How do you keep this up?

dad106

I keep this up so that I can continue to fit into all the nice new clothes I bought.

Plus, there are no forbidden foods.. unless you have allergies or something along those lines.

bwogilvie

The scale can be a lying liar. John Walker's chapter on "Signal and Noise" in _The Hacker's Diet_ (http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/) explains why, and how to tame it. Those weeks when you weren't losing at all (according to Mr. Lying Scale) were probably weeks when you had retained more water or solids. If you're sticking to your plan, you should be losing body weight slowly but surely; it's just that the small change of less than 2 oz. each day is overwhelmed by the fluctuations in what you retain of the 13.5 pounds or so of food, water, and oxygen that your body takes in each day.

I keep it up in part by comparing my daily weight to an exponentially weighted average; as long as my daily weight is below the average, I'm doing well, even if it's 2 lbs. higher than the previous day's weight. And I don't rule out any foods; instead, I cut back on the ones that I know are calorie dense or otherwise a problem for me. For instance, I love potatoes, and I know that if I cut them out now, but go back to them when I reach my goal, I'll pig out on them. So instead, I'm teaching myself to think of one medium potato as enough, instead of chowing down on a couple like I used to. I've added more legumes and crunchy veggies to my diet. I eat an ounce of cheese for dessert, instead of 2-3 oz. But I'm aiming to change how I eat for the rest of my life, and I'm not ruling anything out that I wouldn't want to give up forever.

That said, it does help to think positively about the things you're adding. Don't think, "Boo-hoo, I can't have more cheese" (my downfall!); instead, think, "Yay - I can have more of that tasty lentil salad!"

shosho420

As long as you keep at least a 500 calorie per day deficit, you will lose a pound per week or so. To that note - I exercise to "earn" extra calories. Sometimes I use them and eat a treat. Other times I "save" them so that maybe I will loose 3 pounds in 2 week's time.
To exercise, admittedly I do some not-fun stuff (like Barry's Bootcamp video) because it helps me to loose A LOT of calories fast. But I also do fun things and I roped in friends and family. I LOVE dance videos - so i dance with my kids. I love to walk - so one friend walks 2 miles with me each morning. If I want to walk in the afternoon, sometimes I plan the walk with a friend, other times it's spontaneous and I call to see if anyone can walk with me. Making my walks to destinations - like, to 7-11 to buy milk or to work or to a friend's house, helps with this. Sometimes I listen to music while walking, other times I pray to God about things. I sometimes even get the entire family out walking,explaining to my young children that the walking helps "kill the bad guys that get into us with some of the not-so-healthy food." Those walks are a little slower - but we get to chat and my son feels like he got a lot of quality time with me.
Mostly - find some exercises you enjoy. Hiking? Dancing? Walking? Step aerobic (another favorite of mine). Also, when doing those cardio videos - go with the easiest mode that still makes your heart go up some - and STOP before exhausted. A wise women once told me, "if you always work until you are tired, you will not look at exercise positively - you will look at work-out times with dread. Work hard enough to raise your heart rate and STOP when you feel like you can do more - this sets you up to feel good that you exercised, makes you happy to have "extra" calories, and raises your endorphins just because that is what exercise - without exhaustion - does."

This has long as you meet your 500 a day you should lose 1 pound a week. I know that when you are constantly eating healthy and after a month you have only lost 3 pounds it might seem like not a lot for all that suffering. BUT if you keep that up for a year it will add up fast. I know people who started dieting lost 1 pound in like two weeks and just gave up like "this isn't worth all the suffering" because at times it may seem like it isn't. BUT time is going to go by whether you eat bad or not, so I just eat under my deceit and expect time to slowly do the rest.

BioMechHeretic

What foods can you not eat if you follow a general trend of staying in the numbers and exercising? I haven't found any yet.

bombedpop

REPLY TO "BOMBEDPOP"'s comment: So losing a lb a week is not progress? Did you gain at faster rate? Doubt it. Buck up.

Actually, YES, I DO gain faster than that - MUCH faster.
And as for your comment to "buck up" - how are comments like that supposed to be "motivation and support"? Do you seriously think that's what people who are getting discouraged really need to hear? Well, it's not! So thanks, but no thanks for your comments.

Unless you hyper binge, you are not gaining a lb a week, excluding water weight during certain points of the month.

Sad you missed the part about not excluding foods, which 1/4 of the comments noted, there is no need to exclude food, unless you have an allergy or medical reason.

`Buck up` is motivation. Bucking up is what many people do who have goals they wish to achieve.

mumtoonegirl

All I have to do is look at a picture of myself before and re,e,bet how I felt medicalY and I know I will never go back m

pinkraynedropjacki

14 months & counting. It's not hard at all, in fact I enjoy it. I prefer to eat right & workout daily than anything else. A workout a day, I'm about to do Walk at home 5 miles.... I just came back from an 11km walk to the supermarket & back.

seanezekiel

When you hit your goal your calorie intake can drastically increase when all you want to do is maintain.

Sherbog

Thin feels better than any food tastes. It is all a math game to me. I can and do eat anything I want. I record everything, exerciise and keep track of total for each day. If I want to eat more I exercise more. I prioritize my day to start with a walk every day. I am so worth all the work.

jestersand

I've done it for over a decade and my trick is to give it my best all week and then I fall victim to all the good stuff on my one cheat day. I treat those foods like my long lost love. I can't let go of ice cream, but I have found a good alternative in non-fat frozen yogurt. If I want my Mexican food, I take a buddy with me (this buddy helps eat my food because restaurant portions are huge) and I sit there, smell my food, eat it slowly as i engage in conversation. Next thing you know, I am full and there's so much left in the plate. I never take it home. My buddy eats it. Then I start all over again. It has become a habit now and something to look forward to each week. Don't frustrate yourself.

lizlkbg

Put it in perspective. It's not that big of a deal.

There aren't any foods you can't have, you just have to have them in moderation. You can splurge once in a while, too, if you want.

I have a 9 year old kid who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes a little while ago. He has to have about 5 shots every day and calculate the carbs for every meal, snack, bite. He has adapted to this with incredible grace. I figure if he can do that, it isn't so much for me to count my calories.

This is really just a little thing.