what has worked (or not worked) for you?

tdotali
tdotali Posts: 181 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm just curious...what weight loss strategies have you tried that have and have not worked?

Replies

  • Dani_wants_to_be_fit
    Dani_wants_to_be_fit Posts: 550 Member
    Crash dieting. I have tried really restrictive calorie controlled intakes which yes, initially lead to drastic weight loss but once I started eating normal again I gained all the weight back and more. So I have learned the fastest way isn't the best and to change over to simple healthy eating and exercising which seems to be working a whole lot better.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    :wink: What hasn't worked: Slim Fast, Adkins, South Beach, Low Fat, Weight Watchers, Hydroxycut, other diet pills, etc, etc.....pretty much any pill, fad, or trend didn't work.

    What has worked: Counting my calories, staying under my goal, trying to get my nutrients first, cravings second, and exercising. I have a feeling this will work in the long run
  • IveLanded
    IveLanded Posts: 797 Member
    What DIDNT work for me was blindly going into a "diet" with no knowledge, plan, or goals.

    What DIDNT work for me was going to the gym and just trying to do things on my own.

    What worked was starting on a meal plan with goals set up.

    What worked was regular measuring and weigh-ins so I could see progress and keep myself motivated.

    What worked was regularly going to classes so I was being held accountable for how hard I was working.
  • Adelasamy
    Adelasamy Posts: 8 Member
    Hi,

    The best approach that worked for me was cycling 10 miles per day, record my food on myfitnesspal (I became a vegan) and track my daily activities with Fitbit, that shows me how active I really am
  • caraiselite
    caraiselite Posts: 2,631 Member
    low carb works.

    restricting cals did not.
  • BeautifulBetsy
    BeautifulBetsy Posts: 60 Member
    I just cut out things I know are wastful calories, like my creamy coffees, juice, chips, chocolate. In reality though I can't live without these things and that's why I'm always going up and down in weight. What always works though is good food and regular exercise.
  • chatterbox3110
    chatterbox3110 Posts: 630 Member
    Setting myself up to fail by setting unrealistic goals.

    This time I've accepted its a change of lifestyle that was needed, and its working.... at long last!
  • mike_littlerock
    mike_littlerock Posts: 296 Member
    eat less, move more. lol

    my wife and I both found workouts that we enjoy, and thats HUGE.. she does running, weights and zumba. I do HIT (high intensity Interval Training), with olympic lifts in a very basic gym.. our workouts are different but we enjoy them and that will keep us going back.

    For diet, we try to eat well 85-90% of the time.. lean meats and veggies/fruits.. We treat carbs as something we earn, as your body metabolizes carbs differently right after a workout. If we want carbs, we usually do that right after a workout (within about 1 hour of the workout).. the other 10-15% of meals we have as "cheat meals", do not really like the term "cheat" but we do allow ourselves to have things we want, in limited quantities on those cheat meals.. basically we try to think of some things as a treat, you do not have treats all the time, its an infrequent indulgence. For me, that is a burger or a pizza from time to time.
  • chivalryder
    chivalryder Posts: 4,391 Member
    I haven't actually done any weight loss strategies.

    I have, however, started an "elimination diet" which is the most accurate way to test for food allergies and sensitivities. Basically, my entire diet right now (until I start testing foods) is all fresh fruit and veggies, with brown rice, chicken, and nuts mixed in to balance out my macros.

    2 weeks in, and I've lost 15 pounds without even trying. It's actually harder to eat all the calories I need, but I've been hitting a deficit of 500 calories a day, give or take. By the numbers, I should have only lost 2 pounds so far. All the weight I've lost (about a pound a day, was 2 pounds for a few days when I first started) has been garbage my body has flushed out of it's system. I don't know when it'll stop! lol

    The only exercise I'm currently doing is walking to and from work, and hitting up the grocery store.

    I feel like a million bucks, full of energy, never bloated (I used to always feel bloated) and sleeping great! It's the best choice I have ever made in my life.

    My diary is open to the public if you'd like to take a look at it.
  • FITnFIRM4LIFE
    FITnFIRM4LIFE Posts: 818 Member
    Works-> anything you can do for your lifetime, 80 percent good 20 human-move-if you fall, get you *kitten* back up quick-be kind 2 self!lift heavy weights!

    Doen't work-> crash diets or anything you cannot do 4 life-looking 4 fast fix-not strength training.
  • XXXMinnieXXX
    XXXMinnieXXX Posts: 3,459 Member
    I lost 38lbs just by cutting down to 1500 calories and gentle exercise. Weight loss stalled so i changed macros to 40carbs/30fat/30protein, staying on the same calories and this has made all the difference with the weight loss. It has also made the journey much easier as i have been much fuller.

    My losses are also better when i drink my water. I also try to get more fiber in to keep me full and watch my sugar levels, this has helped also. I ramped up the exercise with HIIT this seemed to really help and i have recently ramped up the exercise again by joining the gym, have not weighed in yet, but guessing this can only help.I would say the biggest factor has been changing those macros around though! x
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    For me, it was 1200 calories per day and running three times per week.
  • cookiefluff
    cookiefluff Posts: 115
    Eating under 1600cal did it for me... slow and steady, I still eat all I want (healthily) I don't starve, I don't lose weight fast, but I LOSE not gain... :)
  • cpaman87
    cpaman87 Posts: 193 Member
    I avoid starches and sugars as much as possible and workout 2 to 3 times a week. The food diary has been a huge plus. I never realized how much I was consuming before. It helps keeps the intake down.
  • 2muchsauce
    2muchsauce Posts: 1,078
    The only real thing that works for me is portion control/calorie counting. I can exercise 7 days a week but if I don't control my consumption I get nowhere.
  • Rambo313
    Rambo313 Posts: 179 Member
    Eating healthy and portion control, it took me awhile but I finally realized I could NOT out exercise a bad diet. That has made all the difference in my success.
  • maggiepz
    maggiepz Posts: 141 Member
    I'm very carb sensitive having been diabetic and having metabolic syndrome. The diabetes is gone now, not because of the weight loss because I was diabetic at this weight before but because of cutting out starchy carbs and processed food.

    We need to avoid unrealistic expectations so not to set ourselves up for failure. We didn't get this way overnight.
  • maggiepz
    maggiepz Posts: 141 Member
    Oh, I you really HAVE to count calories. I still get shocked sometimes about how many calories, carbs and fat are in some stuff
  • freckledrats
    freckledrats Posts: 251 Member
    I didn't have luck with "eating more" (I am short and not very heavy, so "eating more" for me isn't too far away from 1200 cals in the first dang place).

    What has worked for me is taking my sedentary TDEE (fitnessfrog), subtracting a set amount of calories between 1-2 pounds per week, and logging every single thing. I try to work out, but since I took sedentary TDEE, I eat back every calorie that I burn. I don't do much in the way of cheat meals, but sometimes when the mood is kicking for sweet stuff or junk food, I will replace some calories with a little junk. I try to keep it small and if I have to go over, I don't go over by very much. Normally.

    Exercise helps a lot because not only are you burning more calories, you're getting fit and dropping some body fat, which helps your overall ability to burn. Even 30 min of cardio 3x a week is a great start. You won't get cut doing that, but you will drop pounds. Work up to some lifting or strength-intensive stuff if you can. Building muscle is a bonus.

    TIP: The scale is not always your friend. It is a nasty dirty little jerk that doesn't know the difference between tissue and water. Keep your sodium down if you want to avoid scale rage as much as possible, but menstruation, alcohol, dehydration, etc, can all affect weird readings.
  • 0hayleyelyse0
    0hayleyelyse0 Posts: 2
    What has not worked in the past is a 1200 calorie diet, I get burnt out within the first week and fail every time. What has worked for me is upping my calories and trying to eat every 2 to 3 hours. If I wait too long to eat I am starving and then it's harder for me to make smart choices.
  • krystalgwen
    krystalgwen Posts: 39 Member
    It may by some people be considered some kind of fad diet but It's not its incredible and it works if you stick to it. Its called the 17 day diet.. Google it, Try it you wont be dissapointed if you stick with it. I lost 12 pds in in 14 days the first time I tried it. I than stopped and gained all my weight back plus a little more but im back on it now sticking with it and its amazing. I really recommend it but if you look it up and its something you think wouldnt be for you than I do suggest something thats proven to work without a doubt eating healthy and exercising on a regular basis. It never fails. :)
    Good luck with your weight loss journey
  • McLifterPants
    McLifterPants Posts: 457 Member
    Worked initially but didn't last: Weight Watchers

    Didn't work: 1200 calories and too much elliptical!

    Did work: 1500 SMART calories (whole foods and protein!!), eating back exercise calories, weight lifting and mixing up my cardio!

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