I can't recommend it enough!! I love...

iwannawearatutu

There are a few things that I just can't recommend highly enough when it comes to weightloss, and I find myself praising them over and over again whenever they come up. How about you, anything like that? Food, workouts, etc - what are your biggest recommendations for weight loss and why?

Mine are...

WATER - can't get enough of good old water, right?! Drinking plenty of water on a consistent basis takes water weight off and keeps it off. Water weight comes about when your body retains water, which it can do for a variety of reasons. The top three I know of are too much sodium, recovering from strength training/building muscle, and well, the female reason. And water retention prevention is just ONE reason why drinking plenty of water (and I mean a MINIMUM of 64 oz a day!) help with weight loss. Other reasons include: water aids digestion and good digestion keeps you from storing more fat than you need to, water makes you feel more full, and a lot of times when you feel hungry you are actually just thirsty. Water ROCKS. (P.S. if you have a hard time drinking your water requirement, try it chilled or try it filtered with a Brita or similar system. I drink 90% of my water chilled AND filtered and I could never manage to drink all my water if I didn't.)

HAVING A HEART RATE MONITOR (HRM) - We all love the ability to track our activities using MFP's database, but everyone is different and in my experience my HRM reads something noticeably different than MFP estimates at least half the time. MFP's estimates are fabulous and I'm not saying you can't lose weight just using the activity estimates in the database but if you can afford one GET ONE. If nothing else I have found that I perform more at the top of my game when I have the info right there on my wrist at all times, telling me if my heart rate starts to dip or (occasionally) climb too high.

LESLIE SANSONE - Fitness instructor best known for her DVDs (though she started out teaching in person and as far as I know still does). She's put out several series of DVDs over the years including Walkaerobics, Walk Away The Pounds (and WATP Express), and Walk At Home. As you can see, all of her workouts are based around walking-style moves, such as marching in place, side-steps, knee-ups, etc. She is perky and cheerful, and the workouts are incredibly easy to follow even if you are a certifiable klutz like me. Of course, by the same token you may find her annoyingly perky or her workouts overly simple and boring. But for me they are the core of my workouts, I couldn't do it without her. (My very favorite series, by the way, is Walk Away The Pounds Express.)

THE SOUTH BEACH DIET BOOK - Despite the gimmicky name, SBD was designed by a cardiologist in consultation with a nutritionist when he became frustrated at the lack of effective heart-healthy diets at the time. Weight loss was sort of a handy side effect, but it's what made it catch on. Even if you don't plan to follow this way of eating, I recommend it as an interesting read on nutrition, metabolism, and how we came to have some extremely common misconceptions about them.

BSN DESSERT PROTEIN SHAKES - I buy these from bulknutrition.com and just about every time I have one I am still surprised at how good and un-protein-shake-like they are. Not gritty at all, mixes surprisingly well with just a spoon (though I prefer the food processor for a perfect and slightly froth mix) and delicious. Fairly low carb at 8g per serving, they come in several flavors including Cinnamon Roll, Whipped Vanilla, Banana Creme, and Chocolate Fudge.

BEANS - Beans are not only a good source of both fiber and protein which makes them very filling for their calories, they are the best non-dairy source of calcium which aids in burning more fat. Always rinse canned beans though, this helps avoid the most common complaint with beans (gas) as well as reduces the sodium. Dry beans don't have a high sodium content, but take longer to prepare.

GEORGE FOREMAN GRILL - I could NOT eat healthy without one! We are on our third one, and that's not to say they don't hold up well, that's just that we use it almost every single day and have for YEARS. Not only does it "knock fat out" really well, it also cooks chicken breasts, sausages, burgers, etc quite easily and without heating up the kitchen like the stove or oven does - a huge "plus" in the summertime!!!

GOOD SOCKS - Investing in good quality, supportive, moisture-wicking socks is just as important as investing in good shoes. They will protect your arches and defend against blisters. If you intend to exercise, get good socks!!!


Wheeeeewww! That's a lot! Hope you enjoyed reading my Gotta Have It list, please share yours!!! What things are you constantly recommending to others in their weight loss journey?

weelissa

A measuring tape: Sometimes you'll find you lose inches even if your scales aren't moving. Keeping track of you basic measurements (waist, hips, shoulders, chest, thighs, upper arms) will give you a more accurate account of your changing shape.

I probably shouldn't say this, but Now Slim slimming pills really helped me at the beginning of my weightloss to give me the push I needed!

Holton

A refrigerator stocked with a big variety fresh vegetables and fresh fruits!

IrishChik

I love Leslie! When I did WW in 2001 she was my go-to gal before I started running. I have a ton of her videos and about 3 different series sets. I am so clumsy and can't seem to get coordinated enough for other workout videos and that just leaves me frustrated and never wanting to do them. I trade off between outside, the treadmill and her videos.

Great list btw!

JUSTFORME2010

That was great!!! Thanks for your favorite things. I use the brita as well and try to fill the largest thing i can with ice and drink it without thinking all day and then at night fill another one up and do the same.

blh_1010

LESLIE SANSONE - Fitness instructor best known for her DVDs (though she started out teaching in person and as far as I know still does). She's put out several series of DVDs over the years including Walkaerobics, Walk Away The Pounds (and WATP Express), and Walk At Home. As you can see, all of her workouts are based around walking-style moves, such as marching in place, side-steps, knee-ups, etc. She is perky and cheerful, and the workouts are incredibly easy to follow even if you are a certifiable klutz like me. Of course, by the same token you may find her annoyingly perky or her workouts overly simple and boring. But for me they are the core of my workouts, I couldn't do it without her. (My very favorite series, by the way, is Walk Away The Pounds Express.)

I LOVE HER TOO! She is the best! Makes working out so much fun!

girlruns

MFP!!!!!!! This website and the community are far and away the best I have found.

A buddy: while all of my friends on here are awesome, I also have one of my best friends on this journey with me (but not on MFP, go figure, she uses a different site). While our paths have been a little different, she is there for anything I want to celebrate, vent on, discuss, etc. If I didn't have her, I see this journey having gone a lot differently.

And ditto to Holton. At the beginning of the week I was out of produce and was so frustrated by how bloated I felt with eating the processed junk I did have, and by how much less food you get for more calories when it is junk!! Finally went shopping last night and my salad today was one of my best ever!!! I will still eat processed food--sometimes because I want to and sometimes because I am accomadating my picky husband, but I never would have got this far with out my fruits and veggies!!

islandnutshel

I love my wii fit, free ride course and running. I can't believe how much fun a good sweat is. I also love my pedometer. My husband wears one, and he usualy beats my score. I think he must attach it to our lab and send him running. I love my treadmill and music. I love Saltspring island for all it's healthy hippy reastaunts and gluten free food and locally grown produce. Can't you feel the gratitude today

sunshine79

Mines not really a thing as such more of a habit.....

Eating little and often.

Doing this has revolutionised my weight (or should I say fat) loss. It has kicked my metabolism into gear and has helped my energy levels to stay constant so I no longer get those highs and lows. :glasses: :glasses: :happy:

jessicajoy87

Leslie Sansone fan!!!!!!!!!!!!:happy:

dlrcpa

Good walking shoes. I go through at least 1 pair a year, sometmes 2.
A good walking partner, preferably the 4-legged kind. He has to go out rain or shine, hot or cold, so we go - usually 60-90 minutes a day..
All the great paved walking trails in my community - 55 miles of trails for walking or biking. It means I'm not walking beside traffic or through mud.
Oatmeal for breakfast - you can flavor it so many different ways and it is filling and cheap.

KellyBurton1

I love Leslie too, if you feel like putting all you can in a workout you can up the workout by putting all you can into the walk by jogging in place or go faster or deeper in the moves and I also use two 5 lb weights when she uses the band for strenght training and more resistance.

July24Lioness

I couldn't do this without the support of my husband!! He bought me the bike in my avatar and he got a matching one (that was our anniversary presents to each other) and he pushes me even when I don't feel like doing anything.

We are going on longer and longer rides and it feels GREAT!!!

So my husband and my bike I can't live without to complete my lifestyle!!!


P.S - I also can't live without my BBQ grill and attached smoker......... :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

SaveTheDrama

I couldn't do this without the support of my husband!! He bought me the bike in my avatar and he got a matching one (that was our anniversary presents to each other) and he pushes me even when I don't feel like doing anything.

We are going on longer and longer rides and it feels GREAT!!!

So my husband and my bike I can't live without to complete my lifestyle!!!


P.S - I also can't live without my BBQ grill and attached smoker......... :drinker: :drinker: :drinker:

I am so jealous! I want a grill like that!

jennpv

I agree about the Heart Rate Monitor! I just got one a couple months ago and have noticed a big difference in my workouts. I want to push myself harder to get my heart rate up and to burn more calories. I love it!

leanmass24

Measuring cups... i cant believe that no one has said this. It is easier to judge how much you eat if you actually measure your food intake

ashleyolivia

those of you who say you love your heart rate monitor, do you have a specific brand you'd recommend? i think i'd like to get one, but there are so many choices i'm not sure where to start..

tlapdx72

I have the Polar F7, and it is great. I mainly use it to keep track of my calories, and my heart rate. I also have a Polar F11, which was much more expensive. It does a bunch more things, but I figured out that all I really wanted to track was my calories and HR.