Give me your best weight loss tips please :)

bugtrain

Don't over think it.........just find what works for you and something that you can stick with.......you can get overwhelmed with all the advice here......everyone is different.

thenewmrsgant

I have found that tracking everything I eat is important. Not only that I have also learned that I need to weigh everything on my food scale, because when I "eyeball" food I always am "off" in the portion. Also if I am eating out in a restaurant I make sure I plan ahead. I research the restaurant's food options and I then track all the rest of my meals that day to accommodate it.

Lastly, I have learned to never stop. There isn't a such thing as a bad meal. As long as you are aware of what you are eating and accountable, it's all good.

cleefelty

I'm about at the same place you are in weight loss, but here's a few things that I believe have been working for me:

I bought a food scale which has been great at figuring out food portions. This really helped accurately record what I was eating, seriously a *great* purchase.

I weigh myself daily, and only log it if it goes down. For me, it is better than weighing in weekly/bi-weekly only to be unpleasantly surprised if the scale goes up and not down. It's just part of my routine. If it goes up, no worries, but it helps influence better choices when presented a possibly weak moment.

I wear an "old-fashioned" pedometer which is *so* not cool looking, but, it helps me track how many steps a day I take and I LOVE it. I log steps manually under "Check In" --> "Other Measurements" , and added "Steps" to my options.

In addition to calories (and carbs, fats, proteins), I watch sugar and sodium pretty close after looking into the effects of too much of either on your body, and on efforts to lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

I eat off of children-size/small plates, and use baby spoons when I'm at home. Seems so silly, but effective.

I (heart) seltzer water. It has replaced my Diet Coke addiction. I easily drink more than the 8 glasses a day, especially helpful if I go over my sodium for the day. (The one I drink is sugar- and sodium-free.)

Patience and consistency.

Hope some of that is helpful

raylynn244

The best thing I can tell you is to keep moving.. literally. I will make a veggie sandwich, cut it in half.. sit down, eat half and get up immedietly and start doing housework. I completely forget about the other half until my next meal time... and Im not hungry and my metobolism wont slow because I did eat so i have calories to burn. The only time I wanna keep eating is when Im sitting or resting. All I wanna do is snack. As long as you keep busy youll eat half the food you did before, i promise. Also, dont deprive yourself of sweets, you may binge later. Just eat little bits after your biggest meal so you'll get your sweet fix and wont binge. That was my problem! Let me know how it goes, and if you hear any other cool advice let me in on it! hanks good luck!

mustgetmuscles1

Losing fat anywhere on the body is more to do with a calorie deficit than any particular exercise. With that said the fat will burn off from wherever the body decides. You can not control this and it usually comes off in the reverse order it went on.

To lose "weight" put your calories in a moderate deficit. Notice I said "weight". To make sure the majority of your weight loss comes from "body fat" you will need to do resistance training. Muscle is very expensive to maintain calorie wise. If you do not convince your body that the muscle is necessary it will get rid of it. This can look great on the scale but is terrible for body composition. This site is full of people who reach their weight loss goals and are not happy with the way their bodies look. This is usually do to excessive calorie deficit (from severe dieting or excessive cardio) and no resistance training (lifting relatively heavy weights).

DO NOT WAIT TO START WEIGHTLIFTING!!!!!

And yes ladies this goes for you also. You will not get "bulky" muscles without years of training and a calorie surplus.

Kat120285

Losing fat anywhere on the body is more to do with a calorie deficit than any particular exercise. With that said the fat will burn off from wherever the body decides. You can not control this and it usually comes off in the reverse order it went on.

To lose "weight" put your calories in a moderate deficit. Notice I said "weight". To make sure the majority of your weight loss comes from "body fat" you will need to do resistance training. Muscle is very expensive to maintain calorie wise. If you do not convince your body that the muscle is necessary it will get rid of it. This can look great on the scale but is terrible for body composition. This site is full of people who reach their weight loss goals and are not happy with the way their bodies look. This is usually do to excessive calorie deficit (from severe dieting or excessive cardio) and no resistance training (lifting relatively heavy weights).

DO NOT WAIT TO START WEIGHTLIFTING!!!!!

And yes ladies this goes for you also. You will not get "bulky" muscles without years of training and a calorie surplus.

*Like* And agree.

issyfit

Has anyone read "The Big Fat Weight Loss Book"? I got it free for Kindle. The author claims to have found "the secret" to weight loss. There is a short section about the author then the body of the book is 6 words: "Eat less, exercise more. The end". :laugh:

karenmi

Oh, and for me, I had to come to the point of saying, "If I need to log food everyday for the rest of my life, I will. Even if that means I'm 83 and still logging onto myfitnesspal!"

^^Agreed!!!

Mini_Medic

Don't cheat on your self! Set realistic goals such as 1 pants size in a month, or 8-10lbs. Every 10 lbs of weight lost, take pictures of yourself in a bathing suit/shorts or underclothes. You will not see changes in yourself until you hit 18-24lbs of weight loss, but the picures don't lie. When you hit a goal, give yourself a happy meal. Notice I said MEAL, not DAY. (Doesn't have to be McDonalds, just a fun and yummy meal that you wouldn't normally eat). Let your *happy* (not cheat) meal be at lunch if possible, that way you have time left to let your body metabolize your *ahem* not so wise meal choice. Then get right back to eating healthy at dinner. Your body will thank you. I do a happy meal for myself every 10 lbs of weight lost, or once every two-three weeks if I'm at maintenance. Cupcakes and Tacos taste 1,000x better when you are enjoying them with 10lbs less of you than if you splurge too early and undo the first 3lbs you lost.

WATER, WATER, WATER!!!!!!

Akimajuktuq

I am not telling you how or what to eat. Not everyone eats like I do, nor does everyone need to. I have health issues and the way I eat has resolved them ALL.

What works best for me is:

1. No grains, legumes, sugar, or artificial sweeteners.
2. Limit fruit (berries are best).
3. Eat the healthiest protein you can get (I mean wild or free-range, I don't mean low fat).
4. Eat the healthiest fats you can get (coconut oil, butter, nut oils (not peanut), animal fat from wild/free range animals). My eating plan is built on fat and I have no difficulty staying under my calorie goal.
5. Eat the healthiest vegetables you can get (grow your own, farmers markets, organic, avoid the "dirty dozen")
6. I eat dairy, but it is not necessarily "healthy". Always use full fat dairy and try to get raw/unpasteurized, free range products.
7. Limit processed foods and prepare your own meals.
8. Move your body and lift heavy things.
9. Do lots of research to learn what is really healthy and what works for you. Most modern dietary advice is severely flawed imo, but there are some great sources out there; find them.
10. Avoid "diet", "low fat" and GMO products. Read labels. We vote for the kind of food we want with our dollars.

Just to be clear: I do not achieve all these things, all of the time. I live in the Arctic so my food choices are very limited. I do the best I can with what I have. I still have improvements to be made such as learning to make my own salad dressings, mayo, etc. I follow the above as guidelines and achieve them to the best of my ability.

I am not deprived and I am not suffering. I am the healthiest and happiest that I have been for years.

Try different things and find a way that works for you! Just keep in mind that being healthy is first and foremost, and the weight loss will follow.

SherryRueter

Strength train 2-3x per week. Either to a DVD or at a gym. Use heavy weights. If you can do more than 12 reps, you need to go heavier. Build muscle!

Drink a Protein shake after your workout, or even as an evening snack.

Stop eating 3hrs before bedtime!

coffeebrown5

Water, water,water and exercise even when you don't feel like it still go for 30 minutes.

1sisrat

Drink WATER
Drink green tea
I stop eating at 8 pm ( go to bed at 10ish) so as not to feel bloated.
I try to eat green things at least twice a day (even if it mean a salad with dinner and a green smoothie after a workout).

Sarge516

1. Watch your carbs, lower = generally better for weight loss.
2. Log everything.
3. Watch your sugar intake. Refined/added sugar = bad. Natural sugars (such as those in fruit) = OK.
4. Eat lots of protein. Protein takes energy to digest, and digests slower than carbs. If you need a snack, make it protein.
5. Eat lots of vegetables.
6. Exercise, exercise, exercise. "Dieting" (watching what you eat) will only get you so far, so fast. Adding in exercise increases your success big time. Dieting will work (you will drop weight) if you've got a long way to go weight wise (start off heavy), but it won't get most people to where they want to be by itself. You MUST exercise in one form or another.
7. To be really successful, you can't think of this as a "diet". It's got to be a lifestyle change.
8. Don't drink your calories. Drink water, and lots of it.

Sarge516

Strength train 2-3x per week. Either to a DVD or at a gym. Use heavy weights. If you can do more than 12 reps, you need to go heavier. Build muscle!

Drink a Protein shake after your workout, or even as an evening snack.

Stop eating 3hrs before bedtime!

This too ^^

acpgee

I even log the bites of brownie or fries stolen off my husband's plate. That's why my diary is littered with "1/8 of a serving" entries.

When I'm having trouble facing the deprivation, I do an hour on an elliptic trainer which earns 500-600 Calories to eat. This way, I can incorporate restaurant meals and dinner parties. I even lost a kilo while on vacation and eating in restaurants every day, by doing an hour on the elliptical at the hotel gym every morning. To combat boredom I watch a TV app on the smartphone, if the exercise machine doesn't have a TV incorporated.

LindseySprake

The 3 P's:

Planning - Plan your meals ahead of time and plan when your going to exercise.

Patience - This is a lifestyle change, it won't happen over night, we all have up and downs, just stick with it.

Positivity - You need to be in the right mind set and be ready to start your journey. Be positive about your new heathier choises and remember they can only be good for you, so enjoy them!

:flowerforyou:

LoraF83

Eat less - specifically, a 20% deficit from my TDEE.

Move more - specifically, workouts 4-5 times a week (3 days strength training, 2-3 days cardio - some days are combined strength and cardio)

Eat what I want as long as it fits into my calorie goal. I try to give my body the nutrition that it needs, but I'm not going to avoid any foods or deny myself foods that I want/crave.

Don't take weight loss or dieting too seriously. It's not the end of the world if you have a bad day, don't lose for a week, miss a few workouts. You're just trying to improve yourself. So keep moving forward and you'll get to your goal.