I am still astounded by the weight loss I achieved with the ‘Atkins Diet’. The first two weeks (induction) were weird as I tried to change my mindset of years on the food pyramid thinking. Now, limiting my carbohydrates and sugars is simpler and it sure helped me with a partner to share issues with like what to eat now.

What has worked for me is to simply stick with my plan. It is so much easier said than done sometimes! I understand what the healthy choice is in front of me, but that doesn't mean I always want to make them! Just climbing on that treadmill when unmotivated, or portioning out my food properly, or tracking my food honestly - each positive step sends me in the right direction as long as I KEEP DOING IT.

Last year I yo-yo dieted and ended up gaining weight, and I now weigh more than ever before. So...one lesson I have learned is that I need to stop trying crazy fad diets because for me they are not sustainable.

I also have realized what a horrible emotional eater I am! I always knew I was, but this past couple of years have been extremely stressful and I now see just how MUCH of an emotional eater I am.

So, for me, I have to take care of the whole package...Mind, Body & Spirit. If one is out of whack, the others will be out of whack. I have started taking time out for me every evening. I either meditate, read, listen to podcasts or just take time alone in a room away from everyone and do something like declutter a drawer or put away laundry. I just need to be left alone to recharge. I've never really done this before...I am always the "fixer" for my family and friends, and I was always the go-to person at work. One really big thing I did to get away from the stress is that after 24 years with the same company, I took a leap of faith and changed jobs. Scary as heck but the best thing I could have done! I have little to no stress on the job now, which is absolutely amazing! Scary thing to do but so worth it in my particular case. I feel like a new person and my friends and family tell me that I seem like a whole new person. I must've been horrible to be around!

In 2018, I am really focusing on keeping the Mind & Spirit rejuvenation going and adding in baby steps to work on the physical health. Tracking all my food, increasing water intake, eating more mindfully, putting down my fork between bites and eating slower. I just started this weekend, so we'll see. I have to somehow find an exercise that doesn't hurt my knees, and that's going to be a lot of trial and error I think.

I'm really looking forward to hearing more tips from you all! Lord knows I need them! You all have such a wealth of wisdom!

You're absolutely right @OConnell5483 taking time for yourself is very important. It reduces stress and less stress can lead to less weight

@prgirl39mfp I also bought a fitness tracker. I can't believe how much time I spend sitting. That actually leads to my next piece of advice - invest in a fitness tracker. If you're like me, on a budget, there are several good ones online. I bought a LETSCOM fitness tracker at Amazon. It's a great tool for exactly the reason @prgirl39mfp said, it can be a real eye opener. Mine reminds me to get up and move if I'm sitting too long. Walking is great, but not always necessary. I stand up and raise my arms up and down or I'll do standing alternating leg lifts. Just for a minute or so, enough to raise my heart rate.

So true @SassyCookieMe it does seem that everyone who has found success in improving their health did it by finding what worked for them. What worked for me in the beginning was starting slowly. This helped me develop self-discipline, too. I used to start every weight-loss plan the same. I was determined to workout 30 mins or more a day, 5 days a week, and cut out everything that was bad for me. But like @SassyCookieMe said, this is like breaking an addiction. Cold turkey doesn't work for everyone and the results can be worse than before.

I told myself, workout 15 mins a day 3 times a week. I hated it at first. I kept telling myself this was going to take too long. But it was either start slow or face another failure. So i set my mind to this pace and kept at it for at least 2-3 weeks. Little by little I did more. Five mins more, then ten. I slowly eased up to a half hour, 45 mins. And I was seeing results.

As for my diet, the first full week, I let myself eat whatever I normally would and tracked it all. The end of day numbers were scary. I had a real view of what i was doing to myself and why my health was so poor. It made my decision to eat better much easier than a fad diet. I was able to immediately cut out fast food and snack machine food. Everything else (soda, cookies, chips) I would enjoy in moderation. Slowly, they, too, faded from my diet.

Little by little made the difference between success and failure for me.

Make a meal plan for the week and stick to it.

Although I love cooking, I always hated grocery shopping. Growing up, my mom always packed the fridge and cabinets, and I always knew that whatever I suggested for dinner, we would have what we needed to make it. Fast forward to when I moved out and had no idea how to grocery shop like that. I would want something and not have everything to make it (or make much of anything). I would go to the grocery store a few times a week, only buying a few things at a time or, more often, I would just ignore it and eat macaroni and cheese or tuna helper or order in/eat out.

A few months ago, I started sitting down with my boyfriend once a week and plan out what we were going to eat for the week. We make a list of meals and put it on the fridge so we always see it. We go through the fridge, freezer, and cabinets and make a list of what we need to buy for the week. Not only do I know that I will have everything I'm planning on using that week, but I also don't have macaroni and cheese or tuna helper in my kitchen to turn to. It makes it much easier to make my own meals than when I first started cooking for myself.

Side note: I never did learn how to grocery shop like my mother.

These are all golden! I think my bit of advice that I can add is that I stopped dieting. I just changed the way I eat, but I eat real food (not special diet foods). I used to have the "starting a new diet" mentality. And, really, I had pretty much tried them all.

I kind of took a "one thing" approach. When I first started taking myself in hand, I determined to not take second helpings. My next "one thing" was to find active things to do for fun. After a while, my one things had piled up and I had a whole bunch of things to fuel my healthy way of living. I still do the first 3 of my one things. 1) no second helpings 2) English Country dancing,and 3) meet my sister for a workout 3 times a week. I didn't find MFP and start tracking my food until later in my journey to health and fitness, but that was the final basic component.

Also, not going it alone was an important lesson I had to learn. I was always secretly dieting, hoping to surprise everyone with my success. That is a really bad plan. At first my sister was my buddy, and she helped a lot, but I also made friends at Curves and then here on MFP, and that mutual support has been so great!

Well this week I'm finally back at it after a large weight gain. In the beginning even though I tracked my food I went back to my old eating habits, sweets sweets n carbs. I was on nutrisystem but when I went back to regular food I found I could not handle portion control. I still can't seem too. So for now I will eat pre packed albeit lean cruise, weight watchers or some left over nutrisystem. I then need to find some way to handle portion control . My whole household needs this so when I do cook I am starting with only cooking just enough without leftovers (I'm like my mom was cook a bunch you never know if someone will stop by and you want to have enough, but no one does so you keep eating) ugh

@Zulu87 rewards are awesome. I do that too. I use to reward myself with food, not anymore. I do my nails, get a haircut, or clothes. Dinner a little later sounds like a great idea. I have been eating dinner to early and wake up starving.

One of the things I've found to be helpful is to eat foods that match my mood. As an example, if I'm angry or frustrated I grab a raw carrot and eat it whole. The crunching seems to sooth the emotion. If I'm sad I'll go for yogurt. That way I don't hit the ice cream. They seem to accomplish similar things with less of an impact.

The ultimate tool in my healthy lifestyle journey is my mind. It can be my best tool or my worst tool. It can work for me or against me. Learning to shape my thoughts and portion control are the main cornerstones of new lifestyle.