10 things I have learned along the way.

HealthierHappierBrenda

Wow thank you for sharing and it's all definitely true and helpful information....I'm not on a diet it's a lifestyle change; this took me a little while to comprehend but it's going to be so worth it once i reach my goal weight plus it's going to give me a healthier body and longer life......Congrats on your success!!!

rileydog14

thanks so much! So inspiring!

taffyRN84

OH so true, thanks for sharing, i just got another boost of motivation

Strivingforhealth12

Great wisdom in this post. Thank you for sharing.

mjterp

nice post
so true
but the one about eating breakfast???.....really hard
specially if you get up just in time to get to work !!!!!

GREAT posting OP. As for hard to eat breakfast...nothing says it has to be a BIG breakfast. I grab 2 slices of lunch meat from the fridge on my way out the door. (98% fat free chicken breast...70 calories for 2 slices) and I typically am shoving it in my mouth as I am shoving the car keys into the car door.
No, not ideal, but it is enough to jump start my metabolism for the day!

rachellosesitall85

Great advice!

redlion45

Yes, indeed! It's a lot of common sense, isn't it? And not really as hard as it seems.

I'd like to add: Break it down into small, reachable mini-goals that you can cross off until you reach your final goal. It makes it easier to digest than trying to focus on the big overall picture which is intimidating.

Congratulations on your success! Very impressive!

Thanks for sharing what you've learned along the way!

Thanks for the kind words all of you! :flowerforyou:

I wondered if it would be worth the time to write all that stuff down. I am glad some folks found it helpful. :blushing: You all are awesome. I have been inspired by the people who told their success stories here and especially those who had the guts to put their before and after photos up, so I thought I would add something. This stuff can get so confusing if you get caught up in all the arguments about what exercise is "Best" or whether "low carb" or "low fat" is best. It can be simpler than that.

Its funny that breakfast is the most controversial thing! Personally I hate breakfast, so I can sympathize. I am not ready to eat until about 9 AM, but I have learned that I need to get something in my stomach to get a decent workout. For the record, I am not suggesting you have to make a giant breakfast. I make a protein shake or a meal replacement shake, or just grab a banana and a glass of water if I am in a rush.

I totally agree about setting several goals along the way! It makes a huge difference, whether its a 5k, or pair of jeans you want to fit into by Labor day, or a wedding dress, whatever. Just saying, "I want to loose 50lbs" seems so HUGE. 10lbs by St. Patties day is much more manageable. Then set another goal.

I have a Tough Mudder Race coming in December, and I have been training hard so I don't embarrass myself in front of my team! It keeps me hitting the gym.

There are probably about 5 other things I have learned along the way, but the post was too long as it was. Maybe I will do a follow up, including "Your scale lies to you."

Go kick butt today!

expoduck

I think I may just need to print this out and stick it on my fridge.

Thanks so much for posting, seriously.

rlkilgo

:happy: Thank you for the post. You have made a lot of sense and I plan to follow it. I have been haphazardly working at my weight loss but I realize (after reading your post) that I need to write out a plan from getting up time to going to bed time. I work at a high school and to take a tip from another mfp, pack up ziplock bags of snacks and lunches for the work days. I am terrible to grab stuff out of machines. NOT GOOD. I look forward to hearing more from your journey. Interesting isn't it? A journey. I want mine to be a healthy and happy one from this point on. Thanks again.

mz2mutch

thank you tht is so helpful to me ive cut so many things now if i can get me a good excercise rutine ill be in there

emmalouc93

SO RIGHT!!! Sums up everything you could ever know about healthy living in ten points!

mayberry310

So moving! I'm saving this. Thank you for sharing!

skmolove

JLWesterlund

bump

youcandooeet

AWESOME words of wisdom.

AMC4x4

Thanks for the kind words all of you! :flowerforyou:

I wondered if it would be worth the time to write all that stuff down. I am glad some folks found it helpful.

Not just helpful,... Awesome... Best post I've read in a long time. In fact, I think I'm going to print it out and make sure I read it at least once per week.

Thanks again for taking the time to post it.

yoovie

1. The people that succeed are the ones that want it the most.

2. The ones that want it enough, shine bright at the sun with inner light.

3. If you want to succeed, you will research and study and find out the truth for yourself instead of mindlessly eating up whatever anyone tells you.

4. Happy is a decision.

5. It is possible to fear success - and that is one of the hidden hurdles no one tells you you'll have to break through.

6. There is no end game is you are doing it right, you simply become capable of more and more and more.

7. Youll never succeed if you dont honestly believe you deserve to succeed. Because you'll accept any excuse to lag behind.

8. You are going to realise terrifying, life-changing, sanity unhinging things about yourself and you are going to be shocked at what you are willing to change and sacrifice because you can finally see that it will be better in the long run.

9. You finally understand that selfishness is not always a sin and in many cases, goddamn late showing up in your life- you need it, you cherish it, you thrive because of it- and are in a better place to be able to help others because of it.

10. if you think that temptation to eat bad around your friends/husband, not being able to get out of bed to exercise in the morning or hearing discouraging things from the people around you are good reasons for quitting all the time... you should quit for good, you just dont have the chops for flying.

sunny_smile5

Thanks for sharing!

cathylord

All very sage advice. Thanks for this reminder.

redlion45

1. The people that succeed are the ones that want it the most.

2. The ones that want it enough, shine bright at the sun with inner light.

3. If you want to succeed, you will research and study and find out the truth for yourself instead of mindlessly eating up whatever anyone tells you.

4. Happy is a decision.

5. It is possible to fear success - and that is one of the hidden hurdles no one tells you you'll have to break through.

6. There is no end game is you are doing it right, you simply become capable of more and more and more.

7. Youll never succeed if you dont honestly believe you deserve to succeed. Because you'll accept any excuse to lag behind.

8. You are going to realise terrifying, life-changing, sanity unhinging things about yourself and you are going to be shocked at what you are willing to change and sacrifice because you can finally see that it will be better in the long run.

9. You finally understand that selfishness is not always a sin and in many cases, goddamn late showing up in your life- you need it, you cherish it, you thrive because of it- and are in a better place to be able to help others because of it.

10. if you think that temptation to eat bad around your friends/husband, not being able to get out of bed to exercise in the morning or hearing discouraging things from the people around you are good reasons for quitting all the time... you should quit for good, you just dont have the chops for flying.

That is a fantastic List! Great Stuff Yoovie, as usual!

Perfectdiamonds1

bump for later

Alex_is_Hawks

This is a fantastic post...thank you.

Malgorzata79

This is some awesome advice!!!!!! Thank you.

BeeRobin

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you for putting concisely into words--what I can't articulate so nicely when people ask "How are you loosing the weight."

I am going to quote you forever and ever and ever.

ChangeupEma

Thanks for sharing & duly noted! Congrats on your weight loss & yes this DEFINITELY counts as a success story:bigsmile:

LovesAdventure

I checked my logbook today, and I have been attempting to improve my health and fitness for 200 days now. I have lost 51 lbs from my highest weight and 45 since joining MFP. Admittedly others have had more impressive weight loss journeys than I have, but I think this still qualifies as a "success story." I have read more confusing nutrition articles, run more miles, lifted more weights and produced more sweat in the last 6+ months than I ever thought possible. Seems like a long time ago.

I am not a doctor, a nutritionist, or a personal trainer and I don’t play one on TV, but along the way I have spoken with all three at some length, and I have learned a few things I thought I could share that might help someone walking this same path.

Weight loss really is simple, but the catch is that it is damn hard to do in a Big Mac world.

Here is what I have learned along the way:

1. The Only Easy Day Was Yesterday - :sad: I borrowed this saying from my MFP pal Brutesquad (who borrowed it from the Navy Seals), but it sums it all up better than anything else I can think of. If you became obese, you will fight the “battle of the bulge” for the rest of your life. Apparently the most recent science from Yale and Cornell supports this phenomena - - one that most of us have experienced first-hand. Even if you reach your “ideal” weight after much effort, and hold it there for years; your body remembers that it was once heavy and wants to get back to that nice comfy place where they serve jelly doughnuts. You will always need to consume less calories than someone who is the same size as you, but who spent their entire life at the “ideal weight.” So, as many have said before, this must be a lifestyle change, not a temporary change. Diets are great to get you started, but no “diet tricks” will ever work for maintaining your weight. If you “diet” and then go back to your old method of eating, then you will just gain it all right back. You have to keep hammering away at the fat enemy every day for the rest of your life. You can whine about how unfair this all is, or you can accept it and get to work.

2. Eat Less and Move More - That is the only answer to the weight problem. Now, tomorrow and 50 years from now, if you want to weigh less you have to do both of these things. I don’t care whether you go paleo, Atkins, low calorie, low fat, vegan, or whatever floats your boat. I don't care if you run, swim, lift, bike, or zumba. If it means you eat less than you burn every day, go with it. One approach may work better for you than another, and you can adjust things up and down as needed for your body situation, goals and metabolism, but this unforgiving rule of physics is one you cannot escape. You have to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight. And, you have to burn just as many calories as you take in to stay at that weight; every week from now until you are pushing up daisies. Anybody who tells you different and promises a “miracle” fix is lying. :devil:

3. Do Something You Like - :happy: You need to, for the most part, enjoy your fitness journey, or at least not hate it. If you hate your exercise routine, and it feels like torture every day, you will fail. Willpower alone can only take you so far. Once you figure out what you have to do (to meet Rule #2) and find exercises you enjoy (or at least can tolerate), you can go on cruise control and just go out and get it done every day. I know; you don’t like exercise, right? So find the ones you hate the least and do them until you learn to like them! You will enjoy them more than the diabetes/stroke/heart attack which are behind Door #2.

4. Do The (Hard) Work - :noway: I hate to break it to you, but you have got to work hard to make body changes. There is no fitness system, pill, or gizmo that will ever give you a flat stomach, a firm butt, or the physique you want. If you think there is, you will be continually disappointed and poorer for it. What “hard” means will vary from person to person, but you have to challenge your body and fitness level if you want them to change. Depending on your fitness level, a 5 minute brisk walk may be “hard.” Do it anyway if you want results. If you don’t want results, why are you reading this?

5. Eat some damn breakfast - :grumble: I know its early - just do it. Your body will thank you.

6. Drink a bunch of water - :drinker: Seriously! Keep drinking it every day. Drink ½ your body weight in ounces or as much as you can stand, whichever comes first. It helps. It also keeps you away from soda and sugared drinks which is HUGE for cutting calories.

7. Don't allow yourself to get HUNGRY - :mad: Eat something (preferably something healthy) at least every four hours unless you are sleeping. That “I could eat a horse” feeling will lead to trouble – metabolically speaking.

8. Eat Stuff That Used to Be Alive - :huh: I am not an “All Natural Organic Everything” type of guy, but I get the argument. If all you eat is a bunch of chemicals, why are you surprised that you feel lousy? I never read a food label before this year, but when I started doing it – wow, what an eye opener (both from a calorie and an ingredient standpoint). I don’t care what the carb/protein/fat mix is as long as you are hitting your nutrient and calorie goals, and you feel good, but the stuff that used to be a part of nature had better be the foundation of each meal. Everybody eats processed foods from time to time, but try to keep them to a minimum. They tend to offer less fiber, less nutritional value, and are less satiating. Thus, you eat more which is how we all got here. Most of the natural stuff is packed with fiber. Fiber's effect is the opposite of snack foods’. When you have fiber in your stomach, food takes longer to enter the bloodstream, and your blood-sugar level stays steady. You stay sane and your body works efficiently to burn calories - it's win-win.

9. Make a Plan - :smokin: If you haven’t thought about how you will get your workouts in, or how you will meet, but not exceed, your calorie goals, don’t be surprised when you fail. Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail. How you do it is up to you, but you better make a plan and stick to it. Figure out your BMR, your TDEE, and adjust your Plan as needed. Find a goal and make your plan to reach it. I don't care if its a target weight, a little pink bikini, or a marathon finish. Write it down, and work at reaching that goal. Wing it, and you might as well say “Goodbye diet - hello diabetes.”

10. Don’t Quit - If you fall off the horse, you get back on. It’s as simple as that. Life will put obstacles in your path, and you will fail from time to time. Just don’t quit. You, and your loved ones, are worth the effort. Mine certainly are. Yours are too, aren't they?

Remember, the only easy day was yesterday. :sad: (Sorry, I don't make the rules - I've just gotta live with them the same as everyone else.) I didn't think any of this stuff up, I just learned it the hard way. :embarassed:

Got it? Great, now go get to work! You got this!

Message Ends.........

So very well said.

geral4479WECHANGED

Awesome post!

leeanneowens

Great post. Very helpful. Thanks.

shrinkinginQualicum

BANG ON! And incredibly well said! Hopefully many of us will read this and choose to listen. Thanks for sayin' it.

pkw58

Awesome post. it's a "keeper"!