What is the best advice you can give others?

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What are the greatest things you have learned on your journeys?

What information has been the most useful with regard to weight loss, eating correctly, lean muscle gain, exercise ...? What advice can you give on any aspect?

What tips, websites, articles, facts would you like to share with the MFP world?

I would love to hear, and I bet other MFP-ers would too!

My biggest lesson to date is to listen to your body and give it rest when it’s crying out for it. I’m nearly two weeks out of action with an awful virus that I know is a result of trying to do too much and letting my body get run down.
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Replies

  • DanaDark
    DanaDark Posts: 2,187 Member
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    Do something you can live with.

    Saying you can NEVER again eat this or that, or shunning all the foods you love, or insisting you must do 8 hours cardio a day, every day, etc. will lead to quick failure.
  • Dmarisol
    Dmarisol Posts: 35 Member
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    Eat 5-6 small meals a day and your metabolism will work wonders
  • taylor5877
    taylor5877 Posts: 1,792 Member
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    Eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, and legumes as close to their whole form as you can.
    Eat lean proteins. Eat healthy fats, preferably from whole foods. Don't use vegetable oil (use olive oil, canola or peanut).
    Eat a fat source with Omega 3's at least 3 times per week.

    Grains, fats, and added sugars are the quickest calories to accumulate if you don't watch them. They're not bad in and of themself, but their combination is potent.
  • Alex_is_Hawks
    Alex_is_Hawks Posts: 3,499 Member
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    Keep at it, don't quit and don't give up...

    you fall off the horse, you get the f*** back on....

    it's not working for you? You tweak it and make it work...

    don't be afraid to change it up, and don't be afraid to try new things, but NEVER quit and never give up.

    Lauren
  • ohmariposa
    ohmariposa Posts: 372 Member
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    -drink your water
    -learn to see your excercise time as ME time. I actually look forward to it, being alone with my music
    -smaller portions are the key to losing weight
    -if you slip up, it is ok, this is a lifesyle, not a diet
    -enjoy the journey. You will learn a great deal about yourself
  • Sidesteal
    Sidesteal Posts: 5,510 Member
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    As far as necessities go:

    Create a sustainable energy deficit
    Exercise. You should probably incorporate some resistance training.
    Rest
    Repeat
    Do NOT complicate things.


    As far as other notes:

    I would eat "mostly" whole foods for both satiety and nutrient sufficiency.
    I would prioritize protein and fat over carbohydrate but provided you are not doing a low-carb program, carbs can still be your friend and you should eat enough of them to train with intensity.
    I would not eliminate foods that you enjoy. Instead, eat them in moderation and fit them into your daily nutrition goals.


    For research, I would very much recommend anything from the following sites:
    www.alanaragon.com
    www.weightology.net
    www.bodyrecomposition.com
    www.leangains.com
    www.body-improvements.com

    I would absolutely not recommend:
    Gary Taubes
  • riveraphx
    riveraphx Posts: 380 Member
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    Put as much effort into maintenance as you did on weight loss. It can be just as or even more challenging than actually losing weight.
  • infamousmk
    infamousmk Posts: 6,033 Member
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    Never go ATM.
  • macpatti
    macpatti Posts: 4,280 Member
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    Eat less, exercise more, and drink water.
  • bassmanlarry
    bassmanlarry Posts: 117 Member
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    Learn to cook at home. I think a large amount of my success has come just from eating out less and planning my meals in advance.
  • Anomalia
    Anomalia Posts: 506 Member
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    Be kind to your body.
  • KyleB65
    KyleB65 Posts: 1,196 Member
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    Don't listen to all the noise of the people around you offering suggestions.

    Focus on your self, listen to your body and make slow and steady changes to your life style.

    These add up quickly and the results can be incredible!
  • AggieLu
    AggieLu Posts: 873 Member
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    BE SELFISH. Stop trying to please everyone else around you. If someone is to love/like you, they will regardless of whether you're fat, skinny, whether you walk 10 minutes and call it your exercise for the day or hike for 10 hours straight. Listen to your body, do what works for you. Do what makes you happy. Drink lots of water. Don't be afraid to push yourself a little further... what what you think is "beyond your limits" <~~~ you'll pleasantly surprise yourself, I promise.
  • warpedlogic
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    The best advice I can give aside from 'don't get discouraged when the scale doesn't change' and 'measure body fat percentage' are the biggest things in my weight-loss/healthy lifestyle toolbox:

    1. Learn what full feels like
    2. Learn what hunger feels like
    3. Learn what thirst feels like
    4. When feeling hungry, drink 8 oz of water and wait 15 min. If still hungry, then eat until satisfied. By the time 20 min is up, you're full.

    Just remember, it takes 20 min for the full signal to get from your stomach to your brain so eat slowly and drink water with your meal.
  • MissBettyBoop2
    MissBettyBoop2 Posts: 32 Member
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    Never give up! Get back up on that horse! And no excuses!
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
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    1. Make the best possible choices at each meal .....

    2. Move a little more each day ......

    3. Just do it !
  • CleanEatingLlama
    CleanEatingLlama Posts: 10 Member
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    Make changes to your lifestyle that you are willing to maintain for the long run. Start small and slowly; they will add up over time!

    Forgive yourself if you slip, overindulge, or stray a bit. Don't let one gluttonous meal determine how you will eat the rest of the day/week/month/year! Just keep making positive choices.

    Eat to nourish your body and foster health. Try not to feed your emotions with food. When you do, take a look at yourself and situation, then figure out how to approach it better next time.

    Celebrate your successes, scale and non-scale. All positive changes and efforts are important!
  • gauchogirl
    gauchogirl Posts: 467 Member
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    Have patience and then have more patience on top of that.

    Do the best you can with what you have, where you are.
  • Natashaa1991
    Natashaa1991 Posts: 866 Member
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    do not what others say you should do (all no carbs drama for me..) but what your body and your life experience tells you that works for you!
  • Tenar13
    Tenar13 Posts: 49 Member
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    Measure, measure, measure! - measure what you are eating (weight or volume) and measure yourself the scale does not always give the whole story!