What's helped you to be successful thus far?

FabulouslyMade

Hello. I'm wanting to hear from different people on what tip, trick or thing has helped them to become successful with weight loss, healthy living etc.

I'm wanting to map out goals for myself but looking for a bit of direction and ideas. Thanks

UncertainAngel12

Hey there :-)

I once weighed 78 kilos and went down to 55 kilos in about 6 months simply by changing my eating habits and walking 40 minutes to and from work. I didn't even notice I was losing it really.

So it's 80% diet, 20% exercise I think. Also my BIGGEST tips is to not buy anything that you could comfort eat or cook quickly that is a comfort food when you are trying to lose it. I don't buy any biscuits anymore or any pasta. I have temporarily cut bread out of my online shopping orders as I can comfort eat toast like nothing else.

Just think about what your habits are and why you put it on and thenw ork on controlling those habits :-) And never rush yourself to lose weight. Slow and steady wins the race... unless you are an exercise junky.

beachlover317

The most important thing to focus on is building solid habits. Motivation comes and goes. Excitement about losing a few pounds will pale in the days when you don't lose anything.

Eat at a healthy calorie deficit.
Start doing something you enjoy and do it consistently.
Weigh and measure every bite of your food and then log every bite.
Never quit. No matter how tired or frustrated you are - don't quit

Railr0aderTony

The most important thing to focus on is building solid habits. Motivation comes and goes. Excitement about losing a few pounds will pale in the days when you don't lose anything.

Eat at a healthy calorie deficit.
Start doing something you enjoy and do it consistently.
Weigh and measure every bite of your food and then log every bite.
Never quit. No matter how tired or frustrated you are - don't quit

QFT, Your on fire today.

CassieReannan

Accountability and motivation, also not restricting.

patrickfish7

- Not trying to do too much too quick;
- Building a plan and sticking with it;
- Monitoring calories without being anal about it. Rewards are required for you to continue cutting weight;
- Goals. Always set high goals for long-term and low goals for short-term, use them as a road-map

In terms of yourself, what are your stats ie weight, BF, RHR, BMR etc? I could give you my plan but if you are where I was three or four years ago, you'll suffer too much too soon. Progress comes with time.

GiveMeCoffee

The most important thing to focus on is building solid habits. Motivation comes and goes. Excitement about losing a few pounds will pale in the days when you don't lose anything.

Eat at a healthy calorie deficit.
Start doing something you enjoy and do it consistently.
Weigh and measure every bite of your food and then log every bite.
Never quit. No matter how tired or frustrated you are - don't quit

All of this! Learn patience, and start being brutally honest with yourself.

harminzer

Whatever your path, try to stay consistent. If you should slip a bit don't panic enjoy the moment and get right back on target.

davert123

Realizing I need to change me and not just cut calories for a while :-) Then chose the me I wanted to be when I would normally have said I had 'finished' and started acting like the person as best as I could each day from today :-)

lambchoplewis

I weight myself ever day-very controversial as u have to accept a 1-3 lb increase due to water weight. Then I log food and exercise for day. I thn look at these posts to stay motivated and get help-or help others.

LTGPSA

Hello. Agreeing with the points stated before me, more specifically (for me) it is important to drink an abundance of water daily, eat fruits and vegetables daily, and get some sort of daily exercise. Everyone can give at least 30 minutes of their day to burn a few calories. This month is 2 years I've had my weight off from doing what I and the others before me have stated along with utilizing this site. My weight does increase over the holidays but I'm on my way back to goal / maintenance.

All the best to everyone in 2014! :flowerforyou:

twixlepennie

Hello. I'm wanting to hear from different people on what tip, trick or thing has helped them to become successful with weight loss, healthy living etc.

I'm wanting to map out goals for myself but looking for a bit of direction and ideas. Thanks

Make the commitment to do this successfully. Everything else is secondary.

samueleketorp

For me it was all in my head. I used to find my self defeated in just about everything I tried and was plagued by a constant feeling of feeling sorry for myself. As I came to understand that my body is a reflection of my mental state, I figured out that accepting that I'm responsible for my own choices was the key I needed. It may seem banal and really simple to understand, but if you recognize that you're allways blaming your situation on your surroundings or even other people, then this thought of responsibility may help you forward. In turn, it led me allways question what I put in my mouth and it also helped me forward with spending calories. If I want to eat more, I have to burn more. It all started with that recognition that I'm responsible for the way I feel and the way I function. It took me about 25 years to figure that out. I've had lapses back to my old self and examining those situations, I see it tends to happen when life gets a bit tougher. Stress, a lot of schoolwork, constantly changing schedules etc are factors that I've just recently learned to be aware of and to see as cautions to monitor my health and adherance to diet and workoutroutines.

Best of luck with your goals!
Happy new 2014
/Sam

clairercoll

For me, it was all about realizing that developing healthy habits will take some time! I used to be frustrated about not seeing fast results, or feeling like I was always deprived/forcing myself to be healthy. But after a few weeks, it becomes more natural! Eventually, healthy choices become second nature. You just have to stick to it; be patient and be consistent.

Also - really helped me to not obsess over having a "perfect" day. There's no need to freak out and panic if you ate something a little indulgent, or went a little over your calories. Move on. Make tomorrow better. Not stressing over little things has made me happier with the journey, and remembering my goals.

FabulouslyMade

Hey there :-)

I once weighed 78 kilos and went down to 55 kilos in about 6 months simply by changing my eating habits and walking 40 minutes to and from work. I didn't even notice I was losing it really.

So it's 80% diet, 20% exercise I think. Also my BIGGEST tips is to not buy anything that you could comfort eat or cook quickly that is a comfort food when you are trying to lose it. I don't buy any biscuits anymore or any pasta. I have temporarily cut bread out of my online shopping orders as I can comfort eat toast like nothing else.

Just think about what your habits are and why you put it on and thenw ork on controlling those habits :-) And never rush yourself to lose weight. Slow and steady wins the race... unless you are an exercise junky.

Congrats to you!

FabulouslyMade

The most important thing to focus on is building solid habits. Motivation comes and goes. Excitement about losing a few pounds will pale in the days when you don't lose anything.

Eat at a healthy calorie deficit.
Start doing something you enjoy and do it consistently.
Weigh and measure every bite of your food and then log every bite.
Never quit. No matter how tired or frustrated you are - don't quit

Thank you so much!!

FabulouslyMade

Accountability and motivation, also not restricting.

Accountability is a big one for me

FabulouslyMade

For me, it was all about realizing that developing healthy habits will take some time! I used to be frustrated about not seeing fast results, or feeling like I was always deprived/forcing myself to be healthy. But after a few weeks, it becomes more natural! Eventually, healthy choices become second nature. You just have to stick to it; be patient and be consistent.

Also - really helped me to not obsess over having a "perfect" day. There's no need to freak out and panic if you ate something a little indulgent, or went a little over your calories. Move on. Make tomorrow better. Not stressing over little things has made me happier with the journey, and remembering my goals.

Thank you!

FabulouslyMade

For me it was all in my head. I used to find my self defeated in just about everything I tried and was plagued by a constant feeling of feeling sorry for myself. As I came to understand that my body is a reflection of my mental state, I figured out that accepting that I'm responsible for my own choices was the key I needed. It may seem banal and really simple to understand, but if you recognize that you're allways blaming your situation on your surroundings or even other people, then this thought of responsibility may help you forward. In turn, it led me allways question what I put in my mouth and it also helped me forward with spending calories. If I want to eat more, I have to burn more. It all started with that recognition that I'm responsible for the way I feel and the way I function. It took me about 25 years to figure that out. I've had lapses back to my old self and examining those situations, I see it tends to happen when life gets a bit tougher. Stress, a lot of schoolwork, constantly changing schedules etc are factors that I've just recently learned to be aware of and to see as cautions to monitor my health and adherance to diet and workoutroutines.

Best of luck with your goals!
Happy new 2014
/Sam

Thank you so much!!

BrotherBill913

The same principle that I apply in other areas of my life, that sacrifice isn't a burden but rather a blessing...........

cwolfman13

- big picture thinking. to really conceptualize what it means to change your "lifestyle" you need to see big picture. when you see the bigger picture then you understand that you are going to have good days and bad days and good weeks and bad weeks...you aren't going to be 100% perfect all of the time. You are going to miss workouts and you are going to have indulgences (holidays, birthdays, random neighborhood BBQs, etc). When you see big picture, you are able to just move on from these things because you realize that they are insignificant in the entirety of your life and thus your "lifestyle"...they are mere blips and bumps. When someone can't see big picture they get caught up in this minutia of day to day and it is debilitating and suddenly missing a workout or something derails everything.

- logging consistently and honestly

- maintaining a reasonable deficit and not worrying about speed or losing weight fast. It is tempting to try to lose as fast as possible, but most often, those kind of deficits aren't sustainable over the long term. You have to understand that it is a long haul so you need to maintain a sustainable calorie deficit.

- focusing on the process and focusing on my nutrition and fitness rather than putting all of my stock into some arbitrary number on the scale. Focusing on that process allowed me to learn proper portion, moderation, proper nutrition, and helped to cultivate a healthy relationship between myself, food, and fitness. The next thing I knew, 9 months had flown by and I was down 40 Lbs and more fit and healthier than I have been since I was in my early 20s.