What Worked for You?!
lindsayann135
Posts: 11 Member
I’d love to hear (especially from people who have seen some progress or gotten to a healthy place and stayed there) what worked for you? What specific changes did you make and when? Did you do things gradually or all at once? What kind of support system did you have or did you have none at all? Especially interested in changes/advice that worked that didn’t cost money or involve a program that was finite or required participants to pay money. I’ve done all of those, am not interested in quick fixes or depriving myself, and want real world stories on what people have done. Let me know, I’m ready to get to work! 🙌👍
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What worked to accomplish what exactly? Everyone has different goals. Different things work for different people. Are you looking to improve your health? Lose weight? Maintain weight? None of those things require money spent or deprivation. Like with most of us, you will only find out what "works" for you through trial and error. It's up to you to determine what habits are healthy and sustainable for you.8
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For me 12 hour intermittent fasting has worked. 35lbs since January 1, 2019. Good Luck!3
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Counted calories, weighed my food, ensured I was in a reasonable deficit. Extremely consistant. Resistance training. Lost 80 pounds.
And no , I didn’t go low carb. Not necessarily nor advantageous to any other diet. I ate everything I use to eat, just less.15 -
Put my stats into MFP, ate the calories I was given, weighed all my food on a food scale, logged my food daily, tried to move more, lost 37 lbs over 18 months, went from 221 to 183, still working on it aiming for 160 by mid summer and ultimate goal 145.
Support came from my husband in real life. But so much help from reading the forums here listening to the people who know what they are talking about and ignoring all the woo from people who don't.
I am taking it slowly so I can eat the foods I like without restricting too much. I also use a trending APP (Libra) to show my the downward trend and stop me getting disheartened when I see a fluctuation on the scale.
This site changed my whole view on how to lose weight sensibly and for the long term.15 -
I agree that it depends so much on your goals and motivation and end result you want to achieve.
I wanted to lose a considerable amount of weight when I joined MFP. I had already lost 45 lb (over a period of several years) from my heaviest through loosely trying to eat less/eat healthier and walking MUCH more (several miles most evenings). But I still had a lot to lose at that point (March 2013).
For me, tracking every single calorie with MFP was the key to losing 90 more pounds in about a year...I honestly was not in a big rush to lose that much but kept slow & steady because for me consistency and routine is everything. I have maintained my total loss for 5 years so far with up/down of 10-15 lb over the years and currently on the lower end of that.
I eat a mostly vegetarian diet but I do eat meat at least weekly and fish/eggs more often. I eat a lot of vegetables. I don't think healthy food has to be expensive and in my home we eat a lot of cheap things like in-season produce, bulk beans, rice, lentils...we buy very few convenience foods, mainly just veggie burgers and Greek yogurt. I look at calories first & foremost, not particularly concerned with low carb or low fat and such...I do LOOK at all of those things, certainly, and don't want to be particularly high on sodium/sugar...but mainly I am concerned w/ calorie goals. I have tried a lot of "healthier" recipes especially for baking, and like to halve some of those recipes in order to have fewer leftovers. I find it is helpful to plan out meals ahead of time and log ahead of time. I like the website, not the app.
I am lucky to have a very supportive husband who cooks most of our meals and is always up for exercising together. I am able to come home from work at lunchtime and eat at home, and I always eat a smaller breakfast so that I have ample calories for lunch & dinner. I limit dining out to Saturdays and one lunch per week (with my senior father, so that's special time to me and I still eat within calorie goals). I usually get a LOT more exercise on Saturdays & go over a little bit on my calories that day. I don't call it a "cheat day" but if I'm going to have ice cream and tacos from a restaurant, it's only gonna happen on a Saturday, generally speaking. I drink water and black coffee and hot tea and occasional sparkling water...I try not to drink my calories because I find it far less satisfying.
Basically, consistency has worked for me. As for exercise, my habits honestly have not changed too drastically with my weight loss. I have always been a pretty big fan of walking and hiking and swimming. I do those things more often now and enjoy them more, but I have not gotten into weightlifting or fitness classes or anything of that nature so I'm not one to ask in that area. If it's helpful I am 42 now and was 35-36 when I got "serious" about this. I do not have children but I do work full-time and am a caregiver for my mother who is a disabled senior. I realize this is a lot of information but I hope it may be helpful to get another person's perspective and what has worked for them.
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I will tell you for a small fee payable in 5 easy installments.
Kidding.
The only thing you should probably invest in if you do not have one already is a food scale. It will help you log more accurately.
I do not require external support so I can't help you there. I actually kind of hate being cheered on. It took me a long time to even confess that I was trying to lose weight to people. I had failed so much I sort of expected to fail again.
I think you should change as little as possible and make it as easy on yourself as possible to start. Don't worry about anything except logging accurately and working towards staying within your calorie goal. You do not have to accomplish that day 1 or even your first week.
You may need to experiment with what you eat or how often you eat and if you need advice about what to try come and ask. It is very important that you figure you out and keep your hunger and cravings controlled. If you are hungry before meals that is fine but it is not fine to be miserably hungry for hours. If you leave a craving unchecked for too long it may make you resentful. Those are things that will make sustainability harder if not impossible.
Make your goal getting through each day as happy as possible and try to ignore weight loss. If you are in a calorie deficit the weight will come off but it takes time. I consider watching for weight loss to be about as much fun as trying to watch grass grow. I have seen a lot of threads from people who were driving themselves crazy watching their scales and expecting it to be their chief source of motivation. I have been doing this over a year and that year flew by because I worked at staying happy and tried not to think about weight loss anymore than I needed.
There are loads of helpful threads at the top of the forums to help educate yourself. Here is one to start:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p14 -
I started using this site 3+ years ago weighing 272 lb. I was 53 years old, and had been obese all my life. I had been much heavier back in the 20th century. With the stroke of midnight on January 1, 2000, my brain toggled from "death" to "life". I decided to live. After that, I quit eating several large meals every day. I lost a lot of weight. I don't know how much it was, but it was several inches in my waist.
Using myfitnesspal, I did buy a kitchen scale for the first time. I got it at Wal-Mart. I used it to weigh my food and stay within a calorie budget.
Over time, I learned about vegetables, protein, and portion sizes. I learned that each day is one drop in an ocean. I learned to make pizza and had a modest-sized homemade pizza for dinner 3 times a week for over a year. I got close to my goal weight, then relaxed my focus. I gained back 50 of the 107 pounds I'd lost.
I recovered my focus, and am once again paying attention to my calorie budget.
At this time, I try to keep my carbs to 5% and to meet my protein goals each day. I'm not always successful from day to day, but I don't despair. Each morning is a new chance to live.7 -
I cook and prep lunches to take to work on Sundays and put labels on the Tupperware in the fridge with weight (grams etc) of the protein, veggie, whatever.4
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First ten pounds I just ate in moderation and did cardio.
Now I’m doing that and low carbs since I don’t enjoy micromanaging every little thing I put in my body with counting calories, using a food scale ect- I like bare minimum no stress when it comes to weight loss. No support, no money spent besides food, and an elliptical. so far I’ve lost 15lbs.
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I’m looking to get healthier, lose and maintain weight loss, get more fit etc just like everyone here. Asking for specific advice and tips from real people👍Teabythesea_ wrote: »What worked to accomplish what exactly? Everyone has different goals. Different things work for different people. Are you looking to improve your health? Lose weight? Maintain weight? None of those things require money spent or deprivation. Like with most of us, you will only find out what "works" for you through trial and error. It's up to you to determine what habits are healthy and sustainable for you.
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MFP2
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I've been maintaining my weight and better health markers for 6 years now (so almost 7 years into the process at this point). I haven't spent any money on any extras except for a cheapy food scale and a floor scale.
My suggestions:
-learn how CICO actually works and realize that weight loss, gain and maintenance comes down to calorie balance. Everything else is background noise
-learn how to correctly measure out portion sizes (ie food scale)
-learn what true hunger is vs eating out of habit, boredom, because you're at a social event, because the time on the clock etc
-realize that this is a life long process-start thinking in terms of years, not weeks or months. What can you do, that's realistic and sustainable for you, for the rest of your life?
-and lastly, always be working towards a goal. This is especially important during the many years of maintenance You need something to focus on, to keep your head in the game.7 -
I am not a diet or exercise expert. However, the best diet advice I heard was from a former Wake Forest/Pittsburgh Steelers RB. The advice? “If you can’t follow your diet the rest of your life, then it is not worth doing.”
In the past year I have lost nearly 40 pounds following his advice. I found something that works for me and I am sticking with it 😀13 -
Eliminated cheese and milk and most fruit. Significantly reduced (90%) and carbs. Increased veggies and Protein. I am a strict pescatarian. Lost 9 pounds in 2 months (0.5 a week). Reduced body fat 4%. Goal weight is just 1 pound away!6
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1) Ate less and exercised more so that CO > or = CI everyday.
2) Kept track of CI and CO everyday.
3) And, weighed myself daily.
Recorded 2&3 everyday on MFP and Excel. Still do 1-3 daily.
Have lost and kept 40 lbs off doing this over the past 3 yrs; 196 down to 156.
Lost most of the wt in the 1st 6 months and have maintained the loss for the past 2.5 yrs.4 -
Plugged my stats into MFP.
Decided to pursue a less-aggressive deficit and lose more slowly.
Worked in treats, snacks, and desserts in small doses (I keep my homemade dessert to 200 calories or fewer per serving).
Noticed that I felt most full when I got more protein and fiber and gradually got a feel for the foods that met that criterion.
Decided to walk every day. 25 minutes at first, then more. And if I couldn't get outside to do it, I have a glider in the basement.
Bought a book on strength training, some dumbbells and other equipment, and had at it.
Dropped 108lbs so far!
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lindsayann135 wrote: »I’m looking to get healthier, lose and maintain weight loss, get more fit etc just like everyone here. Asking for specific advice and tips from real people👍Teabythesea_ wrote: »What worked to accomplish what exactly? Everyone has different goals. Different things work for different people. Are you looking to improve your health? Lose weight? Maintain weight? None of those things require money spent or deprivation. Like with most of us, you will only find out what "works" for you through trial and error. It's up to you to determine what habits are healthy and sustainable for you.
I ate fewer calories than I burned to lose weight.2 -
What worked for me (more than 100 lb loss, extended maintenance breaks that lasted over a year, sustainable changes) was to go at it with maintenance in mind. If I wasn't willing to do it for life, the change wasn't worth it. Lots of trial and error and tweaking, noticing what fills me up and what doesn't, eating what fills me up more often and eating what I like but doesn't fill me up less often on days when I have a lower appetite or have extra calories.
I basically looked at my diet as it was, logged it daily, noted what contributed most to my calories, noted what tweaks would reduce my calories with the least effort, then tried them. Some tweaks felt sustainable, so I kept them, other tweaks didn't feel sustainable, so I discarded them.
Whenever I was faced with a situation where I found myself eating more, I thought up strategies to help with it. Tried these strategies one by one, kept what helped, discarded what didn't. Picking the lowest calorie meal instead of what I wanted when going out, for example, didn't work because it made me feel envious and affected my enjoyment. Since I don't go out all that often, I decided getting what I want in whatever quantity I want was the best thing to do for my diet. I eat at maintenance and try to be more active on days I plan to go out, and I may or may not save up calories in advance to give myself even more wiggle room. That felt more sustainable.
Sometimes something that worked stops working, so I change it. I used to do fine with fasting occasionally to save up calories for a large meal, now it feels easier to just move a bit more and eat a bit less for a few days, so I don't fast as often as I used to.
As for support, I have none because I explicitly asked to not be actively supported. It places extra stress on me to show results to reward their support. It also feels awkward and stressful when people act awkward around me when food is involved (bring home all the chocolate you want and don't apologize or try to hide in a corner when you eat it. It may make it harder for me if I don't have the calories for it, but that's my problem, not yours.) I would rather do things at my own pace and normalize the act of food management instead of it feeling like a special phase that requires support. Some people do better with active support, though. I'm not one of them.
I also learned perfectionism can be a brutal enemy. I didn't need to be perfect all the time, and going over calories occasionally didn't need to be a big deal because that's how real life usually is. People who maintain a normal weight naturally have spontaneous higher calorie days sometimes, too. Making a big deal out of it made me want to restrict more, which resulted in more calorie blowouts, a vicious cycle. I won't "ruin my diet" if I'm not sticking to my calories perfectly every single day without deviation, as long as I'm sticking to my calories consistently enough to create a deficit over time. There are minimums I could do (try to stay within maintenance, for example) and there are what I want to do (be in a deficit). Minimums are good enough when "want to dos" aren't feasible and create more stress and repercussions than they're worth for a particular situation.6 -
lindsayann135 wrote: »I’d love to hear (especially from people who have seen some progress or gotten to a healthy place and stayed there) what worked for you? What specific changes did you make and when? Did you do things gradually or all at once? What kind of support system did you have or did you have none at all? Especially interested in changes/advice that worked that didn’t cost money or involve a program that was finite or required participants to pay money. I’ve done all of those, am not interested in quick fixes or depriving myself, and want real world stories on what people have done. Let me know, I’m ready to get to work! 🙌👍
I am 9 months in, have lost 50+ pounds and starting my third month in maintenance.
The main changes:- I decided at the beginning I would only adopt strategies that I felt that I could maintain forever. So ... I counted calories and focused on eating healthy foods. I tried to eliminate processed foods and to limit added sugar. Otherwise, no real restrictions.
- I eat a fairly balanced diet and, through experimentation, found that protein is key for me to avoid energy lags and cravings. While I don't really track macros, my daily intake tends to be 100-149 g protein, 150-200 g carbs, and 60-65 g fats.
- Improving fitness was a major goal for me. Again, I focused on doing things that I felt I could continue doing forever. I started with my main passion (riding) and added new elements gradually. I also try to do a variety of different activities so I incorporate strength training, aerobic exercise, and flexibility/range of motion.
- I pretrack (meal plan and exercise) every day. This takes about 5 minutes every morning while I drink my morning coffee. It helps me stay focused. It also allows me to easily stay on plan and avoids the "what shall I fix for dinner" question at the end of the day when I am really hungry (and typically leads to very bad choices).
I found participating in a couple of process-oriented challenges on MFP helpful during the last part of my active weight loss phase. Other than that, I did not have a lot of support. I did however, take the time before I started to really clarify what I wanted to accomplish and why. Keeping those goals and reasons front and center has also been really helpful. I am finding that my transition into maintenance has been fairly easy since I am not really doing anything much different than I was doing all along.
Hope this helps.
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missysippy930 wrote: »
Actually ... no.
You should not plan to follow your diet for the rest of your life or you'll continue to lose weight for the rest of your life.
Instead, follow your diet until you near your goal, then figure out what your plan will be for maintenance.
At least that's what works for me.
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[quote="amusedmonkey;c-43546747"If I wasn't willing to do it for life, the change wasn't worth it. Lots of trial and error and tweaking, THIS! Taking the time to figure out what worked for 'me' was crucial!
I would rather do things at my own pace and normalize the act of food management instead of it feeling like a special phase that requires support. This was also really important to me. I do not want to "diet" ... ever!
I also learned perfectionism can be a brutal enemy. Oh my, yes! That all or nothing thinking undermined my attempts for years! (in more than just food management ) Really internalizing that consistency, not perfection, is the key was critical.[/quote]
Great post.2 -
missysippy930 wrote: »
Yup. Succinct and to the point.missysippy930 wrote: »
Actually ... no.
You should not plan to follow your diet for the rest of your life or you'll continue to lose weight for the rest of your life.
Actually, no.
Per Oxford dictionary’s first entry -
Diet: The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.
From the Greek: diaita, meaning ‘a way of life’.
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missysippy930 wrote: »
Actually ... no.
You should not plan to follow your diet for the rest of your life or you'll continue to lose weight for the rest of your life.
Instead, follow your diet until you near your goal, then figure out what your plan will be for maintenance.
At least that's what works for me.
Having months (or years, like in my case) of practicing maintenance strategies is a good idea. Building a set of habits and strategies does not mean planning to be in a deficit forever and the habits do not need to change just because you have more calories. You simply do the same things but eat more.2 -
I have been overweight for most of my life, starting at 260lbs at 18yo and going up to 390 lbs at 38 (at 6'3", 190cm), then dropped to 271 within 18 months on the Atkins diet with 5-6 days at the gym too, as I worked next to one, and the owner was a friend so I got a lifetime membership for free (Major international corp). When I say gym, I did start slow, with just some treadmill or elliptical, and by the end of the 18 months I was up to 6 days of cardio and 3 days of circuit training, about an hour or thereabouts a day. Nothing drastic, but steady.
Then I had an accident, and during my recovery I stopped exercising and the Atkins. I started gaining maybe 1 pound or 2 per month, no big deal, right? Well, 10 years later and a continent away, I was at 174,5 kgs (385 lbs), with a bit more muscle, but about the same size as before. Didn't think much of it, till I started seeing double one day, headed to the hospital, and I was told I was a couple of steps away from a stroke a few months before my 50th birthday, and my blood pressure was at 220/130 (As soon as they measured it, they gave me a nitro pill and admitted me to the hospital). So the time to start losing weight was upon me once again.
I joined MFP, started counting the calories and eventually bought a digital kitchen scale as well, and 245 days later I have lost 33,5kgs (74 lbs), without any hard dieting or missing out on most of my foods. I learned to do proper portions basically, and I stopped eating when I reached my goals or when I was dangerously close before dinner. I still do a mini-binge once a week at a restaurant with friends (Two years, every single Friday, same friends, same restaurant, same foods, creatures of habit), though I still try to stay below at least my maintenance level. The rest of the week I am at a level to lose about 1,5 lbs per week.
Did hit a couple of plateaus where I stayed at the same weight for about a month, but eventually overcame with some near zero carb keto diet for 3-4 days. It worked for me, I am not sure it works for everyone. It helped me restart the weight loss at the plateaus, I do not have the patience to do it full time, despite knowing I could have lost perhaps 20-30 lbs more during the last 8 months. I prefer to take it slow now, and take up to 2 years to get to a healthy weight, since research shows if you lose it too fast, you will eventually gain it all back and more. I recently got back on the bike, since it now could bear my weight, and hope to get up to 10 miles a day eventually, though I am at 2 right now.
So in 8 months I went from 385lbs to 312, from a size 54 jeans to a size 44, BP from 220/130 to 125/70 (with medicine), can fit in my old (expensive) motorcycle gear from 11 years ago, and get better gas mileage on my motorcycle. (The car doesn't really care for 75lbs difference in weight)
To recap:
1) Started measuring calories
2) Dropped some high calorie foods like cheese, sausages, fried foods, chocolate, desserts, oils, dips.
3) Added some new healthier foods like cottage cheese, yoghurt, tahini, greens, chicken.
4) Still eat some of the "bad" foods in moderation a couple of times a week, but keep the calories below my goal by eating less of the rest.
5) Still eat like a pig on major family feasts (Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays etc), but still avoid overdoing it to the point of exhaustion from eating.
My goals for the next few months:
1) Do some more biking
2) Walk a lot more
3) Lower my carb intake
4) Buy a new motorcycle (nothing to do with weight, I just need one. ) 2 -
missysippy930 wrote: »
Actually ... no.
You should not plan to follow your diet for the rest of your life or you'll continue to lose weight for the rest of your life.
Instead, follow your diet until you near your goal, then figure out what your plan will be for maintenance.
At least that's what works for me.
Actually, yes, for me. It says it all, with a few words.
All foods in moderation for me.
Consuming less calories than my body burns while losing.
Smooth transition into maintenance consuming the same amount of calories my body is burning.
Very little adjustment, except being able to eat more.😃2 -
missysippy930 wrote: »
Yup. Succinct and to the point.missysippy930 wrote: »
Actually ... no.
You should not plan to follow your diet for the rest of your life or you'll continue to lose weight for the rest of your life.
Actually, no.
Per Oxford dictionary’s first entry -
Diet: The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.
From the Greek: diaita, meaning ‘a way of life’.
Per Oxford dictionary's second entry -
Diet: A special course of food to which a person restricts themselves, either to lose weight or for medical reasons.
I diet (second definition) to lose weight.
I eat a maintenance diet (first definition) to maintain.
For me, they are two similar, but different, things for when I'm in different places. Given that I've remained within a healthy BMI for the vast majority of my life, it seems to be working. 3 -
missysippy930 wrote: »
Yup. Succinct and to the point.missysippy930 wrote: »
Actually ... no.
You should not plan to follow your diet for the rest of your life or you'll continue to lose weight for the rest of your life.
Actually, no.
Per Oxford dictionary’s first entry -
Diet: The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.
From the Greek: diaita, meaning ‘a way of life’.
Per Oxford dictionary's second entry -
Diet: A special course of food to which a person restricts themselves, either to lose weight or for medical reasons.
I diet (second definition) to lose weight.
I eat a maintenance diet (first definition) to maintain.
For me, they are two similar, but different, things for when I'm in different places. Given that I've remained within a healthy BMI for the vast majority of my life, it seems to be working.
Everyone has a diet. (Food they eat)
You don’t need a different diet to lose weight than to maintain the weight loss. It’s all about the number of calories. That’s why the poster who told about the Pittsburgh RB’s statement is so perfect.2 -
For me, cutting carbs made weight loss easier because it cuts my appetite. Losing us much easier when not that hungry.
I went to keto about 4 years ago, and lost my weight in the first 6 months. I only counted calories for the first 3 months. I stayed keto for health reasons and because maintenance was so easy. I tried increasing carbs but my appetite came back, my health declined a but and I regained a bit. I cut carbs again and lost it all again without trying.
I dont eat (very often) refined and processed carbs like flours or sugars. I dont feel deprived by it because of lack of cravings. I had more hunger and cravings when eating those foods when i was eating more. Ymmv1 -
missysippy930 wrote: »missysippy930 wrote: »
Yup. Succinct and to the point.missysippy930 wrote: »
Actually ... no.
You should not plan to follow your diet for the rest of your life or you'll continue to lose weight for the rest of your life.
Actually, no.
Per Oxford dictionary’s first entry -
Diet: The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.
From the Greek: diaita, meaning ‘a way of life’.
Per Oxford dictionary's second entry -
Diet: A special course of food to which a person restricts themselves, either to lose weight or for medical reasons.
I diet (second definition) to lose weight.
I eat a maintenance diet (first definition) to maintain.
For me, they are two similar, but different, things for when I'm in different places. Given that I've remained within a healthy BMI for the vast majority of my life, it seems to be working.
Everyone has a diet. (Food they eat)
You don’t need a different diet to lose weight than to maintain the weight loss. It’s all about the number of calories.
It is all about calories.
When I want to lose a bit, I switch to low calorie food. When I'm OK with where I am, I eat higher calorie foods.
That's what works for me!
(That was what the question was ... right?)
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