2018 Newcomers - What have you learned?

Live_life_well

For those of you like me who have joined in 2018, what are the top 3 things that you have learned that surprised you?

My top 3:
1. I have always believed that I was eating very few calories and blamed my "genetics" for the weight gain. To this day, a part of me still doesn't believe that I really eat that much less now even though I have lost ~8 pounds in a month.

2. How many calories are in peanut butter...I used to put like 3 tablespoons on toast in the morning.

3. How easy it is to pack lunch every day. I have packed lunch more often in 2018 than 2012-2017 combined.

laura031562

I have been a member for a long time but just this year really needed to buckle down and get some weight off. What I have learned:

1. It really is all about CICO.
2. I don't have to eat low carb, raw or anything else to lose weight. I can eat what I like, just track it.
3. As a 55 year old female with no health issues, there is nothing that is causing me to gain weight other than eating too much and not exercising enough. Not gluten, not sugar, not fats.

I've learned a few other things but these are the main ones. And I thank everyone on this forum for giving me this information. Down 6lbs. since Jan 1st!

lkell1391

1. Drinking more water makes a huge difference in my skin, and also really does help with dropping the extra water weight.
2. I dont have to be on a “diet” or eat specific foods to lose weight. CICO has proven to be the most effective.
3. The more I exercise, the easier it gets, and the better I feel. Im still working on making it a habit, so that I dont dread it so much, but that is February’s goal.

Falklang

I like this thread! Here are my top things I've learnt so far:

1) Be consistent. I have always given up or gone off the rails too many times and now I've finally realised that all i need to be is consistent and it will eventually come off.

2) Don't do no fad diet or an extreme way of eating (keto, paleo, vegan, veggie, juice fasts). I now enjoy the food i used to it, but just stick within my calories.

3) Intermittent Fasting is a life saver. Allows me to stick within my calories, increased focus, better skin (when drinking water too), decreased appetite and allows me to eat bigger meals.

4) I don't need to do cardio to lose fat.

So far I've lost 16 pounds. I don't really see it stopping either.

Asiyah1973

I’ve learned that:

1) I need to track everything when I eat it otherwise I won’t remember what I consumed.

2) Reducing my alcohol and sodium intake helps to keep the water weight off.

3) Dumbells are my friend. It’s easy to tone up during tv commercial breaks or while helping my kids with their homework.

I’ve lost 15 pounds in 2 months and feel great!