What have you done to make this a lifestyle and not just a diet?

akelarae · December 2016

I'm curious to know how you have made this (with the help of MFP) a lifestyle instead of just another diet. I'm working on my mindset. I need to view things differently than every other time.

MsBuzzkillington · December 2016

Eat how you want to eat, just less? Start making small changes and learning how to cook more balanced meals. Don't cut "bad" things out and be really strict with yourself. Allow for "slip ups" and mistakes. Learn to let go a little. But also how to make better choices over all.

Thehardmakesitworthit · December 2016

Just the fact you are pondering this ....is really awesome. For me it's a couple of things... one absolute is: I'm 52. I have squandered my best years being trapped in this body. I feel at my core that this is my forever journey... I may reach an ideal weight but that's not the end game. Health and longevity are my desires. The practical applications daily are discipline in logging and fueling my body not feeding a desire for food. I trip up of course, but it's different now. My heart wants this and mind too. All the best!!!!

mila_lova · December 2016

1. I eat between 1700-2000 cal/day, depending on what my Fitbit says. I know I can't restrict my calories too much because I can't keep it up long-term. 1200 cal/day to me is a diet, it makes me want to binge.
2. I eat all kinds of food. I usually include cookies or candy or pizza or whatever in my daily calorie budget, because I'm not going to live the rest of my life without the foods I like. I just make sure to eat a serving size instead of all of it. To me, that's a fair compromise between health and cravings.
3. I'm learning which food keeps me full. The past few days, I've been focusing on getting extra protein so I stay full. This helps limit cravings and I eat fewer calories without realizing it because I'm full.

everher · December 2016

I haven't made any changes that make me unhappy or are unsustainable. There is no thought into my mind as to when this can end. This is a lifelong journey and I'm content with it.

I have not cut my calories too severely. I have MFP set up for a pound a week loss and that's manageable for me.

I eat like I always did. I just no longer overeat. I still have chocolate, cookies, brownies, ice cream, and I still eat out on occasion. Yes, I also eat salads, veggies, fruit, lean protein, etc. but I'm not so focused on eating "healthy" I just eat what I want in moderation. Surprisingly I almost always hit my macros without trying.

All in all, I'm happy with this and can't really imagine a reason why to choose anything other than this. Yes, sometimes I do still want to overeat and some days I fail, but I'm not giving up. I can't go back to living my life the way I was.

jps2222 · December 2016

1) I've tried to be very realistic. My goal is to get to the gym 3 days a week. If I make it more, great; if not, no guilt. (But see my comment below about going to the gym.) My goal is to hit my calorie limit most days. If I'm on vacation, I'm a little more lax.
2) Nothing is forbidden. Everything in moderation. As I've gone along, I've looked for little cuts that add up, like using salad dressing that's not oil-based or having a taco salad instead of tacos so I'm getting all the protein and veggies without the fried tortillas. But nothing is an absolute no.
3) I initially set my goal to just half a pound per week, deciding that I wasn't in a rush and as long as I weighed a little less each week than I had the previous week then it was all good.
4) I've really enjoyed how exercising buys me more calories ("If I go to the gym, I can have ice cream tonight without going over my calorie limit!"). It's helped reframe exercise for me, and now I really enjoy my time at the gym as I've gotten stronger and all my aches and pains have gone away. Also, little additions of exercise add up. If I'm watching tv at night, I can get on the exercise bike or do some ab work or strength training while I watch, rather than vegging out on the couch. I'll walk between stores rather than driving.
5) Most days when I'm done logging I hit the "complete diary" button and enjoy seeing the message about "if every day were like today, in 5 weeks you would weigh..." That's helped me keep my eye on the long run, especially when those numbers are numbers I hadn't seen in a very long time!

You can totally do this! Good luck!

akelarae · December 2016

Wow I appreciate all your comments! I think what they all have in common is don't deprive yourself completely but always use moderation. The key is learning moderation, ha!

dutchandkiwi · December 2016

For me it was about fitness and health. It was about being able to walk long distance and after my allergies were confirmed to get more air into those lungs of mine. The weight loss I saw as a bonus. It ended up being a bit like kicking a (over)spending habit. My weight was a debt to be repaid to my body.
I also did not believe in cutting out any foods/macro's etc. That said it was for me a case of three months no sweets and nice thing I had to kick that habit. Quite early on I decided that I would still eat out, that I would learn and that I was not on a diet. I was learning to live within my means. Which also means saving up to occasionally buy (or eat) something you really want.

Now that I am approaching a goal weight I could have never dreamed of 3 years ago I can see it being a journey back to the me I liked best. Healthy, confident and with loads of energy. I feel more like that young woman that tried to put as much into life as she got out of it. I like that a lot, re-meeting that part of me.

price101110 · December 2016

I have a very addictive personality, so in order to see changes in my weight I absolutely have to stay away from sweets and junk food. For me there's no such thing as 1 cookie

I'm afraid that if I have something I used to eat constantly I will fall back into my old ways and eat like complete crap. The trick is figuring out your flaws and trying to fix them or find the right route for you. I am currently taking it day by day and focusing on what i eat for each meal vs thinking about long term results right now.. I feel this is what is going to give me A+ results.

laur357 · December 2016

In my case, I had a lot of bad habits and behaviors that needed to stop. Eating in secret, binging, emotional eating. My biggest challenge was learning not to eat until I was full because I never really feel full. My version of "full" was eating until I felt uncomfortable or was physically sick.

Make tracking food a habit. Even if you're on a maintenance break, even if you're eating 2,000 calories over each day, even if you're just guessing at portion sizes. Having some idea what you're putting into your body each day helps you notice trends and patterns in your weight, well being, appetite, and cravings. The habit will ride through when the motivation isn't there, and it's easier to pick back again.
I've regularly tracked my food intake to some degree for over three years. At this point, I don't freak out if I eat over my deficit goal or my maintenance. I just take the information in and use it to adjust. There are no surprises - if I gain three pounds, I can tell if I'm retaining water or if I've been seriously overeating. When I successfully lose ten pounds then take a break, I can look back and see filling, lower-calorie meals I can bring back into regular rotation when I'm ready to drop a few more.

Other things:
I like to cook, so a few times a month I make an effort to try a new food or recipe I haven't made before. I was kind of a picky eater when I was younger, so this has helped me figure out more fruits and vegetables and flavors I didn't know I liked. I didn't cut anything out, but I did add a lot of new foods I really like that have a good nutritional profile.

Quality over quantity. I don't love sweets, so I know I'd rather skip mediocre store-bought cookies at work and save the calories for something I really like.

Mindfulness, or paying attention to what's going into your body and how you feel about it. Actually savoring food and enjoying the process of eating instead of cramming as much as possible in.

akelarae · December 2016

Props to everyone who has made these discoveries about themselves. Im thinking that just like someone who has to take medication everyday (whether it be for a chronic illness or depression or whatever) I need to view healthy eating and logging as my "medicine" to stay the best version of myself. You can't just decide to stop taking your medication, in many cases it's a lifelong thing.

tbeebe99 · December 2016

Justimagine10 wrote: »

... I may reach an ideal weight but that's not the end game. Health and longevity are my desires.

Well said.

peaceout_aly · December 2016

Honestly, I've just been in the habit of "logging" food for so long that it comes naturally to me. It appeases my OCD that I can log food and be in control of that aspect of life. As for the fitness side of it, that was a little harder. I basically had to force myself into hitting the gym...for a few months I hated it. Started with cardio (probably more for like a year), stretching and hula hooping in order to get myself into the habit of moving everyday. Then, I wanted more. I started lifting, and after a month I looked a little different and felt stronger, and that alone was the motivation that I needed to make it a lifestyle. I ensure that my social media feeds are filled with fitness and nutrition inspiration, that way I'm faced with only positive role models to push me to go to the gym everyday. I keep crappy food out of my life. I enjoy hitting PR's. Now, I'm bummed when I can't go to the gym when it's closed, etc. Never thought I would or COULD be that girl, but here I am. Just stick with it. The results will keep you motivated.

mamadon · December 2016

Changing your mind set is definitely key. When losing, eat in a way you can see yourself doing the rest of your life, just smaller portions. If your a carb lover, don't do low carb for example. If you love sweets, make some room in your calorie bank for them. Also, realizing that it is a life time change. I've been maintaining for almost three years and try to be mindful that most people gain the weight back, because they return to their old habits. Don't get me wrong lol, I still struggle, especially this time of year. I just remind myself, that if I do gain a few, (and I have before) I just do a calorie deficit until I get back to my maintenance. For me, it was a light bulb moment when I realized that losing weight was a simple mathematical equation, and this site is where I learned this, from reading and learning on these forums.

cwolfman13 · December 2016

Changed my eating habits and went from being a couch potato to exercising on the regular...

Spliner1969 · December 2016

Adopted a permanent exercise program. Granted, when I was losing weight I worked out six days a week. I've now dropped that to five days a week, and might drop to four later but I will try to keep that schedule up as long as I am physically able. That, at least, should keep me in shape and able to eat enough daily to be satisfied.

PaulaS1220 · December 2016

The number one thing for me is to not make any changes I can't live with forever. So that means no "bad" food that I can't have. Nothing is off limits. This is not a temporary thing, it's supposed to be permanent, so I don't restrict anything too much. I drink beer, I eat pizza, I had cookies yesterday. It's just finding a balancing point where you can have the things you love, but not in excess. I also found a form of exercise I enjoy (running), which I think has made all the difference in my effort this time around.

ritzvin · December 2016

price101110 wrote: »

I have a very addictive personality, so in order to see changes in my weight I absolutely have to stay away from sweets and junk food. For me there's no such thing as 1 cookie I'm afraid that if I have something I used to eat constantly I will fall back into my old ways and eat like complete crap. The trick is figuring out your flaws and trying to fix them or find the right route for you. I am currently taking it day by day and focusing on what i eat for each meal vs thinking about long term results right now.. I feel this is what is going to give me A+ results.

I have absolutely no self control with certain (lots) of food items - I absolutely refuse to buy those items and bring them home. I will eat them when out though, or if I can buy a single portion at one time (as in 1 cookie or 1-2 pieces of sponge candy from the bulk foods or patisserie sections as a treat). Or 1 ice cream cone from the bodega after a long run.

MelanieCN77 · December 2016

I began in June with "eat a damn vegetable" and to really work out every day. Every meal, I had to eat a good amount of vegetables. Fruit was allowed for breakfast. That's the only change I set myself. I don't drink soda, and I am fortunate to not have a sweet tooth, I can do without dessert. My problem is I like volume. So eat a vegetable worked very well, and just thinking about the composition of my plates in this unthreatening way adjusted my thinking in a very gradual fashion. Mid October I stalled at about ten pounds lost, and decided to start tracking and set my goals here for the slowest loss. I feel different today than I have about other diets I've done which were something to get through, projects that were finite. I know I want to be fit, not thin, which while it doesn't silence all the slightly disordered whispers your brain throws up once in a while, certainly changes the tone. I also know I can switch to maintenance if I start feeling really tired of puzzling the day's calories and need a break, and not sacrifice anything.

IremiaRe · December 2016

I have focused on exercise, vs. diet. Healthy people exercise - whether or not they eat "clean" or lowfat, or whatever... Exercise is for life.

I am trying to eat more protein and less carbs - but, I am not doing anybody's idea of "Low Carb" or even "Dieting." I eat tacos, I eat chocolate... Deprivation is bad... at least in the long term. I eat what I like - just less of it. If I am at the store - I ask myself... am I willing to eat lowfat cottage cheese for the rest of my life? If the answer is yes - then I go for it. IF the answer is NO - then I buy the full fat cottage cheese... I want nothing that I feel like I will ever "go off of" or stop doing. Whatever I am doing now is what I will continue to do for the rest of my life.

Also - I am trying hard to be patient. I set MFP for 1 lb a week - and it allows a good amount of calories, especially with exercise, but, it takes FOREVER... so, it almost has to be a lifestyle - since it is going to take what seems like the rest of my life to get where I want to be... lol.

You can do this... we all can.

kingleahnidas · December 2016

for me, these are the things that worked.

drink water. I am now addicted to water. I bring it everywhere.. shopping, driving, working, the movies.... everywhere.
eat when I am hungry. I know this might sound counter-intuitive, but my life changed when I started snacking at work. I would get headaches throughout the day because I was so hungry, and then by the time I had lunch or got home, I'd eat anything in sight. I of course bring healthy snacks to work. Usually banana, apple, cheese, nuts, dried fruit, baby carrots, sometimes a dip of hummus or homemade peanut butter. It helps me resist the endless office treats too!
set specific goals. In the past, my goals were "lose weight" or "get healthy". Now my goal is = lose 100 pounds in 1 year. I shoot for 2 lbs a week. I am almost 6 months in and 48 lbs lost, right on schedule. Non-scale goals are helpful too. My 2017 goals are: do a push up, run a 12min/mile, hike Camel's Hump, etc.
exercise after work. It took me all of 1 day to realize I am not the wake-up-to-go-to-the-gym type. I go on runs after work or lately I've been doing 30 day shred.
take walks at work. I try to do it every day. Come rain, come snow. I'll be walking my same loop around the office.

good luck! you can do this

isabellapanzica9387 · December 2016

I learned to eat in moderation. Also I started to enjoy diffrent things I avoided before. For example I like the gym, long walks, brussle sprots, asparagus, rosted root vegstables, coconut and cheeros. Also I always count calories and just got a food scale that I love.

brookielaw · December 2016

I started with small changes. I have found activities I truly enjoy (swimming, weight training, boxing) that I can and will do for the rest of my life. I set small, sustainable goals for each week and month, like drinking X amount of water, or exercising X minutes a week, along with the small, incremental goals on the scale. I log in every day and honestly log all of my food. Try new healthy foods! I had my first pomegranate 2 years ago, and brussel sprouts for the first time this year. Can you believe brussel sprouts can be tasty? True story! I use a food scale and do my best to listen to my body to figure out whether I am actually hungry and/or why. I think one of the biggest things that has helped me is that I have spent a significant amount of time looking at and dealing with the underlying issues that had me 177 lbs above where I am today.

SiegfriedXXL · December 2016

106 pounds down so far and the biggest thing for me was figuring out why I was eating the way I was. Why I was relying on food as a coping mechanism. Once I started to address the problems underneath then it became easier to say no to overeating and start making small changes. Now it's largely a matter of staying the course and waiting for the weight to fall off. My life is much better now. My health is much better now. I still avoid some trigger foods but I feel I will eventually be able to incorporate them back into my life as my relationship with food continues to get healthier.

treehugnmama · December 2016

I integrated exercise that I enjoy into my life such as walking on breaks at lunch, hiking swimming, just started karate...fun stuff.

didknot226 · December 2016

I used to hate weighing myself. Now look forward to it every Saturday because I am doing intermittent fasting plus calories count that worked for my body.

kmurrelli · December 2016

Over the past year of successfully logging on MFP, I've learned that I really like to eat the bulk of my food in the evening. I don't mind having a small breakfast like yogurt and coffee and a smallish lunch so that I can really eat anything I crave (within reason) in the evenings. I used to eat much more in the morning and afternoon and would still want a big dinner with wine and dessert. I discovered that I really do well by saving most of my calories for the evening so I don't ever feel deprived. I don't really get hungry during the morning hours, especially if I'm busy running around at work. I like to savor my big evening meal, sit down and really enjoy it. Some people may prefer lots of small meals, one large meal, or 3 square meals a day. I think you just have to figure out what satisfies you and do that.

keezo1 · December 2016

I love to cook and i eat mostly homemade and i drink mostly water so for years i wondered why i kept gaining weight when i rarely ate "bad" foods. When i decided to lose weight i did a lot of research and realised it was not what i was eating but how much. I had no idea what a "serving" was. Once i figured it out the weightloss just started to happen naturally.

conor937 · January 2017

So nice to read all the positive changes people have made

For me the most effective lifestyle change was tracking down delicious low cal recipes for dinners that i can batch cook and freeze in portions. Makes getting a healthy dinner so easy as i hate cooking a full on meal every night which used to result in eating nothing but junk. Now i do all the cooking in one go and day to day just stick a portion in the microwave and boil up some rice or pasta.

irishhealthy · January 2017

I've a long way to go but what keeps me going is the goal of better health. Ive suffered badly as a result of being obese, inactive and making poor choices in life. Ive gone past the desire to look good and what really keeps me going now, is the thought that everything I put in my body, feeds every cell. So I'm logging and making healthy choices. Im in a mindset that putting rubbish in my mouth, has given me too many issues. Its a learning curve but the results are coming in with healthy choices, within my food diary limits. The weight is now coming off and my health is slowly improving.

KpopGrad92 · January 2017

I think with a lifestyle for me, I learned I cannot be in control of everything regarding my weight loss. Moving abroad really helped me with this. I can't control that most the restaurants here do not have calorie information, I can't control my boss having us work long hours and me not always knowing so I don't have something healthy. I can't make the people I travel around with have the some dietary guidelines for picking a place to eat. What I can do is make the best choices for me, plan for what I can, and enjoy my life in Korea regardless. I guess adaptability has been the key for me. I know this works because my first 4 months here I did not focus on weight loss and I maintained easily between 186-191 lbs. If you want it to last you have to adapt and if something goes wrong (binge eating, gain a few pounds, meal plan falls apart) you can bounce back and move on.

What have you done to make this a lifestyle and not just a diet?

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