success tips that helped you the most

ShannonMpls

What tips have you learned through the weight loss process that would help others

Start, and then don't stop. If you have a bad day, no big deal - get back at it tomorrow. If you let one day become a week, that's when you run into problems.

Live the healthiest life you can enjoy. If your diet is terribly restrictive, your exercise routine too ambitious, you never allow treats or days off, you're going to have a hard time sticking with it long-term. Don't make changes you can't stick with for a lifetime.

Starvation is overrated. Fuel your body.

Timshel_

Changing my internal communication. 10+ years of compromising myself into being overweight by telling myself I was entitled to eat what I wanted and to relax more now that I was getting older killed me. I have to really pay attention to how I talke to myself, and that alone helps me control what I do and the consistency in doing it.

bushokie

great feedback

bateslin

measure, measure, measure!!! I see so many people get discouraged when the scale doesn't go down and quit! I think that measurements are more important that what that scale says!

couldn't agree more. I've stayed plateaued for weeks but I have been measuring all over (arms, legs, chest, hips, stomach, etc) and I've lost 20 inches in the time that my scale hasn't moved...

trin8ty75

Don't force yourself to eat salads (insert you own food aversion here) just because it's healthy. This is a lifestyle change. Forcing yourself to eat foods you hate in order to lose weight will only work in the short term

cathrynfay

Don't give up. It sounds obvious, but if you fall off the wagon for a day, a week, or even a month, get back on.

bearkisses

2 words

Progress. Pictures.

elisabeisme

learn the correct definition of "wasteful"

wasteful is not
- leaving food on your plate in a restaurant because you've had enough
- throwing away food leftover from a party because it doesn't fit your nutrition plan
- discarding the last of the brown lettuce and getting a nice fresh one because you know you'll feel like eating it if it is fresh
- throwing away candy that someone bought for you
- ordering dessert but eating only a couple bites because you just wanted a little taste of something sweet
- buying new pants in the in-between size of your weight loss because looking better will help motivate you

wasteful is
- using too much dressing on your salad because there's a little bit left at the end of the bottle
- buying cookies instead of fruit because you know every single one will be eaten before they go bad
- downing the last mouthful of juice as you get up from the table just because it's in your glass
- emptying the last of the sauce onto your plate because you can't stand the sight of some left in the pan
- saving your fat clothes "just in case" instead of donating them or selling them

"wasteful" is wasting calories and money on stuff that is not good for your body. if you discard something that isn't good for you, then it is not wasteful.

chezjuan

My two biggest have been mentioned before:

1, A food scale is a very good tool to help in the accuracy of your tracking.
2. Don't give up if you have a bad day and go over your target. Also, remember that your target is a deficit, so unless you eat more than your TDEE, you're not really over (you'll just lose slower).

A couple of others I use when I eat out:
1. when you eat out, a good rule of thumb is to plan on only eating half of your order, unless you know how many calories it has and it fits into your daily limit.
2. Do your best to estimate the foods you eat, even when the place you are eating is not in MFP. I generally take the mode (the number that appears most often) for standard-sized servings. For example, if I get an average-sized tuna sandwich at a small diner, I'll check the database and look at several tuna sandwiches. If 400 calories appears the most, I choose one of those. It might not be the most accurate, but it is usually close.

moondawg14

Get control of your fork before you even think about picking up a dumbell. It's WAY too easy to give into temptation and blow through the 300 calories you just burned.

Solve the food problem first, THEN solve the exercise problem, if there is one. By giving each problem your full attention you'll maximize your chance of success.

It also makes it much easier to see "what works" from a food perspective, and then from an exercise perspective.

It also makes it much easier to successfully adjust your food intake to meet your exercise needs.

k35cunning

Thank you for sharing your tips everyone!

judtod

There are so many to choose from. Here are a few:
1. Do exercises you truly enjoy.
2. Eat foods you love.
3. Make the changes a little at a time. Don't try to change everything at once, you will reject the changes. Instead just do a little at a time. Continue with what you can do and discard the ones you can't. Maybe they are not for you, or not for you right now.
4. As everyone says, measure and record every bite.
5. Use smaller dishes to make your portions look larger.
6. Figure out what motivates you and use it. I like to see numbers showing progress, so along with records of weight loss and inches lost, I keep track of miles walked and just how far I have walked in total. It is odd, but, it works for me.
7. Get a pedometer. (there I go again, loving quantifying things)
8. Read books and blogs on exercise, nutrition and weight loss. It keeps it in the front of your mind and provides inspiration and excitement.
9. Try new recipes. Now my nutritious low calorie food at home is a lot better than the food in restaurants. This helps me avoid temptation.
10. I take one day off a month. I don't go crazy, but, it allows me to tell myself the rest of the month that I can have that food I want, I just need to be patient.
11. Enjoy the rest of your life too. Being happy helps make change enjoyable.

boatsie77

1. There's a reason you turned to food as your drug of choice to deaden the pain or fill an emptiness in your life. While you are going through the mechanics of losing weight, also take time to heal your soul--if you don't, there's a strong possibility the weight will return and controlling it will be a lifelong struggle.

2) Love your body exactly as it is NOW. Your body is a miraculous machine that will respond to nurturing and love--not hate and ridicule

Kestrel45

5. Don't be in a hurry. Eat right and work out..the weight can't hold on forever.

I love this one. This is where I am most upset sometimes, is when I doubt that I'm actually making progress. It's good to think of it in the sense that the fat has to come off if you're doing everything right.

Thanks

AJL437

For me - my mantra is: "Just focus on today". Just for today - work out and log your calories. That's it. Just do that today. I also have a workout buddy and someone I weigh in with once a week. That support system has been a tremendous help. For motivation - I have a pair of pants I have been trying to fit in that I try on once a month. It's great seeing them creep up my legs. Now I am about 2 inches from buttoning them.

daniellemm1

learn the correct definition of "wasteful"

wasteful is not
- leaving food on your plate in a restaurant because you've had enough
- throwing away food leftover from a party because it doesn't fit your nutrition plan
- discarding the last of the brown lettuce and getting a nice fresh one because you know you'll feel like eating it if it is fresh
- throwing away candy that someone bought for you
- ordering dessert but eating only a couple bites because you just wanted a little taste of something sweet
- buying new pants in the in-between size of your weight loss because looking better will help motivate you

wasteful is
- using too much dressing on your salad because there's a little bit left at the end of the bottle
- buying cookies instead of fruit because you know every single one will be eaten before they go bad
- downing the last mouthful of juice as you get up from the table just because it's in your glass
- emptying the last of the sauce onto your plate because you can't stand the sight of some left in the pan
- saving your fat clothes "just in case" instead of donating them or selling them

"wasteful" is wasting calories and money on stuff that is not good for your body. if you discard something that isn't good for you, then it is not wasteful.

Thanks for posting this I just printeded it out. This is one thing that I have always and still struggle with. I don't have to eat that last bite.

karaharrison2012

Do not deprive yourself. If you have a craving, its ok to eat a small portion of anything. If you try to diet and deprive yourself of what you are craving, you will never get anywhere! You will plateau...No doubt about it, but keep logging every bite stay near your calorie goal and you will break through it. I stayed at the same weight for 3 months staying under my calorie goal, but then all of a sudden I started losing again. DO NOT GIVE UP until you reach your goal. If I can do it at 40 years old, having a hysterectomy and going through menopause..ANYONE CAN!!!! I have lost almost 60lbs and have never been so proud of myself. DO NOT DIET!!! Make a lifestyle change. It is easier than it seems. I am also having lots of luck with green coffee bean extract. Did not try it until my last ten pounds to lose, but I could not get those pounds off for anything, after taking green coffee bean, they started falling off again. Not sure if It will work for everyone, but its certainly working for me

nicolelridl

Make easy changes in the food you eat such as using ground turkey instead of beef. I always like to add lots of veggies into my cooking too (especially in soups, chilli sloppy joes, etc.) Try to cut down on the card intake, but you don't have to completely cut them out, and if you do eat carbs make sure its all whole wheat. Another big one is don't drink skim milk!! You definitely want to by whole milk or raw milk because it has the healthy fat in it that your body needs. It recognizes the fat and makes you feel full instead of not getting any fat and wanting to eat more. It does have more calories so I don't drink a lot of milk a day, but with your cereal or tea/coffee its great, or the occasional glass by itself. I also cut out the pop, even diet. Instead I drink tea with a little honey and a splash of milk and I feel way more alert and awake than I ever did drinking coffee or pop. I also work out to one of the Jillian Michaels dvds 6 times a week and I allow myself one rest day. It is a struggle to stay under calories and work out but it is worth it and once the workout is over you feel so great for the rest of the day. I have fallen off the wagon a few times but you just have to pick yourself up and keep going. Its not about how you start, its about how you finish! Hard work and dedication! Every day is a new day so don't let one bad day derail you from your journey. You can do it, we all can! That is the great thing about this site. We all have access to a huge support system and we can all get there together! Hope this helps at least one person!

bushokie

wow great info thanks everyone

avrobin03

"losing weight is hard, maintaining weight is hard, staying fat is hard, choose your hard."

"Do not reward yourself with food, You are NOT a dog."

These simple quotes help keep me motivated when I'm feelin "unmotivated"

zeusbella

Love this!!

CaseyM1985

Set little goals, and long term goals. Reward yourself for both.
It's OK to screw up, be proud of yourself for overcoming the screw up.
Take pictures (I wish someone would have told me this. I refused to take pictures at the very beginning because I didn't want to see. But looking back, it would have been awesome to see the transformation!)
Don't rely all on numbers, look at how you feel, how your clothes fit, what you can do, etc.
Try to find a strong support group (I think MFP is an awesome source!)
Don't listen to people when they say you can't, etc.
Push through. Nothing that's worth it is easy!

...and as I'm a huge Shaun T / Insanity fan... DIG DEEPER

ObjectiveR

It's all about trial and error.

Try something. If it works, stick with it. If it doesn't work (and eventually many things will stop working) - do something else.

But accept the error part as part of the game and don't dwell on it.

terricrutch

This is perfectly said ! I like it.........................

nlewis22

3. Learn the difference between "training" and "working out." This one blew the doors off everything for me.

Can you explain this one a little more for me? What exactly do you mean? Do you "workout" harder when you have something to train for?

groundhawg

1. Read Success Stories- I love looking at the pictures of little and huge losses. These are people with their own stresses, their own problems, their own time constrants. They did it. So can I.


2. Be honest with yourself- Be honest with what you goal is. Someone once told me to be set me weight loss goal, now set it again as though you arent scared that you'll disappoint yourself. Whats your REAL goal? Do THAT. Know that you CAN, and treat it as though its already been done. Be honest with yourself with how much you eat- get a food scale. I learned so much from my food scale! Be honest on your "cheat days," or why you arent logging (because you know you are being bad?), or why you are really skipping the gym. Or is your "workout" at the gym 2 minutes of lifting 10 minutes of aimless wandering between machines and 15 minutes of protein smoothie drinking? Be aware of yourself, be honest with yourself.

3. And after the honesty, FORGIVE yourself. Forgive yourself for letting your body get out of control, and now make changes. Forigve yourself if you had that extra piece of birthday cake. Forgive yourself if you slept in through your alarm. Now take your next step, start over.

4. Dont wait for tomorrow. Don't say, "I'll start next Monday." Do it now. Start now as best as you can, and hit it hard when you are able to commit. Little steps add up to big steps all along the way.

5. Write your success story. I thought this was some hippy-nonsense when I was told to do it, but I cant even begin to explain how wonderful its been, how much more motivating its been than even reaching my goals. Write your success story as though its already happened, and write down the ten best things now that you've "lost the weight." For example some if mine are 1)I'm not afraid to kayak,rock climb, or adventure in front of my friends and family anymore, because I know I can keep up... 2) I dont have to try on ten outfits before I decide which ones makes me feel *least* fat.... 3) My sex life is great. I may not be there yet on all of them, but looking at them, and KNOWING that thats how its going to be is so motivating, and on top of it, it takes away the mental block, and the negativity of society, saying "You can't do this." Sure I can, I already wrote about it.

6. Slow progress is maintainable progress. No crash diets, if you want to sustain all your hard work dont be afraid to let it happen gradually.

7. Learn everything you can about nutrition, learn to read labels, learn about the science of endurance training and weight training, about training versus workout, about how weight loss happens and what are bodies really need. And then learn to listen and understand what your body is saying to YOU.

8. Change it up. Sick of weight lifting? Bored of the treadmill? Join a class! Go belly dancing, try zumba, try crossfit, go outside and kayak, go rock climbing, try hiking. Immerse yourself in a healthy and supportive community, a class setting where people you accountable, or where something is so fun you dont want to miss it o matter how tired you are.

9. Change it up- change your food, try new things, always.

10. Reward yourself, bribe yourself, do what works for you! Do not punish yourself. Love yourself, do not hate yourself.

11. Relax. Go into nature. Do some deep breathing. Sleep enough. Remove negative affects on your life. Amazingly this will shrink your waist.

A lot of these are about mentality, but thats what it really takes to succeed. Your mind has to be willing and in it first for the body to follow. Good luck to everyone.

MrsSLG

Love this - Do not reward yourself with food, You are NOT a dog!

Bump!

nonstopper

WATER WATER WATER

Just include running 3-4x a week & lift.

quick tip!

lina1131

I don't have all the answers, I try to learn from others that have more experience and success from me.

quiksandy

The thing that helped me the most was getting myself a Heart Rate Monitor (I have the Polar FT7). Before I owned one I relied on the calorie number listed on the treadmill at the gym or the database here on MFP. Both weren't accurate for me. A HRM showed me my real calorie burn. That combined with accurate food logging (weighing things on a food scale) helped me create a true slight calorie deficit and I lost weight.