If you knew then what you knew now.

jerryvo

I am almost at 50% of my goal and I started thinking if I only knew when I started what I know now how much better off I would be. For the benefit of people that are just starting out or for those of us who are still working through their weight loss program what things do you know now that you wish you did when you started?

For me it is:

It is not that hard to change my lifestyle and watch my calories if I make smarter choices. My wife and I like to split the 400 calorie Ahi tuna appetizer just as much as the almost 2000 calorie blooming onion.

Working out does not mean I can eat like a pig whenever I want. I still need to run a calorie deficit. . (Multiple previous failed attempts are attributed to this)

Nothing is off limits. Just eat a smaller portion and account for the calories. Off limits ultimately leads to a binge. (Milk is a big one for me)

The need for consistency. Working out during the week then taking the entire weekend off or going strong for 3 weeks then taking a week off leads to frustration and giving up. You can cheat once in a while but you need to stay consistent in your workout and dietary regiment.

I don't hate running as much as I thought I did.

Zylahe

I had to google what a blooming onion is....
Now i wants one.

What have i learnt? Take it easy and just do a bit every day.
If i go over, try to limit it by what my deficit should be, it means i reach my goal one day later.
Weigh everything till you can eyeball it.


Omfsm i just read the rest of the wiki 3000 calories for an appertiser, :noway: that is 2 days worth of calories.

Gee_24

I wish I had known how useful my job is for weight loss. Instead I was using it to eat what I wanted. Sometimes upwards of 3000 cals a day. If I didnt work at the hotel I am certain I would have been stones heavier. Im lucky I realised how to utilize it before it got too hard to stop eating the way I was.

amie709

My biggest tip to someone starting out would be: Nothing is written in stone-what worked for one person might not be the thing for you and if you try something and find that it's not the right thing that's okay, just get back on and try something else!

My second biggest tip: dude, seriously! EAT REAL FOOD!! The more real food your eating the leaner, stronger, healthier and happier you will be!!

Yanicka1

Strength training will give me the body cardio never would

Intermittent fasting work great.

aarar

I would tell myself to EAT MORE! Never thought I'd be able to lose weight eating between 1700-2500 calories a day.

Stage14

Strength training will give me the body cardio never would.

This.

cafeaulait7

This is from doing it great a few years ago, so I am telling myself this

It's not that big a difference from what I do normally. Exercise frequency makes the biggest difference for me, and just watching desserts. I do it by lifting, too (and yoga, etc). I think the amount of muscle I have when working out consistently is what makes the biggest difference for me, and that's 30 lbs I put on otherwise!

It doesn't take that long to workout compared to a 30 lb weight gain of mostly fat. I should always make the time, forever

CyberEd312

Ok this may go against alot of peoples beliefs but I would not change anything nor would I want too... Going through the process and all the trials and errors are what has made me into the person I am today.. I would want those experiences because losing 300+ lbs. has most certainly defined me and let the real me come to the forefront and has given me a new lease on life and shown me my strengths and weaknesses... So I wouldn't want to know, I want the experiences because I now know where I came from and know where I never want to go back to every again..... But that is Just my own opinion...... Best of Luck

callas444

Ok this may go against alot of peoples beliefs but I would not change anything nor would I want too... Going through the process and all the trials and errors are what has made me into the person I am today.. I would want those experiences because losing 300+ lbs. has most certainly defined me and let the real me come to the forefront and has given me a new lease on life and shown me my strengths and weaknesses... So I wouldn't want to know, I want the experiences because I now know where I came from and know where I never want to go back to every again..... But that is Just my own opinion...... Best of Luck

I'm with Ed. Every experience of my life, good, bad, ugly... all brought me to the place and this time. If I missed any of it, I might not be ready to tackle my weight loss journey. As for others learning from my experiences, here are my thoughts.

Every day is important. There are no cheat days. If I want something, I make it fit. If I go over, I don't go crazy and binge. I am done with that.
A bad meal doesn't need to lead to a bad day. A bad day doesn't turn into a bad week. I don't give myself excuses to overeat.
I really can eat real, regular food. I eat pizza and peanut butter and chocolate most weeks. I don't starve. I'm hungry at meal time and satisfied after. I have a bedtime snack. This is real life, not a diet.

It takes time to build new habits. The more consistent I am with healthy habits, the more natural they feel.

I celebrate scale and nonscale victories because I damned well have earned them.

chezjuan

Watching macros and strength training are two things I wish I had known about when I started MFP. I picked up on them from the forums pretty quickly, though.

elisa123gal

-- logging what you eat will result in loss..even if you think you're screwing up it teaches you what is crazy stupid not worth it to eat. and it teaches you what pretty good stuff you still can eat.

-- if you're not losing weight or your clothes are not looser... you're over eating or over estimating your exercise calorie burn

-- drinking the water works.

-- it is hard the first few weeks..then it gets easier and easier...even fun.

-- you can make anything in a lower calorie healthier version and it tastes about the same and you can eat it.

-- you don't have to starve... you can eat more than you think and still lose.

-- excercise is what makes it possible... easier for sure.

pita7317

Great topic ! Took me one week of serious food logging and the light bulb went on.
I thought i was trying that first week but it was terrible ! In comparison to now...6 weeks later.
I pay very close attention to food choices and portions.
Not just calories but sodium / carb levels as well.
And...it's working ! wahooo. Weigh in tomorrow.
Half a lb a week is just fine with me.
Pasta is no longer my middle name. hahaha

TheRealParisLove

One day in the future, your motivation will fail you. Before that day comes, you need to figure out what you next big health and fitness adventure is going to be. Without something new to look forward to, your motivation may never return.

My next adventure: exotic meats. On the menu this fall will be goat, bison, and elk.

SLLRunner

I can eat anything I want in moderation.

Most times I don't want to eat something that is not healthy.

If I do eat a sweet or something not so healthy, it does not mean I've failed.

I always have a choice of what to put in my body.

For me, the only reason for weight gain is that I'm eating more calorie than what I'm burning.

I am responsible for any weight loss, gain, or maintenance. Logging food intake and exercise is an excellent tool for accountability.

jadedhippo

Strength training will give me the body cardio never would

Intermittent fasting work great.

This.
I relied on cardio too much and it never did any good for me.
I find intermittent fasting great too.

The main thing for me was trying out different things and finding what works for you
Also that weight loss isnt immediate - it takes time!

shirleygirl910

I've known a lot of this for a long time, but I kept making excuses. I knew to eat in moderation. I knew portion size. I knew I needed to exercise. I knew not to shovel my food as fast as I could. I knew fast food and prepackaged foods were not good for me. I knew I should be cooking my meals. Like Ed said the journey, the trials and the errors are worth so much.

MuseofSong

First, I wish I had talked to my doctor sooner about my progressive feminine problems. It could have gotten my PCOS diagnosed before my weight got out of control.

Next, I wish I had known when I started losing weight from my HW (before I ever joined MFP) how easy food logging could be with the right tools and a great big database already available. It was so hard to find calorie counts for some things that I just didn't bother.

Also, one size fits all 'diets' or 'lifestyle changes' whatever are stupid. Every book or plan that recommends I eat X number of calories to lose weight without taking into account my current weight, height, body fat %, and normal daily activity level is stupid. Any plan that doesn't allow someone to eat at least their BMR is stupid. :P

Treating food as a reward is incorrect. Planning ahead or working hard to eat something I really enjoy is a better idea.

Calling food bad names, just makes me want it more. Mmmmm, forbidden doughnut . . . If I want to talk dirty, I should call my S.O. and stop being mean to food. :P

So, I consciously strive to not call food junk or garbage or whatever else people call food to try to stop themselves from eating calorie dense foods.

I wish all this had clicked for me years ago, but it's all been a fairly recent epiphany.

vanguardfitness

I would probably do intermittent fasting.

When I was 19 and wanted to drop weight I went to an extremely low fat diet eating mostly tuna/chicken/ fiber cereal with skim milk. Got severe acne on my upper back and chest shortly afterwards and I place the blame entirely on the lack of fat. So now I know to be more moderate with fat calorie reduction.

Hildy_J

Do not be disheartened and turn to buttered toast. That 3lb gain is water weight. It's not fat. Keep going.

hookilau

I wish I knew that a low fat high carb diet isn't healthy for every body
:grumble: stupid USDA food pyramid.

gregpack

I'd perform MUCH less cardio, more resistance training, throw in some HIIT, and make protein a larger percentage of my caloric allotment. Would probably also eat a lower carb, higher fat diet.

OsricTheKnight

I'd remember not to get overconfident. After a year or so of controlling my weight I thought I could take my hand off the tiller and it'd just work, but that wasn't right for me. I need to graph and keep graphing forever, or I will fall of the road.

Having to lose 60lb over again (I'd originally lost about 85) is a little annoying. This time I will not lay down the tools that did it for me the first time!

Osric

enidite

I had to learn that the weight loss journey won't be perfect and that I will have better and worse days. On worse days I will have to forgive myself, dust myself off and move on, not give up.