How to lose weight

SarahTembo9389

How to lose weight without being strict to diet?

AnnPT77

What does "strict to diet" mean to you?

The only thing necessary for weight loss is to eat fewer calories than we burn. We burn calories just being alive, more calories doing daily life stuff like job and home chores, plus a few more calories if we do some intentional exercise.

Eat less than that, lose weight. Eat a small amount less than that, lose weight slowly. Eat a big amount less than that, lose weight fast.

If you don't want to be more strict than absolutely essential, go with losing weight slowly. (Fast weight loss is a trap, anyway; often a mistake to shoot for.)

Eat foods you enjoy that add up to the right number of calories, that keep you full and happy most of the time. Ideally, they'd also add up to reasonable overall nutrition.

If possible, increase movement in your life in practical ways. That might mean more daily life movement, that "park further from the door" and "take the stairs" kind of stuff. In addition, it might mean adding some exercise. Any added exercise should ideally be fun (at least tolerable) and manageably challenging, not punitive and extreme. If you want to exercise more, build up gradually with frequency, duration, and intensity.

To lose weight, we're going to need to change some routine habits, certainly. But it doesn't necessarily need to be miserable or extreme.

On the food side of things, I did this:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm

On the exercise side of things, I experimented until I found something(s) I enjoyed doing, and did it in ways that fit into my life with good overall life balance, i.e., enough time and energy left for job, chores, family, social life and anything else important to me.

Is that strict? I didn't find it so, but I don't know what your definition of "strict" is. You're the only one who can think through what that means for you, and make your plan accordingly.

Best wishes: IME, reaching a healthy weight (and reasonable fitness) and staying there delivers quality of life improvements way beyond the effort it takes to accomplish.

Sixteen_Tons

AnnPT77 Posts: 38,009 Community HelperOctober 2

What does "strict to diet" mean to you?

The only thing necessary for weight loss is to eat fewer calories than we burn. We burn calories just being alive, more calories doing daily life stuff like job and home chores, plus a few more calories if we do some intentional exercise.

Eat less than that, lose weight. Eat a small amount less than that, lose weight slowly. Eat a big amount less than that, lose weight fast.

If you don't want to be more strict than absolutely essential, go with losing weight slowly. (Fast weight loss is a trap, anyway; often a mistake to shoot for.)

Very well stated. I've been able to lose about 140# doing just that, 120# to go. I've gained back 30# when the good ship SixteenTons lost focus. I think I'm back on track now. It's easy, CICO works, go for the slow game. The fast loss method causes the body to adjust to the lower calorie and plateau, and it doesn't allow you to develop coping stratigies. Healthy diet and special needs not withstanding, it doesn't make a difference what you want to eat just CICO. To prevent plateauing use a day or two of higher fat, & protein trying to stay close to the guidelines. I look at a week at a time adjusting the calories of other meals to accomadate these days. The only things to avoid are inaction, & resignation. My hats off to you and anyone on the journey!

BermsRecovery

Vague.

Simply eat satiating meals that will naturally make you crave less.