What Other Factors (Besides Nutrition) Help You Succeed?

drgmac · August 2016

Self discipline, feeling more energetic, a love of clothes and not worrying about if they look right

BananaBite · August 2016

- Replacing one or two meals with vegetables and fruits
- Not eating past 9 pm so I am actually hungry in the morning
- Limiting sweets and soda to weekends
- Eating everything in moderation! Instead of 3 cookies, I take one cookie. Instead of extra soda, I get one soda and no refills.

120poundstogo · August 2016

reversing dinner with lunch and not eating after 5pm

dolliesadler · August 2016

usmcmp wrote: »

Simplifying the process was the biggest one to me. As soon as I stopped worrying about eating the right foods or doing the right exercises I was able to make it work. I ate things I enjoyed that kept me full and did exercises I enjoyed.

Second biggest was to stop trying to lose weight so fast. Two pounds per week didn't give me nearly enough calories and once I decided on slower weight loss I was able to stick to it.

shadowfax_c11 wrote: »

Just plain old fashioned stubbornness. I made up my mind to do it after doing research and becoming convinced that this was the only really good way to get this accomplished. And I started.

360 days, -31 pounds, and counting.

I had to set my mind and a few prayers throughout the day that God would help me to maintain the discipline.
And by the way that is an awesome achievement. Congratulations

Brianneplus3 · August 2016

Will power and patience.

aashuman · August 2016

I had an epiphany.
I used to smoke, It was worse at night.
I used to pick, it was worse at night.
When I stopped smoking and picking I would binge eat, it was worse at night.
Everything I was doing was aimed at one biologic goal= release of dopamine, which natural levels fall at night.
I started exercising. I made it number 1 priority. Exercise is a natural stimulant of dopamine.
It was my 'aha' moment. The dopamine released by exercise gave me the strength to not overeat and to treat myself better.
Get moving! I challenged myself with classes. And if you want and you are in the neighborhood we can go to a class together.

elizadfree · August 2016

1. becoming self aware. i realize i need challenging and diverse workouts- i crave the feeling of being super sore, and that feeling keeps me accountable when it comes to what i eat. i worked so hard at boot camp, why would i ruin it with the free chick fil a?
2. 5:30 am workouts, even if i have nothing going on that day. it's so early that i lose all common sense, and there's nothing else i could be doing. so i go to a workout class, or hit the elliptical on the highest incline & resistance.
3. being college poor. i never ate out growing up, and i can't afford to eat out now, so i never have the temptation of stopping to get fast food on the way home, or going to chipotle with friends. and when i'm grocery shopping, i realize i could spend $5 on a gallon of my favorite ice cream (which i will eat in one sitting, i promise you) or i could save that $5 and put it towards buying better coffee for when i study (far more worthwhile, imo).
4. eating low carb and high protein. i never had that much weight to lose (have always been relatively fit, maybe 10 lbs max 15 over my "should be" weight), so i do have the privilege of seeing results super fast. that being said, low carb and high protein helps me see them faster- i'm building more muscle and keeping my stomach flatter. i know it's a CICO game as well, and i play to that, but what i put in my calories keeps me on track.
5. not weighing myself after a certain point. i can see results in the mirror/through photos. the scale was great for the beginning, but at this point im more dedicated to building muscle than i am losing numbers so as long as i'm happy with what i'm seeing in the mirror/how im fitting in my clothes, i'm okay.

this is what works for me. it may not work for you. we're all different, and that's cool as hell.

(also friendly reminder to stay body positive and not police people's journeys! we're all here for each other for support.)

mnbcxtghh · August 2016

Finding an exercise that I truly enjoyed. For me running and kick boxing. Decided to take up running when I learned I sucked at kickboxing.

ItsyBitsy246 · August 2016

Fear.

angelxsss · August 2016

I haven't lost for a while, because I haven't been logging, but I have lost 10 lbs so far and I'm back for that last 10. I think the not logging threw me off just because there wasn't any accountability. I lost most of those 10 lbs by...
-logging
-trying to drink a gallon of water each day
-exercising (I did 6 days/week, which I realize seems like overkill for many) with a simple exercise plan where all planning was done for me (blogilates.com-free!), I just had to get my butt up and do it
-focusing on eating whole, real foods. If I went over my calorie goal, at least I was going to feel better about it if it was with whole foods (or healthy "cheats" like homemade pizza as opposed to takeout).
-trying to get as much protein as I could without relying on supplements

shanahyisrael · August 2016

Not eating 4 hours before bed. Moving after meals, fresh air. 62lbs gone in 32 days, no fads, diet, no supplements.

shanahyisrael · August 2016

62lbs lighter, got pregnant during the weight loss, keep off after baby. Would like to loss another 20 tho.
Not eating 4 hours before bed helped the most. Moving after meals and snacks. Fresh air and proper breathing. Better selection of water.

Return2Fit · August 2016

Goals!
If I could sum up success in a single word, that'd be "goals".
In every area of life, we need to know what we want, tap our passion and set some general direction for our lives.
Once you know what you desire, make a plan, then take action and stay inspired and motivated along that journey.

This is the key to success in any and every area of life.

clicketykeys · August 2016

1. Starting with veggies. 2. Being fortunate enough to have a husband who will chop veggies for snacks or salad while I exercise or get dressed when I don't have time for both.

anlymc13 · August 2016

Weighing my food and logging EVERYTHING! Moving everyday. Whether that means a walk or hitting the gym, being active in some way makes all the difference. Having the right mind set is the absolute most important key. You have to be ready to do this for yourself.

libbywinkler · August 2016

I know that this is not the answer for everyone, but my tip is no / low carb diet. I am about 90 days in and have lost over 30 pounds. Also, no processed foods. The weight is coming off!

bratschesoup · August 2016

Logging my foods everyday. The accountability of knowing " you're about to eat a 98 grams of sugar" or " this food has 892 calories" is enough to make me pause and plan ahead. So I would say the accountability to choose the right thing, whether it is food, exercise, or simply planning a goal.
Also, simply taking the focus off of weight and putting the focus on health assisted this process. Walking ten minutes longer. Doing one more push up. Trying a new fitness class. It all helped me in the journey.

MsDreaB · August 2016

For me there are 5 main things that have helped me succeed.

In no particular order:

1. Logging everything I eat even if it exceeds my daily calories.
2. Creating healthy meals that incorporate food that I act enjoy eating instead of eliminating or restricting my diet.
3. Having a positive attitude about my new lifestyle change.
4. Interacting with other MFP members and reading the success stories here on MFP.
5. Focusing more on nutrition than exercise.

LVNF04 · August 2016

A traumatic break-up. It made me try that much harder.

marissafit06 · August 2016

Exercise, days that I workout I eat a lot better.

DennysWifeMrsMattox · September 2016

My small shorts. I try them on every 2 weeks. They still have the tags and they are the size I want to be. Once I get those to fit, I have another smaller pair of shorts to try on every two weeks! It helps me remember what I'm trying to do here. And keeping a routine does it for me. I get up at the same time every day, work out at the same time every day.. eat at the same time every day. It helps me to realize if I get off track.

rcktgirl05 · September 2016

Learning to forgive myself if I am not perfect with my food choices, or logging, or exercise, or my steps. I stopped beating myself up. Just move on, this is a permanent change not a crash diet that I can ruin with one meal.

I spent 10 hours driving yesterday and I stopped and ate Popeyes chicken with fries AND sweet tea. I hadn't had anything that bad in three months. It tasted good at first, but ended up making me sick in the end. Too much fat and grease for my clean system now. I won't do that again for a while, that's for sure. I will remember how awful I felt when I'm tempted. To me that's a lesson learned, now move on!

JillyBeans02201 · September 2016

I, too, had to resign myself to the fact that there is no quick fix, and I am a busy middle aged woman, so I have ot make this work for my lifestyle. Meeting one-on-one with a trained nutritionist really helped me re-focus. It wasn't information that was totally new to me, but having those frank discussions with a professional really helped me reshape how I look at my own caloric intake. And having accountability to someone every week was helpful for me. Also - very reasonable, moderate changes to my lifestyle and realistic goals have helped. Most recently, having my husband on board has made a huge change to my ability to stay focused in the evenings/weekends. It's SUCH a process.

nitaaaaa · September 2016

What inevitably trips me up when I am doing well is when I get depressed. This can be for a variety of reasons (or no reason at all). For the longest time I thought if I could only lose weight, I wouldn't be so depressed. Through proper care I learned that it wasn't until I got my depression under control that I could then lose weight. So, monitoring your mental health as well as your physical health is what works for me.

One unexpected thing that also helped was throwing out all my old "skinny" clothes and just buying stuff that fit me, even if I wasn't happy with the weight I was at. The stress every morning of trying to find something you can wear is unnecessary extra stress.

Lastly, my most successful streaks are always when I give up, or mostly give up, alcohol. It's been easier since I moved out of a city and back to the suburbs for a bit. Hopefully, I can keep it up once I move back to a city and have a more active social calendar. Thanks everyone for sharing!

RaptorMommy · September 2016

Short term goals!

I'm talking about non-scale victories here. Buying a piece of clothing you LOVE but it's a hair too small...3-4 weeks of hard work will make it fit perfectly! Or improving fitness: now I can do X push-ups in a row, now I can run for X minutes or at X speed.

I find this keeps me going and takes my mind off the number on the scale. It truly becomes a journey, with lots of exciting achievements along the way!

goldthistime · September 2016

nitaaaaa wrote: »

What inevitably trips me up when I am doing well is when I get depressed. This can be for a variety of reasons (or no reason at all). For the longest time I thought if I could only lose weight, I wouldn't be so depressed. Through proper care I learned that it wasn't until I got my depression under control that I could then lose weight. So, monitoring your mental health as well as your physical health is what works for me.

One unexpected thing that also helped was throwing out all my old "skinny" clothes and just buying stuff that fit me, even if I wasn't happy with the weight I was at. The stress every morning of trying to find something you can wear is unnecessary extra stress.

Lastly, my most successful streaks are always when I give up, or mostly give up, alcohol. It's been easier since I moved out of a city and back to the suburbs for a bit. Hopefully, I can keep it up once I move back to a city and have a more active social calendar. Thanks everyone for sharing!

Same. I have noticed in the past that shortly after I finally breakdown and buy myself some nice clothes in a bigger size, I'm able to start turning the ship around again. It has seemed like a weird good luck charm. Your post made me realize that it's all about my mental health.

Also ditto on the alcohol.

chandraminick · September 2016

If you are not working, or may be if you are and you can do both, totally immerse yorself in YOURSELF. For me, while I was in between jobs, this meant thinking about health and fitness every moment of the day for three months. I put on my workout clothes first thing in the morning and wore them all day so that I was ready for my daily workouts and my stretching routines. I kept a chalk board calendar and joined a support group here. Logged everything in MFP and exercised multiple times a day with different programs. HIIT was part of it. Eating clean was necessary to avoid temptation. Didn't deviate from my menu since I'm a food addict. Put all the nonsense on the back burned and slowed things down to a pace I could manage.

iMuteYou123 · September 2016

My motivation comes from other's hateful comments.
"You're too fat, you'll need a bra" - 2014; P.S: I'm a guy.
"You're too skinny, you need to get bigger" - 2015; This was after losing ~60 lbs in about 4-5 months. It was hard, it was unhealthy, but it had to be done.

They hate me for being active, healthy and motivated, and I LOVE that hate.

Also, another big motivating factor is self-care. I despise myself if I don't get off my *kitten* everyday and do something, anything. Gardening, dishes, coding, internships, literally anything. I started eating healthy a few months ago, and it feels awesome. I get to eat tasty food, feel happy about it and actually be productive.

Kullerva · September 2016

[quote=They hate me for being active, healthy and motivated, and I LOVE that hate. [/quote]

So. True. As soon as people learn you didn't lose it all using some quick fix, they hate you. I feed off it.

Discipline, self-care, and understanding that just as there is no way to get fat overnight, there's no way to get thin overnight, either helped me get here. Also, I've accepted sugarless Jello as my binging-prevention Lord and Savior.

grrrgirl · September 2016

Not calling it a diet.. diet to me is just temporary. I made it a lifestyle change and eat and do excercise I enjoy

Makes all the difference because now I can say that I eat healthy and take care of my self. NOT diet.

What Other Factors (Besides Nutrition) Help You Succeed?

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