Your Weight Loss Advantages

RelCanonical
RelCanonical Posts: 3,882 Member
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: 4,324 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: 4,534 Member
    I’m a germaphobe.

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