What works for you?

ironman88keys1
ironman88keys1 Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I'm new to this site, and I have to ask: As far as losing the weight, and keeping it off, what works for you?

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Consistently meeting my calorie goal (that is, I don't meet it every single day, but I meet it way more days than I don't).
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,745 Member
    I lost weight by cutting the high sugar and processed foods that were the main cause of my weight gain. I reduced carbs, but didn't eliminate them as that wasn't sustainable for me. Logging consistently and staying active allowed me to maintain my 55 lb. weight loss for the past 8 or so years.
  • mariomicro
    mariomicro Posts: 74 Member
    I lost 25 kgs in 3 years and several cm of belly fat. What worked for me:

    1) Keeping carbs below 30 g a day.
    2) Eating once a day.
    3) Sporadic longer fasts (4-5 days every 2-3 months)
    4) Mild calorie deficit (usually 100-150 calories)
  • charmmeth
    charmmeth Posts: 936 Member
    edited October 2020
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    Consistently meeting my calorie goal (that is, I don't meet it every single day, but I meet it way more days than I don't).

    This, and as part of this, for me, becoming more active. Eating less and moving more, basically.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited October 2020
    I got into better habits. I moved more by taking walks everyday. I did yoga..ride my bike..do Zumba..anything to keep my interest and keep me moving. Focused on eating more fresh fruits and low calorie vegetable side dishes and eating smaller portions of things like pizza, pasta, and desserts (aka, things I love to overindulge on) without giving up the things I love to eat. I eat what I want...just not as much as I want. Trying to eat more protein everyday. I also got a good food scale, weighed my portions out, and log all of it everyday into MFP. I stick to my calorie goal without over or under eating as much as I can (not perfect at this, though..I just do my best). Got frustrated plenty of times and had to remind myself to be more patient when the scale didn't move sometimes. Eventually, the weight came off. Started at 241 lbs about 8 years ago and took me a year or so to lose..made it to 170. Currently still at 172 and wanting to lose a little more now. Haven't regained the previous weight.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,234 Member
    This:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm/p1

    . . . all the way through weight loss, and for 5 years of maintenance since.

    Also, keeping the process easy, and personalizing my strategies (as in the thread linked above) rather than trying to make someone else's rigid rules fit me. I'm lazy, and hedonistic: I like to work with that, not fight it. For exercise, I prefer things I find reasonably fun, since that makes me more likely to do them. I don't eat foods I dislike, or totally eliminate foods I really enjoy (though I have changed portion size or frequency for some). Life is too short to intentionally make myself miserable.
  • AliNouveau
    AliNouveau Posts: 36,287 Member
    Personally... working out a lot.
    Being strict with tracking calories certainly helps too
    I enjoy working out so a combo of the two works best for me
  • GummiMundi
    GummiMundi Posts: 396 Member
    What has been working for me for almost two years: determination, consistency, and lots of patience.
    Also, weighing and logging all my food correctly (using a food scale and looking for correct entries or creating my own).

    Best of luck to you! :)
  • LiftandSkate
    LiftandSkate Posts: 148 Member
    ChickenKillerPuppy wrote: »
    The key to me is not creating a "diet" where I'm "on" the diet and then go "off" the diet, but creating a lifestyle where I still get pleasure from food and enjoy my life, but I live within my calorie range. That means I eat dessert every day. That means on Friday I have happy hour. To do this it took a good year to learn how many calories I needed to consume to lose/maintain/gain so I could make good choices with food. There is no finish line - I'm in maintenance now and I eat very much like I did when I was losing with an extra 200 calories a day or so. I have had to accept portion control is just part of my life. I weigh and record everything I eat, and at this point pulling the scale out when I cook is so second nature I don't even think about it.

    This is a really great answer! In addition to this, eating the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, or at least having some "go-to" meals always on hand, works wonders for me. It makes meal planning, shopping, cooking, and tracking so much easier and I dont mind eating the same things regularly as long as they are delicious!
  • age_is_just_a_number
    age_is_just_a_number Posts: 631 Member
    I lost 20 lbs two years ago by making some small sustainable changes to my diet and exercise habits.
    Some of those changes include:
    - changed breakfast from cereal with a little yogurt to 1 tbsp each of hemp, flax, and chia with 30 grams of Dorset Muesli, 170 grams of Greek yogurt and a little milk. The result: reduced carbs and increased protein and fibre.
    - Eat salad at least once every day.
    - Reduced after dinner snack. The after dinner snack is my nemesis. I used to have a cup of nuts. While losing weight I changed that to a small handful and eat them very slowly one at a time. The result: I still get the textile experience of having an after dinner snack but with fewer calories.
    - Daily exercise. I found BeachBody and now have BeachBody on demand. I like the flexibility of exercising at home. I’ve gradually increased the intensity, weight, reps and endurance.
    - Tracking everything helps. I find it is more about the psychology of having to write it down than the actual calories.

  • sarahbetherck
    sarahbetherck Posts: 270 Member
    I pre-plan my day the night before so it fits my calories (and macro % if I can, though I'm not all that strict with those.) That way, I don't have to worry about it during the chaos of a school/work day. I know exactly what I'm going to have and still fit my plan. When I get some exercise in, I up my serving sizes or add something else to fit the added calories and consider it a bonus :)
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    • Measuring everything that goes in my mouth, to the gram.
    • Consistently sticking to a reasonable calorie deficit (500-600 while losing; 0-50 while maintaining).
    • Getting at least 45 minutes of cardio in everyday.
    • Handling setbacks casually - just accepting that not everyday will be perfect. Not asking myself to be something I can't be, a 100 % full-on perfect dieting machine 24/7/365.
    • Eating generally healthy foods and cutting back on the grease/salt/sugar laden junky stuff except for occasional treats
    • Getting on the scale every day, especially days when I don't want to because I binged. Accountability!
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    The only thing that reliably works for me is to log my intake and stay within my calorie limit.
  • mylittlerainbow
    mylittlerainbow Posts: 822 Member
    Being accountable (measuring, logging, weighing myself), making sure to have at least 60 min per day of physical activity, portion control but with a balanced diet of healthy (not highly refined) foods - no food group eliminated.
  • domeofstars
    domeofstars Posts: 480 Member
    Weighing and measuring everything i eat and drink, counting calories and logging accurately, every day. Weighing myself every day. Drinking lots of water, eating plenty of protein throughout the day. And doing lots of walking every day as well as weight training/resistance training every day.

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