Key Habits of people who successfully have lost weight
Options
Replies
-
Keep the mind focused on your plan. That is, track your progress, read these forums daily, google foods, eating right, new exercises, fat loss, etc to learn new things about diet and exercise and how the body works0
-
For me these are big helpers to staying on track and losing weight.
1. Be honest with myself and log everything
2. Buy a food scale and weigh everything
3. Only weigh in once a week so not to get upset by the day to day fluctuations
4. I plan my meals for the week on Saturday and go to the grocery store that day and get everything
5. I meal prep everything I can ahead of time on Sunday so it is all grab and go and no reason for me to deviate from my plan.
6. Keeping protein levels around 125g or above a day seem to keep me the most full. (I do lift 5-6 days a week though so that is why I aim for higher protein.)
7. While exercise isn't a must to lose weight I highly suggest it. Your body feels so much better when you exercise and for me it really makes me look at what I am putting into my body. I know how long it took me to burn 400 calories so do I really want that piece of pizza.
8. Have something that makes you feel satisfied as often as possible but fit it into your daily calories. I have a 1/2 a cup of ice cream everyday. It is a small enough amount around 100 calories that I can fit it into my daily allowance and it also helps keep those feelings of wanting sweets etc away
I should also add that I am not perfect and I have bad days, we all do and realizing that those days really do help make us stronger is key. We learn from the bad days, what triggered it, what we can do better next time and how to handle them in the future. In the last 3.5 years I have lost 233lbs so far with a goal of losing 300. I have learned a lot about my body and my mind and how to make them work together. I suggest you also take time to listen to yours and learn what is best for you and your body
^^^^^This Girl Knows Her Stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
you Sarah! 0 -
1. Be honest with yourself. If you bite it, write it!
2. Log as accurately as possible, even on "cheat days"
3. Protein, protein, protein
4. I agree with the pre-logging dinner
5. Keep making new small weight loss/ exercise goals so you always have something new to work for.
6. Don't worry about what other people are eating. Worry about yourself.
7. Forgive yourself and keep going if you slip up.0 -
-Balance your life (work, school, activities, kids, etc) first and foremost. If you're stressed in one part of your life, you won't be successful.
-Food is 90% (or some high %) of your weight loss. Focus on this. It's easier than trying to motivate yourself to work out a lot right when you're starting. When you start to see results just through logging your food religiously you'll be motivated to continue. You DON'T have to exercise to lose weight if you are eating at a deficit from your BMR / RMR. If you can't eat at a deficit because you are close to your goal weight and are already at 1200 calories, then yes, exercise is a must.
-You DON'T have to work out every day, and/or to exhaustion. Do it only if you WANT to, otherwise you won't keep it up. Take it slow.
-If you like to eat a lot, that's fine! Just eat a lot of vegetables which are healthy and you can make yourself full with that, plus protein.
-Fad diets and pills are worthless and do not work. Don't buy them. Don't ask people here to give you advice on whether they work or not. THEY DON'T.
-Do NOT weigh every day. Once a month has been working for me, especially as someone who's emotions are greatly influenced by the numbers I see. When you weigh once a month, you tend to stay on track and you'll see a great number rather than fluctuations day to day or week to week (example: you get your period and put on water weight).
-Actually READ food labels. I now try to go for whatever has the least amount of ingredients, or just 1 ingredient…the food itself!0 -
I second that emotion. The only thing I'd add is drink at least half your weight in ounces of water every day.jenjay8045 wrote: »For me these are big helpers to staying on track and losing weight.
1. Be honest with myself and log everything
2. Buy a food scale and weigh everything
3. Only weigh in once a week so not to get upset by the day to day fluctuations
4. I plan my meals for the week on Saturday and go to the grocery store that day and get everything
5. I meal prep everything I can ahead of time on Sunday so it is all grab and go and no reason for me to deviate from my plan.
6. Keeping protein levels around 125g or above a day seem to keep me the most full. (I do lift 5-6 days a week though so that is why I aim for higher protein.)
7. While exercise isn't a must to lose weight I highly suggest it. Your body feels so much better when you exercise and for me it really makes me look at what I am putting into my body. I know how long it took me to burn 400 calories so do I really want that piece of pizza.
8. Have something that makes you feel satisfied as often as possible but fit it into your daily calories. I have a 1/2 a cup of ice cream everyday. It is a small enough amount around 100 calories that I can fit it into my daily allowance and it also helps keep those feelings of wanting sweets etc away
I should also add that I am not perfect and I have bad days, we all do and realizing that those days really do help make us stronger is key. We learn from the bad days, what triggered it, what we can do better next time and how to handle them in the future. In the last 3.5 years I have lost 233lbs so far with a goal of losing 300. I have learned a lot about my body and my mind and how to make them work together. I suggest you also take time to listen to yours and learn what is best for you and your body
^^^^^This Girl Knows Her Stuff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! you Sarah!
0 -
Its a WOE / WOL and you gotta think long term, one day at a time.0
-
-I make a point of cycling/walking to the shop every evening for dinner ingredients. I also do all my the rest of my shopping Via bike each week. I have a pannier and cycle to and from each store back to the house with the grocery's.
-I also keep frozen fruit in the freezer in portioned bags for nibbles and I spend a few minutes every morning chopping up some carrots into portioned containers for the fridge. I know I am a grazer and I cannot possibly stick to just eating a few big meals. I need to have a nibble of something every few hours, so having everything all-ready portioned out helps me stay away from grabbing junk in pinch.
-I weigh all my food and I can quite accurately tell how much a portion is now without using the scales if I don't feel like being THAT meticulous.
-I'm not afraid to have a bite of naughty food occasionally, if my DP is eating somthing that looks scrumptious and I want it too, I will take a small bite You can't deprive yourself or else you might end up going a little to crazy if you like to have "cheat days"
And last but not least!
If you feel like its getting to much to handle and you need a break from weight loss or you feel like your letting it take over your life, don't be afraid to take a break, don't go back to your old habits though, try to "maintain" and let yourself rest for a week or two as weight loss can be quite emotional and we all need to make sure we look after our mental health as well as our body's health!
0 -
-
- Determination
- Patience
- Keeping trigger foods out of the house
- Staying busy
- Preparing salads, etc... ahead of time so when I am hungry it's ready
- Keeping obsessed about losing weight
- Sticking with my shopping list and not shopping when I am hungry
- Chewing sugarless gum to curb the cravings
- Drinking lots of sweetened tea (Sweetened with Saccharin)
0 -
I heard recently that chewing gum while shopping will deter you from putting junk in your cart, because minty freshness doesn't pair well with Cheetoes, etc.
One trick I play with myself regarding exercise is: Put on your workout clothes right out of bed in the morning (or right after work, for instance), but most importantly, I put on my "blinders". For me, wearing blinders means don't think about it, don't hem and haw, just get in the car and GO!0 -
Pre-logging my food has helped me bunches. That way if I want to fit something in (like peanut butter) I have plenty of time to work around it. Also, it helps me to know exactly what I'm having for dinner so I'm not staring into my fridge when I get home from work and then trying to do math calculations in the middle of my kitchen at dinner time.
Also, I only eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full.
So far I lost 42 pounds so I guess it's working.0 -
I don't have cheat meals. If I want it, I plan my day so I can have it in my macros.
I lift heavy weights.
I stay motivated and always help others stay motivated.
I'm not married to the scale.
I love my body. No matter what.
I eat to get my nourishment even though I'm iifyming it
I do an exercise I love for cardio. Like walking or dancing.0 -
Enjoy all foods in moderation, portion control is key.
Plan meals ahead of time.
Pre log your whole days menu so you know how much you're likely to eat and stay within allowance.
Find an exercise you like, one which you see yourself always doing...then aim to commit to do it 5 or 6 days a week.
And finally.. mfp is a great tool - I've learned so much about calories and energy expenditure over these past few years ..knowledge is power!! ☺
0 -
In general: Being honest to yourself. Don't cheat on yourself, and log it all. If you have a bad day, accept it. Move on, tomorrow is another day.
Some practical tips:
- I put on my work out clothes right after dinner. It motivates me to go out!
- Straight forward skipping fast food isles in my supermarket
- Save one treat for the end of the day. For me, it's a bit of dark chocolate.
- Take the time in supermarkets to read the food labels. Learn what you're buying, learn what you're eating. If you do want that Ben & Jerry's, just go get it Just know how many calories you're eating, and like I said at first: be honest and log it. 0 -
Plan on having a cheat day or cheat weekend once in a while. Burning lots of calories with cardio helps get past those days. Plus, DO NOT dwell on mistakes or slip ups. They happen to the best of us. The key there is to not make a habit of cheating.0
-
I agree with most of the above, is working so far (47 day streak, lost 10 lbs, slow and steady wins the race):
- especially not beating myself up and trying to understand what causes the trip-ups
- still eating (mostly) the same food but in smaller quantities
- trick to get myself to the gym to just say "I'll only go for 20 mins and I don't even have to try hard." Once I'm there and get going, I usually end up working way harder than that but if not, it's my body saying no and that's ok.
One major thing I didn't see anyone else mention: turn off the TV. It's not just the fact that I am sitting there - it's the mindless snacking and the food ads that trigger me to feel hungry. This has been huge for me! I always thought "I'm tired, I'm just going to rest and watch TV." But actually I've discovered I'm not that tired, it's just an excuse. And if I really am tired, I go to bed and get some real rest.
0 -
I was listening to a story on the radio today about a study which shows that obese people may have less sensitive tastebuds than people without weight problems. The theory posed is that obese people eat more because their food satisfaction comes from volume instead of taste. This really made me think about slowing down and savoring every bite I eat. I'm sure it's not as simple as that, but I do find that I eat less and am more satisfied when I eat things that I truly love, and savor them.
Also, it made me think about being offered free food at work...the stale doughnuts, the cold pizza...and how it should be so much easier to say no to those, and walk down to Paul's Bakery one block away and get a single, very fresh, soft, hot doughnut and enjoy the crap out of it, instead of eating several of those hard stale doughnuts just because they're there.
I guess what I'm saying is that we should all slow down when we eat, savor the tastes and textures, and stop eating things we don't love. If your'e going to splurge at all, make it count. I would much rather eat just a couple of squares of sweet potato pie chocolate with my boyfriend, than a whole bag of crappy Hershey's bars.
0 -
Be honest with yourself about what you are eating and how much
either eat the cake log it and move on or say no thank you, don't him and haw over it. This causes stress and feelings of deprivation
If you have a bad morning or eat fast food for lunch, don't throw the rest of the day down the drain and eat whatever. Salvage the day the best you can and try harder tomorrow.0 -
Sometimes I complete my journal early or brush me teeth right after dinner so I'm less tempted to snack later.0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.6K Introduce Yourself
- 43.5K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 393 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.3K MyFitnessPal Information
- 23 News and Announcements
- 934 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions
Do you Love MyFitnessPal? Have you crushed a goal or improved your life through better nutrition using MyFitnessPal?
Share your success and inspire others. Leave us a review on Apple Or Google Play stores!
Share your success and inspire others. Leave us a review on Apple Or Google Play stores!