The one thing you did that made the difference?

oc1timoco

The purchase of a food scale. < 15 $. I was over estimating my food portions

KenishaFitness

Congrats on the 20lb weight loss. So far since I started back up working out at the end of July, I have made a commitment to get in my daily nutrition every single day & workout minimum of 4 days. I have struggled through the progress, but I did over looked it eventually and kept it moving.

Elif84

One thing that made the difference was that I started to actually want to lose weight, meaning that I finally had the discipline and drive to work out and change my eating habits after several, failed attempts. After I was successfully losing weight, I couldn't believe it; I thought to myself, I must have really wanted this time around. That meant getting up early in the morning to work out before work (I switched it to after work) and changing the way I ate. If I went out to eat and splurged I would get right back into it either later that day or the next day (the old me would have just been like, well I screwed it up today, might as well screw up the rest of the week).

rrcorleto

Just some background. I started this journey on 5/5/2013, exactly 6 month to the day tomorrow. When I started I was at 350ish pounds, didn't exercise, and work at a desk for 12 hour shifts. Today I am at 288, down 66 pounds, and still going strong.

Without a doubt portion control was what made me lose what I lost. I look back now at not necessarily what I was eating, but how much, and I can't believe the amounts I used to intake. I try to walk at least 3 times a week for 3 miles or so, and I have stopped and started running (the stops and starts were medical malfunctions, not for lack of trying), but I think that even if I didn't change my exercise habits I still would of had sucess, maybe just not to the degree that I have had. I haven't really changed the food types that I am eating, although I have elimated fast food and what little soda that I did drink. I like to think that I have modified the foods that I eat. Turkey Burger instead of beef, chicken sausage instead of pork, a portion appropriate sirloin steak instead of a 16oz ribeye, brown rice instead of a white rice in sauce, whole wheat breads & pasta instead of bleached flour when possible, etc. Once in a while I have an "old style" food as an treat, such as a beef burger when I hit the 60 pound loss mark, but I can't say that I want for anything or am depribed certain things. If I want it, I have it, just in moderation.

So far what I have do has been without any surgeries, diets, powders, pills, shakes, or any other dramatic changes, so it can be done if you just eat at a deficit. I just had the longest stall of my journey so far at 15 days, but the scale is moving in a downward direction once more so I can stop worring that it was never going to move again- I have not done any strength training because both of my knees are wrecked from playing ball, but I think once the new year comes around I am going to work in some low impact strength training to get me going down that path. We'll cross tat bridge when we get to it though...

marko320

I audited everything using MFP. My doctor told me to pick a calorie counter and shoot for 1500 calories of food per day. I thought I knew what portion control was until I counted everything. I eat less now than ever before. I've lost the weight listed in my sig since May, and I'm 19lbs less than my highest weight. So it worked.