What are your best HABITS for losing weight?

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Replies

  • bciloveme2014
    bciloveme2014 Posts: 213 Member
    Weighing. loggoing, and planning...... one without the others is not effective!

    This and working out.
  • pinkshiningstar
    pinkshiningstar Posts: 141 Member
    Meal prep! I prepare all of my breakfasts and lunches on Sunday/Monday so I'm ready to go for the week. I even do a couple extras to have on hand just in case I'm at the gym late and want something fast for dinner - then I'm not tempted to do a drive thru or eat crap :)
  • leggup
    leggup Posts: 2,942 Member
    My best habit has been logging my food. I used to eat until I finished something just because it was almost done (re: wheel of brie). Now that I weigh things out, I know that 3 more bites could be 300+ calories for some foods. Three more bites every day can really do ya in when you love cheese haha.

    Offering to be the DD more. Then I don't feel comfortable drinking and I save myself empty calories.

    Drinking fruity red wine instead of sugar-bomb daquericoloda concoctions.

    Bringing enough food to lunch so that I'm not tempted to get junk from the deli downstairs.

    Eating way more vegetables because they're so low in calories but high in filling.
  • fireytiger
    fireytiger Posts: 236 Member
    Making exercise a part of my schedule, not something I just do whenever I get around to it.
  • gatorginger
    gatorginger Posts: 947 Member
    Bringing my lunch to work instead of eating out. Enjoying the foods I love in moderation. Finding substitutes that make my meal delicious but yet lower in calories like the Flatbread pizza I now make often at home.
  • Amestris
    Amestris Posts: 152 Member
    Focusing on one small nutrition or fitness goal at a time.
  • millej30
    millej30 Posts: 17
    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.

    I recently started logging EVERYTHING - including when I "taste test" while cooking. I found one day in particular I felt I hadn't done too badly but I didn't log until I had ordered my hamburger and French fries... That day I literally ended up almost 3,000 calories OVER my limit!! The terrifying thing was that I truly felt I had made good choices an eaten proper portions. While you are re-training your mind and body you can't assume anything. Take it right back to the most basic level.

    I also practice substitution. I started with trading regular soda for diet (don't judge!), then soda for juice or lemonade, but now I drink coffee and water almost exclusively. When I eat I try to drink water every few bites, and eat all of the vegetables first. Then I move on to protein, fruits, and finally any bread. You can also find altered versions of your favorite dishes to save on some calories! I LOVE researching recipes and substitutions.
  • lianajayne3108
    lianajayne3108 Posts: 2 Member
    Planning my meals the night before :)
  • Wtn_Gurl
    Wtn_Gurl Posts: 396 Member
    i decide for the week what i plan to eat in general. I learn every week what works best for my weight loss. so then i go to the store and sometimes what leaps out and grabs my taste buds - those are the food items i get - last week it was blackberries and watermelon. YUMMY! eating food that absolutely is delicious will be no problem to eat it - it wont feel like diet food.

    then i see how it affects my weight loss, so then I try to see a pattern, and so then i tweak my food choices a bit and try that.

    I also eat real food, not powdered protein and stuff like that. I just prefer it. Like I'd rather eat a steak than a milkshake made from a protein powder. I just wouldnt eat it if it bought it.
  • Tiamaria1010
    Tiamaria1010 Posts: 40 Member
    Food prep is ESSENTIAL. If you have good food ready at all times, you will EAT IT. I had to learn that the hard way but it absolutely works. Log everything that you eat and I mean everything! Log all of your exercises too! I even log when I clean my house. It all adds up!! When you can see your numbers it increases your likeliness of making smarter choices. I prep my meals for the week--not each day.

    Cardio! Cardio! Cardio!

    I'm not a health nut or anything--I do have wonderful cheat days!! But I make sure that I don't go crazy with it. I have to have a special treat here and there to keep me normal.
  • howardheilweil
    howardheilweil Posts: 604 Member
    Not eating so much... and running a lot.
    Seems to work for me too!
  • QueenOSpades
    QueenOSpades Posts: 171 Member
    Drinking lots of water and dropping added liquid calories/sugars.
  • chris16richardson
    chris16richardson Posts: 5 Member
    Being Honest when logging Food and staying motivated.
    It is easy to get discouraged when you are putting the work and not see results.
  • nm212
    nm212 Posts: 570 Member
    I got into the habit to eat half portions when I go out to eat and take the rest home for lunch the next day. :) It automatically cuts your portion sizes and still allows you to eat what you enjoy! I also try to have fruit or salad/veggies with every meal to keep me fuller longer. Club Soda (Seltzer Water) instead of Soft Drinks and less carbs!
  • ggestella1
    ggestella1 Posts: 2
    weighing food is a good one, the other upside to weighing things like pasta is that now i only make whats needed, and no waste because i've overestimated x
  • ggestella1
    ggestella1 Posts: 2
    also.... batch cooking!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Working out on my lunch break, rather than going out to eat with coworkers has made a big difference.

    I was reading this and thinking "I don't have any habits for losing weight" (i.e. for weight control). All my life it's been an effort to control my weight. I've done it, but it's never been habit. I have to think about it all the time.

    Then I read the comment above and I thought, "Wait, I do have habits that help!". I workout during the work day and I bring my lunch. These may truly be the two things that have kept me most on track.
  • Goal179
    Goal179 Posts: 314 Member
    Full gallon of water every day and weighing my food.
  • rak173
    rak173 Posts: 105 Member
    Pre-logging! During the week I pre-log my breakfast, lunch, snacks and sometimes dinner for the next day. This helps make me plan ahead to keep on track. There are usually about 300-500 calories left over for snacks and such, so my day doesn't feel completely planned/controlled. Just enough to keep me on track!
  • fisherlassie
    fisherlassie Posts: 542 Member
    Eating vegetables at every meal. I am a hungry person. Vegetables really bulk out a meal. They also have lots of vitamins and minerals that help my body feel better so I can move more. Oh yeah and fiber to keep every thing moving.
  • silvereve
    silvereve Posts: 69 Member
    getting in all my calories in at dinner so I am not tempted to eat after dinner.
  • erockem
    erockem Posts: 278 Member
    1) Drinking a full glass of water (8oz+) within fifteen minutes of waking and continuing though out the day.
    2) I don't drink my calories (milk, juice, beer, soda)*. I'd rather eat. *The exception is protein shakes, I can only eat so much protein to reach 150-180 grams per day.
    3) I cut pasta, bread, and white potatoes. I just feel better without them.

    Those are the 3 I live by.
  • indianarunner76
    indianarunner76 Posts: 108 Member
    Running
  • Sinful_moon
    Sinful_moon Posts: 140 Member
    Food scale/logging properly go hand in hand.
    Doing cardio even if you're not that interested in it atm
    Learning to not let mistakes derail all your efforts, life is lived one day at a time.
  • RelentlessChef
    RelentlessChef Posts: 15
    Meal planning, TRUTHFULLY logging everything, hiking daily, cutting out beer, white bread, mayo, milk and reducing starches with dinner. So far so good. Some cravings are tougher than others.
  • Tiamaria1010
    Tiamaria1010 Posts: 40 Member
    Meal planning, TRUTHFULLY logging everything, hiking daily, cutting out beer, white bread, mayo, milk and reducing starches with dinner. So far so good. Some cravings are tougher than others.

    Cutting out the beer was the hardest for me but I did it!!
  • lac925
    lac925 Posts: 12
    I've recently given up soda (I only drank diet sodas) and cut back on sugar, which is what I think kick started my weight loss. Portion control. I give myself little "treats" (ie. a piece of dark chocolate after dinner sometimes) so I don't overindulge or feel deprived. I've gotten into healthier snacking (hummus and carrot sticks instead of chips).

    I jump on the treadmill for 30 minutes at least 4 times a week, followed by some weights. Sometimes, I'll go on Youtube and do the Zumba fitness routines (my favourites are the ones by Lauren Fitz) just for fun :)

    I don't weigh my food or keep a log like a lot of people here, but I do watch my portions and never go back for seconds. I'll take my time eating my meal so that I feel full afterwards - my husband eats fast and is always hungry for seconds :S I also READ LABELS and follow the serving portions.

    I also found that having a protein shake for lunch has helped.
  • jlmarohl
    jlmarohl Posts: 9 Member
    Checking my mood before I eat... A lot of times it's stress induced...
  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
    Accurate and consistent logging.

    Staying active.
  • Kickinkim418
    Kickinkim418 Posts: 257 Member
    Here are mine...

    Drink lots of water between meals.

    Eat frequently

    log what you eat

    stay active, doing what you love

    make small changes over time

    don't beat yourself up when you have a bad day
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