Question, How did you lose your weight?
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Honestly? I got bored of doing it slowly and crash dieted on low calorie for a few months and have been successfully mainining since. It’s not something I’d recommend, but I’ve always been very all or nothing.1
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Just counted calories weighed everything and lost 20 with a few cheat days. Took me a year! Lost 10 more over five years. Maintaining now for 7 years. Added weight lifting four years ago, heavy weights. Very little cardio but lots of walking. I'm 60 and in the best shape of my life.6
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I follow the basic formula for weigh loss. I consume fewer calories than I burn and it really works for me. My solution is to eat food that has a lower calorie density and a high volume of nutrition. I base my food intake around vegetables, fruits, skinless grilled chicken breast, fish and whole-grain breads (one toast a day). I eat plenty of low-calorie fresh vegetables (except corn and potatoes) and fresh low-sugar fruits to help me feel full. I realized that my approach actually allows unlimited consumption of fresh, non-starchy vegetables and fresh low-sugar fruits. They will fill me up without giving me a lot of calories. The key is to eat foods that will fill you up without eating a large amount of calories.
I start my day off with a good breakfast. Breakfast helps me prevent hunger later on. This jump-starts my metabolism and sets my body in the fat-burning state. The protein consumption, when eaten as part of the daily first meal, reduces my appetite throughout the day. It is important for me to stick with protein breakfast option. Initially, it was a little challenging, because proteins are usually not a part of typical "breakfast foods".
I quickly discovered the benefits of eating fiber and proteins. They make me feel satisfied for a longer amount of time without having to eat more. Therefore, I make sure to combine high-fiber foods with lean protein at every meal. The combination of the fiber and the protein helps keep me feeling full longer.
I figured out that the strongest forces that could derail my weight loss efforts were my appetite and the feeling of hunger. I learned how to eat for fullness and I control my appetite by eating lots of fresh vegetables and fresh fruits combined with small amounts of lean proteins. Feeling full longer happens when I eat proteins, high-fiber veggies, fruits, and whole grains. Vegetables and fruits provide me with enough fiber, which in combination with proteins practically assure that I don’t feel any hunger.
Once I started eating in this way I was able to control physical hunger. The fact that I eliminated hunger between meals was one of the two crucial elements of my approach.
No single approach, formula, or plan for weight loss can work perfectly for every person.
Approach described above worked for me. I lost 91 pounds. 46 pounds in six months of 2010, 35 pounds in 2011 and 10 pounds in 2012.
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Counting calories, and exercise, and looking at the whole situation by the week not the day. Counting calories allows me to adjust what I eat to make healthier choices, seeing which foods don't give me protein, or aren't that filling, which generally end up being carbohydrates. Looking at the whole calorie deficit on a weekly basis allows me to so-called cheat, if I go out to dinner or have a few drinks one night a week it's not going to do damage to my entire diet. I do use the process of banking a calorie deficit. If I'm just sitting around the house I stay at a lower calorie level then on days that I work out. Then by the end of the week I can probably go over my maintenance even by 500 calories which is 1000 calories if I include the natural diet deficit of 500 calories. Which allows for pretty decent meal and a few drinks. Therefore I don't feel like I'm restricting myself too much.2
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I started counting calories with this app and began more vigorous exercise. I had been dabbling in treadmill walking and yoga, but started couch25k and 30 day shred to amp it up. I lost close to 40 lbs before slowly adding a few lbs back and progressive strength training. Calorie deficit is all that's needed to lose weight, but I wanted to be fit and strong as well.2
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For me, it is about portion control more than anything else. I still eat plenty of carbs and an occasional treat. I had to eliminate certain foods from my diet that I have little self control with, for example, chips with dip and ice cream. I measure and weigh nearly everything unless I am at a restaurant and it isn't possible. I dont eat at restaurants much and found that when I do, even if I use the calorie counts on the menu, my weight will be off. It helps to plan out meals in advance. Sometimes I go over my daily calories, and it is ok. In the past, I would let one bad day derail me for a week. Now, when I do go over it is only to maintenance level and the next day I am back on track.
I dont eat a lot of high calorie foods like cheese or red meat. I also dont eat many nuts. My breakfast is usually eggs with a TINY bit of avocado and it keeps me full for hours. Some days I eat only 2 larger meals since I prefer that to 3 small meals. I am at 1400 calories a day and dont have much room for error. Dinner could be anything. I use more chicken, shrimp, fish, turkey and vegetarian meat substitutes now instead of beef and lamb that I grew up eating.
I do work out, but not a lot. Since I am in a calorie deficit, I dont have a lot of energy for long workouts. I will do 20-30 minutes of weights and/or cardio a couple times a week and maybe one 2 hour hike a week. Weight loss for me is more about diet. I only exercise to try to maintain muscle and not become *skinny fat*.
I have several friends and coworkers who swear that you must cut carbs to lose weight. They say fruit is bad because it has sugar. Absolutely false. Some days, I eat 80% carbs and I still lose weight.
Lastly, sleep is very important. I get 8-9 hours a night. The body doesnt function well with less. Some people are getting by on 5-6 hours and that is not good. It raises your cortisol level and appetite. I also believe getting less sleep ages the body faster. When I am fatigued, I am more apt to make bad choices.3 -
I lost my 65 lbs by not trying to loose pounds fast. I aimed for a 250 calorie defect per day and didn’t get of track when I went sometimes not dropping weight for weeks. Also what helped me was when I started to eat foods that I like , such as deserts consisting of ice cream and brownies and cake and candy, also fast foods like Big Macs and pizza and ribs . That way I never felt deprived. I used to eat what some people described as clean eating meaning no sugar and fat, but when I finally decided that it’s calories in calories out , that’s when I started finally to loose weight.6
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I started slow with exercise. I began my journey with exercising 15 minutes a day. Now, I exercise a lot at a slow pace. For example, I now swim for an hour at a slow pace and do water aerobics for 45 minutes in one day. And, some days I add in walking. I exercise maybe 2 hours a day at a slow pace. I find that exercise curbs my appetite to appopriate portions. And, with exercise, I feel yucky eating a lot of junk food, so I only eat a little of it.
I used to track my food and it stressed me out. I used to eliminate certain foods and that also stressed me out. I found the only thing that keeps me on track is exercise.
I was 175 and I am down to 150 lbs. My belly has shrunk so I think a lot of my weight is muscle. This works for me. I feel healthier and that is all that matters.
Disclaimer: I have been doing this for a year now, since August last year. I am still at 150 lbs, but people say that I was at my heaviest for years, so it will take years to get it off and keep it off. Only time will tell if I am successful.4 -
I’ve tried all kinds of things over the years — Weight Watchers, the Cambridge (pre-Slim Fast meal replacement shake plan), low carb, etc. The only one that absolutely didn’t work for me was Weight Watchers — I consistently gain on their plans because their calorie counts are just too high for me. Besides, I hate the thought of paying somebody and supporting the “Diet Industry” for something I can manage myself. So, I’m just counting calories, and it’s working just fine — down ~125 lbs in the last 11 months or so. Feel like I can maintain this forever.4
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I've lost around 70 pounds (don't know exactly how many as I didn't even own scales at my heaviest) and have maintained this loss for over a year. I basically followed 2 rules;
1. Eat less, move more.
2. Don't change anything that I could not stick with indefinitely.
I do eat considerably differently now than I did before (much less added sugar and refined carbs but more grains and vegetables), but I do not restrict any foods that I like and I don't eat foods I don't like just because they are healthy. I just made sure that I ate less than I burned consistently while making gradual changes that were sustainable. I weighed and logged everything, and still do.6 -
I love this thread.1
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I'm 52, soon to be 53 and I've lost 42 (with 10 more to go) with calorie counting.
I go to the gym 3 days a week and I lift weights for 30 and do 30 on the treadmill with a 10 minute cooldown.
I pretty much eat whatever I want (except sugar) as long as I maintain my deficit.0 -
Be honest with yourself, track everything you eat.
Workout.
Eat around .8-1g protein per body weight.
Have cheat meals once in a while.
Start off with a lower calorie deficit and slowly increase it or increase cardio when weight stalls.
Any “diet” works as long as you’re dedicated to it. They all result in a calorie deficit which is required for weight loss. I find intermittent fasting to be very good for myself and most people.2 -
I absolutely cannot wait till I have success pics to share like these!!! So motivating and encouraging!! Keep them coming!!!!2
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agrube1968 wrote: »Looks like counting calories is the way to go. I’m gonna readjust my calories on mfp and try that awhile and see how it goes!
If you have been doing low carb, be prepared for your weight to spike when you reintroduce them. This is water weight, not fat, and doesn't mean your new plan doesn't work. Each gram of carbs holds 3 grams of water, so more carbs = more water = higher number on the scale. Once the water weight levels out, the scale will start going back down again with fat loss.
Also, another key to sustainability is to make sure you have chosen the appropriate weekly weight loss goal. 2 lbs a week is only for those who are quite obese, have a TDEE that can support a daily 1000 calorie deficit, and/or don't find it miserable eating at a daily 1000 calorie deficit. Don't try to power through a deficit that is too aggressive for you, or you may either end up bingeing or becoming discouraged & giving up altogether.9 -
I have lost 20 pounds since the beginning of July. I count calories, eat what I want, and exercise.
Diets like Keto can be successful, but I can’t restrict myself to certain foods, and I can’t be bothered to follow rules on what not to eat.
Counting calories has proved to be the simplest and most successful way for me. There are no rules except eat in a calorie deficit. And I love it!!2 -
Honestly? Eating less and moving more haha it was so crazy for me Bc I had Fad dieted for years and thought being miserable was the ONLY way to lose weight1
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Also, another key to sustainability is to make sure you have chosen the appropriate weekly weight loss goal. 2 lbs a week is only for those who are quite obese, have a TDEE that can support a daily 1000 calorie deficit, and/or don't find it miserable eating at a daily 1000 calorie deficit. Don't try to power through a deficit that is too aggressive for you, or you may either end up bingeing or becoming discouraged & giving up altogether.
I think 2 lbs a week is doable for most people (unless they are underweight of course). I participated in a weight loss challenge earlier this year with my women's fitness group to lose 10 lbs in 5 weeks. I only had around 10 lbs to lose (from 135 to 125), but I did it. I entered my food into MFP and exercised several days a week. Another thing I did was to nearly eliminate sugar, which isn't exactly easy, but for me it is the simplest way to lose weight.
Good luck agrube1968!10 -
Also, another key to sustainability is to make sure you have chosen the appropriate weekly weight loss goal. 2 lbs a week is only for those who are quite obese, have a TDEE that can support a daily 1000 calorie deficit, and/or don't find it miserable eating at a daily 1000 calorie deficit. Don't try to power through a deficit that is too aggressive for you, or you may either end up bingeing or becoming discouraged & giving up altogether.
I think 2 lbs a week is doable for most people (unless they are underweight of course). I participated in a weight loss challenge earlier this year with my women's fitness group to lose 10 lbs in 5 weeks. I only had around 10 lbs to lose (from 135 to 125), but I did it. I entered my food into MFP and exercised several days a week. Another thing I did was to nearly eliminate sugar, which isn't exactly easy, but for me it is the simplest way to lose weight.
Good luck agrube1968!
For most, 1% of bodyweight is the sustainable amount of weight to lose per week. You also have to take into account the baseline amount for nutrition (1,200/day for women, 1,500/day for men) and making sure you don't drop below. I'm still considered obese, but a rate of 2lbs/week would require me to consume less than 1,200/day, so I stay at 1lb/week.
Also keep in mind that a significant amount of weight loss in the beginning tends to be water weight loss, as a decrease in calories often correlates with a decrease in salt and other water retention-y foods, which causes you to dump water. The weight on the scale isn't necessarily fat loss, but anytime you hear weight loss per week around here, assume it's fat loss, not water weight.3 -
Also, another key to sustainability is to make sure you have chosen the appropriate weekly weight loss goal. 2 lbs a week is only for those who are quite obese, have a TDEE that can support a daily 1000 calorie deficit, and/or don't find it miserable eating at a daily 1000 calorie deficit. Don't try to power through a deficit that is too aggressive for you, or you may either end up bingeing or becoming discouraged & giving up altogether.
I think 2 lbs a week is doable for most people (unless they are underweight of course). I participated in a weight loss challenge earlier this year with my women's fitness group to lose 10 lbs in 5 weeks. I only had around 10 lbs to lose (from 135 to 125), but I did it. I entered my food into MFP and exercised several days a week. Another thing I did was to nearly eliminate sugar, which isn't exactly easy, but for me it is the simplest way to lose weight.
Good luck agrube1968!
"Doable" "wise" and "healthy" are not necessarily synonyms, and doing something risky for 5 weeks/10 pounds is a different matter than doing it for months. It's something each person needs to think through for him/herself.5 -
agrube1968 wrote: »I have seen so many success stories and before and after pics of people who have lost 40, 50, 100 or more lbs. and I am just curious how did you do it?
Did you follow low carb or Keto diet? Did you count calories? Weight Watchers? Some other plan? I'm still struggling with finding out what's going to work the best for me. I am successful with low carb but my only problem with it is finding side dishes; I am not a veggie person; about the only veggies I like are the ones you can't have on low carb (and you can only eat so much cottage cheese before you get burned out on it).
So I'm wondering if just counting calories would be the best thing for me. I could have anything I wanted (in moderation) so I wouldn't feel so deprived but then again I don't want it to be something that will set me up for failure. Does that make any sense? Maybe something more stricter would be better for me; I just don't know.
Anyway would love to have your input on how you lost weight; struggles you had along the way; how you over came those. How much you exercised (if any) and what types of exercise you did and how often. Thanks so much and sorry for so many questions!
Also please feel free to add me as a friend; I love making new friends on here!
I went from 2x to medium bottoms. The biggest thing I did was not quit. No matter what the scale said, I kept working at it, even when it just felt like I was running in place, or losing and gaining the same few pounds.
I went ham on exercise. Like really extreme, because it's what I enjoy. IT'S NOT FOR EVERYONE.
I worked on my diet more slowly - first reducing portions, using Lean Cuisines, etc., then trying cutting out sugar (didn't last), then cleaning up my diet, then the Tim Ferris diet (didn't work for me - too much gas and bloating), then habitual meals (the good that I learned from TF), then incorporating meal replacement shakes for one meal a day, tried intermittent fasting, basically everything, including low carb (made me too irritable). Overall, I lost a lot of weight and built a large, large amount of muscle (that is a very controversial statement around here btw, but true nonetheless). I stalled a while on the scale, so I started calorie counting. We'll see how it goes.
Ultimately, what worked for me was to....NOT GIVE UP. Keep at it.
Prayer helps me a lot to give me the strength and persistence. My advice is to not give up. Do what you can, and keep going. If it's too hard, slow down, and keep going. If you need to stop, press pause, and keep going. If a strategy isn't working, change it, and keep going. Whatever you do, keep at it, even when you don't think you are seeing results.
The results come when you keep putting in the work day after day, week after week, month after month.
Did I mention don't quit yet?
DON'T QUIT.1 -
I didn't read through the thread....
I counted calories, was super strict counting everything even measuring wine and exercised. I tried to exercise 30 minutes a day. I've always been quite active and I was training for something so i was exercise a lot but basically counting calories and working out in some capacity. I have now found running is great for melting stuff away. Also small attainable goals. If you are achieving success you are more likely to keep going at least I found that.
Keep going you'll get there too1 -
66lbs down, I did it by creating a caloric deficit, so eating less and moving more. I recommend exercise for overall feeling better, and also it's good for muscle definition.1
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Mine is actually a little odd. I didn’t realized I lost it until it was gone. I moved to the US for the year, I ended up making a lifestyle change without knowing, Including my new job and running around on days off having fun. I ended up doing 10-13 miles of walking a day and eating about 1500-2000 calories because I was too busy to eat constantly. It wasn’t till I returned to the UK and weighed myself losing over 50lbs. I thought “obviously I’m gonna carry on” and that was it. Now I spend my time at the gym and stick to 1,200 calories2
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when I started I put my stats into mfp, it gave me almost 1600/cal/day & I just stuck to that (lost 50lbs) As I lost it gave me less calories. Eventually it gave me 1200, don't want to do that so I set it to lose 1/2 lbs/wk which is 1440. I usually go over since I want to lose 10 more lbs but I'm ok if I don't. I actually started eating so many more foods that I didn't before. I eat so I can eat like I do the rest of my life. Just regular foods, just less. If I went on a "diet" & went back to regular eating after weight loss, I'd gain it all back & I never want to weigh 198 again. As time went by I experimented with what sustains me more. For me it's more protein & fats than anything else. I don't restrict carbs but I noticed I naturally eat lesser carbs, they always made me sluggish. I do eat more veggies, I was never a fruit eater but now I love them. I mostly put it in the smoothies I make but they're so good in my yogurt too. I've "settled " into a good eating pattern for me after trying many things like eating small meals throughout the day. I never liked breakfast(tried that for a while) I have a big brunch 500 cal of baked potato sauteed in butter with some ham & cheese with eggs on top & english muffin. It keeps me till dinner or I might have a smoothie or yogurt before. Dinner is some type of meat/poultry or fish with veggies prepared in different ways, then snack like popcorn, yogurt or even an egg muffin. If we plan to go to a family get together, I just have less brunch or just have yogurt so I can enjoy the food with family. I love baking & stews so during the winter I use the recipe builder. I am lucky I don't care for sweets much like my husband does so I don't struggle with that but he has lost 60 lbs not using anything but just cutting back on sweets & giving up soda. I was always active but upped my exercise some. You have to experiment & find what is sustainable for you1
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forgot to mention I got a food scale when I started & weigh EVERYTHING I eat & eat back most of my exercise calories too1
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Step 1. Eat less
Step 2. Move more
Repeat as needed.4 -
I did keto for 3 months to quickly lose the last 20 pounds to get to goal last winter. It backfired on me because I felt so extremely deprived that I started binge eating and that lasted 5 months. Then I switched to weight watchers and that made me feel guilty whenever I wanted a food I loved because the points were so high like I was being penalized. What if I don’t want to eat the zero point foods? Both diets were completely unrealistic and just that: a diet. I lost 70 pounds last year with MFP because I could eat what I love and still lose weight. I do eat healthy most of the time because that’s what I crave but still have my chocolate but now I don’t have to feel guilt.2
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It’s a long story, but in a but in a nutshell I’ve lost a total of 70 lbs so far (from my highest weight ever) using CICO and weightlifting 5-6 days a week, 40 min p/d, plus 20 min cardio after each weightlifting workout.
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