In your opinion.....
Amanda82691
Posts: 298 Member
What is the key(s) to successful weight loss/fat loss? And please be more specific then just "a lifestyle change" we get that haha. I am just curious to what you all will say. 
Happy sharing and play nice!
Happy sharing and play nice! 0
Replies
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Calorie deficit.
Realistic expectations.
Patience.0 -
Other than a calorie deficit, I'd say the most important thing is sustainability. Don't do a diet you can't stick to - so don't cut out food groups if you're not planning on cutting them out forever, don't eat way too little food each day, include treats and such in moderation. Same with exercise - do exercise because you enjoy it, if you force yourself to do it you probably won't stick with it.
There are of course people that do make a drastic change just for the duration of losing weight, stick to it long enough to lose the weight, then go back to roughly what they were doing before and keep the weight off, but it's pretty rare. For most people, sustainability is important to sticking with the diet and keeping the weight off.
Having written all that I guess it's the same thing as just saying 'a lifestyle change'... but I guess that's all that's important really, a calorie deficit and a lifestyle change!0 -
Be 100% committed when you start, and realize you can't go back to your eating habits afterwards.0
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Calorie deficit, no slashing entire food groups, no vilifying food. And move your body.0
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Tracking -- every bite -- every day0
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Dealing with some of the emotional reasons for using food for comfort. getting off your butt and moving...taking care of yourself and your environment.
Stop thinking that the rules of science and biology don't apply to oneself. Stop with casting oneself as the victim and conjuring up medical reasons why the rules of science don't apply To oneself.0 -
Time
Patience
Small weekly achievements that accumulate
Not expecting or demanding instant results
Calorie deficit0 -
Attitude. If you think you can't, you probably won't. Set your mind and do it.0
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One thing that I've found is really important is to know that you aren't perfect, but that you need to keep going and be dedicated. Sometimes you'll slip up and eat too many calories, you'll go out for dinner, you'll go out for drinks with your friends, etc. Don't let this hold you back from enjoying your life, but eat in moderation and try to make healthier choices. So if you slip up, don't quit, don't let it get you down. You can do it.0
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As others have said, a calorie deficit is required, but that is more like the mechanics of weight loss rather than the key to weight loss. Knowing that a calorie deficit is required does you no good if you don't actually create one. It seems to me that the key is having a strong motivating reason to lose weight. There's the bride who wants to look a certain way for her wedding. There's the person weight related health problems who is fearful of what will happen if he doesn't lose weight. There's the athlete who knows that losing weight will shave seconds off his time. People can lose some weight by just deciding to, but that won't last long if they don't have a strongly desired goal that is only reachable by losing the weight.
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I love that multiple people have mentioned patience. I think that is probably the hardest. As a lack of patience probably contributes to people giving up so soon.
I am only 30 days in but I love my new lifestyle and my progress. Here are some of mine:
1. Eating healthier (more fruits, veggies, water) which as a result leads to calorie deficit for me.
2. Patience and persistence.
3. Support network. I post here often and my best friend and BF are my biggest cheerleaders. They also help me make better food choices when we go out to eat.
4. Eat slower. Drink lots of water and clear broth soup based foods.0 -
Calorie deficit
Flexible rather than rigid mindset
Long term rather than short term focus0 -
Finding what works for YOU. Not following the diet that your Co workers or a friend used. Finding the "you" diet. If you have triggers, manage or avoid them. If you have cravings, figure out why. Keep things as simple as possible and don't look for short cuts or fast fixes.0
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- meal planning and prepping in advance
- tracking, accurately and honestly
- making gradual and realistic changes.. this means slower weight loss but it also makes it sustainable
- exercise.. I don't think the calories burned contributes substantially to my weight loss but I think it makes me feel better and puts me in a healthier mindset so I tend to eat better when I'm working out0 -
Finding what works for YOU. Not following the diet that your Co workers or a friend used. Finding the "you" diet. If you have triggers, manage or avoid them. If you have cravings, figure out why. Keep things as simple as possible and don't look for short cuts or fast fixes.
100% yes to this.
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It is all about consistency, planning ahead, and being honest with yourself about what you're putting into your body. I used to have a bad habit of grazing, I'd eat random little bits that seemed too insignificant to count and not log them. Many little bits add up over the course of a day and can really hurt the overall goal.0
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In the words of Winnie the Pooh's Christopher Robin: "You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, & smarter than you think".
Self determination & self confidence is the key!0 -
Also, not go from one extreme to another. I *never* picked more than 1 pound a week loss. I don't understand how people expect to go from 3500 to 1200 calories a day and not want to give up after a week.0
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For me, practising enough self control to NOT binge on 1000-2000 calories every night. I've done good! Been binge free for 2 weeks if I don't count the weekend!
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I think it's finding a diet and activity that suits your lifestyle and you enjoy. Something you can see yourself sticking with long term.0
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Along with all of the great advice that has been given so far...
Keep things simple. There is no reason to think that you have to go to the complicated extremes on your first day.
Set a reasonable calorie goal. If you don't feel like you can sustain the amount of calories you start out with you can always adjust it.
During the first month, your main focus should be on creating habits like logging everything. Also use this time to really get to know the ins and outs of MFP. Read the announcements so you can learn how to log everything accurately, the benefits of a food scale, and just how things work on here in general.
Make sure that your expectations are realistic.
Get to know your body and learn what causes normal fluctuations in your body weight.
Avoid the coaches, distributors, ambassadors and anyone else that is trying to sell you something on here.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »Calorie deficit.
Realistic expectations.
Patience.
This is really all you need.
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Amanda82691 wrote: »What is the key(s) to successful weight loss/fat loss? And please be more specific then just "a lifestyle change" we get that haha. I am just curious to what you all will say. Happy sharing and play nice!
1) Find an eating style that works for you (that may mean trying different things - whatever you try, give it at least a month to see if it fits you).
2) Sleep - get plenty of this (don't short change yourself).
3) Be active. Do some kind of activity which you enjoy (anything from just walking to mountain climbing) Do what feels fun. If you do something that feels like a chore chances are you won't stick to it (that goes for the diet you choose too).
4) As someone above has mentioned - patience. Even slow progress, is progress!!
5) Don't give up.
A great quote I saw the other month which I now look at often.
"If I quit now, I'll soon be back to where I started. And when I started I so desperately wanted to be where I am now"
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I second that. just cut the crap and realize there's no magic or hidden stones. it's day by day calorie balance. that's it. find out what macros keep you satiated and take it one day at a timeFinding what works for YOU. Not following the diet that your Co workers or a friend used. Finding the "you" diet. If you have triggers, manage or avoid them. If you have cravings, figure out why. Keep things as simple as possible and don't look for short cuts or fast fixes.
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Reasonable calorie deficit with a plan you can continue to do even after you've met your goal.
Patience.
Commitment.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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i think to be realistic and not lose a stone in a week! I find setting small targets are more achievable. You really need to enjoy what you're doing too, maybe not the gym there are many other forms of excersize to go with eating well! :-)
a good support or doing it alongside someone is great for motivation!!0 -
Lot's of good advice here. 1. Get a food scale. What you think is a serving is likely bigger than an actual serving. With a food scale over time you will get pretty good at eye balling stuff. 2. Like others have said. Find foods that fit into your calorie goals that work for you. Some foods will keep you full longer than other foods. 3. Always try new things. You will find a meal or recipe that is healthy and that you enjoy eating. Then you will eat it a lot and get tired of it. You need to develop a rotation of healthy meals so you can sustain your eating habits.
4. Find active activities that you enjoy so they don't feel like exercise to you. But, same thing with food, always try new things.0 -
In addition to a lifestyle change and sustainability, I'd say....
Eating healthier foods, mainly eating more protein and fiber every day. I've found this to be the most important habit I've learned. When I eat a good amount of protein and fiber, I feel full on fewer calories, cravings are more manageable, and it's SO much easier to stick to my daily calorie goal.0 -
When you know you shouldn't eat something - don't0
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