Starting over, any advice helps

There aren't really any "tricks" I can give you other than you just have to do it. Every day. The weight will come off slowly and that's normal and fine. As long as it's trending downward.

1. Don't deprive yourself: if you want the cookie, have the cookie and log it, just don't eat *all* the cookies.
2. Make your daily macros of protein and fiber--it helps you feel full and maintains your body's systems.
3. Don't sweat fat grams, ever. Your brain and other organs need fat, and fat helps you feel full. I've lost sixty pounds over the past year, and I often went over my fat macros, mostly because of nut-based protein bars.
4. This is a journey, not a race.

Good luck!

My advice:
- Weigh and log EVERYTHING for a week first, to see where your patterns are. If you can identify patterns, like you're always hungry at a certain time of day, then you can make plans that fit in your daily goals.

- It's ok to start slow! I originally started with one change and gave myself time to get used to it. Took me about a month to be consistently on or under my daily calories, but by doing it slow it ended up being easier to stay there.

- Remember, this isn't a 'diet'. You are makeing a change in your eating habits, which is really hard. You will have off days, everyone does. When you do go over on a day, you have to remind yourself that it doesn't make you a failure and won't sabotage your progress. Simply log it, accept it, and start fresh next meal/day. Learn from the mistakes, but don't let them bog you down.

- If there's something you really like eating, learn what a portion of it is and work it into your day. If you like cookies, find out the calories in a single cookie. It's usually not that much and you can work it into your day. That way, you don't feel deprived because you still get to eat things you like, just not as much, and you won't feel guilty for having the cookie.

- There is no one diet that works for everyone. It's ok to try different things, but after a week ask yourself "Do I want to continue this kind of diet for the rest of my life?" If the answer is no, it's not for you. For example, I know people do well on low-carb diets and some are perfectly happy that way. I would not be. You'll have to pry the garlic breadsticks out of my cold dead hands! XD So while a low-carb diet would probably help me lose weight simply because the carbs I like are high-calorie, I wouldn't want to do it the rest of my life. So I found ways to work what I like into my day.

- Sugar and carbs aren't evil, time of day you eat has no bearing on losing weight, and the number of times you eat during the day is dependent entirely on what works for you. Granted, there are medical conditions that cause exceptions to that statement, but you'll probably know if you have one and can adjust accordingly. Also, drinking X number of glasses of water to lose weight is a myth. Switching to water from soda is better for you as you won't get that extra sugar and calories, but soda does hydrate you the same. So if you like diet/zero calorie sodas, that's fine.

- Don't stress holidays and celebrations!! If you're going out to eat to celebrate a friend's birthday, eat what you want. Obviously, you don't want to eat everything on the menu, but if you end up over for that day, no big deal. You had fun, your friend had fun, and you simply need to log it, then start fresh and go back to your normal routine the next day.

- No, seriously, don't stress the holidays. If your family is like mine and celebrates with food, you'll only be miserable when you're there. Make sure you log everything, and if you make it out the other end without gaining, you've come out ahead. If you're really concerned, plan for some extra exercise to balance some of it out.

- Eating out is perfectly fine. There are many places that offer 'lighter' meals, and many will let you go ahead and get a kid's size portion of some things. I always get a kid's burger at Beck's because it's a much smaller size and still just as tasty. You can also ask for a to-go box up front and put half your meal into it before you start eating. Two meals for the price of one! If you know you're going out, look up the restaurant online or call them and see if you can find nutrition info for them. Even if you can't, you can look through MFP to get estimates and plan what you're getting BEFORE you get there. That way, you're not tempted to order something bigger and more calorie packed, but you're still ordering a meal.


Edit: wow, that turned out longer than I thought it would! ^_^;;