Anyone here for the long term & not looking for a quick fix?

AutumLeaf

I'm realising that really is hell of a long journey & by doing too much in too short of time just ends up in burning out & giving up.

My personal goal is to get fitter & stronger, & I want this to be a continuing thing. I want this to be a lifestyle.

Crash fad diets only brings misery.

From all the different things I've read & YouTubers I've watched, the most successful & happy ones who take a long term approach.

kellie7850

Slow and steady is the best approach. It’s best to consider it as a lifestyle change rather than a diet. It must be sustainable.
Personally I don’t deny myself anything and still have wine chocolate etc but just make sure to work into my calorie allowance.
Portion sizing has been the biggest eye opener for me.
Tip invest in food scale.
Enjoy your journey 👍

beast_kitty89

I need a sustainable lifestyle. I've noticed what to change, what to eat and so on with this app in regards to my health needs. I've tried all these diets and they all failed me.

jasonpoihegatama

It's a way of life!

ThinFifty

Been here since 2012. I made it part of my daily routine, got to my target weight and now maintain it by keeping a check each day.

zeejane03

Approaching 6 years of maintenance, 40+ more years to go, give or take

stevee303

Definitely a long term view for me. I'm finding it relatively easy. I eat much better than I ever did during the week and don't drink alcohol or snack. I also exercise more.

I save some calories and relax what I eat a little over the weekend and allow myself a few drinks on 2 days. 30lbs down (from 216lb) in around 100 days and I haven't felt this good in years. The Doctor has also (trial) stopped one of my regular medicines (for BP). That proved extremely motivating. Barring holidays or special events I see no reason at all why I can't keep this up.

Must dash. Off for my Friday night pint with the lads

RelCanonical

I like treating it as super long-term because I'm also working on being a better person mentally, and that takes a long time as well. Not having a time limit makes any goal feel attainable because I know all I have to do is take it one day at a time.

lx1x

🖐️.. long term.. no specific reason and time.

witchaywoman81

100%, yes. I have learned so much since joining the site. I fell off tracking mid-late last year and started up again December 31st. Down 7 pounds so far, which the old me would've said is too little, but I'm in this for the long haul. If you read posts from the most seasoned members, they all have one thing in common: they've found a way to make this a lifestyle. They've lost the weight and kept it off with realistic expectations and while eating real food. I am a work in progress, but I'm inspired by their journeys and enjoying my own.

lynn_glenmont

Been here for five and a half years. No plans for going away.

janejellyroll

I've logged every day for over four years now, so yes. I consider this to be a long-term thing.

(My situation: lost 40 pounds in 2015, have been maintaining that weight loss ever since).

garystrickland357

I'm starting to see the weight loss process as dress rehearsal for weight maintenance. During the weight loss phase you restrict calories slightly. You also learn which foods are satiating, when to eat, what foods to avoid, how to manage treats, eating out, etc... Once you lose the weight and begin maintenance, you maintain all the same behaviors that made you successful in weight loss - you just add back those few calories you were cutting.
Weight loss isn't a project that has a start/end date and then you go back to your normal life. That is a guarantee for failure.
Weight loss is a period of adjustment to a new way of managing your weight.
Good luck in your journey.

Smacfit_

Slow and steady here my goal is to be in the best shape of my life in approx 1.5 years and then...get even stronger/maintain after that! I am two months in and feeling great....losing 0.5 pounds per week steadily, getting my workouts in, changing up my daily routines habits and improving my relationship with food slowly but surely.

amy19355

beast_kitty89 wrote: »

I need a sustainable lifestyle. I've noticed what to change, what to eat and so on with this app in regards to my health needs. I've tried all these diets and they all failed me.

have you tried the Calorie Deficit Diet?

it's the one that has worked for me, and for many others who post here.
basically, first you figure out how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.
second, you reduce the number of calories by an amount that works out to between 1-2 pounds a week. (3500 calories = 1 pound).

if you are diligent about using a scale to weigh the food so that your calorie counting is accurate, and, you accept that slow and steady wins the race, and, know that weight loss isn't a straight line up or down, but fluctuates,
then, your chance of success is extremely high.

what's the good side of that if/then statement? it doesn't require any 'funny' food. Eat whatever you want, and only look at the progress chart once a week. that way its' easier to tolerate the daily fluctuations of a pound or three.

good luck

no1elseislikeme

I’m absolutely here for the long term. I lost 25 lbs in 2017 by counting calories. I’ve been maintaining since last year. Calorie counting works so well for me because it’s very flexible. I can eat whatever I want as long it doesn’t exceed my allotted calories for the day. I love my Starbucks lattes and I can make them work as a treat for instance. I never tried any actual diet like keto, Atkins, WW, etc because I knew I would likely fail if I had to cut out entire categories. Tell me that I can’t have my daily ice cream treat at all? That wouldn’t make me very happy. Tell me that I can have it as long as it’s a reasonable portion and I log it? That works very well.
Calorie counting is very sustainable for me. And I know that the most important thing for long term success is sustainability.

WinoGelato

Old timer here... started MFP in Feb 2013. Have checked in every day consecutively since. Lost the weight I set out to lose in about the first year and change, then in maintenance ever since.
When I started with about 30 lbs to lose, I had never dieted before, but I knew if I cut out things I loved I wouldn’t be successful. So rather than cutting things out, I added things. More protein, more vegetables, more whole grains, more exercise, more sleep. The only thing I cut was calories. But even that I did at a very modest deficit. By doing so I never felt deprived, I learned what satiated me, I had more energy for more activity, which inspired me to keep eating healthy but still incorporating foods I loved.

So yeah, there are a lot of us here for the long haul that look at this as a lifestyle not a short term program. I take days or a week off from logging from time to time, usually when traveling, but continuing to log my intake even in maintenance, for me is one of the best ways to ensure success.

For more examples of long term success check out the maintainers and success stories forums.

Good luck!

AutumLeaf

Yay happy to see others on the same level ☺️💜

dsboohead

Short term is never a winning situation..
Its a way of life be it good bad or indifferent. 16 months for me

kami3006

I've also been here since February 2013. Lost 25 lbs at a half-pound per week, took up lifting and focusing on hitting my protein.

Since, I've run a couple bulk/cut cycles and maintained. Don't plan on going anywhere. I set up habits that were hard for me to build (I have chronic depression) and find logging simple and fast; so I'm not going to stop. I take breaks from the forums from time to time but always keep my food diary up to date, even if I'm out somewhere and have to make an educated guess.

Now, I just focus on different fitness goals instead of weight. Just a different form of the same process.

middlehaitch

I’ve been here since Nov 15 2010.
My story is much like @WinoGelato’s.
I took a year to lose 30lbs.

I haven’t logged my food more than a couple of weeks in years, but will happily start doing so again if needed.

Hanging out on the forums really helps me focus on my weak spot, exercise.

Cheers, h.

wmweeza

I'm looking at the rest of my life as far as staying in shape, not just the next year. I've been at this a little over 2 years now, my only plan is when I reach my goal weight I'll add in 200 more calories. I still plan on tracking my food and staying on track. Losing the weight has been one of the harder things I have done, and I don't want to ever do it again, and I'm still not done!

HoneyBadger302

As much as I wish I could just melt the weight away and stay that way, that just doesn't happen for me. It's a very slow process (I'm down to about 15-20 pounds left to lose) and averaging about 1 pound a MONTH seems to be the most sustainable way for me to go. My trends aren't nice and steady, of course, but I find I'm able to maintain an average of that rate.

No, it's not fast, but I know what it's going to take to stay where I'm at and not put the weight back on, maintenance isn't going to be much of a change from my current routine, and I find that far more sustainable in the long run.

UmThatsMyCookie

*raises hand* slow and steady wins the race!

Danp

This is why I implemented what I call my Forever Rule.

It's simple really. I needed to make changes in order to better manage my weight. I realised that temporary solutions yield temporary results because as soon as I stopped doing what I was doing I'd go back to where I was.

So now when I decide to make a change to my life I ask myself "Forever?" and if I can't answer yes then I don't make that change.

For example:
Me: I'm going to stop eating chocolate!
Also Me: Really? Forever? You're never going to eat chocolate again?
Me: We'll no, I suppose not.


Or
Me: I'm gonna just eat food I like and keep track of how many calories I'm eating
Also Me: So you're prepared to do this forever?
Me: Yeah, I reckon I can do that. It's not that difficult

Kupla71

I lost almost 20 pounds and then my weight loss slowed down to a snails pace which is where I am now. I’ve been frustrated for a long time but now am ok with it. I’ve learned how to eat proper portions and what to eat to keep me feeling satisfied without going over my calorie goal. I would rather have slow weight loss than lose it quickly and then gain it back. I’ve started strength training and am more focused now on building a healthy body rather than focusing only on weight loss. I have a renewed optimism about this journey and my vision is for the long term. Good luck everyone on your journey!

AutumLeaf

Danp wrote: »

This is why I implemented what I call my Forever Rule.

It's simple really. I needed to make changes in order to better manage my weight. I realised that temporary solutions yield temporary results because as soon as I stopped doing what I was doing I'd go back to where I was.

So now when I decide to make a change to my life I ask myself "Forever?" and if I can't answer yes then I don't make that change.

For example:
Me: I'm going to stop eating chocolate!
Also Me: Really? Forever? You're never going to eat chocolate again?
Me: We'll no, I suppose not.


Or
Me: I'm gonna just eat food I like and keep track of how many calories I'm eating
Also Me: So you're prepared to do this forever?
Me: Yeah, I reckon I can do that. It's not that difficult

That's a really good way of looking at it

13ecca4

I’m just starting to realise this too.
After years of fad diets and yo-yoing, I just want something that works. And It’s just clicked that’s it’s a lifestyle change…
I’m trying to start off with little things like log all my food, drink more water. And once this hopefully becomes a habit then I can move onto cleaner eating and more exercise and so on.
I’m trying not to change everything so drastically that It becomes something I don’t enjoy and can’t sustain.
The time is going to pass regardless, I didn’t gain all this weight in one day and I won’t lose it in one day either. Patience 

jayne7470

I’m here for the long haul I think in the past I’ve expected to lose quickly and haven’t so gave up ... I seem to be chugging along a half pound loss a week which is slow, but I’ve changed my mindset a loss is a loss whatever the number I’m going to keep going 💪🏼

vollkornbloedchen

My method is:
Monitoring and adjusting in combination with @Danp 's approach (Forever-Rule! I love this expression), which for me boiled down to 2 basic rules:
If your favourite food doesn't suit your plan, adjust the plan, not your favourite food.
AND
If it doesn't fit into your normal daily life it is doomed to fail.

Find YOUR way, look for inspirational input, adopt what suits your plan, abandon what doesn't ...

This brought me a weight-loss of 52 kg (~ 114 lbs).
Maintaining within a 4kg goalweight-zone for 2 and a half year now.
Supposedly the worst will be over in another three years.

LivingtheLeanDream

Also a long time maintainer here, been around MFP since 2012 and maintaining a 30lb loss since 2013 - like others before me have said, it was realising to lose weight and keep it off a long term strategy was needed. For me that was no cutting out food groups or denial but moderation and moving a bit more.

Although I hardly ever log my meals now if I started to see the scale start to consistently move upwards I would go back to logging in a heartbeat.