Best Tips for Success

goofylove89

What are your best tips to staying on track? What helped you to be successful?

Some of my tips:
I have go to meals that are staples in my day that I eat often (ex. taco salad) and know the calories and portions

A water bottle with a drink packet mixed in, frozen for about 4 hours makes a nice zero calorie snack to get me through the afternoon

Cut up fruits and veggies on Sunday to have easy access during the week

SueSueDio

1. Food scale
2. Food scale
3. Weigh everything on your food scale...
4. Make small changes you can live with long-term
5. Set realistic and reasonable goals
6. Be kind to yourself
7. Patience, patience, patience!
8. Did I mention a food scale?

Terytha

Hmm, how about a food scale? XD

I pre-log my food for the day, and sometimes tomorrow. Keeps me on track.

If I'm in the kitchen for any reason, even cleaning, I have my phone just in case. Weighing and logging is easier with ready access to the app.

I allow myself to eat fast food and sweets on a regular basis so I don't get tempted to binge. But, I keep them in my calorie goals, or close to.

Substitutions in small places. Low fat mayo tastes exactly like regular for less than half the calories. Same with sour cream.

bear2303

I have the same thing for breakfast almost every day. I never used to eat breakfast so by the time lunch rolled around i was RAVENOUS. Started eating breakfast of oatmeal every day and not only do i eat a more sensible lunch but i feel more centered and focused in the morning.

Also agree with pre-logging things if you know you're going to have it.

I also do a maintenance day about 1-2 times a week - helps me stay on track longer term and feel like i can indulge a little

Wendyanneroberts

We are all different, but here are the main things that helped me. Finally not just with weight loss, but followed by sucessful maintainance because I still follow my rules.

1)already mentioned, my food scale is so important.

2) Weighing everything (As much as possible). Even prepared foods vary in weight. Or how big is 1 banana? Weigh

3) Log everything, everyday.
Has stopped my previous mindset of; will start again tomorrow, or next week or after Christmas. I eat daily, so I log it all.

4)Using previous data, for successful maintainance. I'm physically disabled, doing what I can. But years of logging has shown me my calorie target for sucess at maintaining.

5) .Knowing if I eat more, I'll regain.

6) Finally Calorie Cycling.
To balance calorie averages, over weeks/months. So I can bank calories some days and splurge on others.
Hitting my calorie target over all is what counts.

7) Small changes each day, soon become new, healthy habits.

Its a long list, hoping it may help. My life has it's difficulties but at last I have control of my weight.! [1,175 day streak!]

missysippy930

Consistency, patience, and perseverance.

brenn24179

I weigh daily, I need those consequences.

TheOldBallCoach43420

I don’t step on a scale daily!! It’s not “healthy” for someone with a long journey should they gain a pound a day after busting their butt exercising. Weigh in once or twice a week only. Weight is one thing, losing inches is another. Scale can be deceiving and be a downer from time to time.

a_candler

FOOD SCALE
When going shopping/doing errands ect I must plan ahead by bringing healthy snacks to prevent a hungry lunch binge
Water, water, water.
Exercise: I love food, burning the calories allows me to eat more!

kireler

TLDR;
-Focus on where you are now, not where you were.
-Meal Prep
-Do healthy things and eat right and it won't matter as much what the scale says (Hint: You'll probably be happy with the number )

Story Time:
I've went from 300lbs a few years ago to 230lbs this spring and am now at 245lbs right now. I've had ups and I've had downs...but when you look at the big picture - I've done GREAT!.

I used to look at where I wanted to be- 220lbs then once I hit that 200lbs and got discouraged if the scale started going in the wrong direction. Which lead to me "cheating" because "what's the point", and this is after me giving others advice on NOT doing that.

Right now I find that looking at where I was and where I am, makes it easier. I used to be winded tieing my shoes but I can now do 60 mins on my Elliptical. I can do stairs by putting each foot on a different stair instead of doing one at a time. A scale would never tell me this so this is what motivates me now.

I've started meal preping and it's helped. I take 30 to 60 mins on a Sunday to cook my lunches for the week. Usually it's something like Chicken Breast or Thighs, raw veggies(broccoli or baby carrots are my go to), more veggies or rice/potato. I'd say the cost for this is about $3-5 a day compared to buying my lunch at $8-12 a day and I know what it is I'm eating and can easily track it.

SueSueDio

TheOldBallCoach43420 wrote: »

I don’t step on a scale daily!! It’s not “healthy” for someone with a long journey should they gain a pound a day after busting their butt exercising. Weigh in once or twice a week only. Weight is one thing, losing inches is another. Scale can be deceiving and be a downer from time to time.

It depends on the individual. Certainly there are people for whom seeing the scale go up after a heavy meal or too much sodium would be a challenge to their mental health, and those people perhaps should consider weighing less often.

I personally like to weigh daily because it lets me see that my weight can and does fluctuate by 2-3lbs perfectly normally. If I weighed once a week (or less) and saw that I'd "gained" over the previous week, that would be disheartening for me. Knowing that I weighed less a couple of days ago and it's just gone up because of last night's high-sodium supper is helpful! YMMV.

sksk1026

I found some delicious skinny recipes I'd be happy eating for the rest of my life. I make them in bulk so i always have good food in the freezer.
I weigh daily but put it in a weight-trending app (Libra) so I can see long-term trends and know when I have to address the up-bumps.
Find a way to eat the food you love. I know what fast-food I can eat and where I can buy mini bags of candy. I also took a lot of time and trouble learning how to make a low calorie pizza base that I can stretch to the size of a dinner plate. Now I eat pizza once a week and it's frankly better than restaurant alternatives.
Don't give up - Rome was not built in a day! There will be ups and downs. I try think of it all as experience gained.

LittleLightShine

1. Have a plan
2. Intermittent fasting
3. Know how much you are eating (scale!)
4. Remove liquid calories
5. Cut out snacks
6. Move more
7. Sleep more
8. Resistance training
9. Use simple tools (walking)
10. Rest less during exercise
11. Eat more fat
12. Drink lots of water
13. Make yourself accountable (write EVERYTHING down)
14. Plan a splurge
15. Be patient and give yourself time

biggiwig4483

Drink lots of water, 4 ltr a day. Eat high fiber foods that keeps me full with all that water.

IremiaRe

Habit trumps motivation. If you make it a HABIT, you will continue to do it.
so - tough it out long enough for it to become habit, and you are golden.

Don't bother with anything that you can't continue for the rest of your life (or not too MANY things) - because once you stop, you regain the weight. I don't bother with fat-free mayo or anything like that - because I know I won't do it forever and when I return to the real thing, I lose that calorie advantage, again. Better to just learn how to fit the real deal into my daily plan, now.

Plus

Food scale
Pre-logging meals

Marksgirl71

I've dropped 18 lbs in 3 months, and still have a ways to go. I think a big part of success is having the proper mindset...it doesn't matter how long it takes to lose the weight, just make it a lifestyle and don't give up. Also, try to eat healthy foods you enjoy, and log everything. No food is off limits, though. Just fit it in your log. Find an exercise you enjoy so you'll stick with it. I love walking my dog and bicycling. Years ago I bought a Wii Fit and enjoy those exercises too.

LyndaBSS

TheOldBallCoach43420 wrote: »

I don’t step on a scale daily!! It’s not “healthy” for someone with a long journey should they gain a pound a day after busting their butt exercising. Weigh in once or twice a week only. Weight is one thing, losing inches is another. Scale can be deceiving and be a downer from time to time.

I respectfully disagree. I weigh daily. It keeps me engaged in the process and helps me understand my trends. I don't get upset or feel like quitting if my weight stalls or goes up a bit because I understand fluctuations.

Weighing first thing in the morning gets me excited for that day's MFP journey. It keeps me accountable and on track. 😀

brenn24179

I think you have to do what is right for you, weighing daily helps me, I could gain 7 lbs in a week if I am not careful. If I weigh I see the consequences so it is healthy for me because it makes me cautious. Do what works for you as I do what works for me. I also watch my sweets and bread, eat little of these but I do have some.

rosemake

All these posts are what I needed to read today. Gotta get my food scale back out.

morganter

I am a person who does step on the scale every morning. Because I know it is what I am putting in and how much I am exercising that will determine the weight loss or gain. The hardest thing to conquer is portion control. I am not giving up eating anything or drinking anything. But I am cutting back on the amount of food I intake. In two months I am down almost 15 lbs. It goes up a few lbs some days. If I exercise more I know I can lose more faster. But aren't we all pretty lazy? It truly is what you put in and the amount of food. My fitness pal helps me keep it at about 1650 calories a day which I think is doable for life and I am still seeing the lbs drop off gradually by maintaining the food intake and not doing any fad diet that might help me lose-but will not be a life changing step.

springlering62

Plan ahead. Plan meals before going grocery shopping, log tomorrow’s meals and snacks tonight.

Eat a filling meal before you go to the grocery store, and stick to your list.

Make leftovers : bbq, sliced steak, carnitas, taco meat make fabulous salad toppings or sandwich fillings.

If grilling something, throw an extra, simply season chicken breast or two on the grill. Chop and use to top salads, make a quick chicken salad, or use in a wrap.

Instantpot is your friend. (Im still trying to learn it. When I use it well, it’s fabulous. When I misjudge the cooking time, well...)

For colder weather, an instantpot chicken soup is soooo easy, nutritious, and crazy low calories. Add a pinch of cayenne and some Trader Joe’s instant barley and it’s very satisfying. Subsitute corn and rinsed black beans along with a packet of taco seasoning or a jar of salsa for a nice low cal taco soup. Soups freeze great, too.

Weigh everything. Read all the MFP advice on how to weigh. Some of the tips are real head smackin’ “why didn’t I think of that” moments.

Be consistent about logging everything.

Be HONEST with your logging. You’re only fooling yourself.

Smoothies are awesome but don’t load em up.

Walk. Walk. Walk. Miles and miles. It melts the pounds off. If you don’t like a long walk, do shorter ones morning and evening. Find every opportunity you can to walk. Invest in comfy shoes. 10,000 steps is great. But it’s only five miles. Can you do more? Find neighbors or friends to walk with. A brisk walk goes a lot faster when you’re laughing and yacking.

Buy workout clothes you feel comfortable in public in and feel like you look good in. You’ll feel better and more confident, and more likely to exercise. Most my community has never seen me in anything but workout clothes. It’s like public beautification, lol.

Taking a class? Don’t hide in the back. Get right up front and center. It may be a mind game, but you’ll try harder and work harder when you are. You’ll also get better advice to improve from the instructor because they will appreciate that you’re there to learn.

I bought a ridiculously small goal dress and hung it across the front of the rod so it was facing me when I walked in the closet. Every time I felt weak or sorry for myself, I went in my closet and looked at that dress, and tried to get it over my head. One day, it fit.

Get a fitness watch, whether Apple or Fitbit. They are crazy motivating, and worth the expense.

Exercise. The more you do it, the more natural it will become. The more natural it becomes, the more you will enjoy and look forward to it and eventually crave it when you can’t.

I read one time that it takes six weeks to create a habit. Allow yourself the six weeks. Don’t throw in the towel after a couple of days or weeks. It probably took years to put the weight on. Allow yourself those six weeks to establish a routine, a weight loss yo-yo pattern, to learn to cook and grocery shop appropriately, develope a love for fruit, and the habit of logging. Man, if you’d told me a few months back how sweet an orange or cherry could taste....I’d have laughed at you as I swatted your hand off my stash of M&Ms.

Be realistic. Put your big boy or girls pants on. Don’t be that sad person who visits the MFP community thinking they can get fit and trim for in five weeks for some event, or that there’s a pill or vibrating waist band or electric muscle stretcher that’s gonna do it for them.

But the biggest tip is, give yourself grace. The grace to screw up and make mistakes and keep going.

Chibike64

springlering62 wrote: »

Plan ahead. Plan meals before going grocery shopping, log tomorrow’s meals and snacks tonight.

Eat a filling meal before you go to the grocery store, and stick to your list.

Make leftovers : bbq, sliced steak, carnitas, taco meat make fabulous salad toppings or sandwich fillings.

If grilling something, throw an extra, simply season chicken breast or two on the grill. Chop and use to top salads, make a quick chicken salad, or use in a wrap.

Instantpot is your friend. (Im still trying to learn it. When I use it well, it’s fabulous. When I misjudge the cooking time, well...)

For colder weather, an instantpot chicken soup is soooo easy, nutritious, and crazy low calories. Add a pinch of cayenne and some Trader Joe’s instant barley and it’s very satisfying. Subsitute corn and rinsed black beans along with a packet of taco seasoning or a jar of salsa for a nice low cal taco soup. Soups freeze great, too.

Weigh everything. Read all the MFP advice on how to weigh. Some of the tips are real head smackin’ “why didn’t I think of that” moments.

Be consistent about logging everything.

Be HONEST with your logging. You’re only fooling yourself.

Smoothies are awesome but don’t load em up.

Walk. Walk. Walk. Miles and miles. It melts the pounds off. If you don’t like a long walk, do shorter ones morning and evening. Find every opportunity you can to walk. Invest in comfy shoes. 10,000 steps is great. But it’s only five miles. Can you do more? Find neighbors or friends to walk with. A brisk walk goes a lot faster when you’re laughing and yacking.

Buy workout clothes you feel comfortable in public in and feel like you look good in. You’ll feel better and more confident, and more likely to exercise. Most my community has never seen me in anything but workout clothes. It’s like public beautification, lol.

Taking a class? Don’t hide in the back. Get right up front and center. It may be a mind game, but you’ll try harder and work harder when you are. You’ll also get better advice to improve from the instructor because they will appreciate that you’re there to learn.

I bought a ridiculously small goal dress and hung it across the front of the rod so it was facing me when I walked in the closet. Every time I felt weak or sorry for myself, I went in my closet and looked at that dress, and tried to get it over my head. One day, it fit.

Get a fitness watch, whether Apple or Fitbit. They are crazy motivating, and worth the expense.

Exercise. The more you do it, the more natural it will become. The more natural it becomes, the more you will enjoy and look forward to it and eventually crave it when you can’t.

I read one time that it takes six weeks to create a habit. Allow yourself the six weeks. Don’t throw in the towel after a couple of days or weeks. It probably took years to put the weight on. Allow yourself those six weeks to establish a routine, a weight loss yo-yo pattern, to learn to cook and grocery shop appropriately, develope a love for fruit, and the habit of logging. Man, if you’d told me a few months back how sweet an orange or cherry could taste....I’d have laughed at you as I swatted your hand off my stash of M&Ms.

Be realistic. Put your big boy or girls pants on. Don’t be that sad person who visits the MFP community thinking they can get fit and trim for in five weeks for some event, or that there’s a pill or vibrating waist band or electric muscle stretcher that’s gonna do it for them.

But the biggest tip is, give yourself grace. The grace to screw up and make mistakes and keep going.

Thank you for these gems of advice and insight! Awesome they are 💪