Here are some of my tips!

paulaaah

If you are at a plateau like myself or are just now beginning your journey, here is what I have noticed makes all the difference:

1. ***WHAT*** you eat (a 200 calorie homemade smoothie with good antioxidant/fiber filled fruits and green veggies is way better than a zero calorie coke zero) and avoid refined, processed, sugar/salty foods. If you want to take it to the next level, avoid the center aisles in the grocery store altogether except for wheat bread, quinoa, organic peanut butter (if you're like me and will love PB till the end of time) and white tuna in water!

2. WHEN you eat (try to avoid eating past 7 PM as food digest slower while you sleep)
3. HOW OFTEN you eat (5-6 small meals/snacks a day has proven to be more effective than 3 normal meals)
4. PRE-PLAN your meals. This is an option but has proven to be extremely effective! Fail to prepare, prepare to fail type attitude. Cooking your meals for the next day each night has helped many stay on track and buying a small cooler will insure that you follow your guidelines because now your food is traveling with you
5. GREEN TEA AND GINGER TEA are so extremely beneficial for people trying to lose weight especially around the tummy area! Not a cure or easy way out but green tea provides energy and speeds up metabolism. I buy 5 oz of tea leaves from my local tea store but organic bagged green tea is just as good ginger tea is good for after meals because it promotes digestion. Green tea can also be a replacement for people who are trying to not drink coffee as much.

If you are like me, exercise is not the issue but food might be I find I crave sugar so badly and carbs to the point where I have dangerous bingeing periods. I am trying to find self control and even though I have given you the advice above I have yet to master it myself. I am knowledgable but am weak as far as will power goes. So don't get discouraged if you see you aren't perfect at first. Just keep trying! I have good days and bad days and terrible days lol

shadowofender

I agree with preplanning meals, but I don't really know that there's any truth to the rest of it. Like....point numbers 1 and 3 I've seen so many hundreds of posts arguing the different schools of thought on these. And definitely number 2 I don't agree with.
If this is what works for you, are you sure it's a causation thing vs a correlation thing? I'm curious how you came up with this stuff?

paulaaah

There is no argument with number one. What you put in your body is detrimental to weight loss/gain. Number two can definitely be argued because everyone's body is so extremely different so the reason I put that there is mostly for people who do three meals a day and see no change, I figure that they might wanna try the five to six and see what happens. For me, five to six proved to be more effective. And number two is based on factual evidence. You are not moving while you sleep therefore your body is not burning any calories at all and your entire body is processing everything slower including your digestive tract. Your breathing is also slowed and so is your heart. It's just better if you don't eat past that time because the fat will absorb much easier while you sleep. Seven is my time to stop eating but for some it might be six or eight, just depends on your sleep schedule but those are the key times.

rudexvirus

# 3_ Just doing a quick Google search will yield results that the "How often" Part just isn't really true. It has actually been "proven " recently that meal times have no real correlation to weight, and it is all dependent on what you are eating in those meals. On tidbit I came across also suggests this, only has a longer explanation on the website.

"There is no evidence that eating many small meals throughout the day is better than fewer, bigger meals. Not eating from time to time is good for you. "

# 5) You can drink or eat or take in as much Tea or herbs as you want, but you still can't spot lose your weight. My body will pick and choose where it wants to lose from, it doesn't care how much green tea I drink,.

These may havebeen things that really worked for you, and helped you along your journey, and that is awesome. I think that everyone needs to have all the tools in thier toolkit as they can get, but a lot of it isn't really true, or the community can't seem to decide which side has the better research. If they work for other people, awesome too, but they are not proven facts. My coffee and 3 big meals will allow me to lose just as much weight.

diannethegeek

There is no argument with number one. What you put in your body is detrimental to weight loss/gain. Number two can definitely be argued because everyone's body is so extremely different so the reason I put that there is mostly for people who do three meals a day and see no change, I figure that they might wanna try the five to six and see what happens. For me, five to six proved to be more effective. And number two is based on factual evidence. You are not moving while you sleep therefore your body is not burning any calories at all and your entire body is processing everything slower including your digestive tract. Your breathing is also slowed and so is your heart. It's just better if you don't eat past that time because the fat will absorb much easier while you sleep. Seven is my time to stop eating but for some it might be six or eight, just depends on your sleep schedule but those are the key times.

I'm no expert, but I'm fairly sure that if your body burns zero calories while you sleep you're actually dead.

Eating late at night will cause some people heartburn or sleeping problems. If you're not one of those people then it's fine to eat right up to bedtime.

shadowofender

There is no argument with number one. What you put in your body is detrimental to weight loss/gain. Number two can definitely be argued because everyone's body is so extremely different so the reason I put that there is mostly for people who do three meals a day and see no change, I figure that they might wanna try the five to six and see what happens. For me, five to six proved to be more effective. And number two is based on factual evidence. You are not moving while you sleep therefore your body is not burning any calories at all and your entire body is processing everything slower including your digestive tract. Your breathing is also slowed and so is your heart. It's just better if you don't eat past that time because the fat will absorb much easier while you sleep. Seven is my time to stop eating but for some it might be six or eight, just depends on your sleep schedule but those are the key times.

I'm no expert, but I'm fairly sure that if your body burns zero calories while you sleep you're actually dead.

Eating late at night will cause some people heartburn or sleeping problems. If you're not one of those people then it's fine to eat right up to bedtime.

If I eat certain things to close to bedtime I have freaky dreams..but I've read lots of studies that show it doesn't matter.

paulaaah

Like I said about number three, everyone is different. But how often you eat does have a correlation to weight loss for certain people such as myself. And yes, I should've stated it better as far as your body burning zero calories while you sleep lol I didn't mean zero but significantly less than what you burn while awake.

VeganEquestrian

I always eat right before bed. If I didn't there is no way I'd get enough cals....

psych101

If you are at a plateau like myself or are just now beginning your journey, here is what I have noticed makes all the difference:

1. ***WHAT*** you eat (a 200 calorie homemade smoothie with good antioxidant/fiber filled fruits and green veggies is way better than a zero calorie coke zero) and avoid refined, processed, sugar/salty foods. If you want to take it to the next level, avoid the center aisles in the grocery store altogether except for wheat bread, quinoa, organic peanut butter (if you're like me and will love PB till the end of time) and white tuna in water!

2. WHEN you eat (try to avoid eating past 7 PM as food digest slower while you sleep)
3. HOW OFTEN you eat (5-6 small meals/snacks a day has proven to be more effective than 3 normal meals)
4. PRE-PLAN your meals. This is an option but has proven to be extremely effective! Fail to prepare, prepare to fail type attitude. Cooking your meals for the next day each night has helped many stay on track and buying a small cooler will insure that you follow your guidelines because now your food is traveling with you
5. GREEN TEA AND GINGER TEA are so extremely beneficial for people trying to lose weight especially around the tummy area! Not a cure or easy way out but green tea provides energy and speeds up metabolism. I buy 5 oz of tea leaves from my local tea store but organic bagged green tea is just as good ginger tea is good for after meals because it promotes digestion. Green tea can also be a replacement for people who are trying to not drink coffee as much.

If you are like me, exercise is not the issue but food might be I find I crave sugar so badly and carbs to the point where I have dangerous bingeing periods. I am trying to find self control and even though I have given you the advice above I have yet to master it myself. I am knowledgable but am weak as far as will power goes. So don't get discouraged if you see you aren't perfect at first. Just keep trying! I have good days and bad days and terrible days lol

Sorry - I disagree with almost everything you've said. Pre-planning helps me, as does pre-logging. Everything else...nope.

Rage_Phish

this will not go as OP intended

6ftamazon

If you are at a plateau like myself or are just now beginning your journey, here is what I have noticed makes all the difference:

1. ***WHAT*** you eat (a 200 calorie homemade smoothie with good antioxidant/fiber filled fruits and green veggies is way better than a zero calorie coke zero) and avoid refined, processed, sugar/salty foods. If you want to take it to the next level, avoid the center aisles in the grocery store altogether except for wheat bread, quinoa, organic peanut butter (if you're like me and will love PB till the end of time) and white tuna in water!

2. WHEN you eat (try to avoid eating past 7 PM as food digest slower while you sleep)
3. HOW OFTEN you eat (5-6 small meals/snacks a day has proven to be more effective than 3 normal meals)
4. PRE-PLAN your meals. This is an option but has proven to be extremely effective! Fail to prepare, prepare to fail type attitude. Cooking your meals for the next day each night has helped many stay on track and buying a small cooler will insure that you follow your guidelines because now your food is traveling with you
5. GREEN TEA AND GINGER TEA are so extremely beneficial for people trying to lose weight especially around the tummy area! Not a cure or easy way out but green tea provides energy and speeds up metabolism. I buy 5 oz of tea leaves from my local tea store but organic bagged green tea is just as good ginger tea is good for after meals because it promotes digestion. Green tea can also be a replacement for people who are trying to not drink coffee as much.

If you are like me, exercise is not the issue but food might be I find I crave sugar so badly and carbs to the point where I have dangerous bingeing periods. I am trying to find self control and even though I have given you the advice above I have yet to master it myself. I am knowledgable but am weak as far as will power goes. So don't get discouraged if you see you aren't perfect at first. Just keep trying! I have good days and bad days and terrible days lol

Sorry - I disagree with almost everything you've said. Pre-planning helps me, as does pre-logging. Everything else...nope.

Same here.

I've eaten pasta with cheese at 2am and I'm still losing. Your body still burns calories at night. As long as you stay in a deficit, timing is irrelevant. How many times a day you eat is also irrelevant. The weight loss benefits of green tea and ginger are minimal, at best. I see you're trying to offer some good advice, but it's essentially fitness myths.

Unknown

This content has been removed.

ninerbuff

Unfortunately OP, a lot of the "tips" you've given don't hold up very well to peer reviewed clinical study. I've done this for 30 years and in the beginning I followed a lot of what you posted........................................till I really found out it's mostly myth and anecdotal.
While nutrition does matter, for weight loss it's going to be about calorie in/out (CICO).

A.C.E. Certified Personal & Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

SezxyStef

If you are at a plateau like myself or are just now beginning your journey, here is what I have noticed makes all the difference:

1. ***WHAT*** you eat (a 200 calorie homemade smoothie with good antioxidant/fiber filled fruits and green veggies is way better than a zero calorie coke zero) and avoid refined, processed, sugar/salty foods. If you want to take it to the next level, avoid the center aisles in the grocery store altogether except for wheat bread, quinoa, organic peanut butter (if you're like me and will love PB till the end of time) and white tuna in water!

2. WHEN you eat (try to avoid eating past 7 PM as food digest slower while you sleep)
3. HOW OFTEN you eat (5-6 small meals/snacks a day has proven to be more effective than 3 normal meals)
4. PRE-PLAN your meals. This is an option but has proven to be extremely effective! Fail to prepare, prepare to fail type attitude. Cooking your meals for the next day each night has helped many stay on track and buying a small cooler will insure that you follow your guidelines because now your food is traveling with you
5. GREEN TEA AND GINGER TEA are so extremely beneficial for people trying to lose weight especially around the tummy area! Not a cure or easy way out but green tea provides energy and speeds up metabolism. I buy 5 oz of tea leaves from my local tea store but organic bagged green tea is just as good ginger tea is good for after meals because it promotes digestion. Green tea can also be a replacement for people who are trying to not drink coffee as much.

If you are like me, exercise is not the issue but food might be I find I crave sugar so badly and carbs to the point where I have dangerous bingeing periods. I am trying to find self control and even though I have given you the advice above I have yet to master it myself. I am knowledgable but am weak as far as will power goes. So don't get discouraged if you see you aren't perfect at first. Just keep trying! I have good days and bad days and terrible days lol

Sorry - I disagree with almost everything you've said. Pre-planning helps me, as does pre-logging. Everything else...nope.

this...I just ate a piece of pie it's 9:30pm here...and the pie had processed flour and sugar in it but I made it...

Sorry OP but your data is outdated.

CaddieMay

In. Until "Real Housewives" comes on.

paulaaah

This is what has worked for me personally over the course of losing 60 lbs. It is not a lie or myth that you do not burn as many calories while sleeping as opposed to being awake. I have no idea how any of you actually don't believe that putting organic produce in your body isn't better than refined processed food and e.) sugar. The amount of times I eat a day has proven effective in my case but everyone is different. 5-6 small meals a day keeps my metabolism high as opposed to 3 large meals. The benefits of green tea are not minimal because it does give one energy, speed up the metabolism, and is great for the skin. Ginger tea helps digestion. But that was just a tip, I personally love tea so that was my suggestion. These were TIPS, like for someone who has hit a wall and wants to experiment with other methods. Also, this doesn't have to be directed for strictly weight loss, this is about health. If you want to see a change in your skin, hair, and overall energy, YES cutting out refined processed food and white bread/pasta will do this for you. (Example: eating fresh fruit as opposed to a slice of pie or using stevia or honey instead of sugars. Or even using fresh organic spinach instead of iceberg lettuce. It does make a difference No, I am not an expert, I was simply trying to offer different methods to achieve your goals.

paulaaah

Oh and if you do eat at night and/or processed for but do it once or even twice a week then clearly you must realize that that's fine. There's a difference in between the occasional slip up and consistent behavior. You can eat that pie at 930 PM but unless you do it every night you're not going to see any serious weight gain.

6ftamazon

Oh and if you do eat at night and/or processed for but do it once or even twice a week then clearly you must realize that that's fine. There's a difference in between the occasional slip up and consistent behavior. You can eat that pie at 930 PM but unless you do it every night you're not going to see any serious weight gain.

What about people that do graveyard shifts?
I eat a snack every night at 11pm. Yet I'm still losing. How do you explain that?
Weight loss is about staying under your daily burn. That's it.

As for green tea:
http://www.nhs.uk/livewell/superfoods/pages/is-green-tea-a-superfood.aspx
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-benefits-of-green-tea
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my green tea, but you're exaggerating its benefits.

Seriously, I'm glad things worked for you, but it's not based on anything else except that it worked for you.

LucasEVille

this will not go as OP intended

Leighsters

1,2,3,5= False
4=somewhat true

Leighsters

this will not go as OP intended

this

paulaaah

What is your snack? That's a lot different than a full meal and WHAT the snack is will also make a difference. And like I said from the beginning, I know it's not a cure all miracle drink. But it does up your energy levels, speed up metabolism, and is great for the skin. I'm not exaggerating, these are just facts. I never stated that it would give one insane crazy energy or speed up the metabolism to astronomical levels or clear the skin up to perfection. No. The effects of green tea are mild but they still are there. Plus I drink
3-4 cups daily so that also makes a big difference and the brand can also make a big difference. My tips are generalized but not false and can be tailored for ones own success. There is no way that a 100 calorie pack of Oreos will be more beneficial to your body than a 200-400 calorie green homemade smoothie (Example: one cup spinach, 1/2 cup kale, one cup almond milk, 1 cup mixed fruit, 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds) but that's my go to smoothie, there are tons of smoothie recipes out there.

Alluminati

It's about to go down up in hurr.

princess71903

What is your snack? That's a lot different than a full meal and WHAT the snack is will also make a difference. And like I said from the beginning, I know it's not a cure all miracle drink. But it does up your energy levels, speed up metabolism, and is great for the skin. I'm not exaggerating, these are just facts. I never stated that it would give one insane crazy energy or speed up the metabolism to astronomical levels or clear the skin up to perfection. No. The effects of green tea are mild but they still are there. Plus I drink
3-4 cups daily so that also makes a big difference and the brand can also make a big difference. My tips are generalized but not false and can be tailored for ones own success. There is no way that a 100 calorie pack of Oreos will be more beneficial to your body than a 200-400 calorie green homemade smoothie (Example: one cup spinach, 1/2 cup kale, one cup almond milk, 1 cup mixed fruit, 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds) but that's my go to smoothie, there are tons of smoothie recipes out there.

Would a smoothie be healthier than oreos..YES But would one lose more weight drinking a smoothie with 100 calories as opposed to eating 100 calsories of oreos..NOPE

paulaaah

I completely understand that everyone's body is different but these tips aren't false. They can make a difference and have been proven beneficial to ones HEALTH (not just weight loss) so do not dismiss them as lies.

MyChocolateDiet

There are a LOT of questionable statements.

Eating after a certain hour is not really a thing.

Teas are good for digestion but not magical.

paulaaah

What is your snack? That's a lot different than a full meal and WHAT the snack is will also make a difference. And like I said from the beginning, I know it's not a cure all miracle drink. But it does up your energy levels, speed up metabolism, and is great for the skin. I'm not exaggerating, these are just facts. I never stated that it would give one insane crazy energy or speed up the metabolism to astronomical levels or clear the skin up to perfection. No. The effects of green tea are mild but they still are there. Plus I drink
3-4 cups daily so that also makes a big difference and the brand can also make a big difference. My tips are generalized but not false and can be tailored for ones own success. There is no way that a 100 calorie pack of Oreos will be more beneficial to your body than a 200-400 calorie green homemade smoothie (Example: one cup spinach, 1/2 cup kale, one cup almond milk, 1 cup mixed fruit, 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds) but that's my go to smoothie, there are tons of smoothie recipes out there.

Would a smoothie be healthier than oreos..YES But would one lose more weight drinking a smoothie with 100 calories as opposed to eating 100 calsories of oreos..NOPE

UM 100 calories vs 100 calories?? That's the same amount and the smoothie will be healthier so YES you would see greater weight loss and health benefits with the smoothie.

laceyjjj

I think the OP was just trying to be helpful with some tips that have worked for her. Obviously what works for one person won't work for everyone. This forum seems like a junior high school sometimes.

bajoyba

Oh and if you do eat at night and/or processed for but do it once or even twice a week then clearly you must realize that that's fine. There's a difference in between the occasional slip up and consistent behavior. You can eat that pie at 930 PM but unless you do it every night you're not going to see any serious weight gain.

I eat dessert every night at around 10pm. Yes, EVERY night. And it's not "healthy" dessert. Usually it involves chocolate. Tonight it was gelato, but it might also be a brownie, or cake, or cookies, or whatever. I also prefer to skip breakfast, and I typically eat a huge dinner. Losing weight is about being in a calorie deficit. You can create a calorie deficit eating any and all foods at whatever time of day works best for you.

No food is bad food in the context of a balanced diet. If you're meeting your body's nutritional requirements, there's no reason why you can't eat ice cream every single day.

Anyway. I disagree with literally everything in your OP, except for the tip about meal planning. It's not necessary to plan meals, but it often makes it easier to stick to a calorie deficit long-term and is therefor beneficial for a lot of people.

Also, I'm going to leave this here. Lots of valuable information. Don't complicate it. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

princess71903

What is your snack? That's a lot different than a full meal and WHAT the snack is will also make a difference. And like I said from the beginning, I know it's not a cure all miracle drink. But it does up your energy levels, speed up metabolism, and is great for the skin. I'm not exaggerating, these are just facts. I never stated that it would give one insane crazy energy or speed up the metabolism to astronomical levels or clear the skin up to perfection. No. The effects of green tea are mild but they still are there. Plus I drink
3-4 cups daily so that also makes a big difference and the brand can also make a big difference. My tips are generalized but not false and can be tailored for ones own success. There is no way that a 100 calorie pack of Oreos will be more beneficial to your body than a 200-400 calorie green homemade smoothie (Example: one cup spinach, 1/2 cup kale, one cup almond milk, 1 cup mixed fruit, 1 medium banana, 1 tbsp chia seeds) but that's my go to smoothie, there are tons of smoothie recipes out there.

Would a smoothie be healthier than oreos..YES But would one lose more weight drinking a smoothie with 100 calories as opposed to eating 100 calsories of oreos..NOPE

UM 100 calories vs 100 calories?? That's the same amount and the smoothie will be healthier so YES you would see greater weight loss and health benefits with the smoothie.

Health benefits yes but more weight loss is a no. Most everyone here is going to argue that a calorie is a calorie no matter where it comes from. Then they will refer you to the guy who did the twinkie diet. CICO is based on the fact that it doesn't matter if you eat 100 calories of junk or 100 calories of vegetables you will lose the same amount of weight. It IS NOT healthier but again, you will lose the same amount of weight regardless

paulaaah

There are a LOT of questionable statements.

Eating after a certain hour is not really a thing.

Teas are good for digestion but not magical.

It was for me and *****might**** make a difference for others and I've already stated that I never said teas were magical or solutions over and over and over again. I stated that they were BENEFICIAL.