What is working for you?

BeautyDoll

Limiting sugar, flour, sweets… Not drinking calories (water, water, water)… Keeping track of what I eat by using MFP and staying connected and focused by logging in and being accountable to MFP buddies! You can do it!

wheird

Eating and drinking whatever I want provided I am staying within my calorie and macro targets.

Weight training

Light cardio.

oneday987

Hi,

I'm 57 and tried a number of ways to lose weight (not a lot).

I started reading Diet Doctor (you can google this) (or here is the link http://www.dietdoctor.com/) and started reading about the low carbohydrate, high fat lifestyle. What a surprise! For me this really works. I have to give up carbs (pasta, potatoes, bread, etc), but everything else makes up for it.

Just read it and see whether you think you can use this as a means of losing weight. The thing I like about this, is that there is lot of help out there. People are not trying to sell books, tapes, videos, etc. Everyone is out there to teach you about how to cut down on your carb and sugar intake and how to give up on eating processed food.

Anyway,, read it and see what you think.

If it helps, I am glad

jackieatx

This post is entitled "what is working for you?".

CaffeinatedConfectionist

Logging everything (even the 5000+ calorie days) and using a food scale to weigh EVERYTHING. I know that if I'm not honest and consistent, I'm wasting my time.

Lifting weights, starting with a basic beginner's program like Stronglift 5x5 or Starting Strength that steadily progresses in intensity/weight so as to ensure I retain as much lean body mass/muscle as possible.

Doing moderate cardio most days in the week. I have good cardiovascular health. And I get to watch TV (I have an in home elliptical, so I'm currently working my way through Supernatural).

Eating enough, and eating enough protein (I aim for 1g/lb of lean body mass, at least, and eat a few hundred calories under my TDEE typically, though I am doing a deeper cut for a week or two after Christmas).

Educating myself. Figuring out who on the forums knows what they're talking about, and listening to them. Independently reading journal articles about scientific studies pertaining to weight loss, exercise, or food/macros. Applying what I've learned to my diet and exercise routine.

Making the above activities a routine that I do every. single. day. (well, not the weight lifting, but I stick to my lifting schedule religiously) because once it all becomes a routine life becomes unbelievably easier; it's not a struggle - anymore - to eat a reasonable amount of food. It's not a struggle - anymore - to exercise most days out of the week. It's not a struggle - anymore - to look in the mirror and pretend I'm ok with what I see. Because now I am, and I'm stronger, happier, and more self-confident than I ever thought I could be; it started out about weight, and ended up being about fitness and continually challenging myself.

I often see people on these boards who say they're thinking about giving up, and I have never understood these people. You can give up at a game. You can give up at a job. You can give up at a relationship. You can leave these things, walk away, and never see them again. You can't walk away from yourself, your body, your self-esteem. It's your life, and the next year is going to be gone before you know it, regardless of how you spend it. What do you want to be, a year from now? Make the most of it.

Edited for grammar.

ndj1979

Hi,

I'm 57 and tried a number of ways to lose weight (not a lot).

I started reading Diet Doctor (you can google this) (or here is the link http://www.dietdoctor.com/) and started reading about the low carbohydrate, high fat lifestyle. What a surprise! For me this really works. I have to give up carbs (pasta, potatoes, bread, etc), but everything else makes up for it.

Just read it and see whether you think you can use this as a means of losing weight. The thing I like about this, is that there is lot of help out there. People are not trying to sell books, tapes, videos, etc. Everyone is out there to teach you about how to cut down on your carb and sugar intake and how to give up on eating processed food.

Anyway,, read it and see what you think.

If it helps, I am glad

any diet that restricts a food group as "bad' is idiotic….sorry just the hard truth..

ndj1979

This post is entitled "what is working for you?".

i believe it is, yes

SLLRunner

I eat what I want when I want but I make sure I stay within my calorie allowance. In other words, I've lost weight because I've eaten in a calorie deficit.

I weight lift and run, and do other exercise each day, which tones, gives me endurance, and helps to create a calorie deficit, but it is not necessary to lose weight.

As for your remark about the "simple answers"- it really is THAT simple, it's just that people make losing weight so difficult.

Phaedra2014

Eating at a deficit will give you results. The "only" problem is figuring out how many calories you need to eat every day and what that deficit needs to be.

The parameters in the online calculators are too broad and vague so, ultimately, it comes down to trial and error until you finds your weight loss sweet spot.

I'm still looking for it. May you be more successful.

bwogilvie

It really is that simple: eat at a calorie deficit and you will lose weight. Exercise to keep in shape: resistance training to ensure that most of what you lose is fat, and cardio to improve stamina. Make sure that any dietary changes you make are ones you want to maintain for the rest of your life: don't cut out a food unless you plan to never eat it again. Instead, cut back on things that don't meet your calorie goals: 1/2 oz. of cheese instead of a giant piece, for example (I love cheese!).

However, simple doesn't mean easy. You're basically going to be starving yourself, in the sense that you will be routinely eating fewer calories than you need to maintain your weight. The rest will come from fat stores. Since we have evolved to eat when food is available, reserving fat stores for lean times, you'll need to deal with cravings for food, which is exacerbated by the fact that those of us who are overweight generally don't have a reliable appetite and are likely to get hungry even if we're eating enough to maintain our weight.

Some things that have helped me along the way are:

* Planning meals in advance, cooking them, and carefully weighing ingredients to get accurate calorie counts.

* Pre-logging much of my food, including what I plan for dinner, so that I know how much wiggle room (if any) I have for snacks or treats.

* Exercising a lot, and using an accurate heart rate monitor for cardio, which lets me eat more.

* Learning that after about three weeks, I stopped getting frequent hunger pangs in mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Your body will adapt to burning fat stores as a matter of course. The first three weeks last January were tough; now it's much easier for me to eat at a calorie deficit. (However, for the last two weeks I've been at maintenance, during the holidays--I'm wondering how hard it will be to return to a deficit next week!)

That last point is important. If you can stick it out, it does get easier.

I don't agree with everything John Walker wrote in his book "The Hacker's Diet," but I recommend that everyone read it. And it's free online: http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/

Good luck!

ETA: Oh, and as Phaedra2013 wrote, use online calculators, etc., only as estimates. Compare your data with your results. If you're eating what MFP says is a 1000 calorie/day deficit, and you're losing only 1 lb. a week, your real deficit is only 500 calories/day. So many threads on these forums have people claiming that they are on a plateau despite eating only 1200 calories/day while exercising hard for two hours and not eating back exercise calories. All those threads show is that the posters are wildly off in their estimates of calories eaten, calories burned, or both.

pspetralia

Thank you for some of your answers...to the 'simple' answers...really? Obviously reduce calories and move more! Maybe I should be a little more specific...like are you doing a certain type of workout ei bootcamp, DVDs...are you following a high protein diet or still eating a balanced diet but staying under calories...tdee? Tdee - 20%? How a you figuring out your calories?

it really is that simple…

eat in a calorie deficit and you will lose weight…the exercise program does not matter from a deficit/weight loss perspective..

I will say if you are looking for a training program that one involving heavy lifts and compound movements would be very beneficial..

starting strength and new rules of lifting for woman are great resources…

This!
While I don't know this guy all of his answers on this thread are spot on.
I would also suggest checking out the Eat, Train, Progress group here on MFP. They have tons of helpful info and links.

ndj1979

Thank you for some of your answers...to the 'simple' answers...really? Obviously reduce calories and move more! Maybe I should be a little more specific...like are you doing a certain type of workout ei bootcamp, DVDs...are you following a high protein diet or still eating a balanced diet but staying under calories...tdee? Tdee - 20%? How a you figuring out your calories?

it really is that simple…

eat in a calorie deficit and you will lose weight…the exercise program does not matter from a deficit/weight loss perspective..

I will say if you are looking for a training program that one involving heavy lifts and compound movements would be very beneficial..

starting strength and new rules of lifting for woman are great resources…

This!
While I don't know this guy all of his answers on this thread are spot on.
I would also suggest checking out the Eat, Train, Progress group here on MFP. They have tons of helpful info and links.

I like this person ^

fruttibiscotti

Watching my macros on MFP to stay in keto is what works for me. I hope you find what works for you. Best of luck.

ohheytoned

2 words. Calorie deficit! That's all it takes