What item did you cut out that made a difference?

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  • ljmorgi
    ljmorgi Posts: 264 Member
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    Calories.
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
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    It's not about giving up anything, it's about setting goals and sticking within your NET calorie limit each day as best you can. I say NET calories because the way MFP is set up, you have a calorie goal of X amount. If you exercise and log that exercise it removes Y amount, leaving you with Z NET amount of calories.

    In other words, Let's assume for the sake of math you were allotted 2000 calories when you set up your profile. You ate 1500 calories worth of food. Now your NET amount is 1500 calories. You have 500 calories left to reach your goal if you want to eat something else. Let's assume you went for a walk or to the gym and burned 500 calories. Now you have a NET total of 1000 calories. Since you burned some off, you are now able to eat 1000 calories in food to reach your goal.

    To some this seems confusing, but MFP is doing the math for you, just log as accurately as possible in both the food area and the exercise area.

    It helps to plan your meals for the week or at least the next day whenever you can. Go ahead and pre-log for the day so you can see where you are. Also, keep an eye on your macros - carbs, fats, protein - and try to get as close to those goals as you can. There are days where a slice of pumpkin bread from Starbucks knocked me right in line with my calorie goals and my macros.

    You're going to have off days where you go over, but as long as that's the exception and not the rule, you'll be fine.

    Give it time, be patient, track your calories, weigh your food, scan packages, do some cardio and lift some weights whenever possible. You won't lose everything in a day or a week or even a month. Be as honest in logging as possible and give it a couple of months to see how you're doing. If you're on track for losing then great. If you're not, then make the adjustments to your calorie goals.
    +1
  • ChrisM8971
    ChrisM8971 Posts: 1,067 Member
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    I haven't really cut out anything, I do eat less of a lot of things such as bread, for no other reason than I found it a waste of calories most of the time and I went months without a McDonalds and even now they are a very rare treat. I drink less alcohol and eat marginally less cheese.

    The big difference was really in what I started eating and surprising myself by enjoying such as lentils, fruits & veg & even cottage cheese on occasion
  • Aniluz7
    Aniluz7 Posts: 12 Member
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    That is exactly how I started.

    My first step - cutting out soda (yes, even diet) and juices. For me, that was a HUGE game changer. I was so addicted to sugary drinks. After a few days, I actually felt really good and it inspired me to keep going.

    I think my switching all drinks to water or tea (no sugar or sweetners of course) was the reason why I lost 40 pounds. Not only that, but it was a huge factor.

    Taking small steps really works well, because it is a way to change your lifestyle, not a quick fix.

    One tip I learned that has really helped is rather than focus on CUTTING out things, try ADDING better options. Once you start adding better options to your diet, you can ease your way into cutting out the bad. It worked for me. I started adding a side of veggies and slowly eliminating rice, pasta and bread. Slow steps = better success rate!

    Another thing I did was every week, I would add a new vegetable to my meals. I grew up hating all veggies so this helped me learn to like them. I would try the vegetable different ways to see how I liked it. One week I tried eggplant, so I made eggplant lasagna one day, eggplant "fries" the next, eggplant burritos another day, etc. Now, I love them!
  • Iri_2
    Iri_2 Posts: 349 Member
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    Calories!

    I still eat everything I want and crave, just less of it.
  • LessofBrian
    LessofBrian Posts: 43 Member
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    I replaced soda and sugary drinks with water and tea. I was drinking way too many calories.

    This.
  • Ludka13
    Ludka13 Posts: 136 Member
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    Calories!

    Less carbs more protein.
  • scrittrice
    scrittrice Posts: 345 Member
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    I cut out being a lazy bum, that made a huge difference.

    I cut out thinking that because I exercised regularly, I was entitled to eat whatever I wanted.
  • DonnaAnn64
    DonnaAnn64 Posts: 74 Member
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    It isn't so much one item, but I cut out snacking after dinner. That mindless eating, while watching TV. That makes a big difference for me .
  • lizzybathory
    lizzybathory Posts: 229
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    I'm only a couple weeks in, and haven't gotten to cutting it out entirely yet, but after looking at my diary for the past couple weeks, I'm about ready to cut out alcohol. Based on what I've been drinking lately, it looks like I could lose a ton by cutting that out...
  • karenmarie1234
    karenmarie1234 Posts: 16
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    Fancy coffee creamer. (Yeah, I figured it out and I was basically drinking a full days worth of calories in my many cups of coffee.) Now I limit myself to one large cup a day and calculate the calories in my breakfast.

    The other thing I did was cut out soda and replaced it with Crystal Light.

    Eliminating those two things basically stopped my weight gain.

    Then I added exercise to lose weight. It's amazing how fast the weight came off once I started doing that. I don't feel deprived. I still get to eat that slice of Pizza on Friday night.
  • pixelatedsun
    pixelatedsun Posts: 165 Member
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    I've cut out excuses.

    Every diet I've ever attempted before: "Oh, crap, I ate 100 too many calories. Whelp, might as well go eat an entire pizza, the day's shot now!"

    This -lifestyle change-: (I also cut out the word diet). "Oh, crap, I ate 100 too many calories. That's way better than before, though! Tomorrow's a new day, let's go get a glass of water to help flush that all out."

    There is nothing I've flat-out said "Nope" to yet - nothing I have regretted saying no to, anyway. Just things like soy sauce with my sushi, that sort of thing. Nothing is off limits - that's what leads to a binge in the first place.
  • deearess
    deearess Posts: 28 Member
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    I haven't cut it out, but popcorn. The popcorn itself wasn't the problem, but the huge bowl of it with large amounts of earth balance on it were. And, I did it a few nights a week, sometimes for dinner. Now I only occasionally have a much smaller bowl.
  • deearess
    deearess Posts: 28 Member
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    OH, and the multiple servings of nut butters every day without measuring them.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    Booze :)
  • cookiegy
    cookiegy Posts: 120 Member
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    Crisps (or chips if you're from the States)

    I haven't managed to cut the booze yet :)
  • homosirenia
    homosirenia Posts: 2 Member
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    First meat, and then fake meat products like Morning Star.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,671 Member
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    I cut down on drinking my calories - sugary Starbucks drinks, wine, etc. That being said, on my long run days where I burn around 1,400 cals, I have a big juicy steak and at least 2 glasses of wine :laugh:

    Also, excuses such as "I have a thyroid issue", etc.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    I haven't cut anything specific out. What I introduced however, thanks to MFP and FitBit, was awareness. Awareness of how many calories I needed to cut to reach my goals. Awareness of how many calories are in certain foods, thanks to the database. Awareness of how many calories I'm burning thanks to my FitBit. Awareness of how exercise makes it so much easier to stay within my calorie allotment. All that awareness has enabled me to make better choices, and therefore, I haven't needed to cut out anything.

    If I know I'm going out to dinner during the week, I make some sacrifices during the day, or even in the days leading up to to the event, so that I am still within my weekly budget. I still eat pizza, drink wine, eat ice cream - I may not do all that in the same day but I still have all the foods I love. I met my goal and am now maintaining.
  • MamaNatalie13
    MamaNatalie13 Posts: 32
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    I switched from caramel macchiattos and other fatty starbucks drinks to plain coffee with a splash of fat free milk. I'm currently working on quitting soda!

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