Three years of experience boiled down into seven tips

StarkLark

I've been getting a few request lately for general advice or weight loss tips. Because of this I've started to compile the things I've learned through my own experience. Tonight I have decided to share.

I've had items on this list that I later changed my mind on and removed, so like any learning process this is constantly evolving. Here are my my seven basic tips for a successful healthy lifestyle:

1. Use MFP for all it's worth. Log everything you eat. Read the forums. See what works for other people and don't be afraid to try something new to see if it works for you. It can seem like so much at first but figure out what your BMR and TDEE are. Search the forums and don't be afraid to do some math. There are tools and calculators to help, you just have to find them.

2. Set small goals. When I started I was looking at close to 300 lbs that I needed to lose. THAT is overwhelming. I focus on 10 or 20 lbs blocks and then just watch them stack up.

3. PLAN. I get up every morning and prepare almost every single item I will eat for the entire day. It takes time, but once you figure out what works for you you can fine tune it and get faster. My usual prep time in the morning is about 20 minutes, but I also eat very simple stuff. Check my diary if you want, it's open and I eat almost the same stuff each day.

3. Exercise. Some people hate it, but I happen to love it. If you fall into the former category, find something you DO enjoy. Swimming, hiking, biking, adult coed sports... ANYTHING TO KEEP YOU MOVING each and every day. I've found huge success in group fitness classes. (I do Les Mills classes) I have a competitive nature and having a group of my peers in a class with me pushes me MUCH harder than I can usually do on my own.

4. Stay away from fads and quick fixes. If you don't plan on making something a permanent part of your routine, then you might want to avoid it. Things like pills, trend diets and cleanses are almost impossible to maintain in the long run. Focus on stability and permanence in your routine.

5. Weigh or measure anything you can before you eat it. I live by my tablespoon, cup and digital scale. Research shows that people as a whole are terrible at estimating portion size. Don't sabotage yourself by guessing.

6. Find a support network. It may be family and friends, or it may just be MFP friends and forum threads. Find a place where you can receive positive feedback for your losses and accomplishments. Getting complimented or told you are doing a good job is an incredible motivator to continue making the right choices. Once you find those support places, reach out and use them. Don't forget to pay it forward by supporting not only those who support you, but also a random stranger or twelve.

7. One last thing (as if this wasn't long enough! hahaha). There WILL be speed bumps. You will have setbacks. There will be days when you eat terribly and don't stick to your plan. All of those things will happen, that's just life. The trick is, don't let that one day turn into two days. Don't let two days turn into a week. But, if and when that happens, find a way to motivate yourself to get back on track. Don't feel bad or focus on any ground that is lost or time that is wasted. Focus on getting back on track the next day and stay positive! Get hooked on getting fit

Drastiic

Thanks for sharing. All of that is good sound advice.

StarkLark

Thanks for sharing. All of that is good sound advice.

Thank you I can see from your profile picture that you're already familiar with #5

2BeHealthy4Life

Hello There Pal ..

I will incorporate this balanced and sound advice in my journey to healthiness.
This was an enjoyed read ...Thank you for sharing your experience.

ajhr

All so true!

RoseAmongThorns91

Thanks for condensing everything down!!

TenderBranson

Great advice.

Especially the bit about fad diets.

ScarlettIsSpiffing

Thanks for sharing & well done on your fantastic achievement

1LRoy

The thing I like most about your advice is that it is so basic and is basically common sense. There's nothing in there that is so crazy and extreme like some people preach. All seven of those make a lot of sense and are easy to follow. That's what it takes to succeed. The extreme stuff is not sustainable.

Good job! Keep up the great work!

cornfritter22

This was great. Thanks for writing. It sounds like you are speaking from experience and i bet this will help a lot of people.

Angelie28

Great tips, especially about the weighing. It's crazy how off base I used to be about portion sizes.

steadk

Thanks for the post

Briaboo4

Excellent post! Thank you

Ellas_Time_4_Change

You're Awesome! :flowerforyou: Thanks so much for sharing. I really needed to read this today.

StarkLark

Thanks for the love everyone :bigsmile: This list was a long time in the making and I am so happy to share what worked for me.

jfan175

#4 for life! Great post from someone walking the walk. Thanks.

Fairy_Farts

Thank you for posting this. It's very encouraging!

LaMujerMasBonitaDelMundo

BUMP... Nice post. & its so true.

I second everything you wrote based from my own experience & success too. Thanks for sharing

midnight333

Thanks for the great tips, some I didn't know looking forward to using them.

Lonewolf1507

Thank you for posting this and congratulations on your multiple goal collection.

Andy

awisegirl84

#5 has made a huge difference for me. My eyes have always been bigger than my tummy.

Thanks!!

natika33

Great tips!

I guess I'm not like most people in that I can judge my food portions pretty well, but definitely it has helped me a lot to have a standard of reference (as soon as someone told me a portion size is roughly equal to your own fist I really started to understand things!)

Thanks for sharing and good luck on the rest of your journey!

Moosical

Wow well done on your loss so far and thanks for the seven tips. It's weird, isn't it? When you read tips like this it sounds like such common sense, but having struggled with my weight in the past I know that common sense goes out the window and you get impatient with how fast you are losing and setbacks lead to 'giving up'.

I didn't have mfp back then though and I am really enjoying this site, now that I am using it properly.

linhmaimac

TRUE TRUE TRUE!!!

Btw, congrats on meeting all your little goals in order to achieve your stretch goal!!

brightpebbles89

thanks for posting this

zmzmzm19

Thanks for your excellent post!! lots of great tips, and I will save them! Congrats on your success! :flowerforyou:

AstyPasty

Thanks for the great seven tips - very simple and so true - especially the weighing everything.

Many congrats on your amazing loss - you're an inspiration

high5girl

Very well said!

ChristineS_51

Great advice, I'm going to copy it into a document so I don't lose it, then I can look at it when I need to. Thanks so much - this sort of post is really helpful and informative :-) PS Well done on your great loss :flowerforyou:

itgeekwoman

Well said!! It works.

alasin1derland

Thank you, you are a true inspiration. I love that you remind us we are human and a stumble is just a stumble and mistakes aren't a reason to throw in the towel.