General tips when starting

101810191020
101810191020 Posts: 51 Member
edited November 27 in Health and Weight Loss
These are some simple things I did that helped me when I started losing weight. I lost 15 lbs in about 10 weeks just by doing this. Nothing too crazy.

1. 5 small meals a day
2. At least half a gallon of water a day
3. No refined sugar
4. No refined salt
5. Would only drink water, milk (2%) or coffee
6. Minimize processed foods
7. At least 2 servings of fruit per day
8. At least 3 servings of vegetables per day
9. Multivitamin
10. Sleep as much as possible
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Replies

  • 101810191020
    101810191020 Posts: 51 Member
    toxikon wrote: »
    Here are some of mine to add to the list.

    - Moderation is key: enjoy treats, junk food, fast food in moderation, while fitting them into your calorie goal.
    - Find foods that satiate you. Personally, I find that high-protein & high-fibre meals are great for controlling hunger.
    - Don't drink your calories often. Stick with mainly water, tea, coffee and low-calorie beverages.
    - Use a damn food scale. Just do it.
    - Play with meal timing and frequency to find what works for you. Some people find success grazing on 5+ meals a day, others do better with 1-3 meals a day. Some like to skip breakfast, others don't. Experiment.

    I couldn’t agree more with what you say, especially drinking your calories and using a scale. As of now I’m splitting my calories in 7 meals and it has given me good results.
  • 101810191020
    101810191020 Posts: 51 Member
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Same as above, glad that worked for you but a lot of it is totally unnecessary for weight loss.

    Tips for just starting are:
    • make a sustainable plan
    • be honest and accurate in your logging - food scale is the most accurate way to be accurate
    • stick to your calorie allowance over the week
    • be patient

    I was retaining a lot of water and the changes I made helped me because I was “too” fat. I was 191 lbs and went down to 176lbs. Needless to say I counted calories and macros (40/40/20 to start)
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    101810191020 wrote: »
    musicfan68 wrote: »
    Glad that worked for you. I just reduced my calories to a reasonable deficit and started being more active. Lost over 50 lbs over a year. Oh, and I naturally do intermittent fasting. If I ate 5 x a day I would be hungry all the time and end up eating too much.

    ETA: What is refined salt? Never heard of it before.

    Table salt. When table salt is refined it loses some minerals.

    Given that these minerals can be found in other foods and most of us aren't consuming salt in quantities large enough to meet our needs for these minerals anyway, I'm unsure why this matters. In any event, it's more of a nutritional tip than a tip related to weight loss. Your rate of loss would be the same if you were using regular table salt.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    The differences in types of salt are marginal, and I don't want to risk getting goiter, so I'll stick to table salt.
  • 101810191020
    101810191020 Posts: 51 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    101810191020 wrote: »
    musicfan68 wrote: »
    Glad that worked for you. I just reduced my calories to a reasonable deficit and started being more active. Lost over 50 lbs over a year. Oh, and I naturally do intermittent fasting. If I ate 5 x a day I would be hungry all the time and end up eating too much.

    ETA: What is refined salt? Never heard of it before.

    Table salt. When table salt is refined it loses some minerals.

    Given that these minerals can be found in other foods and most of us aren't consuming salt in quantities large enough to meet our needs for these minerals anyway, I'm unsure why this matters. In any event, it's more of a nutritional tip than a tip related to weight loss. Your rate of loss would be the same if you were using regular table salt.

    For whatever reason sea salt helped me keep my blood pressure lower (normal, there is history of heart related problems in my family). I understand the differences are minimal but I will go with what keeps my heart healthy. I am not trying to lose weight anymore. I am 5’10” and walk around a lean 182lbs. My goals are to stay as muscular as possible while being healthy.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    101810191020 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    101810191020 wrote: »
    musicfan68 wrote: »
    Glad that worked for you. I just reduced my calories to a reasonable deficit and started being more active. Lost over 50 lbs over a year. Oh, and I naturally do intermittent fasting. If I ate 5 x a day I would be hungry all the time and end up eating too much.

    ETA: What is refined salt? Never heard of it before.

    Table salt. When table salt is refined it loses some minerals.

    Given that these minerals can be found in other foods and most of us aren't consuming salt in quantities large enough to meet our needs for these minerals anyway, I'm unsure why this matters. In any event, it's more of a nutritional tip than a tip related to weight loss. Your rate of loss would be the same if you were using regular table salt.

    For whatever reason sea salt helped me keep my blood pressure lower (normal, there is history of heart related problems in my family). I understand the differences are minimal but I will go with what keeps my heart healthy. I am not trying to lose weight anymore. I am 5’10” and walk around a lean 182lbs. My goals are to stay as muscular as possible while being healthy.

    I understand there are a variety of reasons to make different choices, but you included it in your list and added "I lost 15 lbs in about 10 weeks just by doing this" so that's why I'm pointing out it's not related to weight loss.
  • Kim_S_G
    Kim_S_G Posts: 120 Member
    101810191020 wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Same as above, glad that worked for you but a lot of it is totally unnecessary for weight loss.

    Tips for just starting are:
    • make a sustainable plan
    • be honest and accurate in your logging - food scale is the most accurate way to be accurate
    • stick to your calorie allowance over the week
    • be patient

    I was retaining a lot of water and the changes I made helped me because I was “too” fat. I was 191 lbs and went down to 176lbs. Needless to say I counted calories and macros (40/40/20 to start)

    But that is the most important part and should be said. Otherwise, some people may read your post and think that calorie counting is irrelevant since nothing in your original post said anything about counting calories.
  • 101810191020
    101810191020 Posts: 51 Member
    Kim_S_G wrote: »
    101810191020 wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Same as above, glad that worked for you but a lot of it is totally unnecessary for weight loss.

    Tips for just starting are:
    • make a sustainable plan
    • be honest and accurate in your logging - food scale is the most accurate way to be accurate
    • stick to your calorie allowance over the week
    • be patient

    I was retaining a lot of water and the changes I made helped me because I was “too” fat. I was 191 lbs and went down to 176lbs. Needless to say I counted calories and macros (40/40/20 to start)

    But that is the most important part and should be said. Otherwise, some people may read your post and think that calorie counting is irrelevant since nothing in your original post said anything about counting calories.

    This is a calorie counting app.
  • 101810191020
    101810191020 Posts: 51 Member
    geneticsteacher wrote: »
    This is what worked for me:

    1. Buy a food scale
    2. Don't eliminate any foods you like, but eat smaller portions to stay within your allotted calories.
    3. Start walking.

    To each their own. I bought a scale when I started. I eliminated foods I liked because I did not want to “spend” calories on those foods. My workouts increased to 60 mins 6x a week
  • Kim_S_G
    Kim_S_G Posts: 120 Member
    101810191020 wrote: »
    Kim_S_G wrote: »
    101810191020 wrote: »
    tinkerbellang83 wrote: »
    Same as above, glad that worked for you but a lot of it is totally unnecessary for weight loss.

    Tips for just starting are:
    • make a sustainable plan
    • be honest and accurate in your logging - food scale is the most accurate way to be accurate
    • stick to your calorie allowance over the week
    • be patient

    I was retaining a lot of water and the changes I made helped me because I was “too” fat. I was 191 lbs and went down to 176lbs. Needless to say I counted calories and macros (40/40/20 to start)

    But that is the most important part and should be said. Otherwise, some people may read your post and think that calorie counting is irrelevant since nothing in your original post said anything about counting calories.

    This is a calorie counting app.

    There are many people who read/post on these boards who are here to learn and do not realize that a caloric deficit is essential to weight loss.
  • snemberton
    snemberton Posts: 175 Member
    musicfan68 wrote: »
    The differences in types of salt are marginal, and I don't want to risk getting goiter, so I'll stick to table salt.
    I prefer sea salt for taste reasons. But everyone has different taste buds, so I don't think it matters in the grand scheme.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,097 Member
    101810191020 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    101810191020 wrote: »
    musicfan68 wrote: »
    Glad that worked for you. I just reduced my calories to a reasonable deficit and started being more active. Lost over 50 lbs over a year. Oh, and I naturally do intermittent fasting. If I ate 5 x a day I would be hungry all the time and end up eating too much.

    ETA: What is refined salt? Never heard of it before.

    Table salt. When table salt is refined it loses some minerals.

    Given that these minerals can be found in other foods and most of us aren't consuming salt in quantities large enough to meet our needs for these minerals anyway, I'm unsure why this matters. In any event, it's more of a nutritional tip than a tip related to weight loss. Your rate of loss would be the same if you were using regular table salt.

    For whatever reason sea salt helped me keep my blood pressure lower (normal, there is history of heart related problems in my family). I understand the differences are minimal but I will go with what keeps my heart healthy. I am not trying to lose weight anymore. I am 5’10” and walk around a lean 182lbs. My goals are to stay as muscular as possible while being healthy.

    Although your OP did not explicitly say "I did this and lost weight. You should do this too," a lot of people, including lurkers and newbies, are likely to read it as a general recommendation. It's not a good idea to base recommendations to a broad population on your n=1 results, especially without revealing that you're actually talking about trying to deal with a medical condition specific to yourself. I think many of the responses you are getting are from people with lots of experience on these boards seeing posts from people who take posts such as yours as advice for the best, if not only, way to lose weight, and then are understandably confused when someone else posts their n=1 experience as the way to go, and both posts pretty much ignore the most important thing, which is to create an energy deficit.
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    I lost 75 pounds following one rule: on average, over the long term, eat fewer calories than my body burns.

    The things that make it possible for me to do that in a way that is healthy and sustainable for life are specific to what works for me-and are very different than what worked for you.

    Your specific rules would have doomed me to failure.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    101810191020 wrote: »
    These are some simple things I did that helped me when I started losing weight. I lost 15 lbs in about 10 weeks just by doing this. Nothing too crazy.

    1. 5 small meals a day
    2. At least half a gallon of water a day
    3. No refined sugar
    4. No refined salt
    5. Would only drink water, milk (2%) or coffee
    6. Minimize processed foods
    7. At least 2 servings of fruit per day
    8. At least 3 servings of vegetables per day
    9. Multivitamin
    10. Sleep as much as possible

    7, 8 and 10 are good for anyone. The rest doesn't matter and is just preference. Energy balance is all that really matters for weight loss. How one gets there is up to them.

    This list worked for you. Great. I would hate it. And I've lost 30 lbs without doing most of it.
  • 101810191020
    101810191020 Posts: 51 Member
    All I did was share what I did and how it worked for me. But it seems people here took differently. I guess I’m better off looking for a different forum.
  • musicfan68
    musicfan68 Posts: 1,143 Member
    101810191020 wrote: »
    All I did was share what I did and how it worked for me. But it seems people here took differently. I guess I’m better off looking for a different forum.

    The problem with that is that it comes across as "This is what you have to do do lose weight". Info like you posted should probably be only shared if someone specifically asks how someone lost weight.
  • try2again
    try2again Posts: 3,562 Member
    edited July 2018
    101810191020 wrote: »
    All I did was share what I did and how it worked for me. But it seems people here took differently. I guess I’m better off looking for a different forum.

    Yeah, I think the problem is primarily in the title- "General Tips for Starting"- which implies these things are universal and everyone would benefit from them. You would have been better of saying, "What Worked for Me", which is basically what you said in the post itself. Plus, while you perceived these things to be instrumental to your success, it's basically a list of things you happened to be doing when you lost weight (due to a calorie deficit), the individual scientific merits of which vary.

    That being said, don't be discouraged about posting. The experienced posters here are always on the lookout for posts that could be misleading to the typical new user who is often easily swayed by less than factual information. It's not personal, and is perhaps a little nit-picky in this case. I understand it was just your desire to share what you perceived to be helpful to you. Just be aware that science is king here :)
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    101810191020 wrote: »
    All I did was share what I did and how it worked for me. But it seems people here took differently. I guess I’m better off looking for a different forum.

    I get it. But it comes across as "do this". Honestly, in 7 years, I've never seen one of these kinds of threads go well. Intended or not, they come across as unsolicited advice and recommendations that are unnecessary.
  • Silentpadna
    Silentpadna Posts: 1,306 Member
    101810191020 wrote: »
    All I did was share what I did and how it worked for me. But it seems people here took differently. I guess I’m better off looking for a different forum.

    Don't do that. There's tons of value here. It's the internet; you can't hear tone, but as near as I can tell responses were cordial.

    Oh....and 7,8 and 10 are great for pretty much everybody (except for those with issues eating fruit.....).
  • Duck_Puddle
    Duck_Puddle Posts: 3,237 Member
    101810191020 wrote: »
    All I did was share what I did and how it worked for me. But it seems people here took differently. I guess I’m better off looking for a different forum.

    I think it’s because these forums are full of people posting (and lurking) who are just getting started or hitting a bump in the road and are overwhelmed with the mountains of information on the google machine. They are seeking THE way, and THE rules to make this work. Hence the reason so many end up doing keto/low carb/cleanses/“clean eating”/raspberry keystones and who knows what else because someone said “just do these things” (or usually-don’t do these things).

    The only real rule to weight loss is eating fewer calories than your body burns. Full stop.

    Everything after that (food choices, meal timings, etc.) is a matter of personal preference and finding what works for the individual.

    So when these kind so lists are posted, many of the new and lost will take them as gospel. Perhaps they will have success as you did. Perhaps they will be one of the many for whom those specific “rules” aren’t the right choices. And that’s why those of us who have had success with different choices will post so those same new and lost will see that there are indeed many paths to glory.

    Really your “rules” apply universally as:
    1.) find a meal timing and frequency that works with your individual hunger cues and lifestyle
    2.) make food choices that are sustainable and allow you to be satiated, well-fueled and fit within your calorie goals.
    3.) Focus on meeting your nutritional needs.
    4.) Get enough rest.
    5.) Stay hydrated.

    Everyone is doing these things (or working on doing these things) in the way that best suits them.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    estherdragonbat wrote: »
    What I did to lose weight:
    • Accepted that I was going to want higher-calorie foods in social settings and budgeted for them, pre-logging when I knew what was likely to be there.
    • Limited homemade desserts to 200 calories or fewer per serving.
    • Decided not to indulge in potential calorie bombs when I couldn't weigh/measure/eyeball with any degree of accuracy (mayonnaise-based salads from takeout can be all over the map. If the company isn't in the database and doesn't list their calories, I pass it up. OTOH, dips like hummus and baba ghanouj may vary by about 20-30 calories per serving depending on the brand. I'll guesstimate those. Ditto cheese or veggie pizza).
    • Over time opted for more snacks that would help me attain a nutritional goal (protein, iron, fiber) and cut back on snacks that were basically salt/sugar and low-fiber carbs. More roasted chickpeas, fewer bags of pop chips. Doesn't mean I don't have pop chips now and again, but I don't choose them as often as I used to.
    • Increased activity.
    • Journaled religiously
    • Asked questions about diet and exercise here when I didn't know the answer/thought the answer I believed I had could be woo

    I think the results speak for themselves:

    eupqvzqtvp82.png

    (September 2016)

    w9iqaml1kvk8.jpg

    (July 2018)

    Wow, hadn't seen your most recent progress pic. Amazing! Also, you're such a happy runner!
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