Weight loss secret?
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One thing that really helped me out when I first started out was I took the time to read the forums and learned how to properly use MFP. The pinned posts were a huge help, especially when it came to setting up my goals and learning how to accurately log my food.
It's not really a secret since it's all right here in the forums, but there are a lot of people that never check out the forums or even know that these forums exist. There is a lot of valuable information that they are missing out on.0 -
Live a healthful lifestyle...being healthy and maintaining a healthy weight and BF% is a bi-product of living a healthful lifestyle. This includes eating nutritiously and in appropriate quantities for your stats and activity and getting regular exercise.0
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My tips - Figure out your true TDEE, then eat a small deficit (15%). Log things appropriately. Don't stress out too much - if you are, find some way of dealing with the stress. Find something you enjoy doing and do it (I love lifting and playing field hockey) - get off your bum even if only for a few minutes a day. Only give up or do what you are willing to do for the rest of your life. DON'T just eat 1200 calories unless it is truly 15% under your TDEE (which would mean you are probably short, older and weigh not too much).0
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barneygood wrote: »Consistently meeting my calorie and exercise goals. I don't give up any foods, so I don't feel deprived and binge. I make special events and dinners out fit, so that this can last long term.
That's what I do, too. It really works. I don't feel deprived and I lose weight.0 -
I have found I have to make sure I hit my target goals for protein and I try to keep my allowable amount of sugar under the maximum. I also try to really limit gluten. Those things in combination really seem to have helped me since starting this path to healthier target weight. I log on MFP everyday and try to exercise 1/2 hour or more everyday.0
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My tips..
1. Drink green smoothies daily. I add a drop of vitamin D to mine, and freshly squeezed citrus... who needs to buy multivitamins with this? lol
2. Walking is underrated. It helps get bowels moving too lol0 -
My secret is that logging -- above anything else, logging -- brings the awareness and then the control that I've always lacked. Logging inspires the better food choices, the lower portion sizes, the calorie deficit, and the better control necessary for losing weight.
This for me too. I could know in principle that I had to eat and exercise so I had a calorie deficit, but I don't mind saying that when I joined MFP and started logging, I was SHOCKED by how many calories I had been taking in thinking I was being "good" ...
My big favorite is, "If every day was like today, in 5 weeks you would weigh:" Lay it on me, MFP, a little automated honesty!!0 -
When I have oatmeal, I cook it with water (1c water + 1/2 oats). And, then, when it's to the consistency I like, I set it aside to cool a bit. While it's cooling, I combine 1tsp brown sugar, 1/2tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 chopped banana in a ramekin and cook on high in the microwave until bubbling and the sugar is starting to carmelize. Dump into oatmeal.
I put peanut butter and fruit with almond milk on mine. Maybe I'll add some brown sugar to it next time.Lourdesong wrote: »
It tastes like breakfast creme brulee!
Sounds yummy ...I'm trying that0 -
Add some oats to scramble eggs.0
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It's not really a secret, but I found the most effective thing was to eat more meals at home. I find it nearly impossible to make homecooked meals have the crazy calorie count of restaurant food.0
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carlenemccullough wrote: »I eat oatmeal too add apple or orange for more flavor. Cinnamon reduce you sugars so add too coffee and really good on oatmeal. Eat a once of almond a day it help you loss wait.paperpudding wrote: »OP did put secret in inverted commas, just replace it in your head with 'tip' if you prefer.
What she is asking is still the same, regardless of word semantics.
Please explain scientifically how cinnamon reduces sugar (hint: it doesn't). Same for the almonds. They are not "magic".
Cinnamon can add a lot of flavor with very few calories (1-2 for a dash). If you have a dash of cinnamon in your coffee instead of a tsp of sugar, you are consuming 14 fewer calories. Some people find eating (or drinking) fewer calories helps them lose weight. Other spices can add flavor in other dishes, without requiring high-calorie flavor-enhancers like butter. There is no reason for diet foods to be bland or boring.
Almonds have fat and protein. Some people find meeting their protein goals helps them be more satisfied with their meals for longer. As hunger is one of the big reasons why people quit dieting, foods that are more satisfying can be a key part of diet adherence, so long as their total calories stay in a deficit.
My biggest secret has been keeping dairy in my diet. All of my diets have crashed and burned withing 2 months in the past with a dairy binge.
It doesn't make any sense for me to eat dairy, I'm lactose intolerant and don't like the taste of milk, but I am overwhelmed by cravings without it. Seeing as research says that dairy (especially yogurt) supports weight loss, I chose to include dairy with this diet. I've been able to lose 100 pounds in 7 months because I didn't exclude dairy.
Exercise is also helpful. Research shows that intense exercise can reprogram your taste to prefer less calorie dense food, helping with diet adherence.
Protein has been important for me. It helps me stay satisfied for longer. I had not been eating near enough protein before, and a nutritionist helped me figure out how to get my protein up.
Good luck with the journey everyone 0 -
Oops, typo! Make that 1/4 tsp cinnamon. 1/2 will probably be too much!
When I have oatmeal, I cook it with water (1c water + 1/2 oats). And, then, when it's to the consistency I like, I set it aside to cool a bit. While it's cooling, I combine 1tsp brown sugar, 1/2tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 chopped banana in a ramekin and cook on high in the microwave until bubbling and the sugar is starting to carmelize. Dump into oatmeal.
I put peanut butter and fruit with almond milk on mine. Maybe I'll add some brown sugar to it next time.Lourdesong wrote: »
It tastes like breakfast creme brulee!
Sounds yummy ...I'm trying that
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Planning. Logging in advance. Eating food I like that fits my calorie limit. Exercising daily for about 30 minutes. Drinking mostly water or unsweetened tea and saving more calories for food.0
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My weight loss secrets almost sound like a scam: I eat food I like (but not too much) and all I do for exercise is walks (but every day).0
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I know what you meant OP. So here are my "tips" that help ME stick with things and lose weight.
1. I believe in moderation. This means I cut nothing out of my diet but instead just fit it in. I just may not eat it as often as I would have before. The only foods I don't eat are ones I can't eat due to a medical condition because I don't want to be sick and in intense pain.
2. I don't drop my calories too low. This helps me keep my energy up and keeps me from binging later on. Does it also mean my weight loss is a bit slower? Yea. But I would rather have that then be depressed about what I am doing.
3. I don't weigh myself very often. Maybe twice a month. I measure every week though. This way I can better see a trend instead of a bunch of up and downs that mean very little.0 -
But add some TJ's Sunflower Nut Butter and it's Heaven!! nom nomLourdesong wrote: »
Plus then you have the fats/carb/protein healthy combo Can you tell I ate some for lunch! 
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »It's not a secret; caloric deficit equals weight loss.
I was thinking along that line when I saw this thread... there is no real secret (I mean yes, there are helpful tips but I don't really consider those secrets)... other than "Just DO IT" as Nike says. Off to do weights...
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I've discovered powdered peanut butter that I love in smoothies or you could add it to oatmeal, although I have not tried that. There is even a powdered pb with chocolate flavor that is great in smoothies. My husband even likes that.0
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Purple running shoes. Lace up every day.
Oh, and eat less calories than I burn.
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My biggest secret was getting my thyroid hormone levels fixed. Once I could lose weight, it wasn't too hard to do it.
I have no secret, lol. People always ask, "What are you doing?" I tell them I switched to healthy foods and started exercising. Nine times out of ten, they say, "That's it?"
It's always with a tone of disbelief or shock. As if they haven't ever heard "Eat right and exercise" before, lol.
Then I say I've been trying some silly thing or am thinking about trying some silly thing and then the conversation moves along...into the world of dieting tips and off of my personal journey.
But that's what I do: Eat right and exercise. (Who knew the doctors weren't lying?!) 0 -
shaynataggart wrote: »Just curious as to what everyone's "secret" is to weight loss success? Mine would be plain oatmeal and coffee w/o sugar. My exercise secret would include interval sprinting. Interested on some tips from you guys!
Hope you eat something else besides coffee and cereals.
Please, take care of yourself!
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I plan out my days and then I never let myself get hungry. I know that I will want to snack at around ten and three. I make sure that my meals leave room for snack. I also drink a lot of water. This way I don't misinterpret the need for water with the desire for food.0
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Consistent logging, oatmeal with lots of cinnamon and nutmeg (to cut down the sugar, yo), figuring out when I'm actually hungry, and reading posts by people who are frustrated in their weight loss. I think we all have times when we feel like throwing the scale out the window and it helps to read that other people have weeks where they do everything right and still don't lose.0
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Ditto here. The three big saviours that have enabled me to maintain my weight at a good level, 140-145 lbs (after losing 80 lbs) are:
1) (mentally) logging everything
2) food & alcohol control, eating healthily (most of the time anyhow, it's hard, I do like a good meal washed down with a bottle of wine!)
3) exercising 45 minutes a day on average
It's not rocket science as they say but the key is consistency. Oh and porridge, I now love the stuff!0 -
People always ask, "What are you doing?" I tell them I switched to healthy foods and started exercising. Nine times out of ten, they say, "That's it?"
It's always with a tone of disbelief or shock. As if they haven't ever heard "Eat right and exercise" before, lol.
Lol, it's so true and funny at the same time!
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Eating less... Go figure0
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