Weight loss: What has been your most SUCCESSFUL strategy?
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1. Just start
2. Keep going regardless of mishaps
3. Be gentle with yourself, it'll happen3 -
Using a food scale. I wasted years (not kidding, thick headed over here) going up and down the same few pounds.5
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Weighing myself and logging all food daily.
Progressive weight lifting plus cardio as needed to meet my daily cal/macro goals.
Eating a high protein/carb diet: 40P/40C/20F.
Eliminating sodas and sugar flavored powdered drinks entirely from my diet.
Almost entirely eliminating and substantially reducing any source of sugar, alcohol, bread and other baked goods from my diet.
Tracking everything on MFP and Excel.0 -
A refeed day when I need it. In the past, I did six days at goal then one day at or slightly above maintenance, and I lost 80 pounds. This time around, I'm doing them when I feel I need them. I get to a point where my resolve is weakening and cravings are intensifying, and I know it's time to have a maintenance day.
Pre-logging your day is extremely helpful, also. I like to do it the night before.
Drink water. Lots and lots of water and not much else. If you have juice or other high-sugar, high-calorie drinks, limit it to 1/2 cup with meals.2 -
I only allow myself to watch my favorite television shows if I am doing cardio. Just that little change kick started my weight loss. And I also concentrate on calories in/calories out. I just started adding back weights too after a two year break.3
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Eat less, move more
Weigh and measure everything I put in my mouth...even on the splurge days.
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Making reasonable long term life changes. Logging all intake, with accurate measurements.
Eat the junk. If I want it, I eat it with reasonable portions. 9/10 times I change my mind about it after I have had a little bit - but that intake still gets logged.
Increasing my physical activity.
Trusting the math.
Doing the work and being patient for the results.
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eating the most calories at times when I'm hungry, like lunch & more at dinner. I need to feel a little full, then I'm good for 5 hrs. Having a snack at 8pm so I won't get hungry in the evening and finding things I like that are lower calorie yet I can eat more of, like veggies, grilled boneless/skinless chicken thighs, ham, ground turkey & eat a reasonable amount of other things that have more calories that I used to eat too much of like rice & chips. Also find substitutes of things I like that are less calories, like I discovered PB2 instead of regular peanut butter, my favorite yogurt is really the non fat greek plain from costco. While I don't eat much sweets, when I do, I put a few Tbl of cool whip into my 1/2 cup yogurt & add fruit & a a little cereal. That;s my favorite night snack1
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Zumba
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I just had to chill out and stop making it so complicated.
Small deficit, lift weights, moderate regular activity. Everything else is just noise.
I used to obsess about meal times, meal sizes, exact macros, perfect nutrients, etc. All while trying to lose weight. Now I've loosened up. While losing, I minimize certain things (while I do have plenty of "junk food" I generally don't keep chips or other foods I like to overeat in the house). I also don't worry too much if I don't eat super healthy every day. I pay more attention to nutrition when I maintain. I am also flexible with my calories, and eat a variable amount day to day, averaging my calories weekly.
For me, changing my attitude in this way has been the key to my success, and my weight loss seems almost effortless.9 -
Eating whole foods and low carb. Both ideally.1
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Giving up bread , rice , oil, wine, cheese, and butter
I gave up lots but it is working.0 -
Managing my diet over the long term instead of the short term. Not taking on restrictive diet changes for the short-term, nothing unsustainable over the long term. Not sweating it if I have one bigger day once in a while (3, 4 times a year) on an exception basis. Including a planned amount of "recreational calories" into every day.
Having a big picture eating plan each day based on my schedule / exercise / social needs for that day (will I have a big breakfast? will I eat out? should I plan on making up for a more indulgent dinner with a lighter breakfast and/or lunch? will I eat snacks, and if so, when? should I push in some calories and/or carbs timed to support or recover from a tough exercise session?) and eating with intention towards that plan.
Minimizing "opportunisitic" or impulsive eating. Just because someone offers me free food or booze doesn't mean I'm somehow missing out if I don't take advantage of their offer, especially if it's only marginally delicious food I wouldn't necessarily eat if I were paying for it.
4 years in. Healthiest I've ever been. Strongest and leanest I've ever been. >165 lbs down from my highest.3 -
For me it's been being honest with myself...as in writing it all down. Secondly, understand why I wanted to "over eat" , in my case...boredom. now if I grab a snack and I know it will set me over my limit I put it in a certain spot and walk around for 5 minutes...If I still want it I eat it with a full bottle of water....9 out of 10 times I realise I don't want it, but the times I do have it I'm pretty satisfied with it and the water2
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Eating better, being more active, counting calories.1
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Accepting that slow and steady was the right way for me to lose weight.
Logging absolutely everything, including days when I go over my allowance.
Not having to quit any foods, just working really heard to eat reasonable portions.0 -
Sticking to my calorie goals.0
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Hmmm extra strategies that have helped me...
Prelogging. I'm super big on prelogging. I put in 90% of what I'm going to eat the day before and then shuffle things around as they happen. Maybe I swapped popcorn for pudding etc.
Meal prep. This goes hand in hand with prelogging. I've really gotten into meal prepping for the 4 days I work (make a big batch then eat the exact same meal 4 days in a row) and then going with what strikes my fancy on the three days I'm off.
Cooking and baking from scratch. I love to cook and bake but got into the slump of being too tired and reaching for convenience food. I eat SO WELL now. As in, desserts and roasts and all kinds of new recipes. It's so much fun finding delicious substitutions to keep calories low and flavors high.
Only cutting out trigger foods that I tend to binge on until I feel like I'm in a better place to handle them. So for now I don't touch gummy bears, or pineapple cake. I'm slowly reintroducing rice. But I don't cut out anything else. Chocolate, cheese, crackers etc, get in mah face!! I might ask myself if it's worth it that day but I never say that I CANT have it. This keeps things sustainable for me.5 -
Logging everything as accurately as possible (food scale)
Picking a REASONABLE goal (none of that 1200 calories BS)
Limiting non filling calories as much as possible (drinks mostly)
Being active (and accounting for that in my goal too)
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Breastfeeding! Seriously, though, the best strategy is one where you end up burning more calories than what you take in.1
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