Tips for success?
x1v16
Posts: 66
Hi all, I'm on a diet for what I guess is the third major time in 1.5 years. I really want to make this work but I'm not sure what are the keys to success for me. I hear it is helpful to have encouraging friends, and I tried that on here and it was.....lacking. I pretended to care about the people I add and I felt they pretended to care about my progress. It didn't feel rewarding, it actually felt like work. I tried raising the stakes the of failure the 2nd by acknowledging if I did fail I would have to pay 400-600 dollars for a cpap machine, and yet I failed anyway. I got a gym membership and heart rate monitor and exercised for 2500-3500 calories a week but eventually got sick of it. I seem to either give 100% or nothing and eventually my willpower to fight cravings/hunger runs out and I hit the fridge. I tried eating a pound of low cal veggies a day, drinking lots of water, eating lots of fruit. I feel like I did a lot of stuff right. I was aiming for 1.5 pounds a week and exceeded my goals for 5-7 weeks in a row. I dropped like 20 pounds both times. I obviously should do something different or I feel history will repeat itself but I don't want to fall for some fad unrealistic diet that will rock for 4-8 weeks and not be sustainable. I guess I'd like some tips from people who have lost over 40 pounds and kept it off for years.
Current Weight - 270 pounds
Age: 29
Quite out of shape
Low tolerance for corny marketing/fitness coach type people
Current Weight - 270 pounds
Age: 29
Quite out of shape
Low tolerance for corny marketing/fitness coach type people
0
Replies
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There's only one tip you need:
Never give up.0 -
tips for success...
Join MFP
Set reasonable goals such as 1lb a week so that your calorie intake isn't too low
DO NOT GO BELOW 1800 as you are a guy
Don't restrict your food, and by that I mean don't give up what you love, don't try a gimmacky diet like atkins or paleo. Eat food like burgers and ice cream if you like them just don't go over your calorie limit.
Log all your food - if you bite it you write it.
weight solids, measure liquids
choose the correct entries from the data base
Find an exercise you love for fitness not weight loss although it can help to get you more calories
eat back 50-75% of those calories
Eat enough protien so you don't lose muscle as well.
Start some sort of resistence training if you like it works wonders for reshaping your body.
I often say you either want it or you don't...but if you follow the above you do want it and getting it really isn't that hard...it may take a while but it is so worth it.
I have lost 40lbs doing the above...I know I haven't maintained yet but getting there and those tips are those I have gotten from those who have done just that...lost a tonne of weight..and kept it off...0 -
for you to be successful you have to realize that it isn't a diet so much as it is a lifestyle change. It's very important for you to understand that. You have to want it and you have to be disciplined enough to stick to it. You can do it.0
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my step-by-step...
1. take some measurements- waist, weight, blah blah
2. go to scooby website (google scooby weightloss or something) and work out your BMR and your TDEE - or how many calories you burn just by breathing! put in zero activity...
3. work out 10-20% less than what that number is and set that as your calorie goal on MFP
4. eat that, pre-plan your day the night before, takes some time to start out with but it gets easier...
5. measure and weigh all your food as you prepare so that you learn portion sizes
6. EXERCISE- get off your patooty and walk/gym/cycle whatever it takes and log it... then take say 30 calories off what MFP says you burned... eat back most if not all of those calories you burned....
7. start lifting weights
8. admire the new sexy you that is starting to shine through... not over night, not in a week, not even in a month (but it does happen!!)
I've only not long re-started myself... I can see some muscle definition, just waiting for a fat shred and I'll be sweet as, trying to stick to this plan above (except today= epic fail)... some days you win, some days you lose... thats life...
keep track of measurements- waist, arms, legs, etc coz even if the scales seem stuck, if you are doing all the above the tape measure still tightens!
best of luck to you xx0 -
I'm in the same boat.
I'd suggest making small changes that you actually want to make. Write down good ideas on how to lose weight and then rate them on how likely it is you'll follow them. Start at the most likely and start implementing them.0 -
Sounds very familiar to me. We are all different but if I could go back in time and give myself one tip it would be this....... You need to change yourself not just going on a diet. This is the only thing that worked for me. This time around I realised i had been here before several times and although I motivated it was going to run out and by the year end I was going to be fatter than I was when I started. This was intolerable to me. I then looked at people and decided what I wanted to be like and began to live like them (before I got to anywhere near my ideal weight I started to act as if I was there). I chose an activity I thought would be fun when I got fit and did it. This is the only thing that worked for me and I would suggest it is the best way for you to hit your goals :-)0
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Do nothing.
Sit on your butt all day watching TV and shoving pizza in your face. Eventually you will spend the money on the CPAP machine. In time you will develop high blood pressure and possibly diabetes, spending even more money on medications and doctor visits. Don't exercise because it's not fun doing it all the time. For that matter don't bother brushing your teeth because that's not really fun either. Within a decade you will become a lethargic immovable mass with bad breath. You will ask yourself, who is responsible for my condition?
Too corny?0 -
I've been there, done that sooooo many times in the past so I understand exactly what you're saying. What I finally found out works for me was realizing I had to find what works for ME, not someone else! No I don't eat perfectly. I try to eat as healthy as I can but still allow myself things I actually enjoy. Instead of looking at exercise as a "punishment" or something I had to do to lose weight, I started looking for exercises I love and want to do. (Which turns out the more I do, the more I find I like to do) The biggest thing is DON'T GIVE UP and find things you can do "forever", not just long enough to lose the weight. Best of luck to you...I know it can be hard finding that balance. Believe me, I KNOW lol. But once you do it's worth it and if I did it I know anyone can! :flowerforyou:0
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Do your own research.
Experiment with your body.
Stay consistent and push for constant improvement.
Ignore most of the advice you read here.
EDIT: Not this thread, the overall forums.0 -
for you to be successful you have to realize that it isn't a diet so much as it is a lifestyle change. It's very important for you to understand that. You have to want it and you have to be disciplined enough to stick to it. You can do it.
^
THIS!0 -
Someone else said it...ignore so much of what you read on here. People get on here talking about a tedd orxhyu or asdrt .... xyz...lmnop.....I have NO IDEA what any of that means or what a fitbit is..so yeah that kind of stuff drives me nuts. And that website to find your resting Calories was confusing as hell.
I have lost almost 60 pounds in total...only 23 since being on here. I still eat what I love, just less. I am not a crazy work out person, I walk and own a stat bike which I use watching TV. Has taken me almost a year...I suppose I could be further along but it is about my life style changing
I have about 100 more to go, it scares me that I wont make it. One day at a time I take it. If I mess up I move on.It is amazing the difference 10lbs can make, that is how I look at it.!0 -
Not a diet...Lifestyle change
Consistency and commitment!0 -
Make sure you log every thing that you eat and drink even if it's only a spoon full it all adds to the calories at the end of the day if you want to see your progress take photos once a month that will keep you inspired to carry on0
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your post was so motivating--I was feeling bad--because I just started and nights and weekends are really getting bad for my food plan--I am eating like a horse, and craving sweets..I am going to take it one day at a time. and look at it as a lifestyle, and every day try to get better at not eating at night. Thank you!0
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So much great advice here already! About a year or a year and a half ago, my husband and I decided to get healthier. We bought a food scale, joined MFP, and got serious. I started experimenting with different kinds of exercise to find activities I loved. I got creative in the kitchen (a lifelong passion for me already), so eating healthy didn't feel like a chore. My husband and I both bought FitBits (essentially fancy pedometers) to get a more accurate measurement of our TDEE so we could create manageable deficits.
A year and a half later, I'm in the best shape of my life. I haven't lost much scale weight, but I'm stronger, leaner, and more confident. My husband, however, has lost just shy of 100 pounds, down to 230 from 320-and-change. No fad diets, no off-limits food, no insane exercise programs.
The best advice I can give you is to make small changes that you're certain you can sustain. Don't make this a punishment- try to find ways to make it fun. If you're exercising yourself to death, you're going to be sore and exhausted. If you're extremely restrictive with your calories, you're going to be hungry and lethargic and miserable. Try to learn something new every day that's relevant to YOUR health and fitness goals.
Like so many other posters have said: it's a lifestyle change, not a diet. Diets have no wiggle room. You can't have banana split sundaes or double bacon cheeseburgers on a diet. Lifestyles have more flexibility, because they're forever. You CAN get away with having a lazy week or a crazy dessert every now and then, because it'll balance out in the long run.
I wish you the best; I know you can do it!0 -
I've been there, done that sooooo many times in the past so I understand exactly what you're saying. What I finally found out works for me was realizing I had to find what works for ME, not someone else! No I don't eat perfectly. I try to eat as healthy as I can but still allow myself things I actually enjoy. Instead of looking at exercise as a "punishment" or something I had to do to lose weight, I started looking for exercises I love and want to do. (Which turns out the more I do, the more I find I like to do) The biggest thing is DON'T GIVE UP and find things you can do "forever", not just long enough to lose the weight. Best of luck to you...I know it can be hard finding that balance. Believe me, I KNOW lol. But once you do it's worth it and if I did it I know anyone can! :flowerforyou:
I love this answer!
Also, go gentle on yourself for a month after you start. It takes a while to get the hang of weight loss. And you don't have to exercise so intensely straight out of the gate. Just commit to trying some new exercises and eat lots of lighter meals. Be forgiving with yourself, because there will be some trial and error, and be open to adjusting your plan as you learn. By next month, you'll be a little lighter and a little stronger and a lot smarter and ready for another challenge.
Fitness Blender (a website) has tons of no-frills exercise videos, and many are as short as 5 minutes. Highly recommended for anyone.0 -
I don't want to fall for some fad unrealistic diet that will rock for 4-8 weeks and not be sustainable. I guess I'd like some tips from people who have lost over 40 pounds and kept it off for years.
Current Weight - 270 pounds
Age: 29
Quite out of shape
Low tolerance for corny marketing/fitness coach type people
Agreeing with davert123 here..
Not to get too 'zen' about it, but it's not about the weight or how to lose it at this stage. Weight loss is just physics.
You know how to lose weight. We all do. It's the easy part.
Saw a great quote the other day: "There's no cheating on a diet because eating isn't a test"
So, the hard part here is arriving at that 'place' where you're REALLY ready to make the kind of changes that become a part of your life.
For me, when that realization happened, my 'diet' stopped being a diet. My 'exercise program' stopped being that too.
I decided to change my lifestyle. There was no diet, there was no fitness routine. That was how I had to look at it if i was going to get serious. I found being on a diet, or going to the gym to get healthy implied there was a finish line out there somewhere. There wasn't for me. There was no 'done'. There was just how I was going to live from then on.
Weight? Whatever. I stopped thinking about it. It wasn't the point. Sure, I lost fat and built muscle and kept it off (going on 2 years) but the point, or my motivation, was to live in a way that gave me what I wanted out of my body. I wanted to be stronger. I wanted to feel vibrant and wear clothes I liked. There was totally a vanity component. But truly, I just liked feeling I was treating myself in a way that was going to help me later in life rather than hurt me or the ones I love.
And until it's worth it enough to you, it'll always feel like it's boring or that there's a finish line. Or that you'll beat yourself up because you did or didn't do something that was or wasn't on your 'program' . Get to a better place.
There is no finish line - no final weight if you're to be successful in achieving what you want. That's what I've learned.
There's just you making a decision that you're finally ready to change your lifestyle. Whether it's worth it to you, or not, is something nobody here can help you with. Good luck.0 -
Couple of things I have changed this time is
1) I am not calling it a diet. It is changing to a healthy lifestyle, and I plan to keep it that way
2) Exercise as well as eat healthy. It can be done without it, but it makes you feel so much better.
3) Never give up. If you have a bad day, don't follow it on the next... keep at it!0 -
Don't think of this as a diet, it is a lifestyle change. Everything others have said about logging, measuring, weighing, not denying yourself foods, etc is important, but for me it boils down to getting up each morning and setting myself two goals:
1) I will stay under my calorie goal
2) I will exercise at least 30 minutes
Each day is a new day. Whether I succeeded or failed yesterday doesn't matter. I only have to focus on achieving those goals today. If I do those two things I know the scale will move downward, the inches will come off and I will be healthier.0 -
Make new changes habits and they become a lot easier. You'll be surprised how much you can accomplish when you take it step by step than getting overwhelmed by the information. A starting point would be to start tracking EVERYTHING you eat. This allows you to see where you can improve - snacks, sodas, junk food etc. And start exercising everyday.0
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As some people have said already, you REALLY have to want it. Make the changes you know you have to make the highest priority. Think of everything you do within the context of achieving your goals. Its easy to wake up, think 'I'm not feeling it today', and go back to sleep. If you actually take the time to think about it though, you will probably come to the conclusion that you aren't feeling THAT bad. About to eat a large pizza? Think about whether it is really worth throwing away all the hard work you did in the gym earlier, and you will probably decide its not. Choose a smaller portion or a wiser food choice. From my experience, this is really difficult to do for the first month, maybe two, but then it becomes a habit and a mindset.
Finding an activity you actually enjoy is important too. If it interests you, do some weight/strength training, as I find it is easy to make noticeable gains early on, which definitely helps motivation. If you are more a fan of running, start something like couch-to-5k (C25k) and set some goals.
Unlike many other things in life, I think that when it comes to weight loss (and fitness in general), you are the only thing stopping yourself from reaching your goals.
I'm 28 and about the same weight as you, trying to lose about 100 pounds, so if you want to add me as a friend, go for it (don't worry, I'm not much for patronizing pretend comments).0 -
Also, I find everybody always says find exercise you like, but perhaps just as important is finding healthy foods that you like.0
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Focus on diet first. Bring in exercise afterwards. It's a long process but it can be fun!
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melaniecheeks: Thanks hun :-)
SezxyStef Selector: Solid advice. I agree with most, if not all. Doesn't really address the urge to give up though. If it were easy I imagine more would succeed.
sentaruu : I agree, it needs to be lifelong and that's what I want, but it's also what I wanted last time too.
BigGuy47: Scare tactics are something I tried. You'd have to be in denial to not see what you just said was going to be the case. I even put up a calender in my car of the year I would die if I didn't change and increased my life expenctancy as I lost weight.
SherryL0419: Best advice, find exercise you love to do. Find a lifestyle you can live with. It makes sense. In the past I've tried to make failure painful as possible but perhaps not focused on making my new lifestyle as easy/pleasureable as possible.0 -
Great insight.0
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I don't want to fall for some fad unrealistic diet that will rock for 4-8 weeks and not be sustainable. I guess I'd like some tips from people who have lost over 40 pounds and kept it off for years.
Current Weight - 270 pounds
Age: 29
Quite out of shape
Low tolerance for corny marketing/fitness coach type people
Agreeing with davert123 here..
Not to get too 'zen' about it, but it's not about the weight or how to lose it at this stage. Weight loss is just physics.
You know how to lose weight. We all do. It's the easy part.
Saw a great quote the other day: "There's no cheating on a diet because eating isn't a test"
So, the hard part here is arriving at that 'place' where you're REALLY ready to make the kind of changes that become a part of your life.
For me, when that realization happened, my 'diet' stopped being a diet. My 'exercise program' stopped being that too.
I decided to change my lifestyle. There was no diet, there was no fitness routine. That was how I had to look at it if i was going to get serious. I found being on a diet, or going to the gym to get healthy implied there was a finish line out there somewhere. There wasn't for me. There was no 'done'. There was just how I was going to live from then on.
Weight? Whatever. I stopped thinking about it. It wasn't the point. Sure, I lost fat and built muscle and kept it off (going on 2 years) but the point, or my motivation, was to live in a way that gave me what I wanted out of my body. I wanted to be stronger. I wanted to feel vibrant and wear clothes I liked. There was totally a vanity component. But truly, I just liked feeling I was treating myself in a way that was going to help me later in life rather than hurt me or the ones I love.
And until it's worth it enough to you, it'll always feel like it's boring or that there's a finish line. Or that you'll beat yourself up because you did or didn't do something that was or wasn't on your 'program' . Get to a better place.
There is no finish line - no final weight if you're to be successful in achieving what you want. That's what I've learned.
There's just you making a decision that you're finally ready to change your lifestyle. Whether it's worth it to you, or not, is something nobody here can help you with. Good luck.
Couldn't have said it any better myself. After starting a lifestyle change a few years ago, I got complacent and ended up gaining 25 lbs of the 55 I lost. Now after cutting 35 lbs (10lbs more than my original loss) I feel more motivated than ever. It takes the ultimate discipline to lose the lbs but its more mental than physical. I document everything I eat, I have one cheat meal a week, and exercise 3 times a week. I enjoy walking for fun. Whereas before I hated it. I take the stairs when I can. I eat 3 meals a day and if I snack I drink a kale shake. The lifestyle I'm living is maintainable for me. I'm 260, dropping down from 295 in late October. I get hasty because I'm dying to see myself at my goal weight but slow and steady wins the race in the long run. Push yourself bit by bit each day, whether its eating a bit less, or working out another 5 mins longer. The key is being consistent and realistic.0 -
I'm not in denial about what I said, I own it. I'm responsible for what I say. I'm responsible for my own well being. I allowed myself to become morbidly obese and jeopardized my quality of life. I corrected that mistake by making major lifestyle changes. On that point I agree with the others, a lifestyle change is required improving one's health.BigGuy47: Scare tactics are something I tried. You'd have to be in denial to not see what you just said was going to be the case. I even put up a calender in my car of the year I would die if I didn't change and increased my life expenctancy as I lost weight.
So you put up a calendar marking the consequences of failing to act and then didn't change your behavior. Who's in denial here?
Making a lifestyle change requires self discipline. You have mentioned before that you lack self discipline. Being honest about the situation or scare tactics don't work. You don't care for corny pep talks from personal trainer types. Monetary implications have no effect.
What will give you the inner drive to make a lifestyle change?
Don't get me wrong, all the tips and tricks here are wonderful. I've benefitted tremendously from the advice on these forums. But putting that advice into action on a consistent day to day basis requires a strong mental determination to attain a goal.
I know I come across as harsh and blunt. In all sincerity, I do hope that you can make a positive change in your life. I've been there, over 310 lbs at my highest weight and I know it's tough to change habits. I wish you well on your journey.0
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