MIght get blasted but.....This is what I have learned.

sarahi2009

I have been a member here for a few years. Like many of you I wanted to lose weight. In fact, I have lost 20 pounds ( I don't know why my darn thng says 14) and have kept if off for a believe more than a year. You can look me up on here and see my before and after pics. This are ONLY my 2 cents and what I have learned.

1. Yes, you will lose weight if you reduce your calories I found that it's not about reducing your calories but learning how to eat. You can reduce your calories all you want but if you are only giving your body bad fuel you will be right where you started. Been there done that.

2. "put in, crowd out" you will find that as you put more greens in your body the "other" stuff just starts disappearing. It's not about you "can't' eat this or that, but add healthy stuff little by little and it's amazing but you forget about the other stuff. It's been proven time and time again in many scientific studies.

3. Know your body, listen to it, try things, experiment. Don't always go by the scale, it can be discouraging if you don't see any number change...go by your clothes and how it fits. If you are eating healthy, like greens and fruits and GOOD stuff who cares what the scales says if you feel good, because I find that feeling good is way better then seeing numbers go down on the scale and still feeling crappy.

4. EVERYBODY is different, my body would not take very nicely the fact that I went on a low calorie diet, in fact it hated it! I discovered that if I ate good and more calories, my body would feel good and shed pounds. Crazy how our bodies work!! But you need to learn how it affects YOUR body.

5. Excercise is good, it keeps your endorphins up and frankly it puts you in a better mood. However, you don't need to kill yourself at the gym. It is proven that excercise is mainly so you don't lose muscle but you can lose weight just by changing your eating habits! Don't get me wrong, please excercise if you so desire, but don't feel that you can't be healthy if you don't.

Finally, have fun...don't stress too much because that also keeps your weight on!

dupaboo

Well said!

DVMcGhie

Couldn't agree with you more. Exercise has always been part of my life but never did I bother to start tracking the food I ate. I decided to journal what I ate with my friend whose on weight watchers. It's been a wake up call to see how many calories I was consuming a day. I've learned to eat healthier and as a result consume less calories. The weight has come down and I hope I'll be able to maintain my ideal weight.

sarahi2009

Couldn't agree with you more. Exercise has always been part of my life but never did I bother to start tracking the food I ate. I decided to journal what I ate with my friend whose on weight watchers. It's been a wake up call to see how many calories I was consuming a day. I've learned to eat healthier and as a result consume less calories. The weight has come down and I hope I'll be able to maintain my ideal weight.

Yes, keeping a journal is great, even if it's just for you to know what makes your body feel good and what makes it not feel so good. It's excellent!

Happyme2009

I agree with everything but I have a question.... the days when I eat healthy, ( meaning vegan for me because of my religion, at least 2 times a week), I eat so much more than the other days..... if I eat only fruits, veggies, greens, legumes, I just cannot stay full, I am hungry all the time... so I usually go over my calories by a lot!!!!! basically I eat healthy, just too much of it!!!!! How to fix that?

sarahi2009

Oh yeah, remember your water

sarahi2009

I agree with everything but I have a question.... the days when I eat healthy, ( meaning vegan for me because of my religion, at least 2 times a week), I eat so much more than the other days..... if I eat only fruits, veggies, greens, legumes, I just cannot stay full, I am hungry all the time... so I usually go over my calories by a lot!!!!! basically I eat healthy, just too much of it!!!!! How to fix that?

This is what I would do....the hell with the calories ...do you see a change in your clothes and the way you feel?

sarahi2009

@happyme....have you tried doing a shake? I work very early so I do a shake of "kale, banana, ice, water, strawberries, chia seeds (thickens it) and protein powder called RAW....it's for vegans too.

squinz

Good post. And I'm not sure who would blast you? It's all the truth!

ChrissyMaez

I completely agree!!!! Paying attention to what your body wants instead of what works for others is so important!!!

sarahi2009

Good post. And I'm not sure who would blast you? It's all the truth!

It's happened in the past because people don't agree with the calorie thing

Happyme2009

@happyme....have you tried doing a shake? I work very early so I do a shake of "kale, banana, ice, water, strawberries, chia seeds (thickens it) and protein powder called RAW....it's for vegans too.

Nope, never thought of that... I'll have to research that RAW protein to see if it's available in Canada.... thanks!

sarahi2009

@happyme....have you tried doing a shake? I work very early so I do a shake of "kale, banana, ice, water, strawberries, chia seeds (thickens it) and protein powder called RAW....it's for vegans too.

Nope, never thought of that... I'll have to research that RAW protein to see if it's available in Canada.... thanks!

You can also try to look for it on the internet, sometimes it's cheaper. Check your health food stores in Canada, I am sure they carry it.

haberchic

This is what I have learned over the last year. Over the last year I have been running consistently, going to numerous cardio classes and weight lifting with a trainer. I weigh exactly the same as I did last January. I am much fitter than last year, more muscle definition, my cardio vascular endurance has greatly improved, but I am still overweight by about 20 pounds, and believe me it's fat, around my middle. I eat a pretty healthy diet but I eat way to much for only being 5'1". My approach was to try and exercise my calories away. It didn't get me anywhere. My approach this year is to try and track everything I eat and keep within a certain range to lose the fat. I'm going to continue exercising because I love it, but not for weight loss; for fitness.

MaggieSporleder

Great post!

sarahi2009

This is what I have learned over the last year. Over the last year I have been running consistently, going to numerous cardio classes and weight lifting with a trainer. I weigh exactly the same as I did last January. I am much fitter than last year, more muscle definition, my cardio vascular endurance has greatly improved, but I am still overweight by about 20 pounds, and believe me it's fat, around my middle. I eat a pretty healthy diet but I eat way to much for only being 5'1". My approach was to try and exercise my calories away. It didn't get me anywhere. My approach this year is to try and track everything I eat and keep within a certain range to lose the fat. I'm going to continue exercising because I love it, but not for weight loss; for fitness.

I think keeping a diary is excellent! Also, you do what you think is right for your body, it's sounds like you are doing a great job getting healthy!! Which FOR ME it's my goal...skinny and healthy are TWO completely different ideologies in MY mind!

cwolfman13

Great post...I particularly like the exercise part. I see way too many people grinding out endless hours on treadmills and elyptical machines and just overkilling on the cardio...I do cardio primarily for general fitness and heart health...really only need about 30 minutes getting your heart rate up 3-5 times per week for good heart health. Way too many people trying to cardio away bad diets.

Gotta hit the weights though for composition.

LauraDotts

I agree with everything but I have a question.... the days when I eat healthy, ( meaning vegan for me because of my religion, at least 2 times a week), I eat so much more than the other days..... if I eat only fruits, veggies, greens, legumes, I just cannot stay full, I am hungry all the time... so I usually go over my calories by a lot!!!!! basically I eat healthy, just too much of it!!!!! How to fix that?

Add some fat to those meals... olive oil, avocado, nuts, etc. Fats will fill you up and you will eat less.

sarahi2009

Great post...I particularly like the exercise part. I see way too many people grinding out endless hours on treadmills and elyptical machines and just overkilling on the cardio...I do cardio primarily for general fitness and heart health...really only need about 30 minutes getting your heart rate up 3-5 times per week for good heart health. Way too many people trying to cardio away bad diets.

Gotta hit the weights though for composition.

I agree I think weight training is good, you can be heatlhy but not have mucle defenition, it's nice to have though if you do or want to

Me48Plus2

I agree with everything but I have a question.... the days when I eat healthy, ( meaning vegan for me because of my religion, at least 2 times a week), I eat so much more than the other days..... if I eat only fruits, veggies, greens, legumes, I just cannot stay full, I am hungry all the time... so I usually go over my calories by a lot!!!!! basically I eat healthy, just too much of it!!!!! How to fix that?

Almonds !! I swear by them. They're not many calories, but just a few will keep you satisfied. Fat and protein satisfy your hunger. Too many fruits and vegetables will just make you more hungry.

sarahi2009

Almonds are good, I find that soaking them in water is really good. They are a lot easier to digest. Also Quinoa with some dried fruit will help you get full and it's not weighing you down, satisfied and light is my motto

00sarah

Great post & congrats on your stable weight! Sometimes keeping it off is harder than losing it

lauriem1966

Great post! I've tried to do low calorie, low fat....my body holds on tight. I eat more, eat some good fats and I lose. Some days its a struggle to eat enough because I feel so satisfied eating real food!

stfuriada

2. "put in, crowd out" you will find that as you put more greens in your body the "other" stuff just starts disappearing. It's not about you "can't' eat this or that, but add healthy stuff little by little and it's amazing but you forget about the other stuff. It's been proven time and time again in many scientific studies.

No amount of broccoli will edge out cheeseburgers for me, sorry.

But I do agree with some of your points.

jennb44

I so agree with your post..thanks for all the get information. I only started back with MFP on 12/27/12, but was on it for almost 6 months last year and only lost about 5 pounds during that time according to the scale and I got so so discouraged that I stopped tracking and put 6 lbs back on. Now I am trying to not look at the scale as often and go by the way I feel instead and how my clothes fit. I am already seeing a difference in my clothing...my bra isn't as tight as before and my pants too. I am also doing a 20 min walking dvd (indoors) at least 5-6 times a week as well. Hoping to see better results this time from that. I really want to lose at the min. 15-20 lbs by July and 30-40 lbs by the end of the year.

jesssonj05

Thank you, I needed this today.

queenmluv

Great Advice!! Thanks!

wildfirediva

I agree with everything but I have a question.... the days when I eat healthy, ( meaning vegan for me because of my religion, at least 2 times a week), I eat so much more than the other days..... if I eat only fruits, veggies, greens, legumes, I just cannot stay full, I am hungry all the time... so I usually go over my calories by a lot!!!!! basically I eat healthy, just too much of it!!!!! How to fix that?

Increase your protein and good fats on that day. Those help keep you full and satisfied longer. Drizzle veggies and beans with a little flavored olive oil for example. There are some GREAT vegan Protein powders. Personal favorites are PlantFusion, LifeBasics and Nutiva Hemp.

sarahi2009

2. "put in, crowd out" you will find that as you put more greens in your body the "other" stuff just starts disappearing. It's not about you "can't' eat this or that, but add healthy stuff little by little and it's amazing but you forget about the other stuff. It's been proven time and time again in many scientific studies.

No amount of broccoli will edge out cheeseburgers for me, sorry.

But I do agree with some of your points.

Oh I am not saying you can't eat junk food....tha't not it, but if you can eat healthy 70-80 percent of the time...you are there!! I haven't stopped eating burgers or junk food here and there!

cstrickland68

I agree.Well said!!!

YoungDoc2B

NIce write up, I especially like #2