How did you break through to shedding the initial 15lbs?

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Any type of tips appreciated, diet or exercise based! Thanks in advance

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  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Weighed and logged all my food to a calorie defecit

    Got more active

    It melted off
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Hard work.
  • cdiponio87
    cdiponio87 Posts: 15 Member
    edited February 2015
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    exercise, specifically swimming to build up cardio followed by running, lots and lots of running
  • hmaddpear
    hmaddpear Posts: 610 Member
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    All the above - patience, consistency, eating a little less and moving a little more. The first 15lb took about two months to come off. The last 23, however, are taking for-freaking-ever!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I had been diarizing for a few weeks and my dietitian and I reviewed my entries. She suggested a few small changes that would reduce my daily intake by 100 calories. I followed through.
  • rjmudlax13
    rjmudlax13 Posts: 900 Member
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    herrspoons wrote: »
    Patience and consistency.

    This.

    There is no "magic tip" that is going to make you "breakthrough."
  • Morgaen73
    Morgaen73 Posts: 2,817 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Weighed and logged all my food to a calorie defecit

    Got more active

    It melted off

    That!
  • invisiblelo
    invisiblelo Posts: 98 Member
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    Definitely patience, I thought it wasn't working but after 2 weeks it started to come off and it makes you carry on. Don't give up!!
  • Icandoityayme
    Icandoityayme Posts: 312 Member
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    I stayed determined and didn't let excuses stop me. I logged every single thing I put in my mouth every single day. I added friends who are encouraging to my list that I could also encourage. I found exercises that I liked and could stick with.
  • Ooci
    Ooci Posts: 247 Member
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    I joined a slimming group. I really hadn't thought very hard about how I was eating such a huge amount of high calorie food. I'd typically have large ham and cheese croissants for breakfast - 2. A mid morning snack of a couple of biscuits, or a bar of chocolate. Then perhaps a quiche for lunch at around 600 cals, with a little salad. Hungry at 5 pm so a couple of bits of toast with peanut butter. Dinner at 8.30pm, a huge bowl of creamy bacon and egg pasta or a big mountain of buttery mash with homemade chicken casserole or steak and ale pie. Washed down with half a bottle of wine. Dinner out every Friday night. It's actually I wonder I didn't get bigger than I did. I had to re learn how to cook, how to eat, and most importantly that I can't join my husband for dinner as it's too late for me. And I can't have wine every night.

    The first 15 lb came off in 7 weeks without calorie counting. I switched the croissants for a small bowl of cereal, the sugary snacks for fruit, the large quiche or pizza lunches for more salad and cooked meat. The 5pm snack and the high calorie dinner became one meal - typically fish and veggies or stir fries or lean grilled meat with fewer potatoes. Wine only Friday and Saturday. This approach worked well for several months and I went on losing, but when I hit 2.5 stone off (35lb) clearly I needed fewer calories, and so I had to start counting them.

    As for the exercise, I'm not sure how much weight it's really got rid of. Exercise days I always seem to overeat.
  • melduf
    melduf Posts: 468 Member
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    "If you want something you never had, you will have to do something you never did."
    Move more, like A LOT more! No excuses, ever!
    Take a good look at your nutrition and be honest. Find your TDEE and stick to your calorie goal.
  • stargazgal
    stargazgal Posts: 93 Member
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    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Weighed and logged all my food to a calorie defecit

    Got more active

    It melted off

    Does this mean a deficit from what mfp has you set at?? It has me set at 1569 a day to lose 1.5... When I exercise it ups it. I always stay under net on days I exercise but I'm worried that my calories are too high... Sometimes they are in the 1700's but this still shows deficit. I work out 6-7x week... Or should I be eating at a big deficit from the calories they set for me... Say 1200-1300 ish.
  • SandyCoils
    SandyCoils Posts: 164 Member
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    With me being new, and on MFP for almost 3 weeks, I have lost 5 pounds. What helped me was logging, logging, logging. I became aware of everything that I was putting into my mouth. Then I realized that sweet drinks were costing me at least 800 cals a day. I noticed that I was also snacking/grazing on crackers and small pieces of candy unconsciously. I am making sure that I plan meals - even if eating out, I need to plan for the entire day so that I am not caught of guard. I stay under my cal goals every day, and so far so good.

    I've also started moving a bit more, and as spring approaches, I will be doing more outside. I'm not going to act like I am doing some super workout every night because I am not, but every hour I get up from my desk and walk the entire office so that I can get some additional steps in. Believe it or not, that has been huge for me. My long term goal is to one day be able to jog a whole mile without stopping. :D
  • Couchtocurves
    Couchtocurves Posts: 6 Member
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    SandyCoils wrote: »
    With me being new, and on MFP for almost 3 weeks, I have lost 5 pounds. What helped me was logging, logging, logging. I became aware of everything that I was putting into my mouth. Then I realized that sweet drinks were costing me at least 800 cals a day. I noticed that I was also snacking/grazing on crackers and small pieces of candy unconsciously. I am making sure that I plan meals - even if eating out, I need to plan for the entire day so that I am not caught of guard. I stay under my cal goals every day, and so far so good.

    I've also started moving a bit more, and as spring approaches, I will be doing more outside. I'm not going to act like I am doing some super workout every night because I am not, but every hour I get up from my desk and walk the entire office so that I can get some additional steps in. Believe it or not, that has been huge for me. My long term goal is to one day be able to jog a whole mile without stopping. :D

    Good for you!!!
  • Couchtocurves
    Couchtocurves Posts: 6 Member
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    Thanks for the tips everybody.

    Side note- I wasn't looking for a 'quick fix'. Just little things you believed help you the first couple months.

    You guys are great and I'm excited to be apart of this new community!!
  • SwankyTomato
    SwankyTomato Posts: 442 Member
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    Hang in there and just keep at it.
  • bigd66218
    bigd66218 Posts: 376 Member
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    Calorie deficit between 300-500 calories a day, lost 17 lbs. first month. Also, exercise consisting of 11 hours of walking, 12days of weights and an ab workout 5-6 days a week which usually took about 15 minutes.