What is the best advice you can give others?

magerum

Don't quit.

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

No excuses.

slim_photographer

1) Get the heart involved. The mind is already there. we already know what things are good and bad for us. Until you take it to heart and make it emotional, inject passion you will probably give up after a while.
2) Make failing close to impossible (don't keep junk food around, etc), make succeeding as easy as possible (leave gym bag ready since the night before, you won't have time in the morning, etc.)
3) Layout the change you want to make until it becomes uncomfortable, then back it down a notch. If you're not uncomfortable, at least for a while you're not doing a significant change. And at the same time you don't want it to be too hard which leads me to
4) Gotta find a balance, usually by trial and error. Not too slow or the bike won't even move, you will lose balance, nor too fast or you won't be able to make that sharp turn at the bottom of the hill. You gotta find balance and stick to it.

I also agree will a lot of other pals' advices.

rach41413

Eat to live, don't live to eat!

kakklespakkle

Fantastic messages and all inspiring and motivating (you know, except the toilet roll one lol!). Thank you all so much, this has been amazing to read x

dhakiyya

Understand that most people out there want to buy gimmicks and quick fixes, and there are many, many people out there willing to peddle gimmicks and quick fixes. However gimmicks are just gimmicks and there are no quick fixes (if there were, doctors the world over would be prescribing them and there'd be no more obesity epidemic). Ditto fads, scams, gurus and even nutritional "cults".

Then do what you can to educate yourself about human physiology and nutrition from reliable sources. Keep your gimmick/quick fix/dodgy science radar on at all times. Double check everything.

Then remember that your body follows the laws of physics and while there are various things like medical issues and individual differences that mean one approach may be better for some while another approach may be better for others, your body will not break the laws of physics and most of human physiology is the same for everyone.

Undereating screws up your results as much as overeating does, but in fundamentally different ways. Overeating makes you gain fat, that's pretty straight forward (or when you're aiming to lose fat, overeating will make you fail to lose). Undereating (for prolonged periods, not just the odd day here and there) will slowly do over your metabolism, because you are descended from generation upon generation of famine survivors, and if your body, metabolism and psychology wasn't able to adapt to food shortages, the human race simply would not have survived. These changes are not purely physical, they affect your mind too, such as making you obsess about food and go on binges. These psychological changes are part of your body's ways to survive food shortages. So, given that you have to walk a fairly fine line between not overeating and not undereating, it pays to really read up on human physiology and nutrition, and learn what BMR, TDEE and so on means, and learn how to calculate them for you, and how to figure out the right number of calories for you to lose weight slowly and steadily without triggering physiological or psychological responses to undereating. The number of calories you need each day is individual to you, though it can be estimated reasonably well with formulas, and you can fine tune it based on your results.

Understanding why exercise, especially weight training, will help you to not only lose weight but also improve your health and body composition is very important - that comes under understanding human physiology.

Learn how to feed your body properly, not only the overall number of calories (as above) but also all of nutrition, i.e. what nutrients your body needs, and focus on feeding your body properly *before* you start cutting things out of your diet. If you're feeding your body properly, most people find that a lot of desire for junk food actually goes away. Your body craves what it's not getting enough of. (although there's also a separate issue of psychological cravings, e.g. comfort eating)

Find out what motivates you - it pays to study the psychology of motivation to help you to stay motivated.

If you have other issues that are getting in the way, find ways that work to deal with them. If it's mental health issues, see a counsellor. If it's medical issues see a dietician and/or physio about how to eat and exercise right for your condition. If it's lifestyle issues, change what you can and find ways to work around what you can't change. Do what it takes to set your life up so you can do this.

true35

Be honest... sounds so cliche but it is so easy to lie to yourself and cut corners.

The TRUTH!

jofjltncb6

Don't take random advice from strangers on the internet.

A_Valerie

Don't take random advice from strangers on the internet.

:laugh: :laugh:

stagknight

Don't try to lose weight, there is no try. You lose weight or you don't lose weight. If you try to lose weight you don't have your heart in in it. You have to want to lose weight. So don't try. DO IT!

clairyfairy247

1. Educate yourself ... about how weight gain/loss happens (i.e. BMR, calories in vs. calories out, etc.), about macronutrient ratios, about the pros and cons of strength training and cardio, etc. Read and question, read and question, read and question.

2. Don't confuse planning with the actual doing of things. Planning is important, but don't spend so much time planning and talking about what you're going to do that you have no time or energy to actually do it.

3. Don't assume ANYONE, especially your doctor or any doctor on TV, is an expert on weight loss. Verify everything, even if it's by trial and error.

4. Record EVERYTHING. Your meals, your workouts, your water intake, even your thoughts and feelings about what you are doing. Continually review, evaluate, and adjust where necessary. Don't be afraid to change things up. It makes more sense to try something new than to continue doing something that has not worked.

5. Recovery is more than half of the equation. Your body needs rest, food, and therapy (foam rolling, massage, ice baths, joint mobility work). It cannot do what you ask it to do if you don't fuel it properly.

This pretty much sums it up for me Also every accomplishment starts with the decision to try - so don't give up and be better than you were yesterday

mamaomefo

Have confidence in yourself! Know that you are doing this for long term health. None of us are perfect. We will have good days and some not so good days! Be kind to yourself if you slip, but get right back on the program:flowerforyou:

Tat2dDom624

Stay active and watch what you eat, but also don't deprive yourself of the foods that give you comfort. Just eat those foods in moderation. But if you do "fall of the wagon", pick yourself up and hop back on!

atsteele

Keep at it, don't quit and don't give up...

you fall off the horse, you get the f*** back on....

it's not working for you? You tweak it and make it work...

don't be afraid to change it up, and don't be afraid to try new things, but NEVER quit and never give up.

Lauren

Exactly!!

TheVimFuego

Don't try to lose weight, there is no try. You lose weight or you don't lose weight. If you try to lose weight you don't have your heart in in it. You have to want to lose weight. So don't try. DO IT!

Don't try to lose weight, try to be healthy.

And keep an open mind.

And don't assume that someone with a buff profile picture that hardly covers their pubes is a reliable source of advice.