean failure over all. It took me a long time to realize that and I still every now and then struggle w that sort of thinking but perspective helps.

Ninkyou

Logging everyday and weighing my food on a food scale.

Linzon

Weighing everything and moving away from the idea of 'forbidden foods.' There's some things I don't eat nearly as often as I used to because the calories just aren't worth it for me currently but if I really want something I make it work.

queenliz99

Not to demonize food, eat all food in moderation and that includes beer. I make it fit.

sanfromny

Getting a food scale! I was very off eyeballing portions

lemonychild

Changing my thinking from I have to drop xyz pounds by 2 weeks to .. This is a lifetime journey, it never stops, so it doesn't matter when I lose it by, I will just keep going along on my journey

wsrep

#1 rule for me is I don't drink my calories.

kommodevaran

I think losing the fear of fat was the linchpin.
Other tweaks: Learning about the hunger scale. Meal planning and conscious food shopping. Improved sleep routines. Replacing lots of my black-and-white/all-or-nothing mentality with nondualism. Understanding that I am in charge of my own life and my choices.

arditarose

When I first started I didn't have issues losing or being in a deficit, when things started to "stick" I stopped eating at the salad bar for lunch and eyeballing, and made sure to weigh on my lunches on a food scale the night before.

I also learned a high volume way of eating that is very satisfying to me.

Christine_72

Sleeper1968 wrote: »

Being honest about what I was eating and drinking.

This, and getting a food scale.

rosebarnalice

Focusing on weekly rather than daily goals. I "save" calories during the week and "spend" them on weekends and special days out. It keeps me out of all-or-nothing thinking

ralexhou82

Just echoing what others are saying...I am learning to be accurate with my logging. I have tried in the past with just estimating calories and it's a failure every time!

NotSoPerfectPam

arditarose wrote: »

When I first started I didn't have issues losing or being in a deficit, when things started to "stick" I stopped eating at the salad bar for lunch and eyeballing, and made sure to weigh on my lunches on a food scale the night before.

I also learned a high volume way of eating that is very satisfying to me.

So what is this "high volume" way? Just a lot more veggies?

NotSoPerfectPam

All great and inspirational ideas!

chimaerandi

Weekly calorie count/calorie banking versus daily.

Getting out of the mindset of getting slim for an event. This is a thing that's gonna take as long as it's gonna take, and it has to be for me, not for a wedding or a vacation or whatever. I think that only leads to disappointment.

rankinsect

Planning my days in advance.

nvmomketo

Cutting sugar and starches. It made eating less easier and improved some health issues.

ElegantElle

Fidgeting, I know it sounds dumb but I make an effort to fidget. I have a stationary job. I'm stuck at a desk and rarely have time to get to a bathroom much less walk. Making time to stand up and bouncing my knees during my 12hr shifts is just my little way to burn a few more calories.

koslowkj

Crochet. As odd as it probably sounds, it's true! I used to always snack or drink wine while I was studying or watching TV at night. Crochet gives me something to do with my hands so I don't eat.

generallyme2

Pre-logging. I pre-log my food (sometimes I have to make adjustments to grams of an apple or something) but it gives me a good idea where I stand, especially on protein and iron which are hard for me. It also helps me avoid impulse 'bites' or treats I don't really want.

I never pre-log exercise though- I want to be sure I get out and do it

minniestar55

Accountability. Meaning, looking at what I eat, being honest with myself about it; measuring, weighing, logging everything. Started with WW about 5.5 years ago, worked perfectly, have been at or below goal weight for 5 years; transituoned to MFP since its free & makes it just as easy to log. For me, without accountability, weight is challenging to manage.

leahkathleen13

Switching my main size portions to vegetables and drinking water has made me feel fuller.

arditarose

NotSoPerfectPam wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

When I first started I didn't have issues losing or being in a deficit, when things started to "stick" I stopped eating at the salad bar for lunch and eyeballing, and made sure to weigh on my lunches on a food scale the night before.

I also learned a high volume way of eating that is very satisfying to me.

So what is this "high volume" way? Just a lot more veggies?

That is one thing, but it's also looking at an ingredient of a meal and thinking about how I can make it go farther. Like choosing to use egg whites instead of full eggs, so that I can also have room for avocado. There's also certain substitutions I'll make for higher calorie foods. I use a lot of lean meat and low fat dairy so I can have larger portions.

But vegetables do play a big role. I eat hundreds and hundreds of grams of veg per day.

Scamd83

NotSoPerfectPam wrote: »

Is there one thing that you did that made a difference: in how much weight you lost, how you felt in general, your hunger level, etc??

For me, giving up alcohol really helps me keep at my calorie goal. I also am trying to move to more "whole foods" because I'm realizing that I don't feel as good as I could eating processed foods.

What else have you done that's helped?

No strict rules on what type of food you can eat, when you can eat it or any particular structure to adhere to. That helps me a lot. Somedays I don't want to eat in the morning, some days I do. Sometimes I have carbs before a workout, sometimes I don't. Sometimes I'll have high GI carbs after a workout, other times I'll have a meal which contains veggies and fat. It's nice to just go with the flow.

Francl27

Stop drinking calories and weigh my food for me.

ilex70

Linzon wrote: »

Weighing everything and moving away from the idea of 'forbidden foods.' There's some things I don't eat nearly as often as I used to because the calories just aren't worth it for me currently but if I really want something I make it work.

This. In the past 10 days or so I've had tacos and a cheeseburger.

Also, for me, last time I got seriously stuck at 165. I tried 12:8 IF and the scale finally started moving down again.

qb63

I saw a quote once, a long time ago, that said "A year from now you'll wish you had started today". Never thought much about it but this year, starting on January 1, I finally decided there might be something to it. My goad was 1-2 pounds/week until I reach goal. In my old yo-yo dieting mindset that would have been ridiculously slow, and I would give up after the first setback. 13 weeks in, 14 pounds down, and thrilled about it!

jpena412

xcaranicolex wrote: »

Losing the all or nothing mentality made a huge difference. One bad day doesn't mean failure over all. It took me a long time to realize that and I still every now and then struggle w that sort of thinking but perspective helps.

Thanks for the reminder! Was feeling very frustrated by the up-tick on the scale this morning. I constantly have to remind myself that there will be fluctuations and it's okay to not be perfect in the eating/ exercising department!

Need2Exerc1se

The biggest thing was just to stop overeating.

Not thinking I had to have a sweet treat every single day and upping my fiber intake were also big helps for me.