What tip/rule has helped you the most in your weight loss journey?

Weigh and measure my food

jessicarose22492 wrote: »

OK so obviously everyone is different and there isn't one "magic trick" to losing weight but I'm curious to know if there is something (or a couple of things) besides the standard "limit calories, cut sugar, work out, etc" guidelines that you've found has helped you lose weight that you'd like to share? I've heard so many things like "eat your carbs in the morning" and "exercise on an empty stomach" that I'd like to hear from you all what works great for YOU. Please feel free to share your tips below!

Consistently being in a calorie deficit over time. You don't want to here the "standard"...but really, that's all I did...all I did was consistently hit my calorie targets.

ETA: over time my diet evolved because I knew I would need to make some adjustments if I ever hoped to maintain my weight without logging. I eat way more veggies than I used to...probably the biggest dietary change.

Food scale and counting calories.
You have to be honest with yourself when you track your intake.
Don't rely just on your scale, take body measurements and lots of photos.
No more excuses why you can't lose weight, just do it. If you want it bad enough you'll make time for it.
Set realistic weight loss expectations. It took 2 decades to gain all this weight, you are not losing it overnight. It's a marathon and not a sprint.

Along my journey what works for me has changed over time. At first it was- get as much protein as I can, try to keep the carbs and the fat low. Protein used to satiate me the most and now I find it is the fat that does it. So now I'm trying to keep fat higher, protein (still high) and limit the carbs. Not for any reason than this is going to keep me from snacking at night. Earlier on in my journey, night snacking wasn't a big deal because I had so many calories to work with but now with only 10-15lbs left I've had to tighten up the logging.

Buy a food scale, weigh everything, play around and find what works for you. Listen to your body, pay attention to what makes you full, hungrier, tired, energized.

Lately I've been having to practice my willpower. It is definitely a skill that you can develop. Just like you can make something a habit you can make not doing it a habit.

Get a good baseline for your TDEE so you know the calorie deficit you need/can comfortably/safely handle and stick with.

Get a food scale and weigh everything you consume. Even if you get good at estimating, pull it out from time to time to check yourself.

Figure out what style/frequency of eating satisfies YOU. Three meals only? Six meals? Two large meals? Eat all day? All of your calories within eight hours? Low carb? High protein? Balanced macros? You probably have a preference, so allow yourself to experiment for a week or two at a time. Eat this way most often, but don't freak out when it's not possible.

Learn to make simple and satisfying meals at home. It's really not hard!

Don't give up any food while dieting that you're not willing to give up for the rest of your life. Figure out how to incorporate occasional "treats" into your week.

Don't over rely on exercise for weight loss. Find an accurate way to estimate calories burned.

Don't buy into/get distracted by any "magic." It's calories in and calories out for weight loss.

~ Take progress pictures! They tell you the truth even when the scale doesn't seem to be telling you what you want to hear/see.
~ Drink LOTS of water
~ Weigh & Log your food
~ Pull out a serving when you eat something... don't grab the entire package.
~ Move more
~ Read others success stories and keep yourself motivated
~ Do it for you... not for anyone else.

As many have pointed out, a food scale for weighing, MFP logging and daily exercise have been critical to my success. I am in maintenance and continue to weigh, log and track making daily adjustments to calories and exercise to maintain a healthy margin. This is a lifelong commitment to success and not simply an end goal until achieving the desired weight. It is a lifestyle change. I have essentially been in maintenance since 2011.

In getting there, I think the single most important thing I learned to achieve desired results is to eat simple. Recipes can literally be a recipe for failure. If you want an apple, eat an apple, don't turn it into apple pie or apple crumble. If you want a potato, eat a plain potato (not loaded), not scalloped potatoes or French fries. If you desire a piece of cheese, make it a single piece and avoid the higher caloried mac and cheese or grilled cheese. If you are aching for a chocolate chip cookie, have a few chocolate chips instead. If the thought of pizza is making you salivate, try a Caprese tomato mozarella salad. There are always lesser calorie alternatives, The choice is yours and you are the only one with the power to make a positive change in your life.

I also eat 6 times per day, the usual breakfast, lunch and dinner plus healthy snacks between meals. This seems to work for me so I'm never feeling deprived or hungry. I am aware of the calories I consume as well as those I am expending. A good monthly group challenge on this forum is the UAC (Ultimate Accountability Challenge). It is an encouraging and motivating group of like-minded participants. There is still time to participate in this month's challenge. You might check it out.

Not cutting food I love out of my diet, but figuring out ways to make it fit. When I started working with a trainer and he was looking at my food diary, I was upset with myself because I had pizza and fries in one week. He told me to work on eating the way I plan to eat for the rest of my life, not just for right now. So, can I have pizza...sure, just not as often or as much of it (if I want to lose the weight and keep it off)

The most important thing I've learned in this journey is that weight loss is NOT linear. There are going to be good days, bad days and days in-between. What makes you a success or a a failure is how you react to them.

Check in here on MFP every day. Especially after a bad day.