One thing that you swear by in your weight-loss journey?

What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight?

How many pounds did you lose so far & how many more to go? How much time did it take you to lose that many pounds? What are your food and workout philosophies?
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Replies

  • samanthafayeh
    samanthafayeh Posts: 21 Member
    Logging my food accurately and every day.
    Started December 2015, have lost 20 pounds since then, I have about 25 more to go. I try to workout everyday and keep track of my macros.
  • LuckyNumbers
    LuckyNumbers Posts: 208 Member
    What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight? Trusting in the process that is CICO.

    How many pounds did you lose so far and how many more to go? I have lost 8 pounds since January 11 and want to lose 15-20 more pounds.

    How much time did it take you to lose that many pounds? I have been logging in earnest since January 11, so roughly 8 weeks.

    What are your food and workout philosophies? My food "philosophy" is to stay within 30 calories of my daily calorie goal, without restricting any food groups. I don't yet have a workout philosophy, but I plan to start doing a circuit training DVD at home this week and then begin exploring weight lifting.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight?

    I want to choose a few things, but above all else I'd say a food scale. Logging, my Fitbit Charge HR, and exercising were also key factors in my success.

    How many pounds did you lose so far & how many more to go? How much time did it take you to lose that many pounds?

    I started here at the end of June at 139 pounds; I reached my goal weight of 110 pounds in February. I am now trying to build muscle, so I'm working on eating at maintenance/a surplus. It's difficult for me to eat that much food, so it's a learning process.

    What are your food and workout philosophies?

    Only do workouts you actually enjoy doing; if it feels like a chore every day, it's not the right workout choice for you. My food philosophy is that nothing is a "bad" food, eat whatever you want in moderation. Depriving oneself too much is a one-way ticket to failure.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    Moderation, moderation, moderation.

    I'm 5'2", my highest weight was 133 and my lowest 107. 133 is simply too much for my frame, as a lot of my weight goes to my face. 107 was a low period in my life, and I definitely wasn't healthy while I was there.

    Last summer, through lots of lifting, being active in general, and watching my calorie intake I was 118lbs. I am trying to get back to that point.

    Philosophies: Lift weights, heavy ones. Be active on the weekends. Eat a good amount of fat and protein. Do not restrict foods, but rather make them fit into your day.
  • missblondi2u
    missblondi2u Posts: 851 Member
    The key is logging everything you eat, every single day, and knowing that this is a lifelong journey as opposed to a race for a certain number on the scale.

    I've lost 52 pounds since June 22 (about 20 more to go), and I eat pretty much the same as I used to but with more appropriate portions and cutting out the mindless snacking. I never villainize any food. To me, there are no bad foods or good foods. Everything has its place in a well-rounded, satisfying diet.

    As for exercise, I've come to understand that I will lose weight with or without exercising by just limiting my calories, but I LOVE the feeling of pushing myself and getting stronger. I'm doing this for my health, not just my weight.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    edited March 2016
    patience is a virtue.

    I lost 40 Lbs and have been more or less in maintenance going on three years hovering right around 12% BF. I'm trying to make a serious attempt at getting to 10% right now and thus far things are coming along nicely.
  • chimaerandi
    chimaerandi Posts: 153 Member
    Logging everything I eat, with a scale, every day. For me to do this, my diary needs to be closed. Now that I'm in a normal BMI, Libra helps me see small trending changes.

    I've lost 68 pounds. I started at 5'3'' 200 pounds, I got down to 145 over eighteen months or so, and maintained for a year and a half, then decided to lose more weight and am now sitting at 132 as of this morning.

    My food philosophy is not to assign judgment to whatever I want to eat. If I want Taco Bell, I eat Taco Bell. If I want ice cream, I eat ice cream. I plan my choices around my cravings. Weekend banking of calories lets me have the flexibility I need to make this a lifelong thing.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    Daily weighing.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
    Evidence based science.
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  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight?

    Portion control

    How many pounds did you lose so far & how many more to go?

    I've lost 173# and hit my goal weight.

    How much time did it take you to lose that many pounds?

    4 years

    What are your food and workout philosophies?

    Food - I use portion control and a food scale, then track in 3 diaries (silly accountant tendencies)

    Working out - Instead of sitting while watching a movie, why not walk? Find something you enjoy doing and do it (for me, it's walking). I bought a Fitbit in May 2012 and it's one of the top things that's helped me keep moving.

    My overall philosophy for weight loss is BE PATIENT. You might desire to lose 10# in time for bikini season, but your body will have other ideas.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    edited March 2016
    What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight?
    Working out, because the progress there kept me motivated on the food side. It would have been very difficult to focus only the scales.

    How many pounds did you lose so far & how many more to go?
    134 lost, 16 to go!

    How much time did it take you to lose that many pounds?
    21 months

    What are your food and workout philosophies?
    Food--portion control, cutting out or severely limiting trigger foods

    Workout--Do It! Start with what you can do, even if it's walking 1/4 mile daily. Add as you can. Pace yourself. "Small daily improvements lead to staggering long term results!"

    Here's my story, printed in the newspaper just this week!

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10349176/my-success-journey-article-now-is-online#latest

  • cbihatt
    cbihatt Posts: 319 Member
    edited March 2016
    What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight?

    How many pounds did you lose so far & how many more to go? How much time did it take you to lose that many pounds? What are your food and workout philosophies?

    1. Not wanting to break a streak has been working for me, so far. I have goals set up in 4 week increments. Anytime I want to quit I just think about how far I've come and how much I want to get to the next step.
    2. About 12 pounds lost, maybe 40 left to go. I'm not sure what my goal weight is.
    3. Today is Day 59.
    4. Do what feels right and keep an open mind about trying new things.

    *Edited for spelling
  • Lounmoun
    Lounmoun Posts: 8,423 Member
    What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight?

    How many pounds did you lose so far & how many more to go? How much time did it take you to lose that many pounds? What are your food and workout philosophies?

    Pre-logging my whole day every morning. Using a food scale to figure out portions more accurately.
    About 25 lbs down... took about 10 months.
    10-20-30 more pounds to go depending on how I feel as I approach my goal weight. I want to lose 10 lbs more for sure to get to a healthy weight. I don't have a deadline. It may take a year to get to my ultimate goal weight.
    My philosophy is to lose weight with a sustainable diet and exercise. I'm going to eat like a normal person and exercise moderately.
  • Springfield1970
    Springfield1970 Posts: 1,945 Member
    Full fat Greek yoghurt (and golden syrup) 2 x a day, I begin and end my day with it. It's a religion to me.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    Honesty. If you're not honest with yourself about how much you're eating, exercising and lack of knowledge you might as well buy yourself a scooter, dye your hair a bright colour and get a tumblr.

    (Disclaimer I have bright hair and a tumblr)
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
    Portion control
    160+ pounds lost 20 months
    Maintaining @ goal weight for 28 months 130#
    Food philosophy all food/drink in moderation
    Gym daily, plus a 45 - 60 minute walk. Weights 2X/week
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,741 Member
    What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight?

    How many pounds did you lose so far & how many more to go? How much time did it take you to lose that many pounds? What are your food and workout philosophies?

    Weighing my food. Serving sizes per my eyes are wayyyyyy bigger than what the food scale says. My fitbit. Well, my original fitbit. I've had calorie overestimation problems with the One and ChargeHR.

    Between Weight Watchers and MFP, I've lost 118 lbs over the course of...wow...probably 10 years but there were some long assed "plateaus" in there and a gain of 30 lbs whilst trying to get out of the first one. I really don't care if I lose more weight at this point. In fact, I'm burning so few calories during exercise I kind of wanna gain weight back so I can burn more. :)

    I eat what I want and stay within my calorie range. I'm eating a bit healthier than I did before starting to lose weight but I'm still not shy about eating candy or cookies or kids cereal :)

    I basically just walk a lot to work out.
  • JaykoBlanco
    JaykoBlanco Posts: 1 Member
    What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight?

    Accurately measuring what I'm eating kept me in line with my goal, but not worrying as much about the scale, and thinking more about the mirror helped me stay on track the most.

    How many pounds did you lose so far & how many more to go?

    Ive lost 45 lbs. 20 more to go.

    How much time did it take you to lose that many pounds?

    I started logging Christmas morning, so ~2.5 months.

    What are your food and workout philosophies?

    I workout or run everyday. Try to improve everyday, whether it's shaving 1 second off your route or adding 1 rep to your set. Don't get discouraged though if you regress or stagnate. As for food, give yourself a cheat day every once in awhile. Don't go nuts, but let yourself go over your limit a few hundred calories. Have a dessert or snack you didn't budget for.

  • trinty425
    trinty425 Posts: 108 Member
    I think a very important thing is to be as accurate as possible and HONEST about tracking and logging your food intake and your exercise. I've found out that I was underestimating my daily calorie burn before I got my fitbit watch. And I was not very accurate about my portion sizes on my food...I know now because I got a nice digital food scale. I refuse to "try a bite / sip" of people's stuff....I realized I was doing that a lot...but then not logging those extra "bites and sips".
  • rosebarnalice
    rosebarnalice Posts: 3,488 Member
    TRACKING. Honest, accurate TRACKING.

    Tracking is how I keep honest about how what I put in my mouth and how much I move affects my weight and my health.
  • geneticsteacher
    geneticsteacher Posts: 623 Member
    Have lost 24 lbs, 18 left to lose. It took 1 1/2 years - I took a year off after the first 20 lbs and ate at maintenance, concentrating on protein, due to surgery.

    Biggest help was daily logging and a food scale.
  • AmazonMayan
    AmazonMayan Posts: 1,168 Member
    edited March 2016
    Moving more. Lots more.

    When I get out and move with extra walks or hikes, I also use my stationary bike more often and some home based strength training. Then, because I know I'm doing well in that, it keeps me logging everything.

    Moving definitely motivates me to pay strict attention to my CICO. I want to lose the rest of my excess weight so that movement becomes easier and I can do even more.

    I've lost quite a bit and have about 100 lbs to go. I would be closer to goal but I was in (successful) maintenance for several months last year for devastating circumstances.

    I was always a very active person until my injury and illness. I just feel better overall both mentally and physically when I move a lot.
  • iecreamheadaches
    iecreamheadaches Posts: 441 Member
    Honesty. If you're not honest with yourself about how much you're eating, exercising and lack of knowledge you might as well buy yourself a scooter, dye your hair a bright colour and get a tumblr.

    (Disclaimer I have bright hair and a tumblr)

    was like wait what.... I too have bright hair and tumblr and like to think I'm pretty honest with myself about those things.
  • CaitlinW19
    CaitlinW19 Posts: 431 Member
    weighing weekly. It breaks the process down into mini goals so I really have something to work toward and helps me see the big picture. I never had a problem weighing daily, but in my opinion this is so much better. Plus, am I really going to weigh every day in maintenance? not likely. But I can handle once a week at the same time each week forever.
  • karenlwashburn
    karenlwashburn Posts: 123 Member
    Staying busy physically at work keeps my mind off food. If I work from home or at home it's a lot easier to think about being hungry and being on a diet. If I go to work I take grapes or ice water and I too busy to think about when I get to eat next.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
    - What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight?
    One thing that kept me on track was having my own reason for it. Not what my doctor said, not what others said, not what I thought was the 'correct' answer, but my own reason.

    Also, that it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing venture. It's ok to start slow and build. You're changing established eating habits, and that takes a LOT of time to get to where it feels normal.

    - How many pounds did you lose so far & how many more to go?
    Lost 50 pounds, now trying to figure out what my maintenance is.

    - What are your food and workout philosophies?
    Weight loss happens in the kitchen. If you don't have a handle on portion control and what you're actually eating, you will have a LOT of trouble losing weight. Not saying you can't, just that it's much harder. You can't out-run a bad diet. As for a workout, I don't. Exercise isn't necessary for weight loss. Not saying you shouldn't exercise, because it's good for you in other ways, but if you have trouble exercising, it's ok to focus on calories in for now. I'm trying to get back into walking because it helps my asthma, but yeah, all my weight lost was done without factoring in exercise.
  • Stpjudge
    Stpjudge Posts: 122 Member
    In October 2006 I weighed 247 lbs. Between 2006 - 2007 I lost 85 pounds, it is a struggle to keep the weight off but for the most part I have. Here are the top things that help me lose / maintain weight loss:

    1. Exercise -- It burns the calories and I feel healthier and happier when I do it. When I was in strict weight loss mode and making it a habit my rule was that I had to do cardio exercise for 30 minutes each day -- and yes, there were some days when I was on the treadmill at 11:30 pm so I could get my cardio in.
    2. Water -- It fills me up. I only drink water and booze. :)
    3. Logging food -- Mission critical - I suck at estimating my caloric intake. If I'm not logging my food then I'm gaining weight.
    4. Regular weigh ins -- I like 2x per week, just my personal preference. If I'm not getting on the scale then I'm gaining weight.

    When I put on a few pounds, like now, and I'm back to being serious about taking them off, I go back to the basics and everything falls into place.
  • brittalexmoore
    brittalexmoore Posts: 15 Member
    What is one thing that helped you stay on track while you were losing weight?

    I generally try to log my meals 1 day in advanced so that I don't have to figure it out as I go. Plus I get extra calories for walking around all day (I'm in college) so if I'm a little extra hungry, it's not an issue.

    How many pounds did you lose so far & how many more to go? How much time did it take you to lose that many pounds? What are your food and workout philosophies?

    I've lost about 16 lbs. since January, I'm trying to lose about 80 more. I have been working out a bit, but I've decided to put it off for a while because I don't want to be disappointed when the scale doesn't move because of muscle.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    Honesty. If you're not honest with yourself about how much you're eating, exercising and lack of knowledge you might as well buy yourself a scooter, dye your hair a bright colour and get a tumblr.

    (Disclaimer I have bright hair and a tumblr)

    was like wait what.... I too have bright hair and tumblr and like to think I'm pretty honest with myself about those things.

    If you want to know what I'm talking about go and look at ThisIsThinPrivilege.