What diet tips work for you? Let's share
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I forgot to mention, stepping up my activity and staying accurate about it by using a pedometer/app. Now my runs or walks are timed for distance, so I have a pretty good idea of a calories burned.
My personal minimum is 5,000 steps+ per day, but that can vary a lot, with the average coming in about 6,500. That way I know I'm not just sitting on my rear, curled up with good book, and my doggie. (Which I would do in winter, a LOT.)
Now I am mindful of how much sitting I'm doing, and make myself get up and move for ten-fifteen minutes throughout the day. It really adds up. Plus, I feel SO much better when I'm active. So there's that.
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I eat what I want...within my calorie allowance.
I lift heavy stuff.
That's about it.23 -
The realization that I'm a volume-eater was a lifechanging moment.
@ellie117 - same here! I do love my treats, but I can take them or leave them as easily as any other food. I have to watch for the prolonged "taking" phases that pack on the extra pounds. Just because a food it healthy doesn't mean you have a free pass to overeat it, though you do get more for your calorie "dollar" for sure. This is why Weight Watchers would never work for me - foods with zero points? - while for my sister it does seem to work.
I always have a snack before I leave work, something with mostly protein and some carbs. Usually Greek yogurt is convenient. It takes about an hour to get home and I'm not hungry when I walk in the door, which typically leads to me grabbing some high-calorie snack before dinner. I can inhale a can of flavored almonds pretty quickly if I don't portion it out and put the container out of sight.
And always drink water! I drink A LOT of water and it does wonders for me. I do enhance with electrolyte flavor packets to keep things in check. (Water intoxication is a real and dangerous thing.) I appreciate not everyone may realize the same benefits, but for me it keeps my energy level up and keeps me feeling full.
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Last festive season's exercise and calorie meals eaten were rather decent during December and into January. So I have pulled them out of the records and now I can compare them how I am doing this year. Not trying to achieve or better last year's info, just a gentle reminder that I am still trying to lose weight or at least am trying to maintain it. So far, so good.
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If you don't buy bad food while you are grocery shopping you cant eat it at home and also going straight home after the gym or work or wherever to eat at your own house saves money and calories. Also meal prepping has been the biggest game changer for me even if you just meal prep your lunch at least you wont tempt yourself to buy crap food.
Working out at least 6 times a week (even just walking for one mile) and having one active rest day.12 -
Womanvsweight wrote: »Buy or make alternative treats and snacks that suit your diet, ones you can just grab and nibble on when you open your fridge or cupboards, have them in plain sight at the front.
Drink a glass of water when you wake up, one before and after each meal and before bed to get in your minimum requirement of water a day.
The positives are it make you feel fuller, hydration for your organs and skin. Prevents constipation and headaches. Having a glass before bed can also prevent heart attack. Water also flushed any retained water from your body, you will notice less bloating , inch loss and a good few lbs loss in your first week of drinking more water.
The benefits of water cannot be understated.
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Womanvsweight wrote: »Buy or make alternative treats and snacks that suit your diet, ones you can just grab and nibble on when you open your fridge or cupboards, have them in plain sight at the front.
Drink a glass of water when you wake up, one before and after each meal and before bed to get in your minimum requirement of water a day.
The positives are it make you feel fuller, hydration for your organs and skin. Prevents constipation and headaches. Having a glass before bed can also prevent heart attack. Water also flushed any retained water from your body, you will notice less bloating , inch loss and a good few lbs loss in your first week of drinking more water.
Where did you get that information? It's a a Myth that has been debunked a long time ago. I guess that you didn't get the memo.
Drinking a glass of water before bed prevents heart attacks and strokes.
The American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other national health organizations, recommend several ways of decreasing your risk of a heart attack or stroke. These recommendations include keeping a healthy weight, staying physically active, eating healthy, managing stress, and refraining from smoking. Drinking a glass of water before bed is not on the list. If you have to wake up in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom, Dr. Rosenfeld noted that this actually heightens your risk of heart attack and stroke because your sleep cycle is interrupted. Not getting enough sleep is linked to higher stress levels, increase in appetite, and cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods — none of which are good for heart health and stroke prevention!8 -
lcatalan93 wrote: »If you don't buy bad food while you are grocery shopping you cant eat it at home and also going straight home after the gym or work or wherever to eat at your own house saves money and calories. Also meal prepping has been the biggest game changer for me even if you just meal prep your lunch at least you wont tempt yourself to buy crap food.
Working out at least 6 times a week (even just walking for one mile) and having one active rest day.
Agree 100% about meal prep. That's been a huge factor in my weight loss this year.
My kitchen now always has 2 or 3 salads in small containers, apples, almonds, and blueberries for snacks, and low sodium soup I can grab to take to work. Taking my lunch and snacks saves me from buying a high calorie fast food meal and snacks of potato chips and candy (750 calories for a little bag + 250 calories for a chocolate bar = 1000 calories of food that tastes good for one minute, is not filling, has poor nutrition, and packs on the pounds).5 -
A moderate, sustainable calorie deficit. Higher protein, higher fiber diet, weight training and cardio in moderation. Intermittent fasting to help with calorie control. Patience.11
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Womanvsweight wrote: »Buy or make alternative treats and snacks that suit your diet, ones you can just grab and nibble on when you open your fridge or cupboards, have them in plain sight at the front.
Drink a glass of water when you wake up, one before and after each meal and before bed to get in your minimum requirement of water a day.
The positives are it make you feel fuller, hydration for your organs and skin. Prevents constipation and headaches. Having a glass before bed can also prevent heart attack. Water also flushed any retained water from your body, you will notice less bloating , inch loss and a good few lbs loss in your first week of drinking more water.
Where did you get that information? It's a a Myth that has been debunked a long time ago. I guess that you didn't get the memo.
Drinking a glass of water before bed prevents heart attacks and strokes.
The American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other national health organizations, recommend several ways of decreasing your risk of a heart attack or stroke. These recommendations include keeping a healthy weight, staying physically active, eating healthy, managing stress, and refraining from smoking. Drinking a glass of water before bed is not on the list. If you have to wake up in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom, Dr. Rosenfeld noted that this actually heightens your risk of heart attack and stroke because your sleep cycle is interrupted. Not getting enough sleep is linked to higher stress levels, increase in appetite, and cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods — none of which are good for heart health and stroke prevention!
Amazing that I've made it to age 55! Since being potty trained at 18 months, I have gotten up to pee 1-3 times a night, every night of my life. Drinking water before bed or not doesn't make a difference. 😋7 -
bold_rabbit wrote: »Womanvsweight wrote: »Buy or make alternative treats and snacks that suit your diet, ones you can just grab and nibble on when you open your fridge or cupboards, have them in plain sight at the front.
Drink a glass of water when you wake up, one before and after each meal and before bed to get in your minimum requirement of water a day.
The positives are it make you feel fuller, hydration for your organs and skin. Prevents constipation and headaches. Having a glass before bed can also prevent heart attack. Water also flushed any retained water from your body, you will notice less bloating , inch loss and a good few lbs loss in your first week of drinking more water.
Where did you get that information? It's a a Myth that has been debunked a long time ago. I guess that you didn't get the memo.
Drinking a glass of water before bed prevents heart attacks and strokes.
The American Heart Association, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), along with other national health organizations, recommend several ways of decreasing your risk of a heart attack or stroke. These recommendations include keeping a healthy weight, staying physically active, eating healthy, managing stress, and refraining from smoking. Drinking a glass of water before bed is not on the list. If you have to wake up in the middle of the night and go to the bathroom, Dr. Rosenfeld noted that this actually heightens your risk of heart attack and stroke because your sleep cycle is interrupted. Not getting enough sleep is linked to higher stress levels, increase in appetite, and cravings for high-fat, high-sugar foods — none of which are good for heart health and stroke prevention!
Amazing that I've made it to age 55! Since being potty trained at 18 months, I have gotten up to pee 1-3 times a night, every night of my life. Drinking water before bed or not doesn't make a difference. 😋
If you weren't getting up so frequently, you'd be 50.
:laugh:
My tips are:- be persistent, don't allow one setback completely derail you
- be consistent, log your food daily - the good, the bad, the ugly
- if you overeat one day, log it, own it, and move on
- don't try to change everything at once, small sustainable changes over time
- be kind and forgiving towards yourself, if you wouldn't say it to someone else, you shouldn't say it to yourself
- have patience, it will take longer than you would like
- don't be ruled by the scale, if you have an uptick one day, don't allow that to throw off your whole day
- allow some space for treats, it's okay to have something sweet every now and again
- if you have trouble moderating something, it's okay to keep it out of the house and buy it in single servings once in a while
- your friends, family, and coworkers don't need to hear all the details, if you do share them, expect comments
- learn how to incorporate dinners out into your plan while you lose, so that it's not a challenge when you are ready to maintain
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@bold_rabbit
Agree with you in that one! At 76 NOT getting up a couple of times during the night would be very dangerous for the sheets and mattress. However, the myth that drinking water before bed is a sure way to avoid strokes and/or heart attacks is totally wrong and misleading.
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Make it a habit and something you can do for life, otherwise you will gain it back when you go back to "normal"13
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Thinking about food not just in terms of calories or taste, but in terms of health. When I remind myself that I should avoid a yummy food not because it will put me over my calorie goal but because it is a poor choice for my personal health concerns, that food suddenly becomes super easy to ignore.20
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Drinking a mug of hot tea, as a 'treat' -- especially when I feel like I need a little something. It seems to keep me from over eating snacks, another way to improve fluid intake.9
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Thinking about food not just in terms of calories or taste, but in terms of health. When I remind myself that I should avoid a yummy food not because it will put me over my calorie goal but because it is a poor choice for my personal health concerns, that food suddenly becomes super easy to ignore.
I get it! I've been modifying my diet to lower my cholesterol and when I think of foods, I always have this in mind.3 -
Don't drink empty calories. I stopped drinking cokes almost a year ago, and it makes staying in a deficit easier. I was drinking 3-4 32oz big gulps a day in coke which equals almost 1500 calories, and eventual diabetes. I only drink water now, and along with being properly hydrated it helps keep me full.19
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Realizing to be successful, Rule 1 my head has to be in the game. Rule 2 I weigh everything I eat.
But the little things that have made a big difference.
I started using a smaller plate for dinner every day. No more big dinner plates. No reason to fill it all up.
And when I go shopping, on that same day, I slice and dice up all my veges and put in snack size containers so for next 5 days it is grab and go. I was amazed really how well it works, and keeps me for going to something not on plan.7 -
For those who hit the disagree button on my post above...the title of this thread is “what diet tips work for you? Let’s share.” This is my personal experience and I shared it. I didn’t say it would work for anyone else or you should try it. Sheesh.17
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I cut out the glass of wine with dinner. Now I have mineral water with a splash of cranberry juice.7
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