What do you all think is the best way to lose weight?

Chef_Barbell wrote: »

Eat less, move more.

• Foods I eat whenever I feel like having them that day (tasty, filling, but relatively easy for me to stick to a portion).
• Foods that I eat, but need to take more care with, fresh bread, crackers, or homemade sorbet. It's not that I have a problem sticking to a reasonable portion, but more that I 'know' the bread won't be as filling for me as rice or a baked potato. So, 'on the understanding that I will probably be hungry later, do I have enough calories left over to swing this? Or should I make another choice?' And I don't "need" sorbet, but sometimes I want it. And that's okay. It just means I might choose not to have bread on the same day.
• Foods I'm not safe around, because of that 'snacking on leftovers' thing. I don't keep them in the house—or if I do, I buy a small portion. Like jelly beans. That being said? If I'm in a social setting, where I suspect these foods will be present, I may check out calories beforehand and indulge. But that's because at this point, after more than 6 months on MFP, I think I'm comfortable enough in my eating to stick to a small portion initially. My 'downfall' comes after supper, at home, when I'm thinking about what to have for a snack... and I remember the leftovers. The ounce of potato chips I have with lunch isn't an issue. The larger bag they came out of—which is now open and sitting on the counter—is. And there are foods I don't buy anymore, because I'm the only one in the house who eats them, I don't like wasting food, and I know I won't moderated them. A local takeout place makes a chipotle vegetable dip. Mayo-based. I could go through a 250-ml container in a day, dunking cherry tomatoes and cucumber spears in it, spreading it on bread or in a wrap... I love the dip, but I can't have it around. But if I'm at someone's house and they serve it? I'll spoon a little on my plate and enjoy.

kommodevaran wrote: »

amaninprogress wrote: »

So, giving you more than the basics. You need to consider several things: Discipline, lower calories, more nutrients, understanding your body, and creating goals that will help improve overall health and not just weight.

Step one: Decide to understand why you gained weight in the first place; understand what it was and what it is that haunts you.

Step two: Let that pain go.

Step Three: Find a way to improve your good habits and decrease your bad habits. I use (habitica.com) which is a nerdy site, but it works. They're apps similar that are less nerdy.

Step Four: Leave affirmations around the house where you can see them. My favorite place is on the fridge or near it.

Step Five: Read the affirmations ever day.

Step Six: It's not EAT LESS, It's eat lower calories. Don't starve yourself, this will just put your body into starvation mode, and sure you'll lose weight for awhile, but once you start eating properly again you will gain the weight back. You need to take whatever you daily calorie intake is (at a caloric def) and whatever exercise you do and make sure you eat that. For example my calorie def is 1800 calories based on my lifestyle, weight, height, gender(hormones), etc. I exercise like 5 days a week, sometimes six. It takes time to find what works for you. Depending on how much you weight I recommend walking, outside (because vit. D), until you get down to a weight where you can start doing HIIT or Calisthenics. Then once you get to an even lower weight don't discount weight training (seriously, if you don't put on muscle your loose skin can be way worse, and you will still be "fat" just skinny fat, as in High BF%. Your body needs muscles in order to protect your organs and bones, and help with range of motion.

Whatever exercise you do, make sure you calculate the calories burned - and since you're already eating at a Caloric Def, eat those calories back. So I eat like 1800-2800 calories depending on the work outs I do. (that's daily intake). Weight loss comes down to basically calories in versus calories out. But that is just the simple formula. If you are just beginning - understanding this information can be difficult.

Now whether you count MACROS or Calories is up to you. I count both. This is where I come in saying eat less calories but more foods, so lower calorie foods. It is absolutely important that you never allow your body to be hungry, and it is important to understand the difference between hunger and cravings. It may also help you to get on a eating plan. My Significant other and I meal prep on Sundays. We prep lunches for the week because that is our busiest time of day (we work from home). This helps because instead of microwave meals we have home cooked and healthy meals but we also don't have to cook them - we just microwave them, so they are like microwave meals but way better. We also take turns in snack making, and dinner making.

Step Seven: understanding what works for you, and understanding all advice is based on experience of the individual. This means High carb may work for you, even though for me it doesn't. Veganism may work for you, but for me it doesn't. I eat high fat/protein diet because I have a carb allergy. If you are pre-diabetic you may want to cut on your carbs anyway because the sugars in carbs can mess up your insulin levels.

Step Eight: Listen to your body, if you're in pain during a work out take a five-minute break. If you are full, stop eating (no matter how much food is on your plate still).

Step Nine: The contradiction - Tell your body no! You don't need sweets, you don't need soda pop, you don't need sweet tea, you don't need fast food. You have to understand again, there is a difference between hunger and cravings.

Step Ten: Drink more water, and start drinking Green Tea (I brew mine at home - cold brew style, and add half a tsp of sugar or honey in). Green Tea with caffeine is preference, but you can use decaf if you have any issues with caffeine. Green tea is hydrating, and great for your metabolism. Water makes up a large portion of your body and you really need it to survive, put a little lemon in it if it's hard for you to drink - then slowly use less lemon as time goes by until you're drinking regular water. I also recommend High Vitamin MIO - they have a bunch of flavors that come chalk full of B12 and other B vitamins, things your body really needs.

Bonus stuff:

Get a fitbit or something similar, My sig. other and I are ordering Garmen.(I think that's the name.) It is important to not only track your activity and sleep patterns, but super important to track your heart rate at all times. Being over 180BPM when you are severely overweight can really help you get into that calorie burn sweet spot. However, that BPM number changes per individual and I recommend you see your Primary care physician if you have one or can afford it, and have them track your blood pressure, insulin levels, hormone levels, and let you know where your heart rate should be.

I have a very active lifestyle, but was on bedrest for over 6 months for my disability (put on 60+lbs) and my normal blood pressure is 72/65 and I used to really enjoy the look on doctor's faces when they asked if I worked out regularly. It's a pleasant feeling. But this has gone up a bit since. I am a certified Medical Assistant with a Healthcare Science degree and I used to work in a health and wellness rehab center for people with obesity and other back related issues. We also had a pain management center and chiropractor. Due to my disability I just can't handle the long days on my feet anymore and had to retire from my career (I'm only 27, so i was pretty bummed.) I am a freelance designer now, which I enjoy just as well, income just isn't as good - but I do have a lot more free time to work on my own body, which is nice (by free time I mean I make time.)

Vitamins I recommend taking:

magnesium
Potassium
B12
B-Complex w/ Inositol
Vit. D
Omega-3

I also recommend using a multi vitamin and the b-complex w/ inositol only if you can. I have a shellfish allergy and havent found a multivitamin without shellfish in it yet.

Here is what a basic grocery list I made looks like:

Grocery List (Non-vegan/vegetarian)
PROTEIN:
 Chicken breast
 Tuna
 Cod
 90% lean beef
 Turkey (lean ground or tenderloin)  Salmon
 Tilapia
 Chicken or turkey sausage
 Eggs
 Steak/strip steak
 Lamb
 Greek yogurt
 Whole fat yogurt
 Peanut butter
 Cottage cheese
 Cheeses
 Legumes (black beans, pinto beans, lentils)  Protein powders
Complex Carbs & Fibers:
 Apples
 Oranges
 Bananas
 Mangos
 Papaya
 Whole grains  Oats
 Sweet potatoes
 Whole wheat pasta
 Vegetable pasta
 Whole wheat pancake mix  Oatmeal pancake mix

 Bran cereal
 Cream of wheat
 Grits
 Corn flakes
 Spinach (also a veggie)
 Kidney beans (also a protein)  Chick peas (also a protein)
 Seeds
 Brown rice
 Lentils (also a protein)
 Barley
 Quinoa (Keen-Wah)
Fats & Cholesterols:
 Milk
 Mayonnaise
 Coconut oil
 Olive oil
 Whole milk cheese
 Egg yolks
 Avocado
 Unsalted butter (100% butter not margarine)  Cream (heavy whipping cream)
 Nuts
Greens:
 Kale
 Spinach
 Collards
 Bok choy
 Broccoli
 Mustard greens
Vegetables:

 Pumpkin
 Zucchini
 Squash
 Soy beans
 Snap peas
 Lemon
 Bell peppers
 Brussels sprouts  Cauliflower
 Cabbage (green and purple)  Carrots
 String beans
 Ginger root
 Cucumber
 Tomato (technically a fruit)
Fruits:
 Banana
 Tomato
 Blueberries (frozen is fine)
 Mango (frozen is fine)
 Pineapple (frozen is fine)
 Coconut (coconut water is fine)  Strawberries (frozen is fine)
 Peaches (frozen is fine)
Spices:
 Clove
 Cilantro
 Cayenne
 Thyme
 Basil
 Rosemary
 Peppermint  Cinnamon

 Turmeric
 Chili powder
 Paprika
 Salt
 Ground black pepper
 Minced garlic or whole garlic  Onions
 Lemon pepper
 Oregano
 Jalapenos
 Siracha sauce
DRINKS:
 Coffee
 Herbal teas
 Water (and lots of it)
 Coconut water
 Soy milk
 Almond milk
 Coconut milk
 Milk
 Orange juice or Apple juice (this is for smoothies)
Sugars should be used as sugar in the raw or stevia. If you need sugar for coffee or tea you should limit yourself to 1 teaspoon per drink and calculate those sugars in your calories for the day.

Remember Abs start in the kitchen. And this is just a basic grocery list. I also have a break down list of what foods have what vitamins and minerals and what you need regularly, if you'd like just message me.

Don't buy into companies that sell you prepackaged meals, don't buy into slimfast or other meal replacement shakes - make your own, that way you have more control.

I do this on 50$ a week for two people (25$ each a week). So this is all available on a diet.

Just keep going, and remember why you started.


-Jonas

OK, no, and maybe.

We aren't all victims of traumatic childhoods, rape and kidnapping. Some of us just eat too much. To lose weight and keep it off, we just have to eat appropriately.

I'm really, really sure that people understand "eat less" as "eat fewer calories". One of the reasons I struggled with weight, was repeatedly being told what to eat and trying to eat "diet food". A shift to being totally in charge of my meals and eating real, tasty food, was the gamechanger I needed. Instead of a long list of foods to eat and supplements to take, we could just presume that people aren't stupid, and say "eat a variety of whole, real foods and cook at home whenever possible".

The same goes for being told to exercise. I can't say I hate exercise, but I prefer to just move and play and work.

Starvation mode does not exist! Now repeat, everybody: Starvation mode does not exist!

It's very smart to not eat so little that you cave and binge.

Hunger is fine. It's not the same as starvation.

I really liked the point about listening to your body, but also saying no sometimes. This is important. Lots of people confuse being kind with always saying yes. That has gotten us into a lot of trouble.

amartinkat wrote: »

The most effective ways? What do you all do