We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Your Weight Loss Advantages

RelCanonical
RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
edited November 2024 in Motivation and Support
Sometimes I like to consciously look at the things working in my favor because I tend to focus on what's working against me too often.

One advantage I realized while reading threads is that I live alone. This makes it easier to avoid temptation, as I just don't keep tempting foods in the house. It also makes portioning easier - since I know I'll be eating the whole recipe, I can divide portions up by eyeballing, as it'll even out over the few days that I eat the whole recipe.

What are some things that work in your favor for weight loss/your fitness goals?

Replies

  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited October 2018
    In my household I am the only cook - so I can make whatever I fancy and everyone else has to eat it.

    I enjoy cooking and set a high standard for myself so that means we mostly just eat my home cooked meals - which is a win win because it also means I can keep the portion size in moderation for my own calorie needs.

    In regards to fitness, my home is my gym and because of that I consistently work out, no excuses not to go to the gym or not have time to workout.
  • Jruzer
    Jruzer Posts: 3,501 Member
    I've found that I have a fairly high NEAT. I almost always lose faster than the predicted rate, so as long as I'm in the ballpark on logging I lose or maintain fairly easily.

    Of course, that does mean I have to be "in the ballpark". :wink:
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,363 Member
    Being an empty nester and small business owner have both worked to my advantage as I've lost my weight. I stock my home with the foods that are good for me ,nothing with sugar or fat at all in my house.

    I run my own business..so no tempting foods there. I control my schedule so I can exercise in the morning and go in late if I want.

    How moms with cookie eating kids...and workers who have break rooms filled with tempting foods and pushy co-workers poking holes in their diet efforts do it.. I'll never know. But I praise them for getting it done..and I have a lot of respect for them.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    edited October 2018
    I've never been a grazer or one to grab a bag of whatever and munch. Even when I was obese, I poured my chips into a bowl. That's just civilized :lol: It's fairly easy for me to stick to eating at mealtimes with a light afternoon snack if I'm legitimately hungry.
  • tk2222
    tk2222 Posts: 199 Member
    Good thread!

    I technically have a roommate, but we barely see each other and are totally food-independent. (If anything, I leave baked goods around for him, never the other way around.) So that's been a big change for me in the past few months and made this a lot easier.

    I work on a big college campus, have to walk a lot, and have a pool and gym and free yoga classes right there.

    I have a pretty flexible schedule and can set a lot of my own hours. I'm a late-snacker, no-appetite-for-breakfast type, so if I want to be in at the office at 6:30 and in bed at eight, I can usually do that.

    I'm really, really frugal by both current necessity and general inclination, so it dovetails nicely to just buy what I really need, resist impulse buys and think long and hard about any eating out. My big splurge (and that is usually a tortured mess of self persuasion) is usually a couple cups of coffee and maybe a bagel over the week.

    I'm far away from my family and life-long social circle. That's a downside in some ways, but also a sharp break from various existing patterns, triggers, habits, ingrained self-consciousness about losing weight, etc. (Like, A snide comment from my mom about my weight - no matter what that weight was - was always an easy predictor of a binge. I now talk to my mom once a month, maybe. Diet is going swell.)
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    For me it's being a stay at home Mom it's easier for me to stay on track with my food choices and go to the gym (which is in the basement). I also cook all our dinners so I have control over that. We have three freezers so I can meal prep and store lots of things and have it available when needed. I'm also very forgetful and inefficient so I will go up and down the stairs 20-30x per day. I hate busy parking lots so I will park farther and walk if I can.
  • RelCanonical
    RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
    sardelsa wrote: »
    For me it's being a stay at home Mom it's easier for me to stay on track with my food choices and go to the gym (which is in the basement). I also cook all our dinners so I have control over that. We have three freezers so I can meal prep and store lots of things and have it available when needed. I'm also very forgetful and inefficient so I will go up and down the stairs 20-30x per day. I hate busy parking lots so I will park farther and walk if I can.

    Oh, that last one is a good one. I can't park my car straight to save my life, so I always park further back so I can pull through straight rather than turning in and having to correct every single time.
  • JaydedMiss
    JaydedMiss Posts: 4,286 Member
    benefit is i live alone so i control my house food. I also work a very active heavy lifting job and i walk to and from work 40 minutes. downside to my work is my coworkers all smoke and are a bit socially handicapped so their go to is offering me smokes and food and stuff, i tried quitting smoking but after a day crawling in roaches and bagging gross stuff and having guys next to me all day like...you want a smoke i know you do here have one....or wanna stop for chocolate to make you feel beter....? hard to say no lol
  • dhiammarath
    dhiammarath Posts: 834 Member
    I have a pretty high NEAT and I am not a foodie, so I don't gravitate to restaurants, new foods, etc. I can eat the same thing over and over again if I need to, which is nice considering I have limited options in my cafeteria. I've never been a grazer, and I always hated feeling super full. I always said I could be happy with a food pill that gave me everything I needed because eating has always been a chore.

    These have worked well to my advantage when I needed to attain a calorie goal after realizing just how much delicious coffee and mac'n'cheese I was consuming! Of course, I am weak to high-calorie coffee and potatoes and mac'n'cheese... anything cheese, really. XD
  • Cbean08
    Cbean08 Posts: 1,092 Member
    Hmm, interesting topic!

    I work an active job but I set my own schedule. I can work for as long as I want with no limit on taking time off, breaks, vacation.
    I make the income to buy any foods, personal training, fitness gear, vitamins, supplements etc that I want.
    I have excellent insurance that covers my dietician and all my other doctors.
    I live in the city, so there is a lot of opportunity for walking.
    I drive a reliable car, so I'm not restricted when the snow hits.
    I have a boyfriend who is supportive and lets me do my own thing. He encourages me to try new foods but never pushes once I've said no.
  • neugebauer52
    neugebauer52 Posts: 1,120 Member
    My advantage seems to be an "out of sight, out of mind" mindset. I don't seem to search specifically for not so healthy food options in the kitchen cupboards / fridge. BUT - if there is half a packet of whatever lying around in the sitting room or on the dinner table - then my mindset immediately jumps to "never waste any food" and I react like a vacuum cleaner...
  • 88olds
    88olds Posts: 4,549 Member
    I’m a germaphobe.
This discussion has been closed.

Categories