Successful Losers (I mean that in the nicest way lol)

inertiastrength
inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
edited November 17 in Health and Weight Loss
There are SO MANY posts about 17 day diets, diet pills, Keto, Atkins, Slim Fasts etc... I thought I would poll the ACTUALLY SUCCESSFUL people to ask what you learned and what you may have changed along the way.

I personally came to MFP after doing Atkins (bout 3 times, that should have told me something lol) WW, I even tried super low calorie meal replacement gimmicks and at one point diagnosed myself with a metabolic disorder, adrenal fatigue... basically everything except "I was eating too much for my activity level"

What finally worked for me was learning why I was losing weight (the mechanics of the energy balance), and just tracking. I feel guilty taking credit considering how ridiculously easy it was but it truly was.

What did your success look like?
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Replies

  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
    I have never been overweight, but there was a time when I thought I was chubby. When I was in college I bought "diet pills", they did nothing of course.

    Calorie counting has worked both ways for me. I used MFP after my third baby to lose weight, but to also make sure I didn't lose too much like I did after having my second child.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    What worked for me was a calorie deficit that aimed for 2lbs per week weight loss (no, I didn't always hit it). I kept my calorie count at breakfast and dinner low enough that I had some left over for supper. So, if I didn't workout in the evening I still wasn't going to go over my calorie goal, but on most days I would ride my bicycle enough that I could eat supper and snack afterward. For the most part, I didn't weigh my food and took the calorie counts listed on packages and menus on faith. I was hungry most of the time and I didn't bother with trying to find ways to trick myself into thinking I wasn't. I have found that using smaller plates actually does help.
  • AngInCanada
    AngInCanada Posts: 947 Member
    I started out doing the keto diet and I was losing fairly consistent, but my mental health tanked. Full blown depression, worse anxiety than I've ever had. I brought carbs back into my life and within a few days felt completely normal again. I maintained for a year just eating what I want within reason, and 6 months ago or so I started eating Paleo 80% of the time as per my doctor and I'm losing 1-2 lbs a week consistently and I feel really good. I'm keeping my calories in check though, so it's not the paleo thats causing the weight loss, it's a calorie deficit. I'm following paleo (dr order) due to debilitating back and knee pain and so far so good!
  • livingleanlivingclean
    livingleanlivingclean Posts: 11,751 Member
    edited April 2017
    I tried all the fad diets.... Then signed up with a coach who set me a meal plan, which I followed precisely. I got a weekly cheat meal.

    I lost a lot of weight, going from 80kg to 55kg, and maintained it for an extended period. I was an obsessive clean eater (I now consider myself as having been orthorexic). I may have stayed lean (too lean) but it was probably the most unhealthy I have ever been (physically in terms of hormones and body function, and mentally).

    Being introduced to IIFYM was the best thing ever. I've used it to achieve all sorts of goals (planned bulking, fat loss, maintenance, competing) and it has made a massive difference to my relationship with food and my body.
  • Running_and_Coffee
    Running_and_Coffee Posts: 811 Member
    I have tried a variety of diets and use recipes from South Beach, 21 Day Fix, Weight Watchers and some bodybuilding sites all the time. I guess as stand-alone plans, those diets haven't been what's sustained my size over the years. What has worked for me for my entire adult life is not to let myself get above a certain weight, which for me is 141. Once I get close to that number, I might dust off a variety of plans, sign up for WW, do whatever, but I am determined not to get above it. And I've rarely been below 130, too. With the exception of postpartum, I have never had a pair of pants "not zip," just get too snug.

    So I feel like I am "successful" even though that has involved a variety of strategies. Would you say it's a "failure" to stop following one specific diet, "live a little," and go up from 133 to 139, if a few weeks later that involves a new diet plan and different foods?
  • BlueberryJoghurt
    BlueberryJoghurt Posts: 67 Member
    Hit my normal bmi some while ago but still aiming to lower the weight.

    Never really tried diets because I was a depressed slobby thing hanging at my pc 24/7 but I was glad to find the mfp forums once I got into losing weight! Altough I lost weight purely through diet and not so much activity, I guess once I go down just a little bit more Ill get into that. (Im lazy :( )

    Basically, same! The worth of calories and how much I underestimated almost everything. Learning about the simple things with counting and weighing just felt like really opening my eyes.

    And as a friend once put it: "5grams of this medicine will heal you, 10grams will kill you. If you'd weigh the medicine, why not weigh your food"
  • maryjaquiss
    maryjaquiss Posts: 307 Member
    edited April 2017
    I haven't lost THAT much (probably around 30-35lb - I didn't weigh myself when I first started) but I've had big success just counting calories and taking each day as it comes. I've averaged losing just under 1lb a week since I started weighing myself.

    I have used MFP a few times in the past but this is by far the longest I've stuck with it and the biggest success I've had. I've also done Weight Watchers in the past and experimented with low carb while using MFP (which was OK, but when I went back to even a small amount of carbs I felt wretched, whereas I'd actually been fine eating them before!).

    For me, it's been a mindset thing. Not just willpower, but also being able to let go of the need to "be good" for a day/a week/a fortnight without feeling that it's now ruined and I may as well give up. Also putting mind over matter and not waiting until tomorrow/next week to get back to it.

    Exercise has been really helpful this time. I've diligently logged and mostly eaten back calories, and kept active even in those periods when I've been eating more. It's also helped me to make my life more liveable - as I'm on the last 3-4 vanity pounds now, my calorie count is pretty low so burning more is key to my sanity (i.e. chocolate and wine!).
  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Despite having low-carb and keto thrown in my face daily (the trend over the past 5 years), I decided to listen to the "meanies" and eat what I liked, but stayed within my daily calories. I think my success story speaks for itself.
  • fitmom4lifemfp
    fitmom4lifemfp Posts: 1,572 Member
    edited April 2017
    fascha wrote: »
    There are SO MANY posts about 17 day diets, diet pills, Keto, Atkins, Slim Fasts etc... I thought I would poll the ACTUALLY SUCCESSFUL people to ask what you learned and what you may have changed along the way.

    I personally came to MFP after doing Atkins (bout 3 times, that should have told me something lol) WW, I even tried super low calorie meal replacement gimmicks and at one point diagnosed myself with a metabolic disorder, adrenal fatigue... basically everything except "I was eating too much for my activity level"

    What finally worked for me was learning why I was losing weight (the mechanics of the energy balance), and just tracking. I feel guilty taking credit considering how ridiculously easy it was but it truly was.

    What did your success look like?

    I lost control of my eating, in a short (5 years) period of time, due to some changes in my personal life. I was fine with it for a while, and then I wasn't. I just reached a point mentally where I knew I had to get back to my old self. And in order to do that, I knew I would not have success until I actually committed myself mentally to sticking with a plan. The plan that I used was WW. My sister had joined it, and she was having a lot of success with it so she suggested it for me. We are (were) both picky eaters so she told me "If I can do this, I know you can".
    This was 2002 - 2004 - so the old 1-2-3 points system was what I used. Now, I'm not a group-hug kind of person :# - you would have to drug me to get me to step on a scale in front of others. I knew that I would never want to go to any meetings, so I simply bought the materials on eBay, learned how it worked, and off I went.

    I think the most important thing that I learned, for me personally, was how little food I really needed. I had become so used to huge family meals with all that bread, and eating out and fast food, all day long - I was just stuffing my face with crap all day. I was a serious junk-food junkie - still am I guess, but at least now I have control of it.

    The next thing was that I learned to love foods that I had never enjoyed. I love broccoli now, and eat salads for dinner at least twice a week. I freaking LOVE cooked carrots, and green beans, and corn....I could enjoy a meal of nothing but veggies. It really was life-changing. Still a lot of veggies I don't care for (cooked spinach - blech, brussel sprouts :s ) but my diet is so so much healthier now. I can even eat fish if it is a certain kind, grilled/blackened. I was not raised eating any seafood, so that was a major leap. Still not a perfect diet by any stretch of the imagination, but it is 100% better than what it was. I have not eaten at a buffet-style restaurant in oh, 15 years I guess. It's a complete waste of money for me. Now, I will go to a nice steakhouse for a special occasion, but I have to plan around that meal.

    Probably the most critical tool for me, was learning to log my food. I am one of those that if I don't write it down, I don't remember it. So logging food, for me, will always be necessary in order to maintain my weight. And I am okay with that. I got lazy a couple of years back and stopped, and here comes 15 pounds running right back, so I am back to my (good) old ways now, and plan on staying there.

    The other thing was that I got my fitness-groove back. I had stopped running and hardly every hit the gym, during that time, and I had forgotten how much it does for me, mentally as well as physically. I started back running, and set a goal of running a half-marathon, and ended up running several over the next several years. I am a bit of a gym rat - it is my stress-buster as is running (though I am not running much these days due to a knee issue). I feel SO much better after a workout - it's hard to even explain.

    So, that's my story. :)



  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    I joined MFP back in 2011.. but really didn't use it very much. I ended up getting into fitness in 2012, I did lots of cardio, kickboxing, bodyweight stuff.. I looked pretty good.. but my diet was kind of all over the place, I would try so hard to eat clean then fall off the wagon, feel guilty and start the whole process again.
    Then I got pregnant and after had some issues losing the baby weight (I ended up back to pre-pregnancy weight but looked super soft and unhappy with my body composition) that is when I discovered MFP again, flexible dieting and started lifting. I kind of waffled around until I started following Strong Curves and bulked, cut and used MFP to track my cals. My success has been due to lifting, keeping fueled and having a relaxed attitude (no food guilt) and not letting any setbacks stand in my way.
  • crazyycatlady1
    crazyycatlady1 Posts: 292 Member
    edited April 2017
    fascha wrote: »
    There are SO MANY posts about 17 day diets, diet pills, Keto, Atkins, Slim Fasts etc... I thought I would poll the ACTUALLY SUCCESSFUL people to ask what you learned and what you may have changed along the way.

    I personally came to MFP after doing Atkins (bout 3 times, that should have told me something lol) WW, I even tried super low calorie meal replacement gimmicks and at one point diagnosed myself with a metabolic disorder, adrenal fatigue... basically everything except "I was eating too much for my activity level"

    What finally worked for me was learning why I was losing weight (the mechanics of the energy balance), and just tracking. I feel guilty taking credit considering how ridiculously easy it was but it truly was.

    What did your success look like?

    -Female/38 yrs old
    -lost around 50lbs (only time I've tried losing weight)
    -in my 4th year of maintenance and 4th year of normal level glucose numbers (high numbers are why I started this whole thing)
    -current weight 126lbs/bmi: 20.3

    I did an IF protocol for my weight loss phase (ADF/JUDDD), a different IF protocol for the transition period between the weight loss phase and maintenance (5:2IF), and then for the last several years of maintenance I've done 16:8IF as part of my weight management plan. What has been the common denominator throughout all of this is that I tracked my calorie intake and hit my calorie targets.

    Now in my 4th of maintenance I'm getting away from IF because I've become really interested in 'Blue Zones,' especially the SDA group in Loma Linda, and then also the big meta study on vegetable/fruit consumption that recently came out from the Imperial College London. I've been implementing changes to what I eat, but I continue to track my calorie intake and continue to hit my calorie targets. That's the bottom line for me, and that's what controls my glucose numbers.
  • IrisFlute
    IrisFlute Posts: 88 Member
    Used MFP in 2014 to drop 30 lbs of post-menopausal weight and got back down to goal weight of 135 (I'm 5'8").
    It took me four months. The approach that worked for me was:

    A stringently disciplined 1200-per-day calorie intake, plus eating back half my exercise calories.
    No cheat days.
    No white sugar, almost no added sweeteners of any kind whatsoever.
    No refined grains, nothing made from white flour.
    Low-ish carbs (I ate vegies instead of fruit or potatoes).
    No drinks with calories in them.


    I viewed the weight-loss period very much as a "diet" and NOT as a permanent lifestyle. That viewpoint helped me stay utterly disciplined for four months.

    My maintenance zone is in the 130's. I maintain by just eating normally, including breads, sweets, etc, although I still don't drink soda or eat much processed food. I don't log calories while maintaining.

    A couple weeks ago (after 2 years of maintenance) I noticed that I was at 142. I set April aside as another hard-core 1200-calorie low carb diet month, to get back into my target zone. I'm now at 138, but will diet throughout the rest of April. Then I'll go back to my normal habits again.
  • bizgirl26
    bizgirl26 Posts: 1,795 Member
    I found what has worked the best for me is understanding that it is a lifestyle and not a diet. In the past I would always keep my calories to 1200. I could never maintain that low of calories and I felt awful even though the weight might have come off fast .Now I eat at least 1500-1600 per day . I have lost over 50 pounds. No food is bad as I don't want to feel deprived. I try to eat ' clean ' at least 5 days a week but I still splurge every now and again.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
    edited April 2017
    My story is so boring - just like my previous diet. I lost weight and tried keeping it off with a local mix of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet - I call it "lean, green and mean" - the most revolting thing about it is that it's so close to normal eating that I didn't understand why I couldn't stick to it. Then my diet shifted into an all chips and candy diet - easier to stick to but not really healthy, or - whenever I could be bothered to cook dinner - too large portions of boring and bland food.

    I knew about calories, and I knew I ate too much, but I ate compulsively and I somehow thought I needed a lot of food.

    MFP cut through all the crap. Not only did I lose 50 pounds, more or less effortlessly, and keep it off, also effortlessly, I would say it fixed my relationship with food, and I learned how to eat. I think MFP may have actually saved my life.
  • heiliskrimsli
    heiliskrimsli Posts: 735 Member
    I never had any failures to lose weight. Once I decided to do it, I started weighing and tracking and did it. Because physics always works and never lies, at least not in this universe. Maybe that's boring, but that's pretty much it. The application of thermodynamics to a human body, in this case me, resulted in a successful experiment.
  • VintageFeline
    VintageFeline Posts: 6,771 Member
    I only had a handful of half assed attempts at losing. One with South Beach, the others calorie counting. But like I said, half assed, didn't really care enough.

    So I guess this is technically my first serious attempt and serious I have been.

    Mental health and the associated meds made a perfect storm that took me from my usual overweight to borderline obese cat 2 and that was that.

    Started logging. Started Insanity. Changed to running. Changed to Fitness Blender (which I largely stick with now). Never aimed to lose more than 1lb per week.

    Two years down the line, still logging. Last year I barely lost because my mental health tanked again but because I have new habits I still came out with a small net loss. This year so far I'm another 10lbs down. 63lbs total.

    I'll get to goal this year which is 15-20lbs away. But I'm at the point where people are asking (nicely out of curiosity) how much more I'm going to lose. And when I take the odd logging break I find my mentality to food is totally different to two years ago so I'm hopeful I'll be able to maintain without logging. It's also okay if i need to keep logging too.

    Consistency has been the main thing. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other. Stopping entirely is just not an option at any point. This is just my life now and I quite like it.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,600 Member
    edited April 2017
    I'd been obese for most of my adult life . . . let's say 30 years, from late 20s to age 59. I can only recall dieting with any conviction three times, once before there were apps, and once when they were available (but not using one), then this last time. It was always by reducing the calorie content of what I ate (smaller portions, substituting less calorific things for more 'costly' ones).

    I guess I've understood 2 things throughout: (1) yo-yo dieting is a bad plan: repeated frequent extreme diets are worse for health than staying fat (sort of - I was only ever just a bit over the obese line, so it didn't constrain activity much), and (2) fad diets and science don't coexist (I like science).

    Using this app is what made it into a big, fun science fair project, and gave me the conviction that I could make it stick. It's also the only time I've made it to a serious goal weight.

    I think the biggest lesson of this round (other than that 'science fair' thing) is that it's a Good Plan to use weight loss as a process for finding a permanent way of eating that works. Doing things that one isn't willing to do forever (other than that modest calorie deficit, of course) seems to me to be giving up an important opportunity for learning and practice.

    More about the "science fair": It's useful to understand the weight loss math, and other related data.
    • 3500 calories above or below maintenance calories is a pound gained or lost, approximately.
    • 500 calorie daily deficit is a pound a week loss.
    • 1000 calories over maintenance calories wipes out today's deficit, and tomorrow's, at that 500 calorie daily deficit (but is sometimes worth it anyway - it just can't happen often).
    • Scale weights are just data points. They go up and down for random reasons (sodium, healing, TOM for some, extra digestive contents . . . not just the important fat or muscle).
    • Ditto tape measurements.
    • Weighing daily gives me an understanding of how my body fluctuates in weight.
    • If I didn't eat 3500 calories over maintenance, I didn't gain a pound of fat.
    • Different people of the same age/size/activity level have different calorie requirements. (It's a normal distribution; there's a standard deviation.) Your own first month or so will give you the data to calculate your personal calorie requirements. Calculators only give you a starting guess.
  • Austex_Egger
    Austex_Egger Posts: 44 Member
    I had great success in the past using WW online. Problem was that I would slack off and not log points, ending up gaining back some weight. Lost 85 lbs with WW. It does help with the realization that portion control is king. I never did go to a WW meeting. Well, I hit my initial goal (225) and then stopped tracking. Although I "watched" what I ate, without tracking and without stepping on the scale, I ended up gaining about 30 back. I figured "back to it", but the program had changed, and I didn't find it helping much. I checked this out. Basically MFP is WW Online, but your logging calories instead of points. I've shed 28 of the 30 I gained so far and a couple of pounds from 225. I will be religious going forward about stepping on the scale to make sure I don't go up again.
  • sunfastrose
    sunfastrose Posts: 543 Member
    When I finally decided to commit to losing weight in my mid-20s, I chose to do Weight Watchers online. I did one of the points variations and then switched to Core. I lost a little over 50 pounds, and maintained that loss for 10+ years - by being very strict. After 10 years of being strict I decided to switch to intuitive eating. It worked - sort of - I put on 5 pounds and then maintained. Then about 2 years ago I joined MFP and discovered that hey - eating what I liked and losing weight and being emotionally healthy all at the same time was possible! I took off that 5 pounds (actually 6-7 in the end), and am happily maintaining it. Some days it's easier, some days it's harder, but in the end I do it.
  • leighaudrey05
    leighaudrey05 Posts: 3 Member
    MFP has been a life saver for me. I didn't get it when it came to losing weight. I now look at weight loss as a lifestyle change instead of a diet which sounds so much stricter. I purchased a fitbit and this encourages me to get up and move. It is a big motivator. I have so far lost 26.6 lbs since January 2017 and 25 was my goal.
  • amyteacake
    amyteacake Posts: 768 Member
    My first attempt at weight loss wasn't healthy. In school I thought starving myself was the way to go and once, at the age of 14, ate a bowl of carrots for dinner. Didn't do anything and made me pile on more weight after binge eating. Then about 2 years ago I decided to try Slimfast when I was at college. I only lasted a month. I was exhausted, I was starving all the time and I got so sick of drinking a milkshake for breakfast.

    My success now started when I got a personal trainer last year. He was extremely helpful, gave me so much information and booklets about losing weight, what to do and recipes of delicious food that I could try. He got me into weight training and I actually started to enjoy cardio! He was the one that told me to get MFP in the first place. I don't regret the money I spent on getting a pt one bit! He boosted my confidence and has helped me lose 2 stone and I'm still going to the gym after finishing my sessions with him last year
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Using MFP is my one and only attempt at losing weight - worked as predicted.

    When I was a teen, I was a competing equestrian and as part of moving up into the 'big leagues' I got a PT and started lifting weights. He put me on a diet for performance that consisted of chicken, skim milk, boiled or steamed veg, fruit and bread - no added fats beyond those necessary to keep food from sticking to the pan. This was about as low fat a diet as could be conceived and still include meat and dairy.

    That worked fabulously for losing weight because I was so sick of what I could eat I had little appetite. I don't really know how much I lost because my weight wasn't important to me at the time, but I have pictures. Based on how I looked recently at 115 lbs (I'm 5'3"), I was probably around 100-105 lbs back then. The diet had the lovely side effect of causing me to have violent intestinal objections to things like hamburger or pork chops when I tried to include regular foods back in my diet. It took years to get back to where I could eat those things and not have a problem. Needless to say, I was not going for any diets that excluded segments of my diet this time around.
  • Azzie521
    Azzie521 Posts: 32 Member
    Last time I lost weight after my first child I lost it by part of the time tracking on MFP and part of the time eating a large breakfast and lunch and not eating dinner. Just basically creating a calorie deficient. And also cardio 30-60 mins a day. Now I am back to losing baby weight again and doing same thing and it is working. I'm also eat very little dairy and wheat and that also seems to help. But I think only because they are high calorie foods.
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