The secret of *your* success?

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dagza
dagza Posts: 15 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
What one or two things do you attribute you success to?

I would be interested to see where the common ground is and also alternative approaches that I have not considered.

Ta.

Dagza
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Replies

  • staciekins
    staciekins Posts: 453 Member
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    Determination
  • shelly650
    shelly650 Posts: 319
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    Being aware of what im eating!! Carbs especially and willpower!!
  • alliecore
    alliecore Posts: 446 Member
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    Clean eating. When I stray, I see a difference in the mirror the next morning. Consistent exercise is very important, but in my experience, a clean diet is even more important.
  • Firesign
    Firesign Posts: 169 Member
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    No sugar and low carb
  • rudy0001
    rudy0001 Posts: 3
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    Unfortunately haven't been that successful :-( So, I was hoping for more tips/replies!
  • CassieLEO
    CassieLEO Posts: 757 Member
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    I do as many fitness classes as I can. (I figure its better than just sitting around doing nothing) I eat a ton more veggies, dont skip meals, drink a ton of water. I exercise daily, 60+ mins a day. And the classes I take a hour long too. I take many vitamins and supplements, and add a lot of protein to my diet,
  • velix
    velix Posts: 437 Member
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    for me - it has been about finding a balance between being eating healthily and working out, and still enjoying a night out and a few beers on a terrace. I knew going into this, I knew I wanted to keep some of my "bad" habits - so I've adapted them to fit into my lifestyle - from drinking light beer, and snacking on veggies while out instead of nachos, to having days where I just work out an extra hour before going out....
  • luisabaeta
    luisabaeta Posts: 30 Member
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    1. No guilt. Being chilled about the whole thing.

    I still allow myself to go out, eat nice stuff, drink beer, etc, I just try to be a bit more discerning on what I choose, without becoming obsessed. And if I go over the calorie limit every now and then, it's ok. With an irregular lifestyle / traveling / varying mealtimes it's hard to always keep on track, but i'm trying to do little changes (e.g. switching to skimmed milk, ordering small coffee instead of large, etc), and not be too hard on myself when I go over. This has been helping with motivation, so I'm happy when I make the right choices but don't freak out when I can't, and so far it seems to be working.

    2. Lots of water, lots and lots and lots of water.
  • robertf57
    robertf57 Posts: 560 Member
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    Lower carb higher protein
  • luisabaeta
    luisabaeta Posts: 30 Member
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    "I knew going into this, I knew I wanted to keep some of my "bad" habits - so I've adapted them to fit into my lifestyle" ---> couldn't agree more, that's exactly what I meant! :)
  • ysamatar
    ysamatar Posts: 484 Member
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    Bump! Determination.
  • Remi79
    Remi79 Posts: 346 Member
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    Water, water, water, water! I've really up'd my water the last couple weeks and have lost more weight than when I wasn't drinking that much water.
  • jesatank
    jesatank Posts: 3 Member
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    Moving I go to college so I sit for hours. The freshman 15 and then some... By moving more I have lost weight.
  • ababygrace
    ababygrace Posts: 123
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    I drink at least half of my body weight in water a day, limit my sweets to a couple days a week, and watch my portions with everything! For example, I am learning to be able to eat a couple of bites of ice cream and be satisfied instead of binging on it. Also don't fall into temptations too quickly. When I am in the grocery store and I smell the bakery, I do just that instead instead of giving up and buying something I dont need like a cupcake or cookie.
  • bjohs
    bjohs Posts: 1,225 Member
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    This doesn't seem possible, but I started exercising less and eating more. :) My workouts included Taekwondo twice a week, 60 minutes on the elliptical 4 times a week and P90X 6 times a week. I have old sports injuries which causes problems in my right hip and right knee, so I had to give up P90X for a while. I also cut back on the elliptical to 30 minutes 3 times a week but still go to TKD class.

    Sticking with a 1,200 calorie in-take each day, I switched to eating almost half of my calories at breakfast (the most important meal of the day). Then I spread the remaining calories out between lunch, supper and 3 daily snacks. The first 3 weeks of following this new routine, I lost 10 lbs. That wasn't supposed to be an easy feat since I'm on the last few pounds to reach my overall goal. I was at 141.2 and after 3 weeks I was at 130.8. Today, I am at 128.8 and working on the last 3.8 pounds. :)

    Remember that the more exercise you do, the more efficient your body becomes as it adjusts to your routine. I try to change up my routine every 2-3 months to force my body to do new things. Results will vary from person to person, so definitely try different approaches to see what works for you... but be sure to give yourself at least a couple months before deciding if you are seeing results. Many people try something for a couple of weeks and that is just not enough time. My best advice is to stop using the scale to track your success. Rather, use a tape measure because you will see inches lost before you see large numbers drop off the scale. Or even better, find an article of clothing that fits snuggly on your body now, then try it on again in a couple of months. The way you feel in your clothes should be your first indication that what you are doing is working!

    Just for the record, I'm a 43 year old mother of 2 and I'm 5'2". If I can do it... anyone can!
  • PJilly
    PJilly Posts: 21,743 Member
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    1. Setting reasonable expectations for myself regarding diet and exercise.
    2. Sticking to those expectations 95 percent of the time, whether I feel like it or not.

    Regarding No. 2, I don't always feel motivated to work out six days a week, and I don't always feel motivated to stick to my food diary (which I log before I eat), but I know those are the things I need to do to get the results I want. However, if I don't start with No. 1, I am setting myself up for failure by making it too difficult.
  • WomanofWorth
    WomanofWorth Posts: 395 Member
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    bump
  • pittielover23
    pittielover23 Posts: 268
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    Not that I would consider what I am doing successful yet, but I think what is working for me is not putting so much pressure on myself. If I stay under my net calories for the day, it was a success, even if I did not eat as healthy as I would like. When I put too much pressure on myself then fail to live up to those expectations, I am much more likely to quit because I feel like I cannot do it.
  • broadsword7
    broadsword7 Posts: 411 Member
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    Determination

    That, and sometimes, I remember this quote from the movie The Outlaw Josey Wales:

    "Now remember, when things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. 'Cause if you lose your head and you give up then you neither live, nor win. That's just the way it is."

    When you are huffing and puffing up a hill while you are running, and you feel like you can't do it, sometimes, you just gotta get "plumb, mad-dog mean" to get up it.
  • beccarockslife
    beccarockslife Posts: 816 Member
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    Getting my head in the right place before I started dieting. I spent 12 months working out my problems that led me to overeat and get fat in the first place THEN I started to diet.

    MFP and Slimming World have been helping me along.

    I've lost 33lb since last autumn and I'm still going.

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