Question for people who have lost a lot of weight and kept i

kimber607

for me...count EVERY calorie..work out and stay accountable
get on the damn scale for good or bad every 1-2 weeks
it's a must!!!!

Janworkingitout

I'm almost to my goal so here are my tips:

1. Portion control is key, eat whatever you want but be aware of how much you're eating.
2. Limit fast food, as said above you can eat whatever you want, however, most fast food is loading w/sodium, slows weigt loss.
3. It really is important to drink lots of water.
4. Unlike a previous poster I believe, exercise is crucial for weight loss. I've tried without exercising and it doesn't work!
5. Big one here: Don't go on a diet change your lifestyle.

Good luck!

QueenofCups

I am also not at goal yet, and have been struggling with those last 10 lbs, but I have currently lost 70 over the last 2 years.

My advice is:

*Have fun! Dance, run around, skip, find something that makes you sweat and revs up your heart that also makes you smile.
*Eat food you enjoy and try new foods. Healthy is best, but allow for "treats" and indulgences.
*1 day a week of "free" calories (like, don't count ANYTHING, just try not to eat an entire cake. ) ~Don't think I haven't done it!~
*Give yourself the permission to be happy right this moment. No, "I am not where I want to be" or "I should be doing this, that or the other". Be happy where you are right now, and be glad you are you. ~This is my new journey~
*Realize that if you are unhappy with how you look, you got there by behaviors and mentality that are not gone. Its an inside job. Nothing will permanently change on the outside unless you change what cause it on the inside.
*Change things up a bit. I have kids, so sometimes my workouts consist of playing "Tigger" for 30 minutes (bouncing up and down the hallway). Or sometimes we play Horsey (kids ride on my back), or we chase each other and hide and scream and giggle. Sometimes we go for a walk, sometimes we climb up and down and up and down and up and down the stairs.
Like I mentioned before, you would be amazed how many calories you burn by just enjoying life and being in the moment.

I have spent most of my 2 years working out to DVDs or doing the treadmill. I am changing it up just recently to implement my above points more often,and I am noticing a change for the first time in a while. I have been "stuck" for a while and I realized I was looking at this "diet and weight loss" thing as something totally wrong.

So good luck! And LOVE you for YOU!!

hpsnickers1

I'm almost to my goal so here are my tips:

1. Portion control is key, eat whatever you want but be aware of how much you're eating.
2. Limit fast food, as said above you can eat whatever you want, however, most fast food is loading w/sodium, slows weigt loss.
3. It really is important to drink lots of water.
4. Unlike a previous poster I believe, exercise is crucial for weight loss. I've tried without exercising and it doesn't work!
5. Big one here: Don't go on a diet change your lifestyle.

Good luck!

I like this one. Simple and to the point. I treat the word "Diet" as a four letter word. You can lose weight without exercising but who wants to be skinny and flabby? And it is harder. I would rather cut out 250 calories through food and burn 250 calories through exercise than just cut out 500 calories of food. We need food. It's our fuel.

Sara1978

I've maintained at right around my goal for about six months now.

Every single day, I'm inundated with all the ways that dropping these 30 pounds have changed my life. I found the confidence to start my own business. I'm not depressed anymore, and my social anxiety disorder is under much better control than it has ever been-- without being on any meds! I don't hurt when I exercise. I can hike twelve miles without feeling like I'm going to die at the end of it. I've found the courage to exercise around other people (which used to be a huge issue for me), and now I have joined yoga and go to the gym regularly. I can wear cute clothes. I can swim at the beach without feeling embarrassed. I don't cringe when people post photos of me on Facebook. I feel beautiful for the first time in my life.

I appreciate all those things much too much to let myself go back to where I was before, and every day I stop and thank myself and whatever higher power may be for giving me the chance to become the person that I'm becoming.

I've been working hard to cultivate a feeling of awareness and gratitude within myself for everything and everyone around me. Appreciating my own body and what it can do is a part of that-- and it makes me want to protect it by continuing to live a healthy lifestyle.

Tree72

Over the past year and a half I've lost almost 60 pounds. I still have another 30 to 40 to go. It's definitely different for everyone, but here are some things that have worked for me:

Getting healthier is a journey, not a destination. And you can only start from where you are. So I try to make choices that are sustainable for me. I didn't give up all my bad habits at once. So, make a small change and stick with it. Next week, try another small change.

For me, exercise is key. I started working out before I changed any of my eating habits. It's not so much about the calorie burn as about the mental attitude. Even if I never lost another pound I need to work out several times a week. It gives me a more positive outlook on life and makes me feel capable and more confident in myself.

Remember that you're in this for you for the rest of your life. Making one bad decision does not mean that you're a failure or that you will make other bad decisions. Learn from any mistakes you make and keep moving forward.

Have someone you can talk with on a regular basis. If you have a significant amount of weight to lose more of the battle will be mental than physical. Realize that mental roadblocks may happen but that you can get past them. Don't beat yourself up for how you feel. Try to think about your feelings and figure out where they are coming from or what is causing them.

Hopefully these will give you more ideas on what might work for you. Good luck in your journey.

zarala233

Bump!

erikazj

First off, let me just say these are my very personal feelings on my own journey and what has worked for me. It is less about the calorie/exercise side of things (although yes, that is all important and you have to work out what works for you), but more about the attitude I have found helpful in my long term journey. I know everyone won't agree, and I don't expect you to, but hopefully you can understand where I'm coming from!! :happy:


I think for me, particularly with the losing side of it, is that you have to be realistic, particularly when it comes to expectations on how long it will take and what you can achieve. You are not going to be able to stick perfectly to your new lifestyle every single minute of every day for however long it takes you to lose the weight. There WILL be family occasions which are focused around food whether you like it or not, there will be the odd work lunch, kid's birthday cake etc. Your life doesn't have to stop because you are eating better. It is not the occasional event or splurge that causes long term weight gain, it is the daily grind. So, if most of the time you are as good as you can be, measure your portions etc, then the odd deviation from the new lifestyle will not derail the downward trend of the scale. Sure, if we indulge in these things too often then it can easily add up and yes, you shouldn't use it as an excuse (and yes, try and make the best decisions you can if faced with a budget blower of a meal), but it shouldn't be the be all and end all. In moderation there is nothing wrong with it. After all, life is more than just what we eat - it's about our friends and family and the special times we have with them. I really strongly believe that to maintain the loss over life, we have to practice during the initial loss period and be as normal as we can - have a 'good' attitude to eating well rather than an obsessive one, because nearly always inevitably an obsession will burn out.

Ok, the strategy above might mean that the weight loss takes a little longer than if you eat 1200 calories every day for 6 months- but as so many people say, the weight didn't go on overnight, so we can't expect it to just fall off. Daily/weekly fluctuations on the scale can throw a lot of people off, but I truly believe that you are looking for a long term downward trend rather than an X number of pounds each week. I'm talking over months! If you take things slow and steady rather than crash dieting it is far easier to maintain long term. I think it's also important to accept that it isn't always going to go the way you want. There are going to be times when you feel completely unmotivated, frustrated with having to change your habits - but again, I think that this is part of life, it is NORMAL and again we should just try and take it in our stride. Accept no loss, or a gain for that week and know that eventually it will all come out in the wash if most of the time we are doing what is right for our bodies.

I hope that this helps some of you realise that all the struggles are normal, we all go through them, but it is possible to lose weight without being completely obsessive. Yeah, it may take a little longer, but if you are happier in your own self rather than stressed to the max, I think there is something to be said for that!!

Erika

FutureMrsWanland

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