What are your best HABITS for losing weight?

13suzie

So, I saw this great quote: "Motivation is what gets you going and habits are what keep you going."

What are your best habits that have helped you lose weight? I know that replacing the urge to eat with drinking tea at night is a good habit that helps me with unnecessary eating at night. I would love to know other people's weight loss habits that make the weight loss journey easier and successful.

Greenrun99

Using a food scale

SezxyStef

Using a food scale

+logging accurately

hasta_la_vista_belly

Using a food scale

+logging accurately

These.

eldamiano

Not eating so much... and running a lot.

jillian_fan2425

Good topic!

Planning is key for me. I have to know ahead of time what my meals are going to look like and where I have wiggle room. This helps not only with resisting temptation during the week but also on the weekends when I go to the grocery store. It's cheaper and healthier not to pick up unexpected items just because you see them on the shelf. (And never go grocery shopping while hungry!)

With exercise, I think you have to not force it -- find something you enjoy and use that to burn calories. For me, it's circuit training, kickboxing, walking wherever I can around town, and hanging out with my husband (playing soccer, hiking, etc.). I tried to get into running and really never fell in love with it, so I don't force myself to do that. Just keep trying new things until you find something you like.

I also struggle a little bit with getting enough water. I'll let myself have a different beverage with dinner (usually a diet soda), but I make an effort to drink only water during the workday. I also recently started letting myself only have water after dinner in order to resist the urge to have a bedtime snack. I've been slacking on it a little lately, but it's helped me get a couple more glasses in.

dopeysmelly

Planning my meals for the day in the morning, so I know what I'll be eating, when and that I'll get enough protein and stay within my calorie target.

aarnwine2013

Weighing my food has been the best habit. All I can say is no wonder I'm fat...

pandsmomCheryl

Running.

kwantlen2051

Logging everything I ate. Trying to stay within my macros.

BlueBombers

Qarol

Ditto the food scale. Can't say enough good things about it. That's been my #1.

Capt_Apollo

patience, persistence, and planning

iRun_Butterfly

Logging everything
Food Scale & Measuring cups/spoons
Some kind of activity, every single day, even if just a short walk. Keeps me focused on my goals.

kimbux

Weighing. loggoing, and planning...... one without the others is not effective!

sun_fish

Using a food scale

+logging accurately

This, absolutely this.

GiveMeCoffee

patience, persistence, and planning

This and using a food scale

CorlissaEats

Using a food scale

+logging accurately

Pre-logging or pre-planning your day. Exercise included.
Your thighs don't lie. If you don't do the work and accurately log the food, nothing can change. Plus, when you fail to plan, you plan to fail.

scubasuenc

Every day have 2 goals (1) eat under my calorie goal (2) exercise at least 30 minutes. Do those enough times and they become habits. Weighing and logging food is automatic. Now my day isn't right if I don't get my exercise in.

LoupGarouTFTs

What everyone else has said: logging and measuring food, meal planning, and increasing my fluid intake and exercise. However, I also cut out a number of empty calories by changing a "reward" I used to give myself. I usually shop a couple of times a week at Walmart and utterly *hate* that store. However, it's the cheapest place for me to buy my groceries and other things I need. I used to buy myself a candy bar to reward myself for spending time in that hated place, which added up to about 600 calories/week. I now buy myself a Fuze Slenderize beverage instead--not depriving myself, but at the same time reducing what I take in. I've started using the substitution concept for other things I do, too and I'm finding it very helpful.

JakeNJ95

Every time I get hungry I have a glass of water to make sure that I am not thirsty. Your brain likes to play games with you and make you think your hungry when you are thirsty and you keep eating when in reality you are thirsty not hungry. This has helped me a lot.

DesDawn24

Weighing everything with a food scale, and packing lunches the night before! If I don't pack a lunch, I easily double the calories that I would have eaten. It makes a huge difference!

cavia

Ditto the food scale. Can't say enough good things about it. That's been my #1.

Yup, this.

quiksylver296

Working out on my lunch break, rather than going out to eat with coworkers has made a big difference.

Alassonde

Eating out rarely, and planning for it by making my other meals/snacks low-cal that day.

Not eating unless I'm actually hungry.

Don't eat until I'm FULL, eat until I'm not hungry anymore.

Exercise.

And, of course, logging. I think that really is the most important since I really think we just don't realize how much we're eating until we really start paying attention.

ruffnstuff

It's now a total habit for me to pre-log for the next day at night. This has helped not only with weight loss, but also with getting prepped and out the door in the morning, saving money on groceries, and not needing to "run out for lunch" at work. I get a bit angry if I can't pre-log the night before now!

rsoice

Honestly don't weight my food but I do log accurately and force myself to keep up with my water intake. Also plan (look forward to) 1 splurge day per week. A lot of times it turns into just a splurge meal but I'm still paying myself for eating better during the week. Oh, and work out regularly.

roxxie25

Wearing my fitbit everyday and setting a low activity level on MyFitnessPal so that it is easy to earn extra calories by walking more or working out

cwolfman13

Keep in mind, your habits for losing weight are going to basically be the same as they will be to maintain weight...I've been maintaining for 12 months as of last Friday and the only thing that is different now from when I was losing is a few hundred calories. My habits for losing and maintaining...

- making solid nutritional decisions

- portion control/moderation

- regular exercise

I would also add that I don't eat out all that much...I used to eat out at least 5-6 times per week...now I eat out maybe 1-2 times per month...really, most of my dining out is done while on vacations and the like. I personally find weight control and regularly eating out at restaurants to be difficult so I minimize my exposure. I've also substantially reduce my intake of sodas...I used to drink 3-5 12 oz sodas per day...I have a soda maybe once per month of something, if that. Additionally, I've substantially reduced my dairy intake...nothing inherently wrong with dairy, but I used to eat about 1/4 Lb of cheese for a snack pretty much every day and generally went through a gallon of whole milk every 2-3 days which was a **** ton of calories.

knitapeace

It's now a total habit for me to pre-log for the next day at night. This has helped not only with weight loss, but also with getting prepped and out the door in the morning, saving money on groceries, and not needing to "run out for lunch" at work. I get a bit angry if I can't pre-log the night before now!

This is me. Prelogging the night before (except dinner, never know what Chef Husband will be cooking up for dinner) has prompted me also to set up the coffeemaker, lay out my exercise and work clothes, and pack my daughter's lunch ahead of time. My mornings start way earlier now that I have the habit of waking early for exercise, but they go more smoothly due to diligent planning.

So my 2 best new habits are prelogging and exercise.

bebeisfit

There is some great advice on this thread!! Here are a few of my best habits.

I find that if I get a workout in first thing in the morning, I tend to make better food choices that day and sometimes the day before. If I know I'm suppose to run 4 miles in the morning, I'm less likely to over indulge the night before. I also end up eating more calories the first part of my day instead of a heavy meal at dinnertime.

Planning meals and snacks and eating out much much less are super helpful. I try to have 3 prepared meals in my refrigerator at all times - there's always something to bring for lunch or a snack. And I often cook up a pot of soup with lots of vegetables and beans. Money, time and calorie savers!

Smaller bowls (especially if you eat cereal - wow!) and a smaller plate along with using measuring cups and spoons.