What's your keynote advice?

MelaniaMadison
MelaniaMadison Posts: 33
in Health and Weight Loss
To those who have had weight loss success, what is the #1 piece of advice / lesson you credit with your success?

For example, I have had friends say for them it was "eating a lot more protein", "cutting out alcohol", "eating breakfast". Ive also heard more emotional things like "not succumbing to social pressure to eat when not hungry" etc

Id love to hear your's!

Replies

  • donyellemoniquex3
    donyellemoniquex3 Posts: 2,384 Member
    Definitely being more active. Do walk / run drills to places that are easily accessible. Bank, post office, library, gas station etc.
  • AwesomeGuy37
    AwesomeGuy37 Posts: 436 Member
    baby steps
  • PunkyRachel
    PunkyRachel Posts: 1,959 Member
    I tell people I still eat plenty, but I measure, weigh and log everything now using MFP. I'm no where a clean eater. I just keep trying to do better. I exercise now, whereas I never did before.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    Learning potion control.
  • Fishshtick
    Fishshtick Posts: 120 Member
    no joke...mine was to NOT cut calories and increase exercise at the same time. Plenty of studies show that diet is more effective for weight loss and exercise causes many people to over-consume calories afterwards. By focusing on calorie control initially I lost over 40 lbs quickly and efficiently with no more exercise than daily walking. Friends who set out to speed the process with intense exercise all lost a few quick pounds and then plateaued as hunger caught up. After losing 40-ish I started to increase my exercise intensity with running and my fitness gains are faster than ever in my life, probably because I am now a normal weight person trying to become fit instead of a fat guy trying to become fit and becoming too hungry or hurt. Within two months I went from no running to running 5K+ three times a week. For me, I needed to get my eating under control and then everything else fell into place. Many people get obsessed that they might lose muscle by dieting without intense exercise, but you will always lose MORE fat than muscle and you can sure as heck rebuild the few % of muscle you might lose. Indeed, you can rebuild it on a frame where you are less likely to hurt yourself with stresses from your own weight, particularly for activities like running.
  • Forty6and2
    Forty6and2 Posts: 2,492 Member
    1. Do not make too big of a deficit
    2. Weigh and measure EVERYTHING
    3. Buy a heart rate monitor, like yesterday
    4. Pills, wraps, "diet" foods, etc don't work, they're a waste of your money
    5. No food is inherently bad. If you have a medical reason for avoiding foods, please do. If not, do not feel compelled to limit yourself

    I have quite a few links posted in my profile that have a lot more advice in them.
  • InevitableButterfly
    InevitableButterfly Posts: 340 Member
    You can't go into this with just the tip of commitment. You can't tease it. You have to go all the way in and hit it hard or you won't be successful. Good luck. :flowerforyou:
  • Manny0311
    Manny0311 Posts: 38 Member
    Exercise only equates to 10-15% success

    80% is at the dinner table baby !

    Exercise is great. Be patient and don't deny yourself of anything.

    Give yourself a treat once aweek and good luck !
  • katkins73
    katkins73 Posts: 416 Member
    For me it is daily exercise. As a 5ft1 woman my BMR is very low so I am on 1300 plus exercise cals. I have also told myself that as long as I am in some sort of deficit at the end of the week then I am going in the right direction. In the past I have been all about losing as quickly as possible but I feel differently this time, I know it could take more than a year to be at my goal but I will feel better and better every step of the way :smile:
  • asciiqwerty
    asciiqwerty Posts: 565 Member
    accuracy <<< without it you're just guessing and playing around and have no mens of assessing what is and isn't working for you

    accuracy = weighing everything consumed in grams, and checking database entried for accuracy before selection including checking that database entry adds up (using macros)
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
  • Unknown
    Unknown
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  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Don't undereat and eat lots of protein.
  • MelaniaMadison
    MelaniaMadison Posts: 33
    no joke...mine was to NOT cut calories and increase exercise at the same time. Plenty of studies show that diet is more effective for weight loss and exercise causes many people to over-consume calories afterwards. By focusing on calorie control initially I lost over 40 lbs quickly and efficiently with no more exercise than daily walking. Friends who set out to speed the process with intense exercise all lost a few quick pounds and then plateaued as hunger caught up. After losing 40-ish I started to increase my exercise intensity with running and my fitness gains are faster than ever in my life, probably because I am now a normal weight person trying to become fit instead of a fat guy trying to become fit and becoming too hungry or hurt. Within two months I went from no running to running 5K+ three times a week. For me, I needed to get my eating under control and then everything else fell into place. Many people get obsessed that they might lose muscle by dieting without intense exercise, but you will always lose MORE fat than muscle and you can sure as heck rebuild the few % of muscle you might lose. Indeed, you can rebuild it on a frame where you are less likely to hurt yourself with stresses from your own weight, particularly for activities like running.

    this is so true. Whenever I exercise I do feel hungrier. I much preferred intense exercise when I was at my goal weight so I can eat more.

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