TIPS FOR SUCCESS

388gigi

Never give up. If you make a mistake, or binge or lazy for a week, or anything similar - Get straight back to it as soon as you can, don't go back to your old ways, go back to where you left off!

Reza151

TRAIN and DIET that simple

Missing one component. Diet + Exercise + Willpower = Success.. that simple.

No "Cheat days" that is just stupid.. who are you cheating?

Good luck

actually one cheat day per week, if you eat healthy 90% of the time and exercise regularly, won't hurt you. And with a cheat day, youre less likely to fail on your diet. Too often we try to rteplace what we really want with a poor suibstitute and end up eating more calories instead (i.e. REALLY craving a slice of cake and instead, eating a whole box of low fat granola bars instead). Research shows that if you allow yourself to eat the "bad" foods once in awhile, youre less likely to binge.

Healthydiner65

Own it, log it and move on! No beating myself up for mistakes!

xxnellie146xx

Be consistent and keep moving forward.

Reza151

1) Train hard.

What I mean by that is that for very obese people who do zero activity except walk to the fridge, maybe walking or house cleaning can be considered exercise, and anything is better than nothing - we all started somewhere. BUT -- for the majority of people, a "workout" is where you do activity that makes you sweat and breathe hard, maybe even gasp for breath when you push hard. Do a combination of strength and cardio training.

2) Eat clean.

I'm not a big believer in fad diets (eliminate this, eat only soup, etc). I say eat clean, avoid food with added/excess sugar, and eat whole foods. Meat, whole wheat pasta, grains, fruit, vegetables - all of it. Drink lots of water, and avoid sugary drinks and alcohol. Those are just empty calories. Also, I am not a believer in "cheat days". To me, that is taking 4 steps forward and one back. Why would you want to give up progress you've made?

3) Looking for shortcuts?

There are none. See #1 and #2.

I don't claim to be a fitness/diet or exercise expert, but the above worked for me. I lost almost 100 lbs using those methods.

1 cheat day doesnt ruin a diet. You cant lose 5 lbs in a day, you certainly wont gain it either (because it takes 3500 calories in addition to how many your body needs to maintain itself in order to gain a lb. So roughly 5500 calories in a pound for the average person). If you work out regularly and eat healthy the majority of the time, one cheat day or cheat meal will not ruin your progress

nczuczu

Excellent post! Excellent advise! Will refer to this often!!!

bushokie

thanks guys ..ypu made this an excellent post

bushokie

We could make a best selling book with these tips

pandasmama3

Great tips! Thanks!

bushokie

thanks guys

Sarge516

TRAIN and DIET that simple

Missing one component. Diet + Exercise + Willpower = Success.. that simple.

No "Cheat days" that is just stupid.. who are you cheating?

Good luck

actually one cheat day per week, if you eat healthy 90% of the time and exercise regularly, won't hurt you. And with a cheat day, youre less likely to fail on your diet. Too often we try to rteplace what we really want with a poor suibstitute and end up eating more calories instead (i.e. REALLY craving a slice of cake and instead, eating a whole box of low fat granola bars instead). Research shows that if you allow yourself to eat the "bad" foods once in awhile, youre less likely to binge.

To each their own. I'm not meaning to disparage anyone who does "cheat days", they are just not something I do/did. Weight loss is an individual battle.

I also do not represent myself as a diet, fitness, and exercise expert just because I have had success with my methods, have the anonymity of the internet, and the ability to type. When it comes to internet forums and advice, YGWYPF. Take what you want from what I say, or dismiss it. It matters not to me.

bluepen61

Willpower could be translated to Objective/Personal Goal(s).

In my case, it was these three objectives/goals:
a. No meds for type II diabete by maintaining a low A1c test results.
b. Maintain an acceptable cholesterol test level.
c. Complete 3 laps @ Tour de Road America ride (12 miles) with strength for the hill sections.

All of which requires diet + exercise + support.

a. and b. relate to my objective to maintain my healthy, repaired mitral heart valve. I am blessed with a repaired heart! :happy:

Tootce01

Bump! Great Posts!

bushokie

bump again

CanuckLove

There are only two days in the year that nothing can get done. One is called yesterday and the other is tomorrow.. So today is the day to move your *kitten*!

Duck_Puddle

My biggest tip is to not focus on the result (the actual weight loss). Focus on the things you can directly control: eating better and getting some exercise. Provided you do those things, the weight will come off when it feels like coming off. It's much easier for me to focus my goals on behaviors and actions that I can control (vs hoping and praying that my fat will agree with my arbitrary timeline). I am doing this forever, there is no "end", there is no "done", there just "is". As long as I keep doing what I'm doing, the results will eventually take care of themselves.

bushokie

thank you