How do you keep to a healthy lifestyle?

jamiezenda

Right now I weight 225 for my height I should be about 120. Now, I realize that isn't healthy for my body so my goal is 160 lbs. I work out 4 times a week and I am starting to go for 6 a week. I cut out bread, pasta, potatoes etc. What does everyone else do to stay on track and keep going?

DearestWinter

The only special thing I do is sign on to MFP every day and weigh/log my food.

Otherwise, exercise is whatever I feel like (walking, Pilates, etc.) when I feel like doing it. I eat treats every day. I eat carbs every day. I make my food as delicious as possible. That's what works for me.

I've lost 10 lbs in two months and have about 10 lbs to go.

pomegranatecloud

Exercise regularly, maintain an active lifestyle, and eat healthy.

BeYouTiful94

I stay on track and keep going by eating foods that I like and logging them. I still eat pasta and other carbs. I still eat cookies, chocolate, and ice cream. I just weigh it all out and make sure I come out at a deficit. If I tried to go on some "healthy" eating kick, it would have lasted all of one week, tops. I also do treadmill and a little strength training for exercise. That's how I lost a little more than 20 pounds since January 19. I'm now 3 pounds from my goal

itsbasschick

i eat fairly healthily with lots of egg whites, avocado, blue corn chips, greek yogurt, bean chips and stuff like that, but then i'm a vegetarian. i also eat low fat cheese and light sour cream, lots of broccoli, asparagus and cabbage, not to mention quorn grounds (think vegetarian hamburger meat loose). i do eat quest bars, and while they do add protein and fiber, they're not exactly health food, but they are often packed with chocolate

unless you're diabetic or have PCOS or something similar, there's no health reason to skip carbs. i have some before a workout to keep going stronger longer.

moto450

Plan my meals a day in advance, weigh my food, and I enjoy the process of each day. It's not a burden, but more of a hobby for me now.

VykkDraygoVPR

I just count calories and exercise. I enjoy exercise, so that part is relatively easy. As well, the more in-shape I become, the more I want to go outside and do physical activities. I recently started fishing, after over a decade off, and I plan on getting a pool membership when they open up (next month, I think). Now that the weather is warmer, and most of the rains have passed, I'm going to walk to the Panda Express in the MSC for lunch, which is about a mile away from my office. I'm also thinking about actually running, since I'm getting light enough that my flat feet won't result in instant sprained ankles. But I might want to invest in actual running shoes first, since I do have a legitimate issue (zero arch).

Basically, for me, it snowballs. No special foods, no tricks. Just enjoying life. It's irritating sometimes, because I can't enjoy video games as much as I used to. I just want to go outside, and feel the sun. xD



I've also started dancing around while playing guitar. Don't tell anyone though. Too much energy. >_>

karmelpopcorn

I genuinely love vegetables and whole foods and I'm a good home cook, so my meals are prepared by me with lots of vegetables and that is the key for me.

misskarne

jamiezenda wrote: »

I cut out bread, pasta, potatoes etc. What does everyone else do to stay on track and keep going?

I eat bread, pasta and potatoes.

lorrpb

I look at my 'before' photos & remember how awful I felt physically & mentally 2 yrs ago. I think about specific ways ive made progess in fitness & daily life. If I'm not moving forward, I'm going back to where I started. That keeps me going in the right direction.

Petrocci

jamiezenda wrote: »

Right now I weight 225 for my height I should be about 120. Now, I realize that isn't healthy for my body so my goal is 160 lbs. I work out 4 times a week and I am starting to go for 6 a week. I cut out bread, pasta, potatoes etc. What does everyone else do to stay on track and keep going?

jamiezenda wrote: »

Right now I weight 225 for my height I should be about 120. Now, I realize that isn't healthy for my body so my goal is 160 lbs. I work out 4 times a week and I am starting to go for 6 a week. I cut out bread, pasta, potatoes etc. What does everyone else do to stay on track and keep going?

Petrocci

I try to stay below 100 carbs a day ...preferably below 50. I'm insulin resistance and working at getting my a1c number low.
I follow ketonic diet FB pages. Not bread, no pasta....lots of meat...yummy bacon!

rsenor

What works for me is to to plan and track both my eating and my workouts, and to take photos in a swimsuit every 2-3 months so I can't fool myself into thinking I'm in fine shape when I am not.( I do wish MFP had a "planner" as opposed to just a logging tool.) I don't keep foods in my house that I know are pitfalls for me (candy, chocolate, chips) and generally only stock up on things I should eat. I give myself a couple meals a week where I eat out and generally eat things that are really delicious and horrible for me, but these keep me from going crazy and just giving up all together.

On workouts...I vary my workouts a lot...running, swimming, I do some P90x, lately have been into T25. Mixing it up keeps it from getting boring for me. Also the fitness videos are great for when I'm just feeling lazy...its hard to argue doing something when all it involves is putting on my workout gear and getting in front of the TV.

This all has kept me at my high school weight (I'm 42) for about the past 3 years, which I'm pretty proud of.

pebble4321

I track my calories and try to eat a wide variety of foods but keep control of my portion sizes.

I aim to have more of the things that I think are good for me (and that I like) - fruit, veggies, eggs, chicken, fish, nuts, olive oil, plain yoghurt, whole grains etc with less of the stuff like alcohol, lollies (candy), biscuits (cookies) etc that don't have a lot of nutrition for their calories.

I cook almost all my own food and use lots of spices and herbs to make things tasty. I add extra veggies, nuts, grains or seeds (grated zucchini or carrot, oatmeal, sunflower seeds, chia, peanut butter etc) to baked goods like muffins or breads and I cut down on the amount of added sugar in most recipes. I bump up the proportion of veggies in casseroles or meatballs or stirfries and minimise the use of sauces with lots of added sugar.

I haven't cut anything out, I still drink alcohol (just less of it, less often), I still eat bread (I prefer grainy bread) cakes, biscuits and chocolate (though I usually buy dark chocolate now because it's easier for me to control the quantity I eat).

Oh, and I move more. 30 - 40 mins deliberate exercise at least 3 or 4 times a week.

For me, losing weight and getting healthier is really not complicated. I need to eat better, eat less, move more.
The thing that is hardest for me is to do this consistently, but I'm working on that.

HippySkoppy

Op - I have been able to stay on track by embracing the following:

Patience - depending on your goals the road is either long or LONG.
Persistence - Motivation wanes over time. You will get tired and fed up, that is where digging deep into just doing it can be really helpful.
Flexibility - Where I started in my beliefs, desires, expectations about goal weights, how my body would look etc etc is VERY different at the 'end' point. Expect reality not matching the dream and learn to accept that this mismatch is OK.

My story - I have been maintaining a 168 lbs loss for well over 3 years now.

Initially, I became very active, achieved things I never thought I would be able to do. I embraced the simple concepts of CI-CO and have been logging here in one account or another since April 2011.

I have dabbled with different ways of eating ie: Vegetarian, Intermittent Fasting. I guess if I had to label myself food wise I am a flexible girl and now log for maintenance accountability and hitting my macro targets, this is due to radically different health circumstances that have occurred.

The most important thing I have learnt to accept that *kitten* happens to good people and rather than getting discouraged and reverting to old ways I have tried to learn new coping strategies. Even though it sucks that I can no longer Hike for 8 hours or climb mountains I can still walk every 2nd day, even if it is for limited times. I can use light weights and build up from there. I engage as many professionals as possible to ensure a best case health outcome given my situation.

I now think of MFP as a way of ensuring my best nutrition. Also as a way of mapping my start back into exercise. I look at all of this as self care and not a chore and the 'journey' is dynamic and evolving.

I hope this helps.

Orphia

To lose the 79 lbs I lost this past year, I didn't really worry about what I ate, I just cared how many calories I ate.

To get healthy, I walked a lot, and became a runner.

LivingtheLeanDream

You don't have to cut out any food group. You have to eat in a way now you that could stick to for the rest of your life. Are you prepared always to do without pasta/bread etc?? why ban them now?

Eat at the calories MFP has given you for whatever amount you wanted to lose per week.

Accurately track your food, weighing food is a must.

Move as much as possible. Find an activity you enjoy doing consistently.

That's what I did, lost my weight by CICO and became active - have been at goal weight for 3+ years.

kommodevaran

I haven't cut out anything, and certainly not bread, pasta and potatoes! I have cut DOWN on lots of different calorie dense foods, particularly nutritionally poor foods, some by eating smaller portions, other by eating them more infrequently. I have started to eat regular meals, and I love meal planning, it means that I can eat anything I want, as long as I can wait for it. I eat more fruit and vegetables, I cook more from single food ingredients, and everything is just more structured, but I'm also more flexible. I eat what I like, but what I like has changed somewhat.

I don't really work out, but I walk more and do some basic strenght exercises at home.

I'm down 50 pounds and have kept them off for one and a half year. I couldn't have kept it up/off without finding a way to make it easy and pleasant.

ReaderGirl3

I accurately tracked my food intake, was accurate with portion sizes (food scale), and I stayed within my calorie deficit parameters. That's it. I didn't cut out any foods I liked or make drastic changes to my diet. I didn't exercise either.

I just ate less calories.

The result-I've lost around 50lbs, improved every health marker, including stabilizing a high glucose number, and I've been in maintenance for several years now

lizzy_satellite

Monitor my portion sizes, log my food, do some exercise every day (I walk at least an hour a day five days a week as part of my commute so that part's easy). I still eat absolutely everything that I used to eat, pastries, pizza and all. I like planning my meals in advance and being able to work around craving particular things. The main thing was mindset - deciding to just trust the process and treat every day as a new opportunity to look after myself.

Britanieisrad

I started at 255, and am now 244. I found it really really hard to just cut out all the food I love to eat, so what I started out doing was just counting calories. I eat about 1500-1800 a day, and recently started trying to do some exercise. It has been 72 days and I think I made it a habit, which to me has made this so much easier.

victoria_1024

You don't need to cut out bread and pasta and all the foods you enjoy! I've lost 86 lbs, gone from 212 to 126, and I ate bread and pasta. Lots of it. Oh and cookies every day! Honestly the best thing you can do for yourself is figure out how to enjoy food in moderation to set yourself up for long term success. Be realistic with your goals

GYATagain

It truly does need to become your lifestyle -- not just for this moment - for life! That took me quite a while to figure out. Many folks have said you don't need to cut out certain foods. I agree, Unless, you feel better and less bloated for not eating certain things. Pasta, rice, bread - there are some things that make Some people feel bloated, gassy and just over all icky. I did give all wheat products up for a medical reason and WOW felt so much better. So, for me, living this lifestyle makes this old woman be able to run Circles around much younger people. I have a picture hanging in our living room of myself and my husband with our USMC son & wife at the Marine Ball in November 2012. We seriously looked like the people that ate the people we are now, both down 70+ pounds. How we feel, how we live, how we eat, this is It. We are not on a "diet".

Lounmoun

jamiezenda wrote: »

Right now I weight 225 for my height I should be about 120. Now, I realize that isn't healthy for my body so my goal is 160 lbs. I work out 4 times a week and I am starting to go for 6 a week. I cut out bread, pasta, potatoes etc. What does everyone else do to stay on track and keep going?

I track my calorie intake. I plan meals and pre-log my food for the whole day.
I use my calories for food instead of drinks so I drink water or unsweetened tea mostly.
I did not cut out bread, pasta or potatoes. I eat pretty much the same foods I always did but stick to my calorie goal, try to get enough protein and eat several servings of vegetables or fruit a day. Very painless and sustainable.
I exercise moderately- not so much for weight loss as general health.

cwolfman13

I eat well...including bread, potatoes, and pasta...there's nothing inherently unhealthy about those things. Potatoes in fact are packed with awesome nutrition. I eat a lot of whole grains, legumes, lentils, tons of veg, some fruit, lean sourced protein and healthy fats from things like nuts and avocados and good cooking oils.

I exercise regularly...I primarily cycle for my cardiovascular fitness...I ride 5 days per week with most of my rides being about an hour long and I usually try to get in a longer 2-3 hour ride in on weekends. I hit the weight room 3x per week.

Outside of my desk job I try to just be generally active...working in the yard, playing with my kids, going to the zoo, etc. I watch very little television and try not to just sit around doing nothing too much.

jessicarobinson00

I think the biggest + that has helped me is to stop thinking of this as depriving myself. I eat lean meats (seasoned well) and healthy vegetables (asparagus/broccoli/steamed carrots and onions). Be creative: leaks. are. amazing btw. Fruit (kiwi/mango/grapefruit), NUTS (in moderation/weighed of course)...find amazing food to fill your calorie goals and enjoy every minute of it! And find some fabulous friends on here to keep logging in: my MFP friends are WAY more supportive in my health goals than anyone I know here at home. Connect with new people and feed off their motivation and excitement to keep you logging in!

Machka9

jamiezenda wrote: »

Right now I weight 225 for my height I should be about 120. Now, I realize that isn't healthy for my body so my goal is 160 lbs. I work out 4 times a week and I am starting to go for 6 a week. I cut out bread, pasta, potatoes etc. What does everyone else do to stay on track and keep going?

In order to lose 55 lbs, I simply ate fewer calories than I burned. I didn't cut out any food groups.

I did, however, weigh and measure everything I ate. I also investigated the local grocery stores to find good tasting low calorie foods and thus expanded the variety of food I eat.

And I am active every day.

Seffell

DearestWinter wrote: »

The only special thing I do is sign on to MFP every day and weigh/log my food.

Otherwise, exercise is whatever I feel like (walking, Pilates, etc.) when I feel like doing it. I eat treats every day. I eat carbs every day. I make my food as delicious as possible. That's what works for me.

I've lost 10 lbs in two months and have about 10 lbs to go.

Sounds exactly like me except the Pilates. I need 20 more to go.
OP - Eat everything you like or you'll hate it and stop it.
Cook delicious food. Just prelog your portions and don't go for second helpings.
Don't make weight loss be weird or difficult or 'a diet'. Just learn to eat reasonable portions and more low calorie foods like vegetables. And of course buy a digital scale and weigh everting if you don't already. Log everything in MFP and stay in your limit.

phyllis731

I meal prep, so all my meals are ready to go for the week. I cut vegetables so they're available to me when I want them. I chew fruity gum to deal with any sugar cravings that may come up.