I’ve Lost 50 Lbs So Far, What Has Worked & Hasn’t Worked For Me So Far in My Journey

CandaceCollinsFitness

Hi! My starting weight was 300 and I just reached 250 lbs today!! So I wanted to share what has worked and hasn’t worked for me so far in my journey over the past 1.5 years.

- Eating foods I like and counting the calories. I do not like most healthy food. When I eat it I feel like I have to treat myself later. I feel like I’m on a diet. People have told me you’ve got to eat “healthy” to lose weight and I call BS because that never worked for me no matter how many times I’ve tried, I just didn’t like it because I grew up not eating that food.
- Taking vitamins consistently. I’ve noticed a difference in taking vitamins consistently, no special ones, just multivitamins, fruits & veggies supplement, omega 3, iron, calcium, hair/skin/nails. I don’t waste my money on hype brands I go on Amazon and look for value.
- Walking everyday inside while watching TV around my living/dining room. Sounds weird, yes maybe lol but it’s hot outside usually, and doing this is easy, convenient and I get to watch tv. I also do it while talking on the phone. I literally just walk in circles lol. I track my steps with my phone to estimate calories burned and put into MyFitnessPal. I do this as often as I can, even if it’s 20 mins here or there. It adds up and burns a lot of calories when you end of walking a lot. I’ve tried other workouts and going to the gym, but at this point I just don’t have the desire to do it every day long term. I’m just being honest lol.
- Adjust days based upon hunger and energy levels and set 6 month goals. Rather than saying I must lose 3 lbs this week, I think of my goals over a period of time, such as 6 months and set a goal to lose an average of say 1 lb per week over that 6 months. I’ve found 1 year is too long for me and is like out of sight out of mind. 3-6 months is good for me.
- Going to the doctor. Not just any doctor, one that I actually like and isn’t judgement of people. It’s helped me a lot and keeps me motivated because I know I’m going to be seeing her and want to show her I’ve lost some weight since my last visit so she can be like “wow! Great job Candace! I’m so proud of you!” Lol
- Limiting alcohol. Ok don’t hate me lol but it makes me feel tired and lazy but if I do have some I try to have it at night or rarely. Staying hydrated has given me more energy instead. I also like to enjoy caffeine drinks, but low doses of it that are low calorie.

I’d love to have new friends, send me a friend request!

AthleteLori

Congratulations! Great job!

Lietchi

I'm also a living room walker, nice to know I'm not alone 😁 not exclusively, I also exercise a lot, but I do laps around the living room when watching TV and when on my phone. I started doing that when COVID started and I no longer had my daily commute walking to and from the station.

Congrats on losing 50lbs! Sounds like you have a very sensible and patient approach.

kcassidy2022

You must feel wonderful. Thank you for your post. I just joined today and hope to use some of your advice

LightenUpGrandma

I love your insights and tips, and can relate to them a lot and will be using them. Thanks for posting!

LowGap

Thanks for posting. I'm not much on diet food either. I need to take off weight to feel better and to be healthier. I've found so many diets don't work, so I'm just doing my own thing and using my fitness pal.

laurasmith56679

I found your post very motivating. I'm going to try the indoor walks myself and focusing only on the weekly goals. I would love to be friends.

AnnPT77

What you're doing is very personalized (which I think is important to success), and shows a lot of plain common sense. That's a great example for us all to learn from!

It sounds like a good recipe for success for you. Good show!

mmskrent

I too started my journey over 300lbs back in 2006. Glad you posted! One suggestion try to increase your steps every day. The more you move the less time you have to eat. I built slowly. 156 lbs weight loss later I am walking 15,000 to 20,000 steps a day and keeping it off. Keep up the good work!

bit_by_bit

Great job on your sucess Candace
You have some good tips to offer, gives us hope & motivation to do better

bjw1965

Love this - at 57 after a life of dieting I have come to many of the same conclusions especially on eating only food that I like regardless of supposed healthiness and also that slow and steady wins the race. I have lost 8lbs since April this year on a very slight calorie deficit, gradually increasing steps and never letting a “bad” meal stop me from carrying on - continuous improvement is my motto. Between April and August my lifestyle habits have improved so much. Totally agree re supplements too - my faves are B12, folate, cold pressed omega and fish oils and vitamin D. Energy levels and mental clarity improved.