What ways/methods did you use that helped you successfully lose weight?

psulemon wrote: »

I would suggest starting with this two links. It also may be beneficial to pick up a book or two like the lean muscle diet (lame name, solid writers) and/or the new rules of lifting for women. They can provide some solid knowledge.

Calorie Counting 101

A guide to get you started on your path to the sexypants

^^This. Beat me to it Those two links (which are also stickied at the top of the "Getting Started" and "General Diet & Weight Loss" forums for future reference) contain everything you need to know to get you headed in a successful direction to set realistic and sustainable calorie and exercise goals

Personally I've found that getting regular sleep and keeping busy are both really important for me. I also know I eat much better foods in smaller portions if I don't watch tv while I eat.

I rely heavily on exercise, which is good because I love sweet foods, don't have much food-related discipline and crave exercise to keep me sane.

Discover what drives you and move in that direction, learning and trying and doing as much as you can down that road. Also, realize that you have to put a check in every box (exercise, sleep, food intake, nutritional balance, hydration, etc.) to lose weight. For example, I must try to be disciplined with my nutrition if I expect to succeed. One element alone isn't enough.

Don't over restrict yourself. The winner gets to eat the most and still lose. You're here to learn moderation, not deprivation. You've got this!

Honestly, a life change.
Instead of busing to class, I walk instead now
Take the stairs to my lectures instead of the elevator
Rarely drink calorific drinks

Going to the gym regularly (when I'm bored or taking a break from studying)

Can I ask how tall you are? My best advice is to go slow.

Nothing has worked for me until I tried Intermittent Fasting. I'm a Monday-Wednesday-Friday faster although most people only fast 2 days a week. I did that and lost a pound a week but seem to be losing 1.5 lbs a week on 4:3 MWF. I've lost a total of 8 pounds in 16 days - don't freak out everyone.

The reason why nothing has worked in the past is because I cannot stick to an even keel of calories every day. Life gets in the way when you are stuck to eating only 1200-1500 calories a day. However, with 4:3 I can eat up to 1942 calories on non fast days. This means I can schedule my dates out with my husband or the girls to non fast days, not go over my calories and more importantly ENJOY myself instead of limiting myself to no appetizer, no bread, 1/2 a portion and only water. That's not to say I would eat all that but I am much more free to do what I want.

The bottom line for me is all plans work it's just a matter if you can work them. Find what works for you and keep looking until you find it.

atypicalsmith wrote: »

My niece weighed about what you weigh now when she was your age. She kept eating stuff like French fries dipped in mayonnaise and slept until nearly 2:00 pm after staying up all night playing video games on the computer.

I'm not saying that's what you are doing, but all you have to do is follow the plan here on MFP. Log what you eat. You will find that you eat much less when you have to account for everything. Exercise. Even if it's only walking in place in front of the television. If you drink alcohol, STOP! Very many empty calories. Avoid sweets. Once you get away from them, magically your sweet tooth disappears.

My niece, by the way, lost most of her weight and was down to 130 pounds which was ideal for her size. She stayed there for all of two or three months and now she is 350 lbs. again. I wish you the best of luck.

Sherry

Fries are magical.

Alcohol is also magical.

Sweets are the things dreams are made of.

And yet I've lost 33 pounds still intaking ALL those things. It clearly must be some more...

kirkmana94 wrote: »

@lcooper327‌ I am 5'4". Also some additional information for everyone: my MFP has me on a 1,600 calorie diet per day. So far I haven't been hitting the mark. I've been eating around 1,300 calories a day and then burning a couple hundred exercising. Should I be trying to force myself to eat a little more so I can hit the 1,600 calorie mark before I exercise? I don't want to lose the weight in an unhealthy way. I want to find a good deficit.

You don't need to eat more food, just higher calorie foods. Add nuts, avocado, cheese, add oils, add post workout protein shake or some ice cream.

atypicalsmith wrote: »

My niece weighed about what you weigh now when she was your age. She kept eating stuff like French fries dipped in mayonnaise and slept until nearly 2:00 pm after staying up all night playing video games on the computer.

I'm not saying that's what you are doing, but all you have to do is follow the plan here on MFP. Log what you eat. You will find that you eat much less when you have to account for everything. Exercise. Even if it's only walking in place in front of the television. If you drink alcohol, STOP! Very many empty calories. Avoid sweets. Once you get away from them, magically your sweet tooth disappears.

My niece, by the way, lost most of her weight and was down to 130 pounds which was ideal for her size. She stayed there for all of two or three months and now she is 350 lbs. again. I wish you the best of luck.

Sherry

What's wrong with fries, mayo, alcohol, or sweets? I eat them all, dropped weight just fine. Nothing wrong with having a different sleep schedule, either. I work overnights so I sleep until 2pm quite often. Your rambling makes absolutely no sense and doesn't help anybody.

Also, I'm sure your niece must be very happy to know her aunt is going around talking about her issues on a public message board. That's really good of you.

Consistently work out hard every other day, including weights. On the off days, rest or do light cardio. Your muscles need to rebuild. Eat things that are high in nutrition such as lean proteins, lots of vegetables, some fruit, some complex carbs. Now is a good time to learn to cook new things. Nutritious eating should not have to be blah eating! Lots of herbs and spices. If you like tea, now is a good time to try many different flavors so that when you crave something to taste, you can make tea rather than going over calories eating something that doesn't fit in your plan.