My number one dieting tip- what is yours?

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  • hastenbeck
    hastenbeck Posts: 35
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    bump for the tips
  • texastango
    texastango Posts: 309
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    General BIG HEALTH Tips (for people without specific health issues:

    1. Diet alone is not enough (as mentioned by others).

    Several reasons for this and it's been proven by study. After losing 12 lbs in a year, people gained an average of 6 back in three years when the study was halted. Diet alone was not enough. This is because your brain trys to maintain it's set point and slows your metabolic rate below it's normal BMR.

    2. Resistance Training is better, but both Resistance and Aerobic Training are beneficial, espeically when combined.

    People who just diet tend to also lose muscle mass. Having too little lean muscle mass was associated with a higher degree of illness and metabolic synrome (diabetes, hypertension etc) than being obese. That is people who lost lean muscle mass actually had a higher degree of illness. Strength training helps build muscle mass and improve insulin sensitivity. Adding aerobic activity makes the benefit even better. Have a program that alternates both types of activity.

    3. Limiting calories are only part of the story. Make your calories count. Realise that fats actually have more health problems associated with them than carbs. With high protein comes higher fat content generally and higher cholesterol. Eating healthy means look at what's in the calories. Saturated fat is not good, but some polyunsaturated fats are not good either. There is a lot of omega 6 in American Diets. Too little Omega 3. If you think this is essocteric look at the ratios and risk for heart disease>

    American Diet: Ration of Omega 6/3 =50 Risk of heart disease was 45 percent
    Japanese Diet: Ratio of Omega 6/3 = 12 12 percent risk of heart disease
    Eskimo Diet: Ration of Omega 6/3 = 1 Risk of heart disease = 7 percent

    While keeping fat percentage as low as 30 (MFP) is good, lower is better.

    4. Eat foods with lower Glycemic Loads

    5. Check your kidney function with your doctor before consuming high protein diets (great than 1.0 mg/kg or more than 15 % of your calories).

    6. Read Labels....Read Labels....Read labels...

    7. Fiber is a positive.

    8. Don't eat back all your exercise calories (going to take heat on this one) but listen, I've spoken to many educated licensed dietitions about this one too who looked at and used MFP. They had many things to say about MFP. Mostly good. It doesn't separate out good sugar from bad, good cholesterol from bad, ....but all in all...science shows that your BMR when dieting slows.....and your body tries to maintain a setpoint from before....So what is used by formula here works for people trying to maintain that weight...and not necessarily for dieters. The other thing is we don't accurately log all the calories correctly, nor do we get completely accurate burn numbers. I've been eating under my calorie allotment and exercise allotment by 500-1500 calories for nearly 9 months and have gained 8 lbs..some of it I wanted to gain back. People still think I'm too thin...but I've been under my calorie count the entire time. Eating more isn't going to solve that problem....exercising and getting my metabolic rate back up can.

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  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
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    "The pain of being fat is far worse than any workout you'll ever do."

    So. Very. True.

    I'd rather suck it up and be sore for 45 minutes than cry, hide from people, and hate myself every minute for the rest of my life. That was such an eye-opener that I've posted it in a few places where I'm bound to see it every day. It turned my world around. I haven't binged or been lazy for two months now, and I don't plan to go back. Ever.
  • bradthemedic
    bradthemedic Posts: 623 Member
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    My only tip: it's not a diet it's a lifestyle.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    2. Resistance Training is better, but both Resistance and Aerobic Training are beneficial, espeically when combined.

    People who just diet tend to also lose muscle mass. Having too little lean muscle mass was associated with a higher degree of illness and metabolic synrome (diabetes, hypertension etc) than being obese. That is people who lost lean muscle mass actually had a higher degree of illness. Strength training helps build muscle mass and improve insulin sensitivity. Adding aerobic activity makes the benefit even better. Have a program that alternates both types of activity.

    Are you saying that aerobic exercise, without strength training, increases your risk of metabolic syndrome?
  • axannamorgan
    axannamorgan Posts: 10
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    Mine is not to feel guilty if you sometimes have what I call a 'fat day' but to be honest about it. Honesty is very important. Oh and finding an exercise you ENJOY.
  • moe5474
    moe5474 Posts: 162
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    That you can only do so much damage within 24 hours and that consistency is key. You can blow your diet over one day or one weekend, but hop back on track. Also, eating healthy and exercising like crazy for one week won't do you any good if you just blow it the next 7 days.
  • jennt_22
    jennt_22 Posts: 155 Member
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    My tip is that if a food is bad for you - don't even buy it at the store! Then it won't be around your house tempting you later.
  • BackTatJIM
    BackTatJIM Posts: 1,140 Member
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    if you dont't eat enough calories your body will go into starvation mode and slow your metabolism...
  • montana_girl
    montana_girl Posts: 1,403 Member
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    Patience!

    The weight will come off... but chances are it's not going to come off quickly or in large amounts throughout your entire weight loss process.
  • momtokgo
    momtokgo Posts: 446 Member
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    My biggest tip is find what works for YOU. Everyone is different, and no one can tell you what will work for you. Eat more, eat less, cardiovascular, weight training, eat clean, eat junk, everything in moderation, lots of water, water doesn't matter.....so many opinions, you have to figure it out for yourself.
  • digitig
    digitig Posts: 2
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    I've been using a Fitbit for a month before coming here (yes, I've linked it to this site) and it's the first thing that's ever worked for me in terms of losing weight. When I go hiking in the mountains it automatically lets me eat more calories so I can have that beer or chocolate. If I spend the day in front of the computer then it scales down the calories. That means that I get a reward for exercise, and the reward is in proportion to the exercise. It really is helping me keep motivated, both to exercise (I get treats) and to stick to the diet (I get treats).
  • randall774
    randall774 Posts: 37
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    might sound horrible to most, but i always keep a jar of pickled onions or guerkins handy.

    theres next to nothing in them, and great for nibbling on when your peckish. :smile:
  • mnishi
    mnishi Posts: 422 Member
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    bump
  • megsmom2
    megsmom2 Posts: 2,362 Member
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    Be patient. I didn't get this size overnight, it wont get better overnight either. Oh...and forgive yourself if you overindulgence now and then. We are all human...and its actually good for you to eat what you love.
  • wookiemouse
    wookiemouse Posts: 290 Member
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    My tip is to find good, healthy food for you that you LOVE. I don't need cupcakes since I've found Jamie Eason's cinnamon swirl protein bread! :) Keep finding subs like that and your diet will be overhauled in no time, and you won't miss the bad food.
  • Tink_889
    Tink_889 Posts: 244 Member
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    I think for me it's been learning that it's about a healthy lifestyle rather than a "diet". A "diet" sounded like a punishment and immediately made me want all the bad foods but now I encorporate all foods in to my diet it seems to be working better.
  • mistydb
    mistydb Posts: 1
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    I have learned the hard way more water is the key. It's not the ideal drink with everything you eat. But it works and as long as it work that is all that matters at this point.
  • suzibanshee
    suzibanshee Posts: 62 Member
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    Eat your BMR and eat back your exercise calories.
  • RubberPenguin
    RubberPenguin Posts: 2
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    The ones I have discovered are:

    1. Weight loss is about 70% diet and 30% exercise. so watch what you eat, and don't exercise yourself to death.

    2. Calories are important, but what makes up your calories even more. Read your nutrition facts and ingredients. Keep it fresh and natural if you can.

    3. Don't be afraid of muscle! Building muscle revs up your metabolism and keeps it going that way longer.

    4. Eat 5-6 times a day, small meals and healthy snacks.

    5. Watch your carbs, you always burn carbs before you burn fat. And if you love carbs like me, make sure they come from whole grains, and fiber rich lentils.

    Don't be discouraged, keep going, don't feel bad about reaching out for support and motivation. If you have kids, always remember that they will grow up with the same eating habits as you, so make the right lifestyle change if you realize you don't want them to be like you. It's hard, but the end result is always so well worth it!

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