Essentials for weight loss?

BrokenBelles
BrokenBelles Posts: 19 Member
in Getting Started
What do you think you need to meet your weightloss goal? Food scale? Digital food scale? A gym membership? Some kind of supplement or specific food? Specific exercise? Mcp?

I just have a little motivationand some measuring cups. I also log most days here..but end up estimating a lot. (I try to round up) What else do you think would help?

Replies

  • Mhgretsch
    Mhgretsch Posts: 259 Member
    I have a food scale, but not a digital one...I don't think you need to be THAT specific on weights of foods to be successful. A good pair of walking shoes and a fitbit...the fitbit is a great way to keep track of how much you're actually moving in a day, and the walking shoes are obvious, right:)? The most essential thing to me is a good mindset...accept that you'll occasionally consume more than your recommended calories, and move past it...work out a bit more the next day/week...it's about an overall lifestyle change, not depriving yourself of everything you enjoy.

    Best of luck!
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    Digital food scale. heavy metal plates a bar and desire. clothes maybe.
  • bahuber5477
    bahuber5477 Posts: 9 Member
    My 5 essentials for my weight loss success have been:
    1. my fitness pal (If you track you hold yourself accountable)
    2. My support system (I have several people that have been major cheerleaders for me that I see every day)
    3. Gym membership
    4. Good scale
    5. my polar heart rate monitor
  • Return_of_the_Big_Mac
    Return_of_the_Big_Mac Posts: 474 Member
    As long as you have the will, knowledge, and discipline, those things are unnecessary.

    To lose weight, you need to know:

    - How many calories you should be eating
    - Access to information on prepared food/ingredients
    - Diligent recording

    Working out will significantly improve the speed and effectiveness of your weight loss... as long as you use it correctly.

    The "essential" requirement for a gym are:

    - Dumbells
    - Squat/power rack
    - Barbells
    - Benches

    You will also need a decent (not super high end) pair of trainers. You don't need to run, sprinting (Tabata style) is far more effective... though you can do that with any exercise where intensity is easy to ramp up and ramp down.

    There are no short cuts and the complexity is mostly artificial or (in the most cynical situations) a consequence of deceptive marketing.
  • NaomiJFoster
    NaomiJFoster Posts: 1,450 Member
    Patience.
    More patience.
    Another dose of patience.
    And...oh yeah, patience.
  • riffraff2112
    riffraff2112 Posts: 1,756 Member
    measuring cup and scale are helpful, at least at first to see what a 'cup' actually is for example. Many people underestimate the amount of cereal they are having, or serving of rice, mashed potatoes, and what not. Pretty important to get that straight. Once you get accustomed to your typical serving sizes, you might decide you don't need it anymore.

    I personally dont use a scale for food, nothing against it really but I just didn't find I needed one.

    As for what tools are real important. I would say most tools would be internal.

    1. Dedication
    2. Desire
    3. Honesty
    4. Commitment

    I find it helpful to have some go-to foods that are healthy, low-calorie, and enjoyable. When you are hungry you can use these to prevent snacking, and eating garbage. My go-to foods are yogurt, cottage cheese, egg whites, turkey ham, chicken, tuna.

    Other than that.........see the goal and keep plugging ahead.
    Good luck
  • meshashesha2012
    meshashesha2012 Posts: 8,329 Member
    a consistent calorie deficit should just about do it
  • archanajoyce
    archanajoyce Posts: 219 Member
    Motivation - Internet - Weights

    Stay motivated by coming to these forums, logging your meal intake etc. Do some cardio and a lot of weights. If gym is not affordable, that's fine. As long as a person is motivated, a brisk walk / run / dash up the stairs and weight training can go a long way.
    There is plenty of information about healthy eating online and diet will be much easier when we can get ideas from like minded people.

    Just stay focused and don't wait till you have every'thing'... Head out that door and keep walking :)

    Remember, no matter how slow you go, you are still lapping everybody on the couch!
  • Return_of_the_Big_Mac
    Return_of_the_Big_Mac Posts: 474 Member
    Also, remember that weight loss for the sake of hitting a number isn't the right goal. You're probably aiming for a particular body fat percentage. You're realize that as you get closer to that range, your "weight" becomes far less relevant. However, these are concerns for later on.
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    For FAT loss without muscle loss the only real requirements are.

    - A calorie deficit
    - Resistance training of some kind (or some other sufficient stimulus that tells your body "hey I'm using that")
    - Adequate Protein

    Everything else is recommendations, preferences, making things easier etc.
  • AllOutof_Bubblegum
    AllOutof_Bubblegum Posts: 3,646 Member
    Logging ACUURATELY. This means no more estimating. a digital scale is absolutely essential if you want accurate numbers. Because if you don't have accurate data, you could be overshooting your goal by hundreds every day, blowing your deficit, and spinning your wheels for weeks or months, getting nowhere. It's much easier to let happen than you think. Log accurately, and consistently.
  • Mangopickle
    Mangopickle Posts: 1,509 Member
    Rule #1. Love yourself 100% exactly the way you are right now so that you will have the strength to follow rule #2 no medicating with food. If you are bored, tired,pissed off,celebrating, grieving, hired, fired, broke, sad....just be. Feel the emotions. No running to food to improve or augment your feelings. The feelings will pass. Food will become just fuel. Not a comfort or rescuer. Then you will find choosing, weighing and logging your food a very simple matter and your workouts a joy and not a chore.
  • StrangeKraem
    StrangeKraem Posts: 19 Member
    I've been on my weight loss & muscle gain journey for a little over three years now, and from those three years I've found a few things that I simply could not do this without.

    1) A good food scale. The more accurate it is, the better. It's so easy to get things wrong when you estimate and with some foods that could mean hundreds of calories. Nothing hurt my motivation as much as my estimations did, and it is absolutely heart breaking to feel like you have worked your *kitten* off only to have no change, or even unwanted gains.

    2) The internet. When I needed information about ANYTHING, that's where I got it. (However, as usual with the information found on the net, and elsewhere for that matter; check sources. If it's from some random post/blog/whatever that cannot provide sources, then don't trust it. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is, etc etc)
    Motivational pictures? The internet. Nutritional information? The internet. A work out schedule? The internet. Instructions on how to perform certain exercises? The internet. Others who went through the same thing as I? The internet. Absolutely love it! <3

    3) A plan. Now, I might *coughcough* have a slight OCD when it comes to planning, but I find things a whole lot easier when I've got a rough idea of what I am to do. If you're heading to the gym, make sure that you have a schedule that you follow, if you decide that running is your thing - get a schedule to follow. The way of getting to where you want to be is through changes so make sure that you plan for them. If you lift the same weights, or run the same distance at the same time week after week, then things will eventually stay the same. If you change nothing, then nothing will change.
    Also, realize that you cannot always follow your plan. It will rain, you will get sick, the weights will be taken by someone else, you got a hole in your shoe, you name it. Some days will not go your way, but that's a part of life. Blast some good music, relax, and get back at it tomorrow!


    4) And this might just be one of the most important things ever.. F*** the scale. When I started off, my doctors told me that I had to loose weight. Get rid of it in any way possible! Lose at least 10% of your current weight, fast! However, they never even once mentioned that it was not my actual body weight that was the problem, but the FAT I had stored. You want to lose weight, yes, but you want to lose the FAT you have and not just ANY weight. One of the most important things you have on your body, that keeps it working, that keeps you moving, is your muscles. Your body is lazy so when you're on a calorie decifit it'll want to get rid of the weight as easy as it can, and that can include getting rid of your muscles. Remind it not to by using them!
    The scale will show you a number, but you must understand that muscles weighs more than fat.. Weight loss is not necessarily a good thing, and weight gain is not necessarily a bad thing - do keep that in mind!


    5) Weights. Pump that iron!


    Losing weight, gaining muscle, losing weight again.. It's been a crazy journey. It IS a crazy journey! I've had my ups and downs, I've had times where I felt invincible and times where I wanted nothing else but to run away and never come back. I've learned so much, and grown incredibly as a person and I think it is very important to realize that it's so much more to it than just being able to get those smaller sized pants on. Enjoy it!

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