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dporter1183
dporter1183 Posts: 154 Member
What changes have you made that really helped you?

Maybe we can offer our best tips and help out our fellow peeps.

Here are mine.....i don't know why I ever stopped any of them-

Balance Ball.....I use it instead of a chair at work.....I'm constantly moving. (make sure you buy the right size for your body)
Water.....drink drink drink. I aim for 4 bottles a day.
snacking- I used to have 2-3 small snacks per day to keep my metabolism up (hand full of almods, 1 piece of fruit, carrots, cucumber slices, raisins, etc)
Cut out fast food (this is actually the only one I've really stuck too.) I might have drive through once a month. Rule in my house is....if they have a drive through window, we don't go there. If we want to eat out...it's a lot of subway. Don't forget you can turn your sandwich into a salad if you are watching your carbs.

With a combination of all of these. I really saw results. I dropped 10 lbs pretty quick and lowered my blood pressure. Like I said, I don't know why I ever stopped.

My blood pressure is still where it should be because I've avoided fast food where as I was practically addicted before.

Replies

  • hrh001
    hrh001 Posts: 3 Member
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    Dporter1183 - I love the if it has a drive through window, we don't go there concept!! I definitely need to adopt that as a rule for my house! I am so with you on not knowing why I stopped! I felt so much better when I was making good food choices and getting some exercise.

    Water, water, water! It makes a huge difference in me thinking I am hungry and wanting to snack.

    Planning my food - and this is the hardest for me to do for some reason. I don't know why this is so hard for me to do because I know it works.

    Treadmill - I know a lot of people think the treadmill is torture! but for some reason this is the one type of workout I have tried like I have actually stuck to consistently. I tell myself just get on for 10 minutes...that is all you have to do. But I normally always end up on it for at least 30 minutes. It has been a great way for me to push myself.

    I hope you all have a great day! Track those calories!!!

    Heather
  • territurner908347
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    I am increasing my water intake- I don't usually drink anything (literally one drink all day), so this is a HUGE challenge for me.

    No eating out. Even ordering salad out tempts me to get their dressing instead of just the salad vinegar I use at home.

    Lean protein and tons of veggies.

    I have a huge sweet tooth and a passionate love of cheese. I made some apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies to help with the sweet tooth but have just avoided the cheese altogether.

    I also stopped taking all my prescription meds this month to see if that was, in fact, a contributing factor to my inability to lose weight.

    Exercise- Slow start, but have found my 7 year old daughter can be quite the boot camp motivator!

    I am going to make a soup the weekend and hopefully that will be something filling and savory to keep me going into the 2nd week. I saw a lower cal lasagna soup I have a hankering to try.....:tongue:
  • dporter1183
    dporter1183 Posts: 154 Member
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    Dporter1183 - I love the if it has a drive through window, we don't go there concept!! I definitely need to adopt that as a rule for my house! I am so with you on not knowing why I stopped! I felt so much better when I was making good food choices and getting some exercise.

    Water, water, water! It makes a huge difference in me thinking I am hungry and wanting to snack.

    Planning my food - and this is the hardest for me to do for some reason. I don't know why this is so hard for me to do because I know it works.

    Treadmill - I know a lot of people think the treadmill is torture! but for some reason this is the one type of workout I have tried like I have actually stuck to consistently. I tell myself just get on for 10 minutes...that is all you have to do. But I normally always end up on it for at least 30 minutes. It has been a great way for me to push myself.

    I hope you all have a great day! Track those calories!!!

    Heather

    The no drive thru window was really hard at first for us because we litterally at out almost daily....I'd grab breakfast on my way into work, Hubby would grab breakfast and or lunch because he works out of the office all day....and my kids would love to grab a happy meal on the way home. I calculated how much we spent one month on food and I almost fell out of my chair....then I went to the doctor and my blood pressure was high for the first time ever......then watched Super Size me and it really grossed me out that we do this to our bodies. After about a week.......it was just second nature to us.......eating at home more is so much better. It's been about six months and my blood pressure is right where it should be!

    I need to do better on my food planning and finding a work out that I don't absolutely dread......But I know I can do it!
  • dporter1183
    dporter1183 Posts: 154 Member
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    I am increasing my water intake- I don't usually drink anything (literally one drink all day), so this is a HUGE challenge for me.

    No eating out. Even ordering salad out tempts me to get their dressing instead of just the salad vinegar I use at home.

    Lean protein and tons of veggies.

    I have a huge sweet tooth and a passionate love of cheese. I made some apple cinnamon oatmeal cookies to help with the sweet tooth but have just avoided the cheese altogether.

    I also stopped taking all my prescription meds this month to see if that was, in fact, a contributing factor to my inability to lose weight.

    Exercise- Slow start, but have found my 7 year old daughter can be quite the boot camp motivator!

    I am going to make a soup the weekend and hopefully that will be something filling and savory to keep me going into the 2nd week. I saw a lower cal lasagna soup I have a hankering to try.....:tongue:

    I know what you mean.....I can sometimes go all day with nothing to drink. When I get into that habit, it's a hard one to break.

    I love working out with my kids. They do every step right along side me....and ask the next day "We working out today?"
  • tinalynn1987
    tinalynn1987 Posts: 17 Member
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    I havent been eating the best but i have eliminated pop, juices, and kool-aid. I strictly drink water I am aiming for lower carb higher protein my macros carbs/protein/fats are 30/40/30 I am in school,work, and will be doing clinicals soon which leaves little time to work out but will attempt but my goal is to try to eat cleaner healthier foods increase my fiber and lower my sodium intake
    . Yesterday grocery shopping i bought ground chicken instead of ground beef I bought turkey bacon and sausage I found a low carb bread only 5g net carbs and a low carb tortilla/wrap only 3g net carbs I eat starting to eat leaner meats I was eating out, but was getting bad fats so I will stop that now. I am incorporating strength training to decrease my BF % which sadly is 42 :( less cardio even though cardio burns calories it can burn fat cells as well as the lean muscle cells so lifting weights to build muscle will increase my metabolism as well as tone my body as I am on my weight loss journey I try to eat up to my calories but have been able to with so much low calorie foods I'm am starting to eat it's hard to eat that much
  • malilini
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    My best tip? Not being too hard on myself. I know it may sound counter-intuitive given that I have a substantial amount of weight to lose, but it's been a lifesaver.
    I know that I can live on 500 kcal a day and lose all of 50 pounds in a couple of months. I've done it before by saying "nope, you can't eat that". All that happens is that I hit 130ish pounds and faceplant into cheesecake. A month and a lot of stretchmarks later... Back to ground zero. Sidenote - don't do it. It's a terrible terrible idea that makes your relatively firm but chubby body into very skinny flabby body, and then returns it to a huge flabby body. Terrible terrible terrible.

    Now, if I want to eat a few chocolates, I'll eat a few chocolates and maybe workout the additional 100 kcal tomorrow. Or if it fits into my calorie budget, just enjoy it and not worry. And sometimes I don't work it off or plan for it, and the world still keeps turning.
    I actually feel like I can maintain this. I'm eating things I love, just strategically, instead of gorging on them 24/7.

    Exercise on the other hand... I welcome any and all advice. :(
  • jmcreynolds91
    jmcreynolds91 Posts: 777 Member
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    Like others said, i drink alot of water! usually 9-10 bottles a day! For me, another thing that helped me was not to snack in between meals. Before, i would eat my meals, then go back to the kitchen for snacks probably 4-5 times. Ive learned to eat my meal, then dont go back into the kitchen! haha. Also, ive learned how to eat healthy. As far as healthier choices, whole grains, fresh fruit and vegetables. With doing those things, ive seen the weight continually come off.
  • jcmorrison25
    jcmorrison25 Posts: 43 Member
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    I use either the small paper dinner plates or salad plates, I tend to be a visual person so I want to see the plate still full instead of a lot of open space on my plate. I also purchased a water bottle that I literally take EVERYWHERE now, but this wasn't an easy to get into! I was like several of you that didn't really drink much of anything, so I'm trying to convert to not only drinking more but making sure that it is water primarily.

    Good Luck everyone!
  • alifer
    alifer Posts: 387 Member
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    More water. NO Mountain Dew, and portion control. I allow myself any food that I want, except Mountain Dew = as long as they are within my calorie limit. When I hit a plateau I will re-evaluate my goals. When I lost weight a couple of years ago I had to increase my calories in order to push past the plateau.
  • KeepPushin414
    KeepPushin414 Posts: 10 Member
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    It's been so long since I've had success this one really caused me to pause and think, but here's the revelation. My best tip for success I've had in any aspect of life is this...be consistent. I've lost weight on a variety of plans - low carb; south beach; low calorie; weight watchers, etc. What I haven't done in the last few years is stick with anything longer than a few weeks. That's going to be my biggest "win" in January...especially through the football playoffs, etc. In recently reading a book called "Coach Yourself Thin" I learned that I am an "all or nothing" type person and this has contributed to my issue. If I am consistently making good choices then a piece of someone's birthday cake or a slice of pizza once in a while isn't a big deal. What is a big deal is that I let one indulgence or treat derail my meal, my day, my week and then next thing I know I'm in a spiral and gaining. How stupid is that? I just need to recognize that success comes from doing the right things each meal, each day, each week and then time will go by and pounds will come off. It doesn't have to be all or nothing - it needs to be steady. I don't know if anyone out there will even relate to this but I appreciate the question and opportunity to ponder.

    Wanna hear something funny ? I exercise faithfully - I am going on 49 y/o and have exercised since middle school. Love it love it love it - no matter how overweight I am I never stop doing something. Luckily for me this has made me one of those "fit, fat" people you may have read about. My blood pressure is 106/70; my pulse 60 bpm; total cholesterol 151 at my last checkup - not even 6 months ago. But I'm 5'2" and 190 lbs right now .. my heaviest ever. I can lift 100 lbs, but I have sooo much fat covering up my muscles. I am grateful for my health, but I really hate not being able to wear half the clothes in my closet !!!
  • Timberlies
    Timberlies Posts: 28 Member
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    I don't have a net loss yet. Lost 5lb but then gained it back, but I have lost weight before and these are some things that help me.

    Keep a water bottle around and limit other beverages.
    Limit eating out.
    No food in front of the TV (I'm working on this one, but it's hard to give up).
    Make exercise time the routine (I'll do well, but then if I stop because I'm busy, sick, etc, it's so hard to start up again).
    Don't stock unhealthy snacks at home.
    Keep a bunch of healthy snack options at work (there's a lot of junk food in the office).
    Plan meals in advance.
    Get support.
  • Valence87
    Valence87 Posts: 13 Member
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    The thing that helps me the most is making sure I get enough protein. It makes me feel much more satisfied, and I don't get that gnawing hunger that I used to always associate with dieting.

    Here's what my doc recommended for me (25 year old female, mostly good health). Your mileage may vary:
    *Minimum: 0.8g protein per kg of body weight
    *Maximum: 2.5g protein per kg of body weight *or* 25% of your calories, whichever is lower


    I've only been following this plan for a few days, but I've never had a diet start so smoothly before.
  • kalyn_QT
    kalyn_QT Posts: 273 Member
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    well i am a third to my goal weight and trying to lose the rest by may. here are my tips:

    Plan your meals ahead of time: the night before i try to log the next day in advance so when i wake up in the morning i know exactly how my day should go. no guessing and no hoping it fits calorie wise at the end of the day.

    Exercise: I exercise as much as i can even if it is just walking in front of the tv because i aim for 10,000 steps a day. i go to the gym and do cardio and strength training. Even with my exercise i'll eat back some of the calories burn (at most 200calories) if i choose to the night before (after awhile you know approx how many calories you burn).

    Water intake: Drink water not sodas. Drink plenty of water at least 8 glasses on non-workout days and even more on workout days because you need to replace the fluids you lost while working out. Also if you are feeling hungry drink 8 oz of water and wait 30minutes to ensure you are actually hungry because sometimes being thirsty is received as being hungry.

    Protein: Protein (lean meat) is your best friend. It helps you fill fuller longer. if you are vegetarian then eat foods that have protein like yogurt and nuts.

    Moderation: Sure you can eat foods you like but all in moderation. you can pre-pack snack bags each containing one portion. so if you want chips grab the pre-packed bag so you don't overeat. Also moderation when eating out, you can divide a restaurant portion into lunch and dinner and drink water to fill up.

    Being anew: just because you slip up one day doesn't mean you should quit. shake it off and hit the gym. continue on to becoming a new and healthier you.

    Patience: weight loss can be a rather slow process and the closer you get to your goal the longer it seems to take. Expect a plateau at some point because it will happen so just stick it out and remember to use a tape measure. Progress will follow.

    Grocery store: NEVER shop when hungry. create a grocery list and stick to it..remember stores display bad food options on the ends of aisles and around the checkout counter. Avoid bringing your children with you or you will either have a cart full of unhealthy options or unhappy children.
  • BonjourAmelia
    BonjourAmelia Posts: 71 Member
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    Great stuff being said here!

    As a student of nutrition, I've learned a lot in school about metabolism and food, but then again I was an obese girl sitting in on those classes, so knowing the ins and outs of how your body uses food does not evoke good choices. (which is pretty common sense, but it was somewhat a relevation to me!

    My best tip, based on my weightloss journey thus far, has to be to make a plan that works for you. I dont know how many times I tried (and failed) at dieting and exercising with HUGE goals and even bigger expectations for myself. I started having conversations with myself. (not crazy haha). Driving home from work or sitting on the couch I'd say to myself, "you can manage to go to the gym for a half hour, what's more important than your health that you have to right now?" and sometimes I didn't make it to the gym, but the next day I picked up again, no harm done. I'm aim to do a measly 30 minutes of cardio (depending on your level you could aim for more or less) everyday and I scheduled 2-3 days to add on strength training. As for food, I stopped eating crap everyday. Don't get me wrong though, I never was deprived, if I went out to dinner I made smart choices and sometimes treated myself. I started loosing weight and I didn't feel restricted by my routine. Quite the opposite, I was in control of my body for the first time!


    Short version: I'm suggesting that you don't bite off more than you can chew (pun intended?) by following a less drastic, manageable, maintainable, forgiving diet and exercise plan.