What Habits have you changed to help you lose weight.
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tmoneyag99
Posts: 480 Member
So I have been fighting my post pregnancy weight for about 2 years now. Right now, I'm feeling pretty confident in my process. I'm not really counting calories at the moment all though my diet is likely on the lower carb side of things due to the fact that when I do cut out starches I find my hunger is easier to manage. I've lost 15lbs so far which is only a fraction of what I want to lose.
But I'm focusing on habits. I'm not counting calories (yet), I'm not looking at macros. I'm just focusing on habits that will be sustainable (in my opinion) for life.
Habits in order of priority:
1) Getting plenty of sleep. I have found that I crave less healthy foods when I am tired and stressed. Getting plenty of sleep actually helps me execute all my new habits (see below) Not getting enough sleep is almost like the tip of the first domino when I err in my weight loss journey. Im cranky, unable to focus, and undisciplined.
2) A added sweeteners from spenda to honey. This has actually proven to be pretty awesome. I find that fruit that I once found tart to actually be sweet to me. Even Green Apples. As a result I am finding that fruit satisfies my sweet tooth. I'm actually starting to enjoy tomatoes and their natural sweetness because the expectations for sweetness are way lowered. I'm also drinking more water because I am not craving diet coke as often (except under times of stress and fatigue)
3) 1:1:0.1 So while I'm not COUNTING carbs and calories I am ensuring that everything I eat has this combination:
1Part Protien/1 Part non-starchy plant (Fruit or vegetable)/smidge part fat.
For example I may eat 6oz of grilled chicken but I have equal that in weight in non-starchy vegetables. There may be a
little butter on the veg's if the meat is lean. But generally speaking the weights are the same. This makes decision
making when eating out easy. Plus I'm usually pretty satisfied. So usually if I have a steak I'll eat vegetables and a
salad. Pretty healthy decision making.
4) Planning: I make a menu weekly and attempt to ensure each varied meal follows the outline of item 2 and buy groceries according to that menu.
If a lunch/dinner pops up, I look at the menu before going in and plan in advance what I will order for each course. I allow myself to have appetizers because there is nothing that sucks worse than watching people munch on bread and chips with nothing to nibble myself.
5) I stay out of the grocery store. I *try* not to step foot in the grocery store. Grocery stores are laid out to encourage impulse purchases. If I order online, then go pick them up I am not distracted in buying things that I do not need. (this has helped my wallet) If we forget something on our list, I send my husband.
6) Keep healthy snacks on hand at all times. I mostly keep almonds or pistachios at my desk, in my car, and at work. I also keep Apples, Avocados, cottage cheese, and blue berries at work. I love these things and find that if I get a hunger pang they help numb it.
Habits I will change next:
1) Keeping my house clean. Sounds crazy. Usually DH and I spend our evenings and weekends cleaning house. I am currently going full on KonMari and Minimalist on our house. I found that because we have so much stuff we are trying to maintain that I literally don't have time to to maintain myself. No we aren't slobs, it just seems that between us and the kiddo we don't have any processes for keeping our clutter managed and our things under control. So we are decluttering, making rules for managing the clutter and mess (ie if you brought it into the car, you must leave the car with it, no eating in the car)
2) Kill the internet habit. You ask how this effects my diet. It's huge, I have seen myself and DH spend way to much time on facebook and the intenet. As a result starting in March, we will have an internet/technology curfew. Kind of like a phones down for the day. Our goal is to spend no more than 1hr per day using the internet. We've already started tracking what and where we spend our time on the internet. But what we have found is that by giving technology our attention, so many other things get missed. Once again not focusing on the important things.
3) Working out. This is slated for May. I know what you are thinking, why not now. Well it's simple as this, our bad habits have a domino effect on our time. *For Me* It's really hard to justify working out when there are dirty dishes in the sink, work to be done (see internet habit), and other things. Basically once our house is in order (literally and figuratively) we will begin finding ways to work being more active in our busy working parent schedule. When I workout I want to be able to do so without feeling the guilt that I am leaving something else undone.
Anyone have any other habits you are changing to lose weight?
But I'm focusing on habits. I'm not counting calories (yet), I'm not looking at macros. I'm just focusing on habits that will be sustainable (in my opinion) for life.
Habits in order of priority:
1) Getting plenty of sleep. I have found that I crave less healthy foods when I am tired and stressed. Getting plenty of sleep actually helps me execute all my new habits (see below) Not getting enough sleep is almost like the tip of the first domino when I err in my weight loss journey. Im cranky, unable to focus, and undisciplined.
2) A added sweeteners from spenda to honey. This has actually proven to be pretty awesome. I find that fruit that I once found tart to actually be sweet to me. Even Green Apples. As a result I am finding that fruit satisfies my sweet tooth. I'm actually starting to enjoy tomatoes and their natural sweetness because the expectations for sweetness are way lowered. I'm also drinking more water because I am not craving diet coke as often (except under times of stress and fatigue)
3) 1:1:0.1 So while I'm not COUNTING carbs and calories I am ensuring that everything I eat has this combination:
1Part Protien/1 Part non-starchy plant (Fruit or vegetable)/smidge part fat.
For example I may eat 6oz of grilled chicken but I have equal that in weight in non-starchy vegetables. There may be a
little butter on the veg's if the meat is lean. But generally speaking the weights are the same. This makes decision
making when eating out easy. Plus I'm usually pretty satisfied. So usually if I have a steak I'll eat vegetables and a
salad. Pretty healthy decision making.
4) Planning: I make a menu weekly and attempt to ensure each varied meal follows the outline of item 2 and buy groceries according to that menu.
If a lunch/dinner pops up, I look at the menu before going in and plan in advance what I will order for each course. I allow myself to have appetizers because there is nothing that sucks worse than watching people munch on bread and chips with nothing to nibble myself.
5) I stay out of the grocery store. I *try* not to step foot in the grocery store. Grocery stores are laid out to encourage impulse purchases. If I order online, then go pick them up I am not distracted in buying things that I do not need. (this has helped my wallet) If we forget something on our list, I send my husband.
6) Keep healthy snacks on hand at all times. I mostly keep almonds or pistachios at my desk, in my car, and at work. I also keep Apples, Avocados, cottage cheese, and blue berries at work. I love these things and find that if I get a hunger pang they help numb it.
Habits I will change next:
1) Keeping my house clean. Sounds crazy. Usually DH and I spend our evenings and weekends cleaning house. I am currently going full on KonMari and Minimalist on our house. I found that because we have so much stuff we are trying to maintain that I literally don't have time to to maintain myself. No we aren't slobs, it just seems that between us and the kiddo we don't have any processes for keeping our clutter managed and our things under control. So we are decluttering, making rules for managing the clutter and mess (ie if you brought it into the car, you must leave the car with it, no eating in the car)
2) Kill the internet habit. You ask how this effects my diet. It's huge, I have seen myself and DH spend way to much time on facebook and the intenet. As a result starting in March, we will have an internet/technology curfew. Kind of like a phones down for the day. Our goal is to spend no more than 1hr per day using the internet. We've already started tracking what and where we spend our time on the internet. But what we have found is that by giving technology our attention, so many other things get missed. Once again not focusing on the important things.
3) Working out. This is slated for May. I know what you are thinking, why not now. Well it's simple as this, our bad habits have a domino effect on our time. *For Me* It's really hard to justify working out when there are dirty dishes in the sink, work to be done (see internet habit), and other things. Basically once our house is in order (literally and figuratively) we will begin finding ways to work being more active in our busy working parent schedule. When I workout I want to be able to do so without feeling the guilt that I am leaving something else undone.
Anyone have any other habits you are changing to lose weight?
17
Replies
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I'm keeping it simple at the moment.
1. Bought (and use lol) a food scale.
2. Honest effort into maintaining a deficit.
3. Getting busier in general, moving more.
That's really it at the moment.13 -
I like your point on a clean house. For me, a clean kitchen is a big assistance to my diet. It's hard to cook in a dirty or cluttered kitchen, especially when you have no clean dishes.8
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1. Weighing my food.
2. Logging my food.
3. Weighing my food.9 -
I eat about 1/2 what I use to. Find a skinny person and learn from them. This is what my naturally skinny daughter does. Found out it is really all I need to eat. I want some chocolate or cookies but don't need a lot, who knew, it was just a bad habit. I am trying to do other stuff besides eat when I get emotional, this has been a biggie for me.14
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Seeing if I can find the same thing with less calories and switching to that.
Examples:
My previous bread was 90 calories per slice, I found a 60 per slice bread, Nature's Own Butterbread. We like it just the same. On a sandwich that's a 60 calorie savings!
My American cheese slices were 60 calories. I found Velveeta slices that are 35 calories. There are 3 different kinds at my store, I have to read the nutrition information each time to pick out the correct one because they all look the same to me.
Ranch dressing, mine was 140 calories for 2T. Sure I can make a better dressing choice, but it's not realistic to say I won't ever eat Ranch again. Hidden Valley Greek Yogurt Ranch is 60 calories for 2T.
It is like a game to me at the store, to find what I want to eat and eat it and still "save" on calories by these small substitutions. If I had known enough to do this from the beginning I probably wouldn't have weighed so much to begin with.10 -
1. Meal prep and planning
2. Sleep5 -
If I have an unhealthy snack, I put a portion into a small bowl. I used to poo-poo people who did this, but it absolutely has ended my grazing from a bag (aka eat the whole bag mindlessly).
And yes, I do still eat these things because otherwise I will at some point feel deprived.
Related to the first:
I also find that working out and being more active helps me with my eating. I’m pretty busy and it takes effort to go to the gym - even though I want to. For me, eating junk after lifting weights are two habits that don’t support each other. I find it easy to avoid junk these days, because chips (for example) are not a quality fuel for muscles and being fit. Does that make sense?2 -
I love this! First of all, I am also decluttering because, simply, I need more time AND I find less to clean/look at/worry about improves my mood and activity level. I also 1000% agree with the reduced "screen" time, for myself AND my family. Holy cow we waste a lot of time. Note, what I am currently doing is all recent, as I always know what I should be doing and have been on MFP for many years, but a few health scares and family issues have caused me to re-evaluate and wise up. Like most people on here, it really is a lifestyle and mental change. My job is a desk job, I have to move more. And it has to be sustainable for the long term.
1. I am keeping it simple, watching portion control is my big thing. While I am tracking calories, I am averaging a bit above my ~2lb/week loss and I am ok with that because it is hundreds of calories under what I was doing.
2. I am cutting back on alcohol considerably (only had a few beers once last week while out with some friends and capped it with a considerable amount of water--and logged the calories). I find it easier so far to "cut back" than to "cut off" since it is all mental. I really love wine (is a common theme amongst my mommy friends), but know that too much is NOT a good thing. I believe the weight loss so far is directly contributed to this step.
3. Eating dinner at home (and packing for work). My husband and I are excellent cooks, but it doesn't stop the foodies in us from eating out regularly. Pinterest and Allrecipe apps are my friends and I have made some really delicious meals with things I almost always have on hand!2 -
tmoneyag99 wrote: »
Habits I will change next:
1) Keeping my house clean. Sounds crazy. Usually DH and I spend our evenings and weekends cleaning house. I am currently going full on KonMari and Minimalist on our house. I found that because we have so much stuff we are trying to maintain that I literally don't have time to to maintain myself. No we aren't slobs, it just seems that between us and the kiddo we don't have any processes for keeping our clutter managed and our things under control. So we are decluttering, making rules for managing the clutter and mess (ie if you brought it into the car, you must leave the car with it, no eating in the car)
2) Kill the internet habit. You ask how this effects my diet. It's huge, I have seen myself and DH spend way to much time on facebook and the intenet. As a result starting in March, we will have an internet/technology curfew. Kind of like a phones down for the day. Our goal is to spend no more than 1hr per day using the internet. We've already started tracking what and where we spend our time on the internet. But what we have found is that by giving technology our attention, so many other things get missed. Once again not focusing on the important things.
3) Working out. This is slated for May. I know what you are thinking, why not now. Well it's simple as this, our bad habits have a domino effect on our time. *For Me* It's really hard to justify working out when there are dirty dishes in the sink, work to be done (see internet habit), and other things. Basically once our house is in order (literally and figuratively) we will begin finding ways to work being more active in our busy working parent schedule. When I workout I want to be able to do so without feeling the guilt that I am leaving something else undone.
It's interesting to me that these last three things you mention are at the top of my list for coping with depression, which in turn makes my weight loss more feasible. Clutter leads to the sensation of being overwhelmed, which often drives me to the kitchen. Excessive time online not only encourages inactivity but fills my mind with unproductive things (negative news and unfavorable comparisons on social media). Getting some exercise is a huge mental boost and often prompts better food choices to complement my efforts.
My main habits specifically for weight loss involve weighing/logging and getting in enough protein at each meal. I know I would benefit from better meal planning as well. I also like #5. I get groceries no more than once a week (it's been once every 2 weeks several times this winter), and it's definitely a protection from impulse buys and avoids waste by forcing me to use up what I have on hand. I know people who stop at the store literally every day for that night's meal and it's always baffled me why anyone would want to do that.
Edited to add: A post up-thread reminded me of another thing- the use of small plates & bowls.9 -
Cutting out red meat and soda. Keeping track of my sodium and sugar intake.3
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I literally aint got time for 'dat. Plus we all know how kids shop... I ain't got money for DAT.tmoneyag99 wrote: »
I know people who stop at the store literally every day for that night's meal and it's always baffled me why anyone would want to do that.
Edited to add: A post up-thread reminded me of another thing- the use of small plates & bowls.
Me too. I don't have time for that. I live 15 minutes from the closest grocery store. Pluse I only get 2hrs of quality time with my son a day and that includes making dinner, eating dinner, bath time and bed time.0 -
It’s cool to see someone whose managing to lose weight without counting calories here! I also don’t count and have managed to lose weight, I will do so if I see a major stall though, but for now I like not having to depend on anything.
-Eating in moderation is something I had to learn, before I felt the need to eat till my stomach hurt, that was a major habit I had to break.
- exercising at least two- three times a week
-Cuttinf down on sugary drinks- diet drinks or water
Those are basically my main ones.
1 -
Reduction of carby items.
Logging
Reduction of alcohol
No snacking except for protein items
1 -
Around 6 years into maintenance at this point and I keep things simple-I do some mental calorie math throughout the day to make sure I'm staying within my calorie targets and then I eat the foods I like. That's about it.1
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I track my calories as well as making sure I’m getting enough healthy fats & lots of protein.
Make sure I’m drinking lots of water.
Moving more, having at least 3 active days a week. I do yoga, elliptical, strength training, walking whatever feels good.
Practice self care mentally & physically this is probably the thing that’s made one of the biggest differences.1 -
Keeping a clean house - more time focused on cleaning gives a clear mind and I'm no longer sitting around on my *kitten*
Making sure I drink a glass of water between every alcoholic drink - did that this weekend and I woke up everyday without a hangover!
Getting my 10,000 steps in no matter what even if that means pacing around my house
Logging everything
Drinking 100 oz of water a day - even in the first week I've noticed how dehydrated that I used to be2 -
I stopped drinking soda and reduced alcohol consumption. I've been walking a lot more since January 1, and just joined a yoga class last week.3
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The habits that led to losing 80 pounds were actually very simple:
#1 Know how many calories I need - use MFP calculator. I eat back exercise calories (calculated by Garmin watch)
#2 Know how much food I'm eating. WEIGH solids with a food scale.
#3 Log food honestly.
#4 Eat less than I need over time. (I eat the same foods that made me fat - just fewer of them)
#5 Exercise because it relieves stress (for me) and improves my fitness. It's a bonus to earn a few extra bites of food.
#6 Weigh myself daily and use a trending app. This is a check and balance for #4.5 -
Dessert! My husband and I have been making yummy desserts a couple of times a week... this week, we had strawerry oat bars and lemon bars. Sometimes just brownies or slice and bake cookies. How is this helping me lose weight? We eat them right after a good, healthy dinner. About 250 calories usually.... I save enough calories for this. I end my day happy, not feeling at all like I’m “dieting.” And after dessert am not tempted to bounce between savory and salty snacks during Netflix time (a single serving of chips and a single serving of cookies might be around 300 calories, but once I’m eating, I might be tempted to grab a serving “plus one”... )5
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The root habit is planning and thinking ahead. It all goes out the window for me if I don't visualize the plan. It could be as simple as jotting down my goal meals for the day, but without even that all the food scales and logging apps in the world won't really help me. Getting ahead of walking into the kitchen or a restaurant hungry at meal time is at the base of everything. I actually plan and execute meal prep now and not only is everything less stressful but I am wasting less groceries, too.3
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