Hey everyone! I am new to weight loss and am trying to slim down. In past years I have slimmed down with cardio and cutting back on certain foods, but it never seems to stick. So what should I do differently
Once you lose the weight you have to keep from going back to old eating habits.
Once people figure "job done" they tend to think it will just automatically stay off but it creeps back on little by little until they're back to square one again šš
I'm in long-term maintenance now (year 10), but what worked for me when losing was focusing on finding new, permanent eating and activity habits that could operate almost on autopilot to keep me at a good weight.
During loss, I thought of it more as being unwilling to do anything to lose weight that I wasn't willing to continue forever to stay at a healthy weight, other than a sensibly moderate calorie deficit until I got to a good weight.
I needed to lose about 50 pounds to go from class 1 obese to a healthy weight, which took just under a year. Along the way, I figured out how to eat in a way that was personally satisfying, practical, and that delivered reasonable overall nutrition on average. I continued a long-term activity routine that had been making me happy for a dozen years already. (I was athletically quite active while obese, otherwise I would've had to work that out along the way, too.)
I ate the same range of foods I had been - was already a reasonably healthy eater - but changed portion sizes, proportions on the plate, and frequency of calorie-dense foods. I still ate treats, special foods at parties or meals at a tempting restaurant, but kept those things less frequent rather than frequent as they had been. I wasn't willing to give up treats or celebrations forever, but was willing to moderate those. I realized that a rare day with too much cake or a 5 hour workout was a drop in the ocean, as long as it was reasonably rare. The things that I did day-in, day-out on repeat were the ocean, and the main focus.
When I got to a good weight, my routine daily eating and activity habits were pretty well worked out, so all I needed to do was add back calories to stop the weight loss, and keep going with the same habits. For me, that's worked out pretty well.
This is going to sound like a joke but it's not: I hate to clothes shop, hate it with a fiery passion. Having to buy a whole new wardrobe from undies on out was the worst part of the process for me. Therefore, though I've had some mild ups and downs in weight in the 10 years of maintenance so far, when my jeans start to get a little snug, I've been able to ratchet down treats/indulgences a bit and very slowly drop my weight down until the snugness goes away. That's been quite painless.
That checkpoint of slightly tight jeans might not be as effective for everyone, but I think it's important to truly commit to some kind of personally relevant goal range in weight, measurements or clothes-size as an action trigger.
I don't think of losing weight as doing "a diet" like a project with an end date, but more a search for slightly more beneficial new permanent habits. So far, so good.
life long journey
Build muscle for longevity.
I like cardio as well, but remember to strength train. You don't want to lose muscle weight, you want to lose fat weight. Strength training will help with that.
Why hasn't it 'stuck' for you? Have you felt deprived and gone back to eating those foods? Did you cut down too much and felt hungry all the time? Did you have a 'life happens' moment and didn't have a plan for it?
There's a lot of reasons people fail. Agree, this is NOT a temporary thing, it is something you will do for your life. If you go back to old ways, you will regain the weight. Find a healthy eating/lifestyle approach you can stick with for the long run.
Thanks everyone for the helpful tips!
I donāt go back to the foods I used to eat, that part hasnāt been hard for me. I usually eat lots of nutrient dense foods and have things in moderation so I donāt think it could be that.
I also play 4 different sports volleyball, softball, tennis, and dance witch makes me use my legs a lot (most of my āfatā is in my thighs) so it could just be my muscle? Im still not really sure!
I pre-log my food for the day in the mornings. I've already decided what I'll have for breakfast, lunch, snack, dinner. And I know the numbers work. That prevents me from needing to make impulsive decisions.
Youre resuming a weekly calorie surplus regardless of food choices be they nutrient dense or otherwise
Once you accept it's a "lifestyle change, fully understand motivation has nothing to do with and consistency and dedication," you will achieve it.
Good Luck.
All this advice will vary. The bottom line, you have to find what is working for you..and stick with that. It will have to mold to your personality.. your will power..and life style/values. They are so different for everyone.
I suggest you find a way to measure yourself..by clothes, a scale. .a measuring tape. whatever. And start trying to eat right and move more and monitor what works for you.. and then keep doing that.
What do I do? Well, right now; I eat after 11 or noon.. maybe even 1:00 some days.. I have coffee in the mornings.. I eat healthy lean foods for l lunch dinner and snacks.. and I eat whatever I want for 24 hours on the weekend. I keep losing steady doing that. It is fun. .works for me. ..and I don't count calories..and I don't kid myself.
I think a lot of us would be surprised that things we feel inside and think no one wld understand or get me then you find your community with like minded individuals. to address the part where you say this is going to sound like a joke. Move over sister ā I got my tight pants I got my tights pants I got my tight pants onā š made me think of the song Jennifer Lopez sang on Jimmy Fallon. Seriously though I loatheeeeee trying on clothes. It drives my husband and nuts. Iāll show him something and he always says the same thing you have to try it on. My daughter is getting married end of the year so I have to get a dress. One is the fact of trying on the dresses and also not knowing what size I will be then. I had gastric sleeve 2016 lost 100 and kept it off until recently. All of a sudden I was going up and down 30 pounds. I have for the most part continued to eat healthy. I read labels check sugar values, carbs and calories. The only thing that changes for me now is doing the injections weekly Iām also going to try to get more active. Itās quite difficult for me to admit because I am disabled for the last 17 years. Iāll do the best that I can do. Stuck to it and get it done!
