Lessons learned - What DIDN'T work for you?

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  • aliciarose511
    aliciarose511 Posts: 37 Member
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    RUNNING didn't work for me. I am new to exercise this time around. I would always try running because I saw it as the ultimate weight loss exercise, since to many people that I knew who were successful with weight loss did it. I, however, hated every second of every run or jog. I joke about how quitting running was the best thing I ever did for my health, but it is true! I have found other just as effective methods of exercise that I love SO much more. Spin class (with weights) is one.

    In the past I would be successful with weight loss by JUST eating healthy...but I had to be super strict and was very unhappy. This did not work. While learning to move have been an unbelievable challenge, it has made all of the difference in the world to me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    What doesn't work for me...

    1) Snake Oil (cleanses, flushes, magic pills/drinks, ketones, etc)
    2) Confusing weight loss goals with fitness goals...they are mutually exclusive for me
    3) Relying on a bunch of other people's bro-science. I've done a ton of research on health, nutrition, and fitness.
    4) Failing to properly fuel my body
    5) Deprivation
  • willdob3
    willdob3 Posts: 640 Member
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    For many years I tried Weight Watchers...over and over and over again. I finally realized it was never going to work for me.

    Calorie cycling also did not work for me - the cycling was low calorie days and lower calorie days determined by an online calculator. I could not even complete my workouts & ended up falling face-first into many vats of Ben & Jerry's.

    High carb, low fat, all healthy, unprocessed foods did not work for me. I actually followed a paid online plan (included a metabolism healing phase) with very specific, customized daily nutrients. Got my money back.
  • deedzzz
    deedzzz Posts: 220 Member
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    Low or No carbs diet are the devil! I lost 20 lbs doing that, but once i stopped i gained them back and another 10!
  • liftingheavy1
    liftingheavy1 Posts: 112
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    form is very important makes such a big difference
  • Bekahmardis
    Bekahmardis Posts: 602 Member
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    As others have said: Not logging. If I don't track everything all the time, I lose serious focus. I will be tracking calories and exercise for the rest of my life; and I'm okay with that!
  • tbullucks06
    tbullucks06 Posts: 128
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    I will be tracking calories and exercise for the rest of my life; and I'm okay with that!

    Love this!
  • Lili0817
    Lili0817 Posts: 109 Member
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    Love this topic!
    What didn't work for me was NOT being fully comiitted. This is the first time for me actually being serious, committed and making THE DECISION to get fit. If you're not fully committed to make a life style change, if you have not actually decided... you will always go back to your old ways. I learned that it has to be when YOU are ready.
  • Shy_Yogi
    Shy_Yogi Posts: 101 Member
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    Just because I'm eating clean does not mean I can over eat....calories are still calories - even from leafy greens!

    It's hard finding that "sweet spot". I have a tendency to work out way too much and then not eat enough. Not balancing them has caused a lot of issues for me.

    Figuring out WHY I'm over eating has been a bigger struggle than the actual over eating. I'm an emotional eater - I like to eat when I'm bored or depressed or angry - you name it. I know that dealing with those issues is as important as logging my food.

    Understanding that I have a medical issue (hypothyroidism) and knowing that it may make it harder but it is not an excuse.
  • tbullucks06
    tbullucks06 Posts: 128
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    Understanding that I have a medical issue (hypothyroidism) and knowing that it may make it harder but it is not an excuse.

    I have hypothyroidism too. Its harder but not impossible.
  • alyssabrown94
    alyssabrown94 Posts: 49
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    1.) Eating 5-6 meals a day-- while I did lose weight doing this, I felt like my life revolved around food. Not even food I enjoyed. Now I eat two large meals and it is food I truly enjoy.
    2.) Pre-workout meals. Other than BCAAs. I used to eat before I worked out because from what I've read I thought it was necessary. Now I realized the food in my stomach slowed me down and made me feel uncomfortable.
    3.) Long workouts. I used to workout for two hours a day sometimes. It is simply not efficient. I keep it under an hour now.
  • QueenWino
    QueenWino Posts: 106
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    Plugging in proper amounts of healthy food & enough exercise and thinking it would be enough to overcome a lifetime of using food to self medicate/soothe/nourish/entertain the spirit is not my answer. I must actively pursue What my life needs, where my passions are, and what fills me up, everyday. I slowly abandoned Livestrong 2X after much success because I didn't realize desperately fought for control doesn't fulfill, it just masks.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
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    My biggest lesson in the last few years is that what worked for me in my 20s -- exercising more and trying to eat more veggies, without counting calories -- did not work in my 40s.
  • katarina236
    katarina236 Posts: 40 Member
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    Not logging. Logging will have to be a forever thing for me. The moment I stopped logging, I lose control and I stop caring. Something about seeing the #'s on the screen and making me accountable even if I go way over keeps me in check. I can gain 60+ lbs in less than 6 months when I don't log. So, this will be a forever thing. God (Mike?), please don't ever take this site away.

    This for me all the way!
  • SierraD0ll
    SierraD0ll Posts: 6
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    1.)Adding friends doesn't work for me...I'm very self reliant and others get me off track.
    2.)snacking around 1-5 made me gain a bunch of weight because that's when I want everythingg!!:p
    3.)eating small breakfasts= no energy.
    4.) starting the day with coffee made me extremely hungry & tired.
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
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    Trying to lose weight without exercise doesn't work for me
    Low fat dairy products don't work.
    Calorie cycling doesn't work
  • sam308lbs
    sam308lbs Posts: 1,936 Member
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    Low carb diets
    Not exercising daily
    Protein doesnt satiate me,a healthy mix of protien and fat does the trick for me
    Eating very "clean"
    Eating less than 1700 cals
    Moving my cals up/below drastically
    Not weighing every week
    Not logging
  • littletoblerone
    littletoblerone Posts: 35
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    What didn't work for me was being lenient with myself.
    With time I understood that starting to diet is a bit like a bad break up: you're reluctant to do it, you're not used to the new situation, you have moments of weakness all the damn time. However, I hate to say this but the main thing I needed to do is simply stop being a *****.
    I now work out minimum 5 times a week. I've started zumba and I'm now starting other aerobics and pilates activities (gradually) and I feel great about it. Something about persisting for an entire month (since I started them) has made me experience working out as something insanely positive. I don't think of it as a chore anymore... Well, I consider it as one of my daily activities, but when I go there I genuinely enjoy it. So, changing my mindset about working out has helped me big time.

    Snacking. I LOVE eating things while I watch films or read a book. I was looking for healthy low calories snacks only yesterday (carrot and light salad cream is by far my favourite), when I read an illuminating advice from someone. They simply said: "Give up snacking entirely. When you eat, eat consciously. Have a few meals in your day and make sure you enjoy them and plan them, but don't snack." I feel like these few sentences have literally given me permission to stop snacking, as if someone out there definitely suggests a new brilliantly positive habit. They also suggested drinking green tea, so I'm definitely willing to try that out asap.

    What did help big time (slightly off topic): Becoming a vegetarian. I did this for an entire month (simply because I wanted to give it a go), but now that I'm allowed to eat meat again I simply don't want to. My mind is SO used to calculating calories related to vegetables, dairy, eggs, bread etc that I don't even want to start by including meat in my diet.

    I hope this helped you at all!
  • trudijoy
    trudijoy Posts: 1,685 Member
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    - starving myself
    - over excercising obsessively
    - assuming that because I hit a plateau it had 'stopped' working

    ALL = FAIL!!
  • DMicheleC
    DMicheleC Posts: 171 Member
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    I prefer to think on the positive, so these are the positive things I have learnt so far on my weight loss journey. I have learned that it's never a diet, its always a lifestyle change. That exercise is forever; I love running; that I don't need chocolate; eating healther makes your skin, hair and nails look better; don't sweat the small stuff, If I fall off the wagon for a day or two just get straight back on; nobodys perfect you are just the best you can be; and MFP is the best place to loose weight with great support from your friends! :bigsmile:

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