Top Tips for Losing 100lbs (beyond CICO)

Hi all,

I've checked in and out of MFP for years but I'm now determined and focused for >100lbs to lose. I know basic math is my ultimate success and endorphins my secret potion. I'm keen to know what has helped all of you to reach your goals beyond the daily tracking we all know actually works. I want to know your motivation. That day to day go-to thought that helps make it happen. For me, I want to be healthy, strong, (and balanced!) enough to try paddle boarding next summer. I have lots of time to reach my goal, and I would love your personal motivations as inspiration!

Thanks and feel free to friend me. I'm psyched to be committed to this supportive community!

Replies

Blueseraphchaos

honestly, i drink almost nothing but water.....i use a food scale to weigh foods in grams, and i use the usda entries when i can. i scan food labels and if the info doesn't match what is on the label, i make my own food and input the label myself.

bodyweight exercises have helped me. there are videos on youtube for free if you don't have the money to get a gym membership, or you can get a gym membership if you aren't broke like me. (my college that i'm starting again on monday offers free use of the gym, so i intend to take full advantage of it...lol)

if you have food triggers that you absolutely cannot control yourself around, keep them out of the house until you learn moderation. but i haven't cut anything out of my diet, i eat what i want as long as it fits in.

good luck! feel free to friend me.

tkdchick1985

Welcome! I am also trying to lose about 100lb, 6 gone 94 to go! My motivations are all the things I love to do but are so difficult at this weight! Add me if you want to!

Merkavar

Not sure other than recording what I eat.

Maybe taking up kick boxing. Every kilo I lose its means I can perform a little better, do more push-ups, punch and kick more and higher, be a smaller target.

UprightMan

No motivation. Motivation can be lost.
Why do you need a carrot dangled in front of you? Acquire some discipline and you won't need to ask yourself every day "Why am I doing this?"; you'll just do it because it's what you set out to do.

Sued0nim

elarian wrote: »

Hi all,

I've checked in and out of MFP for years but I'm now determined and focused for >100lbs to lose. I know basic math is my ultimate success and endorphins my secret potion. I'm keen to know what has helped all of you to reach your goals beyond the daily tracking we all know actually works. I want to know your motivation. That day to day go-to thought that helps make it happen. For me, I want to be healthy, strong, (and balanced!) enough to try paddle boarding next summer. I have lots of time to reach my goal, and I would love your personal motivations as inspiration!

Thanks and feel free to friend me. I'm psyched to be committed to this supportive community!

I'm struggling to answer this because it was CICO

It helped me to get obsessed by the numbers ..
...saving calories for my evening need to graze and snack..
...working out how to make breakfast and lunch less calorie dense
...batch cooking at the weekend so I always had go to meals
...pre grating fresh extra mature cheddar into a Tupperware I keep in the fridge (cheese fiend)
...0% Greek yogurt and fresh raspberries
...keeping a 2 litre bottle of fizzy water on my desk
...buying and continually using a basic fitbit to adjust my activity level...aiming for 10K steps when not working out
...my personal trainer keeps me working out
...my dog keeps me moving more
...getting clothes that fit as I lose weight, getting second looks again as I walk down the street
...great music on my iPhone
...beating my son at push-ups
...ditching asthma meds
...compliments
...logging even when I don't want to
...focusing on hunger signals to work out if I'm hungry or just bored ...leaving any signal 20 minutes and doing something else

Bshmerlie

I started in April with 125 pounds to lose. Now I'm down to 77 pounds left. Seeing progress even if it's slow helps to keep me motivated.

xX_PhoenixRising_Xx

Tracking, pre-planning and pre-logging food and eating everything in moderation got me to 155lbs lost.

My initial motivation was to not eat myself into disability or death, to get rid of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and to be able to keep up with my kids. I was 329lbs. The key is to just keep going. Along the way it's little things like seeing progress on the scales or measurements and clothing sizes change, being able to do more exercise at a harder level - running, push ups, pull ups, muscles appearing, bones appearing. It all kept me going! I've now been maintaining for a year with no problems.

TyTiger315

I agree with drinking water. To me, that seems to be the piece that makes it all flow, no pun intended. I've tried so many diet fads from shakes and smoothies this, to programs and cleanses that. And yes, to some extent it's all worked but there was ALWAYS a side effect that eventually made me stray... Whether it was constant exhaustion, crankiness, hitting long plateaus, or always feeling hungry; there were always reasons why it was so much easier to stop than to continue. Especially when I had a hard time seeing that I wasn't only going to drink smoothies for the rest of my life or only eat from a certain list of foods for the rest of my life.

What I've found that's worked for me is honestly just drinking lots of water (I allow myself a cup of coffee in the am but beyond that I exclusively drink water), eating clean, and having the kind of attitude and mindset and that allows you to lose weight. Stay positive, determined, and ambitious to meet your goals!

I've struggled with my weight my whole life for one reason or another. And although I started my current journey the heaviest I have ever been, it's also the most determined I've ever been and I'm seeing better, more positive results now than I have in the past. And really all I did was stop eating pre packaged foods, stop drinking my calories, and get focused. I changed my mindset about food from one of indulgence to one of necessity. Now don't get me wrong, I will forever be a lover of food, but changing the way I think about it has helped me establish boundaries with myself and with the things that I eat so that MOST of the time I am eating for the nourishment and health of my body.

For example, cake doesn't have to be a completely unhealthy indulgence, but buying and/or making a cake from the store makes it unhealthy. I make just about everything homemade, from scratch so I have the ability to control what goes into my food and therefore into my body. I use fruits and spices to make "indulgences" sweet and give them flavor so that I can cut back on the processed/refined sugars. When water gets boring I squeeze lemon, drop frozen berries, or sprigs of mint into it to liven it up. The key is really to find things that work for you and continue to add to your repetoir of things you like. Don't be afraid to experiment with recipes. Stay in that frame of mind that food is fuel, nutrients, and nourishment for your body. If you have a bad day remember that tomorrow is a new day with a fresh slate. Don't let the small/minor setbacks throw you completely off track.

I've also found that it helps when you surround yourself with like minded people both in person and online. That way you can share your goals with them and you then have someone other than yourself to be accountable to. I don't know about you, but if I know I'm getting together with my friends in a week and half of them know about my weight loss goals, I don't want to see them and be like "well I'm a slacker and haven't been doing my due diligence..." That's embarrassing to me. I'd so much rather them look at me and be like "girl you look great!" Or them ask how my journey is going and me be able to say "I had a few minor setbacks, but I'm on track now and I'm meeting my goals."

When you set your goals make sure they're realistic. And always set your end game goal, but make smaller more easily attainable goals in between. For example, if someone's ultimate goal is to lose 150 pounds they might split that amount up a bit... On average people healthily lose approximately 2 pounds per week depending on their situation. There's 52 weeks per year so you might give yourself 1 1/2 to 2 years to meet your end goal (if you do it earlier than that's great!)... So let's split your goal up and say every 6 months you'd like to lose 50 pounds... Now you've just given yourself trimester goals that are much easier to meet than the 150 pound end goal. And you can go even further by saying, I'd like to lose 10 pounds per month to contribute to meeting my trimester goal and my end goal. And you can then even break that down into weeks by saying OK I'd like to lose 2 pounds per week to contribute towards meeting my monthly goal of 10 pounds. That way you have wins in between meeting your bigger goals.

And when meeting these goals one of the mistakes I've made is by rewarding myself with some sort of food or culinary indulgence. I found that that is no bueno, simply because it brought me right back to the wrong frame of mind where food is mostly an indulgence rather than nourishment. Instead I reward myself with doing things or with guilty pleasures... Like I LOVE designer boots and purses... So if I meet my trimester goal then I get to reward myself with a single more spendy item that I've had my eye on. Lol. Or for my monthly goal reward I'll do something smaller like a wallet or a new pair of pants. And then for a weekly goal I will reward myself with going to the movies or buying a new movie, or getting a sitter and having a mommy night out/off, or a mani/pedi. Or my friend sets aside a jar and everytime she meets a goal she puts money in the jar. That way the jar becomes a reflection both of her hardwork in her weight-loss journey AND of how far she's come. Then when she meets a big goal she allows herself to empty the jar and spend it on whatever she'd like. There's lots of ways to set goals and reward yourself without the reward having to lead back to food.

Any-who I hope this helps. It was waaay more than I thought it'd be. Lol.

KittensMaster

I have lost 125 or so pounds net. Lost more fat and added back muscle

It was about eating more fibrous vegetables and exercising more at first

I replaced probably 1500 calories of sweet junk food with bulky fibrous veggies

I did not count calories and was not part of MFP. I got a trainer and saw a nutritionist, joined a gym and started walking 30 mins a day.

Started adding elliptical

Then after a couple months of losing weight by swapping brownies for broccoli I started counting calories

If you eat terribly and have a hundred to lose you can probably do as I did to get used to dieting.

But eventually it became important to count calories more.

Now I know exactly what I eat and why I eat what foods to fuel certain activities

Knowing what you are eating and the nutritional content, not just the basic calorie amount should not be a chore.

Get going on eliminating the huge calorie bombs from your diet and get moving more

Get used to that

Then go all food scale and calorie aware.

It is ok to take baby steps while learning to walk.

pineapple_peach10

Don't deprive yourself. Fit treats and things you like into your calories. Make your plan one that you can sustain for life.

And the biggest; small losses add up.

CheyCharaid

March of 2014, I started with Myfitnesspal after trying almost everything practically my whole life. 81 pounds gone after 17 months. What worked/works for me is prob a bit different compared to most but for me is ideal. I eat anything I want as long as I stay between 1100 and 1200 cal a day. I use a rebounder (mini trampoline) for excersize almost every day. 2500 jumps takes about 20 min. It's fun .. watching tv or videos makes it fly by and also is beneficial to my Lymphatic System. I don't limit myself to all healthy eating .. Most of the time I do.. but if I want a cup of frozen yogurt, I have it and enjoy every single bite, as long as I stay within my set numbers. I love looking better.. although, after 56 years of looking at my reflection, I still 'see' myself as heavier in my mind.. trying to form new habits about that. All in time.

unknown

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ruqayyahsmum

my motivation? the fact that 2 years ago i had to use a walking stick and could only manage the length of the room at a time

the health issues contributing to that are now under control and i want to be functional, i dont want to go back to being the 31 year old struggling to live

WBB55

What has helped me reach my goals?

-Time
-Patience
-Knowing I'll have urges and having tactics to combat them
-Knowing Christmas/barbecues/vacations/etc. happen and that they're neither the end of the world nor necessarily a reason to derail long-term goals and progress
-When I reach a new boggle in the plan (I started traveling a bunch on the weekends, for instance) keep working at solutions until the new restrictions surrounding that life change fits in again with my long-term health goals
-Not letting injury/serious life issues (deaths, job loss, etc.) be an excuse to chuck the whole plan (but of course adjust to compensate for a while)
-Forgiving myself for temporary issues/setbacks and not letting them derail me long term
-When I'm overwhelmed with the steps I still need to take, reminding myself to look at how far I've come
-Recognizing the people/habits in my life who are hindrances to my health goals, and not letting them affect what I know is best for me
-Recognizing the people/habits in my life who are assets to my health goals, and focusing more time on them

daniwilford

Great advice in this threads. Educate yourself by asking great questions like these. I consume most of my calories later in the day because that is when I tend to want to eat more then. I instruct my kids to keep high calorie less nutritious food out of my sight, this helps with mindless snacking. Keep lower calorie cut and washed vegetables and fruits in the front of the refrigerator and popcorn, almonds etc. on the pantry shelf at eye level. Buy a clothing item that is a size too small, and try it on every week to see if you can wear it comfortably. Hang out with supportive people. Find alternate ways to deal with stress, sadness, or what ever triggers you have dealt with by overeating in the past. Take a break and eat at maintenance for awhile a few weeks or a month along the way. Track trends and find non-scale victories to celebrate. Make life style changes, like eating healthy low calorie nutrient dense foods for the rest of your life, and exercise a part of your routine. If you haven't already set some fitness goals. Exercise is the key to a successful maintenance from what I have read.

TimothyFish

Small, short-term goals are important to me. Once I got started, seeing the scale drop a couple of pounds each week drove me forward. If I didn't see it drop, that made me want to try even harder. The other thing was exercise. Without it, I don't think I would've made it. I had a few weeks in there that I couldn't exercise, but it was a struggle for me to stay within my calorie goals. Exercise made the difference between reaching the end of my day having eaten more than I intended and reaching the end of the day with a few calories left in the budget.

SideSteel

I would suggest that you identify and implement habits that are supportive of the goal of maintaining a lower body weight than you currently have.

So for example, rather than thinking about your diet in terms of "I need to eat 1600 calories" I would think of it in a bigger sense as "I need to adopt life-long habits around food and exercise that will lead me to maintain near my goal weight"

Or something to that extent.

And some of those habits are likely to be things that MOST successful (successful at maintaining weight loss) people have in common.

For example I bet most people who have lost a significant amount of weight and are maintaining that low weight, probably limit junk food, probably don't drink many caloric beverages, probably exercise on a regular basis, probably don't eat out at restaurants at a high frequency, probably eat a reasonable quantity of fruits and vegetables, etc etc.

And of course there will be exceptions.

But, while you are tracking your food intake you should consider looking at these habits (sleep quality and quantity is another HUGE one) and pick one of them to focus on for a few weeks so that you can build this habit set in combination with food logging.

At some point you may even be able to stop logging should you choose to.

Emily3907

I am a big fan of cognitive behavior therapy and found a lot of helpful tips/tricks through that. I have to say the most helpful has been an index card that has all the reasons I want to lose weight listed on it. From simple things like cuter clothes and enjoying shopping again to deeper things like feeling less embarrassed and self-conscious in public or social settings.

When I am feeling down, struggling or like I want to give in, I pull out the card and re-affirm my reasons for doing this. I keep a laminated card at my desk and in my purse so it is with me majority of the time.

SideSteel

Emily3907 wrote: »

I am a big fan of cognitive behavior therapy and found a lot of helpful tips/tricks through that. I have to say the most helpful has been an index card that has all the reasons I want to lose weight listed on it. From simple things like cuter clothes and enjoying shopping again to deeper things like feeling less embarrassed and self-conscious in public or social settings.

When I am feeling down, struggling or like I want to give in, I pull out the card and re-affirm my reasons for doing this. I keep a laminated card at my desk and in my purse so it is with me majority of the time.

Interesting.

I think I like this.

KittensMaster

SideSteel wrote: »

I would suggest that you identify and implement habits that are supportive of the goal of maintaining a lower body weight than you currently have.

So for example, rather than thinking about your diet in terms of "I need to eat 1600 calories" I would think of it in a bigger sense as "I need to adopt life-long habits around food and exercise that will lead me to maintain near my goal weight"

Or something to that extent.

And some of those habits are likely to be things that MOST successful (successful at maintaining weight loss) people have in common.

For example I bet most people who have lost a significant amount of weight and are maintaining that low weight, probably limit junk food, probably don't drink many caloric beverages, probably exercise on a regular basis, probably don't eat out at restaurants at a high frequency, probably eat a reasonable quantity of fruits and vegetables, etc etc.

And of course there will be exceptions.

But, while you are tracking your food intake you should consider looking at these habits (sleep quality and quantity is another HUGE one) and pick one of them to focus on for a few weeks so that you can build this habit set in combination with food logging.

At some point you may even be able to stop logging should you choose to.

^^^^

Life changes is a big deal

I agree completely!

Get some active hobbies

The gym used to be new and weird. Now I se my friends and I have a great time. I miss it when I travel

Cycling is a favorite activity. I used to think 10-15 miles was tough. In time, now 40 is an average Saturday and I keep it at 17+ mph.

Those changes brought new friends and a new way to enjoy life.

I have a triathlon coming up

I will be taking up a martial arts class again.

It is all part of a new life with a different focus.

And as an active person it is easy to burn off a couple slices of pizza

daniwilford

My three best weight loss and fitness purchases good walking/running shoes, digital kitchen scale and fitbit.

WBB55

daniwilford wrote: »

My three best weight loss and fitness purchases good walking/running shoes, digital kitchen scale and fitbit.

Cosigned

kozykondition1

Cook all of your meals. Clean the kitchen every day. Only buy single-serving snacks.

Food is more important when you are losing; exercise is more important when you reach your goal weight.

nvmomketo

About 5 years ago I lost about 40lbs with CI<CO along with eating no processed foods and no added sugars. If I couldn't recognize where it came from (a plant or animal) I didn't eat it. It worked really well, I only regained the weight when I resumed eating processed foods - the beginning of my downward slide was a homemade muffin...

I now am re-losing that weight, but I now know that I can not go back to the way I used to eat - that's how I gained weight. This time I have prediabetes and more autoimmune issues, so I am following a low carb high fat diet, that is very low in carbs and putting me in ketosis. This has helped my health, but it also has he added benefit of reducing my appetite and getting rid of my very strong carb cravings. If carb cravings are an issue for you, you may want to look into a LCHF diet. It's something I can see maintaining for years if not life.

Good luck!

Kalikel

I haven't hit 100 yet, but will before the year is out. 91 down, 9 to go! This is what I do, not necessarily what might work for someone else.

Drink water
Get enough sleep
Eat healthy foods
Do cardio daily (swim, walk)
Resistance training at least 3 times a week
High fiber breakfast, no eating before bed

I also like to have fun with my weight loss. I try stupid things that can't work and things that experts advise that might. As long as it doesn't screw with my overall plan, I'll try it. It's fun.

I purposefully mix it up when it comes to workouts. If I don't want to walk, I try some new workout tape. I've added yoga. I don't want to get bored and quit exercising, you know? Plus, I never know what I will like.

I love hearing what others have to say, but I do what works for me. Just the other day, a woman kept telling me that I was losing weight "the right way." She kept saying that. "You're doing it right." As if there's one way. I don't believe that. She also kept saying that I'd lost weight "from the inside out" and that I wouldn't be too flabby when I'm done. I'm already flabby! And will continue to get more flabby!

"From the inside out" - I don't know wth that means. So, like so many things, I thanked her and ignored the rest of her advice.

Take what you like from others and dismiss the rest.

But most important and the only real advice I can give to anyone: NEVER QUIT.

elarian

This is awesome, everyone! Thank you all so much for taking the time to share your tips. I truly appreciate it! Lots of great tips!

Blueseraphchaos

daniwilford wrote: »

My three best weight loss and fitness purchases good walking/running shoes, digital kitchen scale and fitbit.

Exactly the same as mine, although the shoes came a good 3 months before i started weighing, then the fitbit came a year after i started losing weight. So, baby steps, yup. Lol

jgnatca

Stanford's Chronic Disease Self-Management Program taught me to troubleshoot and shed the guilt.
My weight loss team gave me accountability. I also had bariatric surgery which helped a lot.
I tried many sorts of exercise until I found some that I loved. Instead of seeking out what I should be doing, I just moved. If I love it, I'll keep doing it.
I found my motivations. Having an event to train for keeps me going.

mattyc772014

Never check out again. Stick to a plan to reach your goals. Literally plan it out on paper or on your phone. Focus on the plan. Find exercise that you like. There are so many great friends on MFP. Add them. Dont be afraid to push past your comfort zone. Its those little steps that get you to attain your goals. A food scale is the best tool besides the MFP app. Find ways to make your plan easy. The easier it is for you to do the more you will keep to it. Preplan your grocery shopping for the week. What works for me is to stick to foods you like and buy enough just for the week. Prepare them for the week. Here is one great suggestion if you like chicken. Buy 10 large chicken breasts for the week. Stick them in a freezer bag. Add garlic powder, onion powder, parsley and 6 lemon/limes juiced. Let it sit in the frig overnight. Next day put them in a pan and bake them in the oven. Now you have chicken for the whole week. Put in salads, add cheese, make your own Chipotle bowls adding beans avocado etc....And have fun! Lots of luck!

ebbingfat

daniwilford wrote: »

My three best weight loss and fitness purchases good walking/running shoes, digital kitchen scale and fitbit.

Absolutely this! A pair of shoes can make or break my desire to work out, and my ability to keep going once I start working out. Shoes are worth the investment.

I have a kitchen scale, and while it isn't digital, it's definitely one of the most helpful things I've purchased. I just bought a really cheap one a while back (because I didn't know if I'd stick to measuring food), and it is SO eye-opening. You wouldn't believe how wrong you can be while counting calories without a scale. Now that I use mine regularly, I might go buy a more expensive digital one at some point.

And lastly, the Fitbit!!! I just bought one last week and I am IN LOVE WITH IT. Since getting my Fitbit I am more motivated than I have EVER been to be active and lose weight. I guess for me, seeing the data laid out in front of me is not only informative, but a great motivator. For example, both yesterday and the day before I was heading into the evening with about 12,000 steps. But because I like nice numbers, I decided to put in the extra effort to end the day at 15,000 steps. I also spent several minutes running up and down the stairs at home because I wanted to earn the badge for 50 floors climbed. haha! Honestly, before my Fitbit, I was likely getting well under 10,000 steps on most days, and just generally not moving as much as I should. But seeing it all laid out in front of me helps me so much. I especially like seeing the little graph of my calories burned and heart rate throughout my workouts, it makes me work much harder than I used to, because I want to be proud of what I see when I'm done. Each time I burn more than my previous workout it feels like such a huge success.