The one thing you did that made the difference?

fneder
fneder Posts: 7 Member
in Motivation and Support
As of today, I'm down 20 lbs, with 10 more to go to hit my goal.

The startling thing to me is that I did that in exactly 3 months, after about 3 years of ups and downs that got me nowhere, all while using MFP.

When I think about what's different this time, it's that I managed to get myself out of bed at 5 AM every day so I had time to exercise before work. To make it more of a habit, I now get up at 5AM 7 days a week, just for the discipline. So, no gym membership (I work out in my garage), no changes to net calorie goals, no major changes to the kinds of food I eat to hit that goal, just getting my *kitten* out of bed an hour earlier than I used to. Lots of other habits were then altered as a result, but that one thing was the key.

I'm guessing other people who have at least started to see success after many false starts might have similar stories. What was the one (or two) things you did, changed, or added that finally got you somewhere?
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Replies

  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Exercise was it for me as well. I don't get up early to do it, but adding in routine exercise was the change I made. I wasn't overeating by much so the deficit created by the exercise was enough to get me to goal.
  • Lizzy622
    Lizzy622 Posts: 3,705 Member
    Exercise here too. I lost a few pounds but did not see or feel it until I started to exercise regularly. Everything seemed to firm up and my clothes fit better. I started after work but it was too hot in the summer. I also find early morning to be my best time.
  • bradfocm
    bradfocm Posts: 3 Member
    i tried many diets and failed. I joined a running group that is serious about performance improvement (even if u r slow). The coach is very tough NE English man (Sunderland). We race 49 times per year. And if times are not improving, he weighs us and checks our log book. If we don't show up, we are removed form the group. I lost 45 lbs and weigh 170lbs now. All my cholesterol and blood sugar numbers are now normal. that was 4 /12 years ago. And the 45 lbs was lost in first 6 months after racing various distances 16 times.

    If you can run, then this is a good way to lose and control your weight. And racing is a key component of this program. You have to be working to improve your times over all distances. And as you get older, the WAVA Age Grading computations which can be found on the web allow you to work to improve or maintain your WAVA %. I went from a 52% WAVA at age 44 to a best WAVA of 73% and trying hard to maintain that speed or improve if possible.
  • Smallc10
    Smallc10 Posts: 604 Member
    The thing that made the biggest difference to me was joining a nice gym that is about 2 minutes from my house.

    It was more expensive but it got me started on weight training and I was able to start swimming again. It has by far been what influenced my recent success and hopefully will keep me on the wagon for a good long while
  • jillr527
    jillr527 Posts: 17 Member
    I have the same experience. Exercise has been the thing that made the difference. I make it a priority, and it does change the way I look at what I eat. For example, when hubs makes waffles Sunday morning, all I can think is, "Ugh, how do I work out after eating that?!?"
  • mmm_drop
    mmm_drop Posts: 1,126 Member
    Instead of saying I would do it, I did it.
  • amandajones1978
    amandajones1978 Posts: 140
    I have been at this for a year and a half and recently I am noticing big changes when I get enough sleep. At least 7-8 hours.
  • newjojie
    newjojie Posts: 292 Member
    The 2 things that made a difference in my weight loss this time is portion control and exercise.
  • emjaycazz
    emjaycazz Posts: 330 Member
    Changing what I did for exercise. I used to run, but even though my body adapted pretty quickly to it I still continued to run at the same pace and distance. I purchased a couple of DVDs that I liked, started to do circuit training, and have been lifting for the past 5 months. Now, I hardly run except if I feel like taking in some trail scenery--I just like doing other stuff more. So now, when I think about waking up early to exercise, I look forward to doing something fun.
  • peachcats
    peachcats Posts: 99
    The one thing that made the difference for me was that I ate less.
  • srcardinal10
    srcardinal10 Posts: 387 Member
    Joining Team in Training changed my life. I not only got into better shape since I was training for my first full marathon, but I gained a lovely support group and friends.
  • CristyinMiami
    CristyinMiami Posts: 61 Member
    What made a difference in even getting started is that I cut out fast food completely. I kept getting pulled back with it. Its been a whole 6 months and I haven't touched it. This led me to make healthier choices. :)
  • sandiegocali1
    sandiegocali1 Posts: 37 Member
    Cut down on cardio, started lifting weights and weigh everything with a scale.
  • loulamb7
    loulamb7 Posts: 801 Member
    Three things that made a big difference for me:

    1. Counting and logging calories. Before I either guesstimated, ate unbalanced diets or tried doing it with just exercise.
    2. Replaced sweet drinks, like iced tea, with water.
    3. Using a scale, when I can, to weigh what I eat.
  • Julesjhj
    Julesjhj Posts: 150 Member
    If you are really serious about losing weight and getting healthy I think it helps to incorporate more than one lifestyle change to get you to your goal. Here are the top three things that made the biggest difference in my weight loss journey:

    1. Ate at a deficit/portion control......(you won't die or go in to starvation mode....I promise :bigsmile:
    2. Cut way back on carbs/sugar/processed foods (kept carbs at 75-100g per day for weightloss)
    3. Moved my body 5-6 days a week. Kept mixing up the exercise to keep my body guessing. If you can, lift heavy stuff!

    No food was off limits...if I wanted it I would make it work in my macros. Currently in maintenance. Went from a size 14/16 to a size 4.

    :flowerforyou:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    1. Ate at a deficit/portion control......(you won't die or go in to starvation mode....I promise :bigsmile:

    Eating at a deficit and controling portions mean I won't die? :huh:

    (sorry, I couldn't resist)
  • billsyts
    billsyts Posts: 9 Member
    I stopped drinking any caffeine beverages. I started sleeping much better, and my appetite was kept under control.
  • imju5tme
    imju5tme Posts: 85 Member
    Instead of saying I would do it, I did it.

    exactly that. *points above*
  • caramelgyrlk
    caramelgyrlk Posts: 1,112 Member
    Exercise was NOT the problem for me. I refused to look at portion sizes-calories. Once I started using MFP, the changes were almost instant.
  • KeViN_v2pt0
    KeViN_v2pt0 Posts: 375 Member
    I stopped lying to myself and making excuses all the time.
  • 1JenMilam
    1JenMilam Posts: 108 Member
    I stopped thinking of losing weight as a diet and embraced it as a Lifestyle change.
  • acoustictones
    acoustictones Posts: 47
    I have been all about diet, exercise and rest (all 3 working together is important to me), BUT if I had to pick just one... wow, I would say the first few months were all about diet (just what I'm allowing in my body - including a full gallon of water per day), and then after the initial loss it started to be a lot about my exercise (burning calories).

    But still I believe that all of the exercise in the world won't do much for someone in their 40's if their diet is off. So I'll stick with diet being my primary answer.

    Yes, that is my final answer ;)

    David

    P.S. - Setting realistic goals that I was excited to work towards and believed I could achieve was pretty big too. Many have told me that my goals seemed pretty agressive for my age, but they always just seemed to be a bit of a strech for me, but realistic to reach and stretch for... and I'm getting there :)
  • mundaetraversa
    mundaetraversa Posts: 21
    Portion control. When I was getting in shape for my wedding a few years back, I was so frustrated because I worked out all the time, but my weight loss was PAINFULLY slow. After the wedding, we both gained 20 pounds that we said we wouldn't gain - and are now working on honoring a healthier life together. With daily intake hovering around 1350 cals. (I am only 5'2"), I've lost four pounds in two weeks. Huge difference.
  • Mia_RagazzaTosta
    Mia_RagazzaTosta Posts: 4,885 Member
    I stopped lying to myself and making excuses all the time.

    This. And I picked up a barbell.
  • M22KY
    M22KY Posts: 61 Member
    Eating home-cooked meals. I used to spend $150-$200 per month on fast food!
  • christinepeterson505
    christinepeterson505 Posts: 7 Member
    1. Being fanatic about recording what I eat so that I can accurately trace my calories.
    2. Not worrying about both exercise and diet at the same time. Instead, I focused simply on calorie counting first and just got used to eating less.
    3.Not eating fast food.
    4. Keeping my eye on the long game--I have no set date that I need to lose this weight by. Just happy to see that I've lost an average of 1-1.5 lbs/week since July.

    I know that's four things.

    I'm glad that exercise works for so many people, and I intend to add that to my routine to keep my weight from creeping back on, but I know myself well enough to know that if I failed at keeping both programs going (diet and exercise), I'd drop both.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    But still I believe that all of the exercise in the world won't do much for someone in their 40's if their diet is off. So I'll stick with diet being my primary answer.

    This has some truth to it, but I imagine some of the others giving exercise the credit may be like me. I gained 30 lbs over 6 years. I ate healthy foods, but just a little too much. Very little too much (do the math). All I had to do was add exercise and that 30 lbs came off easily with no diet changes at all.

    And not that makes much difference, but I am 52 years old.
  • JeannaJermaine
    JeannaJermaine Posts: 1
    The 2 things that I did that made a big difference was I stopped drinking pop and I stopped consuming cheese and breads.
  • lisa35120
    lisa35120 Posts: 230 Member
    Portion control. I love food too much but logging calories helps me really see how much I am eating and motivates me to cut back.

    I also started couch to 5k the same time I came back to mfp. That has really helped motivate me to get outside and start running 3 days a week!
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    One thing I did: Stopped sucking at life. No seriously...I guess I still suck sometimes BUT I generally suck at life a whole lot less now.

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