Many diets have failed for me. Will this really work?

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  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
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    1. throw out EVERY definition society has given you for the word "Diet"
    2. Understand that your Diet is your regular, every day nutritional ("bad" and "good") intake

    Then read this, accept the facts, and actually choose to change.

    Realize.Visualize.Choose.Act.SUCCEED.
    If you are unhealthy, it is because YOU CHOSE and ACTED to be unhealthy. Choices are abundant in every moment of life. The impacts of your actions, both consciously and sub-consciously, are what define your present being. You CREATE the present. Accept that the reason you are who you are is by your choices and actions, REALIZE. See where you want to Improve, VISUALIZE. Make the CHOICE to Change. Take ACTION upon the choices that lead you to SUCCESS.
  • Hollypop725
    Hollypop725 Posts: 26
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    Everything that everyone has been saying is definitely spot on. I know I didn't really start seeing success until I changed my mindset from thinking "diet" to thinking "lifestyle." Something else that helped me as well was to stop feeling sorry for myself or feeling guilty if I didn't go to the gym or ate a bad meal. If I do have a "cheat" meal, then I eat it, enjoy it, and move on. When you think about fitness as a lifestyle, you can't think that you're going to be 100% committed to that lifestyle for the rest of your life. For me, I found that I have to allow myself once a week (or every 2 weeks) to indulge so that I won't binge later. When I first started losing weight, this was my problem. I would wake up at 2:00 in the morning and gorge on a half jar of peanut butter because I was craving it so bad. If you allow yourself to indulge once in awhile, it will definitely cut back on the cravings and make you feel better (at least in my experience).

    And changes are definitely not something that is going to happen overnight. I know everyone wants to lose weight and get to their goal as fast as possible, but it's definitely not realistic haha. If you don't see any changes for a week or two, DON'T GIVE UP. This kind of stuff takes time. My aunt told me once "it took you 24 years to put that weight on, it's not going to come off overnight" and that has absolutely helped me. And don't really put too much emphasis on the scale. If you're doing P90X (which is an insane workout) then you'll probably start building more muscle, which weighs more than fat. I base a lot of my progress on how my clothes are fitting. I would definitely start measuring yourself! This helped me a lot more. You can usually find a lot of YouTube videos showing you how to do it. Hope this helped, good luck and definitely don't give up! :-)
  • Lmns218
    Lmns218 Posts: 155
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    1. throw out EVERY definition society has given you for the word "Diet"
    2. Understand that your Diet is your regular, every day nutritional ("bad" and "good") intake

    Then read this, accept the facts, and actually choose to change.

    Realize.Visualize.Choose.Act.SUCCEED.
    If you are unhealthy, it is because YOU CHOSE and ACTED to be unhealthy. Choices are abundant in every moment of life. The impacts of your actions, both consciously and sub-consciously, are what define your present being. You CREATE the present. Accept that the reason you are who you are is by your choices and actions, REALIZE. See where you want to Improve, VISUALIZE. Make the CHOICE to Change. Take ACTION upon the choices that lead you to SUCCESS.

    So true!!!! I had to be honest with myself...I used to cry about how hard it was, and I couldn't lose weight...but guess what?! I was in so much denial lol I would eat the calories alloted for the day and then binge at night....I make sure I hold myself accountable for EVERYTHING!!!!! I recommend using MFP's calculations as to how much calories you should ingest because everyone is different and they base it off of height, age, weight, and fitness level then you have something to work from. Like everyone says-it is a lifestyle change....no amount of pills or shakes are going to get you to where you need to be....YOU will!!!! Good luck and congrats!!!! don't forget to take pics every 30 days or so!!!!
  • erinhughes113
    erinhughes113 Posts: 21 Member
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    Everything that everyone has been saying is definitely spot on. I know I didn't really start seeing success until I changed my mindset from thinking "diet" to thinking "lifestyle." Something else that helped me as well was to stop feeling sorry for myself or feeling guilty if I didn't go to the gym or ate a bad meal. If I do have a "cheat" meal, then I eat it, enjoy it, and move on. When you think about fitness as a lifestyle, you can't think that you're going to be 100% committed to that lifestyle for the rest of your life. For me, I found that I have to allow myself once a week (or every 2 weeks) to indulge so that I won't binge later. When I first started losing weight, this was my problem. I would wake up at 2:00 in the morning and gorge on a half jar of peanut butter because I was craving it so bad. If you allow yourself to indulge once in awhile, it will definitely cut back on the cravings and make you feel better (at least in my experience).

    And changes are definitely not something that is going to happen overnight. I know everyone wants to lose weight and get to their goal as fast as possible, but it's definitely not realistic haha. If you don't see any changes for a week or two, DON'T GIVE UP. This kind of stuff takes time. My aunt told me once "it took you 24 years to put that weight on, it's not going to come off overnight" and that has absolutely helped me. And don't really put too much emphasis on the scale. If you're doing P90X (which is an insane workout) then you'll probably start building more muscle, which weighs more than fat. I base a lot of my progress on how my clothes are fitting. I would definitely start measuring yourself! This helped me a lot more. You can usually find a lot of YouTube videos showing you how to do it. Hope this helped, good luck and definitely don't give up! :-)

    Thanks a bunch!
  • candymara
    candymara Posts: 49
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    It just takes dedication. Like everyone has said, this isn't a diet. It's truly a lifestyle change. You are attempting to educate yourself into the ways of eating and exercising properly.

    This is about simple math- calories in versus calories out. Like fuel in your car, food has to be consumed wisely - put in what you take out. Any more and you get fat. Burn more than you eat and you'll lose weight.

    MyFitnessPal is a great tool for this lifestyle change because it helps you do the math. It's also loaded with support from friends and the community!

    I HIGHLY recommend downloading the MFP app if you have a smartphone. You can log meals so easily that you will be more likely to actually do it.

    Also, consider investing in a calorie monitor of some kind (I recommend the Bodymedia Fit armband, it's pricey but well worth the investment) so you can accurately gauge your daily calorie burn. I wear mine all day every day just take it off to charge while I shower.

    Other than that, just try to enjoy yourself! Reward the small things, keep positive, try new things fitness-wise and include your husband! Find a trail to hike, go for bike rides together, get off the couch! On that note, getting fit will really improve your love life- it sure has for my husband and myself! wink wink!

    Best of luck girl! Add me as a friend if you like. Take care and keep active!

    Candace
  • MoJoPoe
    MoJoPoe Posts: 139 Member
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    Remember, women typically gain a bit of weight in the early 20s (commonly called the freshman 15). This is hormonal, so perhaps HS weight is a bit low.
  • ajominy
    ajominy Posts: 87 Member
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    I couldn't agree more with the other posters in this is not a "diet" it's a lifestyle change. I had to reprogram my mind to understand that and that is why I feel that I have been so successful.

    A few things that I have learned over the last year are:

    1. weigh and measure everything you can. plan ahead when going out to dinner. do some research and look up the menu and calories (if available). this will help make much better choices when you eat out.

    2. do not overestimate your calorie burn and underestimate your calorie consumption. fyi...from my experiences, mfp tends to have a lot higher calorie burn in the exercises on here. if you can, i totally agree with getting a heart rate monitor or an app that can better assess your burn. this made a HUGE difference for me once i purchased my heart rate monitor.

    3. don't get hung up on going over your calories or splurging from time to time. live your life and enjoy splurges. everything in moderation!!! be sure to log all your food even on the days you splurge. it helps keep me accountable.

    4. figure out what works for your body and do it. if that is eating 1200 calories a day, then that is fine. if it's eating 1600 calories a day then do that. everyone has their own opinions, which is great, but ultimately all of our bodies are different and respond differently. figure out what works for you and your body and do it.

    i had a lot to lose and the ultimate goal was a very daunting one. instead of looking at the total amount i had to lose, i broke it up into smaller more manageable goals. i figured out rewards to hit those goals (new clothes, shoes, spa day, etc.) which helped me focus on what i needed to do. once i would hit a goal, i would set another one and so forth. before i knew it, i had lost over 100 lbs.

    you definitely can do it and there is a huge support network in here to help you along the way!!!
  • lisamarie1780
    lisamarie1780 Posts: 432 Member
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    Hey Erin!

    I'm so excited that you're doing P90X...it's really one of my favorite workouts! I think your goal of 110 is great for your height...should fall into the healthy weight range.

    One thing I'd recommend is following the nutrition guide. I think with those workouts, 1200 may not be enough to fuel your body. I was doing the same thing and didn't see the results I wanted, until I upped my calories to around 1600-1800. They are intense workouts and you need to think of food as fuel!

    I'll friend request you...and if you have any questions let me know!

    Exactly. Slashing your calories to 1200 and then doing high intensity workouts is never a good idea. I would google Scooby's workshop calorie calculator, enter your stats and find out what you should actually be eating in order to lose weight in a healthy and maintainable way
  • lisamarie1780
    lisamarie1780 Posts: 432 Member
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    Hey Erin!

    I'm so excited that you're doing P90X...it's really one of my favorite workouts! I think your goal of 110 is great for your height...should fall into the healthy weight range.

    One thing I'd recommend is following the nutrition guide. I think with those workouts, 1200 may not be enough to fuel your body. I was doing the same thing and didn't see the results I wanted, until I upped my calories to around 1600-1800. They are intense workouts and you need to think of food as fuel!

    I'll friend request you...and if you have any questions let me know!

    Exactly. Slashing your calories to 1200 and then doing high intensity workouts is never a good idea. I would google Scooby's workshop calorie calculator, enter your stats and find out what you should actually be eating in order to lose weight in a healthy and maintainable way

    Is maintainable a word or did I just make that up??! :indifferent:
  • cebreisch
    cebreisch Posts: 1,340 Member
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    Well - as others have said - it's a lifestyle, not a diet. Once you get to your goal weight, you'll have to keep doing what you're doing to keep it off. Trust me - after a 3 month challenging surgery recovery and other stuff, I fell so far off the wagon I couldn't see it anymore and gained 18 pounds.

    My suggestion is to focus on 2 things: lean/healthy protein (PARTICULARLY if you're doing P90X, you'll need LOTS of extra protein), and fiber.

    The plan will work if you work the plan.
  • kellijauch
    kellijauch Posts: 379 Member
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    The good news is, this is not a diet. Diets are restrictive. With this, you can eat anything as long as you stay within your calories. Yes, this will work, and you will actually start to like it, if you stick with it. Just make sure you do what you can at home, and stay within your calories. Also, eat as clean as possible and you will be fine. 110 may be a little low. If that's what you were in high school and you felt too skinny, maybe shoot for 120, then once you get there, re-evaluate.

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