Little things that helped you lose weight
CJsf1t
Posts: 414 Member
Hey guys can you share all the tips and hacks that you used to lose weight and be successful. For eg. Drinking water before each meal, or hanging out the smaller piece of clothing out of the closet for motivation etc.
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Buying a food scale and using it for all solids. Using a measuring cup/spoons for all liquids. Accurate logging. Logging everything that passes my lips.17
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Smaller plates. Logging everything. If I'm having trouble sticking to goals, I prelog my day. Keeping treats on a high shelf (i'm fairly short). Banking calories so I can eat more on the weekend. Having maintenance breaks every few months.8
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For me, I have found that certain "rules" for weight loss simply did not apply to me.
"Always eat breakfast" - not necessarily. I go well with just a few nuts and a cup of coffee, and then get a proper lunch. If you're not that hungry, you don't have to eat.
Furthermore, what I don't have in the house, I am not going to eat. The threshold to leave the house to get snacks is a lot higher than eating snacks I have in the house.19 -
Prepare meals for week ahead.preprarion of foods for those meals.
Drink water before i eat anyting whenever i "feel" like im hungry. Thats usually helps and for me chewing gum when i know im having tea in an hour or so5 -
Plan your meals a few days ahead of schedule, and pre-log them. BUT always have a emergency ready-to-go meal in the freezer JUST in case life gets in the way. Something you can just throw in the oven or the microwave and not have to think about...8
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Pushing back breakfast by a few hours makes it easier to adhere to a lower calorie intake for me. I used to eat breakfast within 10 minutes of waking. I now have a coffee and then wait until I get to work, if it's a weekend I give it at least an hour before preparing any proper food. That means I get to lunch without wanting a snack and helps me to start off the day on the right track. Once I start nibbling between meals that's it.24
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I used MFP to figure out how many calories to eat, then started weighing and logging everything meticulously ... and remained within my calorie limit every single day without fail for 16 weeks.
I reached my first goal.
Another 16 weeks ... and I reached my second goal.
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Green tea before every meal1
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I'm shamefully lazy and I just had to accept that. I buy meals that are really easy to prepare and weigh/log. Some of it is pre-prepared 'ready' meals or freezer stuff which I bulk out with lots of veg. On the plus side I eat out/have takeaways WAY less because it's so hard to log accurately and that bugs me.
I also made a decision about which calories are worth it and which aren't. Oils: not worth it, I got a really good non-stick pan and cook without where possible. Juice: not worth it. Water helps improve my sensitive skin anyway. Chocolate: totally worth it, I allow 200+ calories a day for it. Even if it means I have to go for a run to get those calories.
I also take measurements so if the scale doesn't budge for a week or two I can still see progress/not get discouraged. I lost 2 inches off my waist this month but the scale has not budged in two weeks.16 -
Tools
- I use MFP to log EVERYTHING.
- I use a Garmin 735xt and my phone to keep track of activities. (This is not required but I like geeking out on it and I find it motivates me)
Attitude- Setting realistic goals and preparing for it to take time. It didn't take a week to put on it so it will take time to come off.
- Not being so hard on myself if I fancy a treat like eating out or occassionally go over my deficit. This is mainly helped by MFP. I can work any foods I want to into my deficit and if I know I am going out or will have a heavier than normal day, I ensure my exercise and overall diet plan can support it.
- Never go shopping hungry.
- Weigh everything!
- Don't fully believe the calories spent on exercise nor the ones in food, they will not be 100% (e.g. don't eat back the calories from exercise or, if you do, only eat half)
- A bad day does not a lifestyle make... If you have a bad day (go over your deficit or can't be bothered to exercise) don't dwell. It is a spiral that will drag you down...Dust yourself off and strive to do better. (Or, if you're like me, go for a run whilst ranting at yourself)
Don't get me wrong, I am not an expert and still have a mountain to climb in terms of my goals but I am currently in a good head space and the above has helped me 21 -
- Planning and prepping meals in advance
- having things on hand for those days
- drinking my water over the day
- meditate - reduces stress eating for me!
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Weighing, logging, drinking lots and lots of coffee.5
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Planning my meals and prelogging! Every single time I log after the fact (even weighing the ingredients as I go and jotting them down on a post-it) I always find I cooked 30-50% more in a meal than I intended too.2
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I cut out coffee after 11am. I work in an office where the kettle is constantly boiling so was drinking around 8 cups a day. I'm not good at hydrating (I don't like water) but switching coffee for herbal tea eliminates some calories and carbs (I take milk and sweetener) and gets my water intake up.
I've changed my eating pattern to suit my hunger pattern - I'm not hungry in the mornings but was frequently starving by around 2/3pm. Now I bring an omelette to work and eat it at around 11am, keeps me full until dinner time.
I also stock my fridge with good snacking options (pre portioned if I'm feeling organised!) for when the urge strikes at the weekend.1 -
Over the weekend, I decide -- in a general sense -- what I'll have during the week. Sometimes, I cook ahead or cook extra so I am set up for some meals over the week.
Sometimes I am really, uncomfortably hungry for a few days in a row -- and nothing will have changed food or activity-wise. This happens maybe every two or so months. When it happens, I take an extra multi-vitamin, and it does seem to quiet things down considerably. Might be a coincidence, but sometimes I wonder if my body is sending out some signal to get a particular nutrient (because I don't need more food).
I mostly stay away from eating out. Even if I choose carefully and make a point of eyeballing portions as best as I can, I do not lose weight the weeks I go out for a meal or two on the weekend. 1 egg and Canadian bacon at my house is 175 calories; somehow, it is not the same at my local diner even though it looks the same. I'm a little over 5' and near my goal, so I think even a little extra cooking oil (or however restaurants are cooking their food, which is different than how I'm cooking it) can wipe out my deficit.
For me, the type of food I have in the beginning of the day makes a huge difference in my overall satiety for the entire day. If the first thing I eat (no matter the time) is a bowl of oatmeal or a banana or piece of toast, then I am starving for the rest of the day. If I have protein, I am OK.4 -
9" plates. Growing up, breakfast was eggs, bacon and toast. With smaller plates the toast doesn't fit, so I don't usually eat it.3
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I discovered the weekly graphs in the nutrition section. I started looking at a weekly goal instead of just the daily goal. So now I'm not too concerned if I have a day that's a bit too high, or a bit too low, as long as the average per day in the weekly nutritional info still puts me within my goal range. This has made a HUGE difference to me and in how I view weight loss.
I also switched to weighing daily with a trending app but only logging it weekly so that I know not to expect changes too quickly.4 -
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Use a food scale
Log every single thing
Also I found that smaller plates helped with portion size
No foods were/are barred, but calorie dense foods kept to a minimum.
Aim to stay within calorie allowance most of the time (hey, we all have our high calorie days right
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Be more active
Step on scales regularly
Calorie counting works - I've been at maintenance for 4 years 8 -
Reading restaurant menus ahead of time to get an idea of what I am going to order so it fits my intake for the day! And not drinking alcohol.11
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Two words: Grocery. List.
If a food is not on the list, it doesn't go in the cart. That requires some meal planning, but it cut down on impulse buys that didn't fit well into my calorie goals.8 -
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Planning ahead and logging absolutely everything is the only way to go for me. I'm usually on maintenance and then I don't bother logging, but as soon as I need to drop some lbs when I've been a bit too easy-going, I'll go back at religious logging.
I also up my protein a little, cooked chicken breast pieces or my new favourite Skyr keeps me full for ages.2 -
Walking in place as been a boon in the "move more" side of the weight loss equation. I fill those multiple daily instances of short waits with steps. By the end of the day I have burnt several hundred extra calories.4
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Preparing some meals and/or side dishes on the weekend so when my job wipes me out I'm not tempted by takeout
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Getting off the tube a couple of stops early to work more walking into my daily routine4
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I cook my protein and veggies on Saturday night/Sunday morning for the week ahead and I pack my breakfast and lunch for the work week about 7 at night so I can just grab and go. My protein is in small 2 oz. containers so I know what I'm grabbing. I eat a lot of green veggies and chicken or shrimp during the week. I weigh and log EVERYTHING, even 0 calories. Just so I can be accountable for everything that hits my lips 1
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Weighing everything on a digital food scale. Logging everything I eat. Eating foods I like. Avoiding excess deprivation. Planning my meals and pre-logging. Being consistent every day. Working high calorie meals or days into my goals, rather than having "cheats."4
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1. Weigh food with digital scale. All food.
2. Identify areas I can cut calories without noticing too much so I can maximize how much I can eat. This lead to a gradual weaning off fancy coffee creamer and substituting unsweetened vanilla almond milk and drinking one cup instead of two. That saves 125-175 calories a day. Almond milk in my cereal or smoothie saves another 100-150--which adds up to a decent size snack a day.
3. Log even when I don't want to. I'm in maintenance now, so I will be relaxed if I go out with friends (which is only about twice a month anyway).
4. Plan my day around exercise and other activities, not food.
5. Stop feeling like food is a reward or that I should have fancy or super awesome dinners every night. Sometimes a bowl of soup is fine.
6. Find new indulgences--either non food (hot baths) or food that helps me reach my goals (Noosa yogurt, for ex--it's delicious, has protein, and doesn't tempt me to overeat like cookies do).7
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