How have you done it???

suenewberry81 · May 2015

I'm 164lbs and 5ft 4 my first target is to get to 150lbs and then hopefully 140lbs I would love to be below 140 but can't ever a imagine I'd ever make it, I have 3 children and carry my weight around my middle :-(

How have you lost your weight?? Exercise? Do you eat what you want but within your calories? Or have you changed the way you eat completely?

I really want this weight gone but will power is at an all time low! :-( I've set my goal to lose 1lb a week as I can't cope only eating 1200 calories a day so mine is set at 1500 a day

Sued0nim · May 2015

1) Calories in < calories out
- once I understood this (after a couple of months) I started to look at hitting minimum protein macros, then minimum fat macros

2) Move more in general ...I use a fitbit and eat back the calories

3) Work out and lift heavy things and put them down again and eat back some of the calories

But mainly number 1, number 2 and 3 just made the journey much easier and made me look and feel absolutely frickin' awesome

Read the stickies ..particularly calorie counting 101 and sexypants at the top of the getting started board

Machka9 · May 2015

Yep ... calories in < calories out.

I have been netting 1250 cal/day.

In other words ... if I don't do much in the way of exercise, I eat 1250 cal or slightly less.

If I exercise, I have been eating some of those calories back. A 60 min walk might give me 200 cal, I might aim to eat about 100 of those cal back, so that day, I eat 1350 cal. A 2-hour bicycle ride might give me 800 cal, I might aim to eat about 400 of those cal back, so that day I might eat 1650 cal. It's incentive to be active!

As for what I eat ... I have been exploring the grocery stores, Asian markets, fresh fruit and veg markets, and I've been finding all sorts of really yummy low-cal food. Who knew! The variety of food I'm eating has definitely increased since I've been here.

But I will add this ... a net 1250 cal diet has forced me to think about what I eat. Do I really want that cookie? Will it fit within my calorie goals and still leave me enough calories to have a decent dinner? If the answer is yes, then I will enjoy the cookie. If the answer is no, then I put the cookie back.

LovingLife_Erin · May 2015

I try to make most of my food more filling, nutrient rich foods but I also allow myself a treat, sometimes two, a day. I find that helps make it not feel like a "diet" and I don't feel like need to binge because I'm not depriving myself. This is a more sustainable plan for me, but I'd also add that you need to find what is sustainable for you.

SezxyStef · May 2015

CICO

I log accurately and consistently....helped me lose almost 60lbs..and by that I mean I weigh my solids, measure my liquids and choose the correct entries...

I started moving more which lead to getting educated about nutrition

I started lifting which lead to eating more protein

you will probably notice a trend here

2009jewellz · May 2015

I eat 1200 cals, as Mach said it makes you think! I too walk a lot, and eat back some or all burned cals since I eat less.

1mumrevolution · May 2015

For me it was this. At my heaviest a year ago I ate at a deficit and went to the gym. I measured everything. I logged everything. Even the ugly! I cut out alcohol and sweet/savoury crap initially then started allowing myself small treats. The weight came off.
Now, I'm shooting for a final 7lbs and want to recomp my body (lower bf) so am paying more attention to my macros. Higher protein is top of my list.
I'm also still eating at a small deficit and eat back 20 % of my exercise cals. I use a Polar HRM to measure.
I do a mx of cardio, weights and pole/aerial training.
I've learned to not fixate on the scale (that was hard) and pay attention to inches lost. I wish I had taken more pix to aw my progress.
For me it's now lifestyle. I am more mindful of what I put in my mouth and understand that measuring, logging and exercising are the cornerstones of my future loss/maintain regime.

moss11 · May 2015

Experiment with ways of eating that suit your lifestyle.
What fits in with your body clock and the kids. is there any particular time of day when you can eat less saving calories for those other times, perhaps when the kids are away to bed. You have to find something that suits you and is sustainable.
I'm much older but can eat around 1600 calories a day and gradually lose weight. I eat back some of my exercise calories. Lower carb suits me. Crucial that you have kitchen scales and measure everything. It's a real eye opener!! for long term weight loss it really needs to be seen as a way of eating for life. Don't through everything away if you go off track, most of us do, it's about getting right back at it without feeling guilty.

TimothyFish · May 2015

I have lost weight by eating less. I eat what I want, but I just eat less. Exercise is part of it, but I plan what I eat so that I could go without exercise and still lose weight.

999tigger · May 2015

Everyone has doen it by eating less than they burn, you just have to find your own way to do that in a way whih is sustainable. 1lb a week is fine. More or less what rabbit said.

karmstg · May 2015

I'm 46, 3 kids, 5' 6", went from 170 to 127, have stabilized around 130. My route:

1) log everything & keep at my 1200 by making better food choices & eating smaller amount of the not-so-good choices that I love. Once I got meals figured out, I had no problem sticking to it.

2) understand that exercise is not going to make me lose significant amounts of weight--it's about looking better and generally being healthier, which is motivation enough.

3) recognize it'll be a slow process. It was discouraging seeing others losing 2 lb or more a week when I was losing .5-1 lb, but it came off eventually and hasn't returned, so it was a healthy & sustainable loss.

How have you done it???

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