What finally worked???

Pakitalian
Pakitalian Posts: 218 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I know there are others out there like me... those that have tried everything... zig zagging calories, more calories, less calories, clean eating, cutting sugar, Atkins, WW, etc...

between all of your "experiments" what finally worked?? I have tried several things myself, and still have not found my "sweet spot."

Just wondering how other's experiences have been? I am starting to realize, one thing I can contribute the most is PATIENCE. Regardless, what was your "AHA!" moment?
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Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Counting calories and eating pretty much what I want within my calories, as long as I reach 110ish grams of protein.
  • CharChary
    CharChary Posts: 220 Member
    Eating balanced meals that fit within my daily total calories.
  • MysteriousMerlin
    MysteriousMerlin Posts: 2,270 Member
    Low carb worked for me previously, but I had a lot going on and couldn't handle some of it, so I strayed away from that lifestyle (just didn't care). I still watch my carbs, but just for the daily total, not per meal. I feel like I have more freedom by counting my calories. I still eat junk, but I eat way more healthy stuff now than I did before.
  • lisaanne1369
    lisaanne1369 Posts: 377 Member
    Learning how to eat on MFP, running and sticking with it.
  • Dubby83
    Dubby83 Posts: 21
    When I started counting calories and drinking a much higher amount of water. I was losing before that but then it started REALLY coming off.
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    Adding exercise. For me specifically it was cardio. I began running and using the elliptical machine and the inches and pounds started to come off much easier. I lift too but for the bulk of my weight, the cardio did the trick for me.
  • I_Will_End_You
    I_Will_End_You Posts: 4,397 Member
    Eating whatever I want, just less of it.
  • bluefish49
    bluefish49 Posts: 102 Member
    Following the MFP suggested calorie goal and staying under 45 grams of sugar a day.
  • laserturkey
    laserturkey Posts: 1,680 Member
    Add my vote for eating whatever foods I like, counting calories, and trying to get enough protein in the process.
  • DoingitWell
    DoingitWell Posts: 560 Member
    Intermittent fasting and .......walking. I still do beach body videos every now and then, but walking is the exercise that has people telling me that I don't need to lose any more weight.... Oh and lifting weights. But I did not get great results with just lifting alone, I had to add the cardio.
  • healthykaitlin
    healthykaitlin Posts: 91 Member
    For me, it was the most bizarre idea I concocted during my morning commute. I was on the highway when I realized that, not only had I forgotten to pack breakfast and lunch, but I also had forgotten my wallet at home & therefore couldn't get anything anyway.

    I decided to challenge myself to drink lots of water and then eat more healthy upon returning home rather than rifling through the cabinets and binge eating due to my lack thereof eating throughout the day.

    The following day, I packed soup and ate lots of light soup to fill me up. I did that for the next few days and then went grocery shopping that weekend and filled my cart with nutritious foods. Loads of veggies, some chicken and fish - no pasta, bread, cookies, etc. Counting calories became easy, cooking became fun.

    Now, two months later, I've still stuck to it and continue to shred pounds at a slow yet steady pace. I'm unsure of whether this would have worked under any other circumstances, but my will-power definitely came out from hiding.
  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member
    I've been discovering very recently that even with activity level remaining constant (which definitely includes active lifestyle & workouts), that it's protein that is helping to melt fat. I tend to eat within my calorie goal better when focusing on my protein intake (currently set to about 1.4x kg bodyweight). In addition to meat/poultry/fish, beans, eggs, and dairy, I have whey protein shakes to help supplement my protein needs.
  • Nix_Way
    Nix_Way Posts: 201 Member
    I too have tried everything out there. Weight loss pills from Doctors, Bee Pollen (which some of my friends SWEAR works. Didn't do diddly for me) WW, starvation, eating everything not nailed down hoping for a miracle! EVERYTHING!!!

    I found MFP thru a friend (who incidently hasen't logged in for about 3 months) and loved the way that you could save foods you ate and could just scroll thru untill you found them again.

    I was doing this for about 3 months all along untill I started reading the forums. I started to friend people who had similar goals and weight to loose, and I dropped like 15 pounds in that month!!

    I have found that for ME: I have to have the social interaction of people who log daily and comment daily. I find that I am WAY more motivated to eat right and stay within my daily calorie goal and exercise if I have people expecting me to do it. I love the positive preer pressure!! For me, its what works!!!! :)
  • DeterminedToLoseIt02
    DeterminedToLoseIt02 Posts: 113 Member
    Eating whatever I want, just less of it.

    Same here :)
    It's all about finding something that works for you and is sustainable.
  • amm8589
    amm8589 Posts: 55 Member
    Counting calories, high intensity cardio exercise (turbofire), and consistent weight training
  • DrMAvDPhD
    DrMAvDPhD Posts: 2,097 Member
    To lose weight? Measuring my food and hitting a weekly calorie goal.

    To get the body I wanted all along? Lifting heavy.
  • lorenzovonmatterhorn7549
    lorenzovonmatterhorn7549 Posts: 495 Member
    My weight had plateaued for over 6 months. Unfortunately, I listened to the "eat more" advice which caused me to gain weight. I finally switched to the TDEE method -20% on my active days about 4 months ago. I'm actually below my target weight now. Very happy!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Exercise. 100% the key to weight loss for me.
  • Kindone
    Kindone Posts: 138 Member
    Counting calories and eating pretty much what I want within my calories, as long as I reach 110ish grams of protein.

    ^ this.

    I used the TDEE - 20% calorie limit and began doing ~3 lifting workouts a week. But the key component for me was that i decided not to give up no matter what. In the past, if I i didn't see dramatic fast results, I quit saying it didn't work. This time I vowed, no matter what, I would stay on a proven path adjusting as needed until it worked. And it has.

    The other big "what did it" move for me was to finally accept that, while my body might not react as well to some foods as others, there is no magic trick or secret formula to melt the weight off me. The only secret formula is calorie reduction and body shaping through fitness. That's it. I have lost about 23 pounds slowly doing that. I know it would come off faster and more efficiently if I were more diligent with weighing and measuring and having more fitness in my routine.
  • Seesawboomerang
    Seesawboomerang Posts: 296 Member
    Regular cardio, upping my protein so I didn't need to pig out so much, portion control.
  • Vaermina
    Vaermina Posts: 9
    For me, counting calories, no carbs after lunch, and working out 85 to 90 minutes a day for 3 to 5 day has always worked for me. The moment I let one of those lapse, the pounds come back on.
  • aarar
    aarar Posts: 684 Member
    Eating whatever I want, just less of it.

    Pretty much exactly this.
  • Lennonluv2
    Lennonluv2 Posts: 956 Member
    Exercise. 100% the key to weight loss for me.

    This^^^
  • avskk
    avskk Posts: 1,787 Member
    Counting calories religiously (which meant buying and using a food scale, pre-logging to help avoid random binges, etc.), making sure I had a high ratio of healthful foods to unhealthful foods within my calorie limit each day.
  • prettyface55
    prettyface55 Posts: 508 Member
    Calorie deficit + moving more+ consistency+ TIME+ patience+ repeating everyday = results!!
  • clambert1273
    clambert1273 Posts: 840 Member
    To lose weight? Measuring my food and hitting a weekly calorie goal.

    To get the body I wanted all along? Lifting heavy.

    This.... I don't zig zag my calories. I shot for a straight 1700 (most of the times I eat 1800-1900) and heavy lifting 3x a week.. seems to work like a charm for me :)
  • vjsanvil
    vjsanvil Posts: 15 Member
    Counting calories, meeting my macros (in particular, getting enough protein to keep my full), and a variety of exercise at least 5 days a week. You get the hang of it about a month or two in, once you start seeing results. It's much easier this way and prepares you for your lifelong lifestyle change. It took me 7 months to meet my weight loss goal --- and it flew by much quicker than I thought it would when I started this journey.
  • andrewjuu
    andrewjuu Posts: 76 Member
    1) eating anything I want but faithfully entering what I eat in my MFP food diary & staying under my assigned calorie limit & as close as possible to my calculated metrics.

    2) exercising (in my case walking briskly for an hour) 6 of 7 days per week (Monday is typically my day of rest).

    log into MFP daily & repeat the above day in, day out, no excuses :)
  • DeterminedToLoseIt02
    DeterminedToLoseIt02 Posts: 113 Member
    Calorie deficit + moving more+ consistency+ TIME+ patience+ repeating everyday = results!!

    Also agree with this, if you don't keep trying you'll never know what could have come out of it!
  • MickeyBoo
    MickeyBoo Posts: 196 Member
    Going by an "Everything in Moderation" rule, meaning that if I want something I work it into my daily calories and in the process learning how to enjoy things in smaller portions instead of overeating them.

    What also worked for me in the past to lose 50kg (110pd) and is now working again is to eat 5 days a week at a lower calorie rate of 1300, and having the weekend up to a higher maintenance calorie of 1800. (averages out at 1400cal a day over the week) The two days of maintenance seems to give my body and mind a rest and getting back into things on Monday is easier for having had the rest too.

    And exercise! I can count calories and watch food intake all I like, but if my body isn't getting some movement everyday then I lose momentum and motivation very quickly and the weight loss is also very slow which is hard to get my head around. I'm also focusing a lot on weights this time around and the differences in just 12 weeks are fantastic, I can't wait to see the end result and I think it's helped a lot to keep the weight loss happening.

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