Do what works for you

shanteel612

Two years ago I wanted to lose 15lbs on MFP. I set my profile to lose 1 lb per week.. The generated calorie goal was 1230. I tried to stick to this and after 2 1/2 monthsI lost 13lbs. But I had a problem. The way I was eating was just not sustainable for me. I was eating three meals and 2 snacks filled with foods that were not my regular type of stuff. So eventually I gained the weight back. I thought to myself what was the point of sacrificing if I was just gonna gain it all back/

This time around I edited my profile to give me 1470 calories. I am eating normal to me type food . I eat regular foods but I eat a portion that is appropriate, I also decided that I would incorporate more veggies and fruits.

Guess what, it is something that s sustainable I have lost 5 lbs since January first and do not feel like I have had to sacrifice all the stuff I like.

The purpose of this post is to encourage to do what works for you; if that means eating 1200, 1500 or 2300 calories a day or eating all veggies and protein all day. It is easy to jump on band wagons when you want the weight to vanish quickly,I know been there done that. But I encourage you to find what works for you.Because you want to lose the weight, be happy and sustain your loss for the long run.

GeekyKellie

Thanks for the post . I've been dealing with a lot of people on Facebook telling me to alter things (one swears up and down that I shouldn't include my calories lost in workouts in my overall calorie goal, one says I shouldn't drink 6 - 8 glasses of water because it's bad for me, etc.), and I think...it really is about what works for you individually. I've been ignoring them and following what I've got on MFP, and my first weigh-in is tomorrow....hope I lost some !

SunofaBeach14

Well done, OP!

This is why so many of us are pushing calories in vs. calories out. You don't need to do anything special to lose weight, just a calorie deficit. How you get there is ultimately up to you, just do it in a rational and healthy way. A little bit at a time.

shanteel612

Glad that what I said is appreciated. A lot of us spend to much time trying to adhere to other peoples rule. Sometimes you gotta just stick to your guns, forget the rest,and just pay attention to your calorie deficit.

meshashesha2012

Great post, OP. I think in general there are many ways to go about losing weight but it still comes down to eating less calories and picking some method that's sustainable for the rest of your life do you can maintain.

I think so many people fail because they choose methods that aren't natural to them so they are unable to keep that up indefinitely

player30

Very well put Shanteel. As a person who craves salt, I have found that a handfull of almonds or a glass of V-8 fills that need and is healthier than that bag of potato chips I was eating. Truly, I like eating healthier, but I refuse to be hungry. And so instead of saying I am dieting, I say I am learning how to eat healthier.

RawCarrots

Very true! I'm another one who is a "re-starter" Joined in 2012 eating 1200 calories (set to lose 2lb a week when I was only in the mid-overweight range) Novelty wore off after couple of months despite dropping some weight, plus it's nearly impossible to fit any treats on 1200 calories daily, so eventually abandoned it all and gained it all back, plus some more.

When I re-joined in March 2013 I decided I'm going to eat whatever I want, just smaller portions. I'm also incredibly sedentary and hate all exercise so trying to push myself to go to the gym 3 times a week was most likely not going to last, so stared walking instead - 10 minutes at the start. I've quickly increased my calories to a more sustainable level, and even though there were hiccups here and there, I've stayed on track, reached my "dream goal" which I honestly felt was unachievable when I started, and I've gone even lower (now trying to figure out maintanance and maybe drop another 10lb or so for even leaner look)

It hasn't been perfect, my diet is still not "clean", I still don't eat enough protein and have too many treats, still don't do exercise apart from walking and don't lift weights... however I have lost the weight, and it was relatively easy this time, I can honestly say I can eat like this for the rest of my life My next step now is to sort out the exercise as I now want to be not only slim but fit as well, and to eat healthier. Had I tried to push it all at the start I would have never lasted nearly a year.

If I was to give one advice to anybody starting, it would be take all advice on board but make sure you modify it to suit your lifestyle, it's unlikely you'd go from a couch potato to a marathon runner in couple of months, it's all about taking baby steps :flowerforyou:

shanteel612

I love chips so I did not stop eating them but just found a type that gives a nice serving for less cals.

shanteel612

Very true! I'm another one who is a "re-starter" Joined in 2012 eating 1200 calories (set to lose 2lb a week when I was only in the mid-overweight range) Novelty wore off after couple of months despite dropping some weight, plus it's nearly impossible to fit any treats on 1200 calories daily, so eventually abandoned it all and gained it all back, plus some more.

When I re-joined in March 2013 I decided I'm going to eat whatever I want, just smaller portions. I'm also incredibly sedentary and hate all exercise so trying to push myself to go to the gym 3 times a week was most likely not going to last, so stared walking instead - 10 minutes at the start. I've quickly increased my calories to a more sustainable level, and even though there were hiccups here and there, I've stayed on track, reached my "dream goal" which I honestly felt was unachievable when I started, and I've gone even lower (now trying to figure out maintanance and maybe drop another 10lb or so for even leaner look)

It hasn't been perfect, my diet is still not "clean", I still don't eat enough protein and have too many treats, still don't do exercise apart from walking and don't lift weights... however I have lost the weight, and it was relatively easy this time, I can honestly say I can eat like this for the rest of my life My next step now is to sort out the exercise as I now want to be not only slim but fit as well, and to eat healthier. Had I tried to push it all at the start I would have never lasted nearly a year.

If I was to give one advice to anybody starting, it would be take all advice on board but make sure you modify it to suit your lifestyle, it's unlikely you'd go from a couch potato to a marathon runner in couple of months, it's all about taking baby steps :flowerforyou:

Well said.

Bambalina_1

Here Here!! Exactly the same I'm like a 3rd restarted only this time I'm eating whatever I want but within calories, I know it's not the healthiest at the moment and in time it'll get better but at that moment a deficit and introducing exercise is working for me :0)

cristapp

Great post! I love this mindset. :-) You will know what works for you when you have success with something you can be consistent with…then just keep it up! I try and ignore a lot of the conflicting advice I get from friends/family as well.

ChaoticMiNd

I gave up white bread and pasta. Not difficult, especially since it was the culprit for a whole slew of issues I was having. That said, I never gave up white potato's and I have them every day in a whole variety of ways lol.

cristapp

Awesome Bambalina! One mistake I have made in the past is thinking I had to be busting my butt so hard with my workouts in order to be successful. That was the wrong approach for me in many ways. This year, I have added short 30 minutes workouts (either moderate cardio or weights, one or the other) five time/week. And yay, I've been keeping it up. No more hating workout time.