What's your best tips?
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gallantria
Posts: 54 Member
I know there isn't an end-all be-all for weight loss, but what are some tips you wish someone would have told you in the beginning?
I am looking at losing over 200lbs and I have a hard time with food swaps. I work a lot and I have a hard time committing to cooking for myself. I've done alright with meal prep, but boy does temptation strike...
Thanks in advance!
I am looking at losing over 200lbs and I have a hard time with food swaps. I work a lot and I have a hard time committing to cooking for myself. I've done alright with meal prep, but boy does temptation strike...
Thanks in advance!
4
Replies
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Keep it simple. Move more, eat less. It really is that simple. The hard part is figuring out how to make that fit into your life.8
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Don't overthink it. Don't overcomplicate it.
Don't even think about using overcompensation as the antidote. It only digs you into a much deeper hole with food.
It's all about the deficit. You'll see. Stick around and read the forum threads.5 -
Use a food scale from the get-go. A food scale will get you really good at eyeballing food portions.8
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It's not all or nothing. Make (small) lifestyle changes that are sustainable and don't get too obsessed.11
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I have 3:
1. Don't try to lose weight too fast. Crash dieting equals yo yo dieting.
2. Weigh your food! Packaged food does not always come in the portions as labeled.
3. The scale is not always an indicator of success! Clothes that didn't fit, tape measures, and pictures will aid 8n measuring progress.5 -
ask yourself how old you are and just think, it took you that long to get here, so don't expect to change in days, weeks, or months5
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Water, water, and, then more water.2
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Things I wish I knew at the beginning (aka things I had to learn the hard way):
1) Think about maintenance from the start. If you can’t see yourself doing it over the long run, it’s probably not a workable plan.
2) There are no bonus points for misery. Find a livable calorie deficit rather than trying to lose everything “as quickly as possible”.
3) Find exercise you enjoy rather than focusing on the “best” thing you can possibly be doing. That walk you did is worth more than the run you didn’t go on because you hate running (no offense to running, it’s just an example).
4) Pre-track calories (for the next day, week, whatever time scale works for you). It’s easier to stick to a plan than to wing it on the go.
5) Try to plan in periodic treats and just log them. See point about avoiding misery.
6) Keep logging even when you’re coming off the rails (which will happen because life is unpredictable and we’re all humans). You’ll be more likely to get back on track.
7) Stay connected to a community like this one. There’s good advice.11 -
Great advice here. I found consistency is the key. Small changes over time will yield results.
Uber fast weight loss rarely works. Sure you'll see some people who never had a setback or lost 100 pounds in a year. Most did not.
In my 30's I could drop 50 lbs in 3 or 4 months but always gained it back. When I hit 40 I took the slow approach. Ate a little less at each meal, moved a bit more and it stuck. Soon I added more vegetables, swithched to whole grains and more fiber to fill my plate.
It took a long time and I had ups and downs because life happens. I experienced job loss, relationship problems, money problems, dealth of a parent and more. I used food in unhealthy ways.
My advice is to also address your relationship with food. I was a binge eater and honestly still am. It's a lifeling process, and rarely do you just snap your fingers and change overnight.
Keep the faith and always remember.. if you go in the wrong direction, do a U turn. Bad day or week? Stop and turn around. Easier said than done but so necessary.
Good luck. We are all rooting for you.2 -
All the advice above is already so great I almost don't know what to add.
1) If you are able to allow a "free" meal once a month or so it may be helpful. For me I found that if I just tell myself to wait until Friday and I can eat that candy bar by Friday I don't always want it but I didn't feel cheated out because I just had to wait rather than tell myself no.
2) The scale is not end all be all. If the scale stops moving check your measurements, look at photos and remember that you didn't put on weight overnight.
3) Food scales & measuring cups are your best friends. There have been things I thought were a serving and it be way over but there have also been things I thought were a serving and realized I could have more.
4) If you like yogurt or freeze dried fruits don't overlook the baby food aisle. Seriously, those little yogurt melts/bites are crunchy delicious and really low. There are other things in that aisle that are surprisingly tasty and low calorie.
5) Falling off the wagon doesn't mean you failed. It just means you pick yourself up and keep going. I no longer tell myself I need to start over but instead tell myself I am continuing. If I feel like I have to start over it is overwhelming but continuing feels like progress.
6) If you are able to plan your meals in advance it helps. Not really meal prepping or planning but in the morning log what you think you will eat that day and then adjust as needed. I often do this and might delete an entry and change it but at least I had a plan before I got to the end of the day. Even if it's fast food I can look up the menu online and pick what the best option would be in advance. Once it's in my head I can get excited about it.
7) Never feel ashamed to ask for help or encouragement! The community is here always and if you have family or friends that will cheer you on use that motivation. Sometimes I think of it like having an AA sponsor. Have a friend you can phone and say "I'm going to go here" and they can either come split it with you so it isn't as bad or help you have something better or just talk you down. Having a local friend that will help you with your goals is huge.2 -
Log before you eat and weigh, do not use "cups".
Nothing worse than eating and then logging it to find you have gone over your calories or have not left enough for what you wanted for your evening meal for example. Also, logging before you eat means nothing gets forgotten.
And "cups" are the spawn of the devil. Do not use them.
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Weight loss does not need to be forced. It needs to be allowed to let happen.
You do not know everything you need to know right now so don't marry a plan.
Life does not stop because you have chosen to lose weight. Be prepared to be flexible.
You do not need to lose weight everyday, just most days.
Life is not a fairy tale of endless states of high motivation. Some days you need to keep it as simple as eat less and move more. Some days it will be eat SOME less and try to get off the couch occasionally.
Nothing wrecks a diet except quitting. Don't shoot yourself in the foot over weak moments and adapt when something is not working, don't quit.
Your temporary goal is to lose weight. Your lifetime goal is to lose the mindset and habits of the person who gained it.
Adjust your lifestyle over time. Don't overhaul it without a medical reason.8 -
If your goals are not realistic and fully attainable you will find logic in giving up. Set smaller goals that are totally doable (20lbs by 3 months out, or a pound a week... if you only focus on 200lbs to lose you will drive yourself mad) Start by not changing but taking a week or so tracking what you currently eat and drink completely and realize most people underestimate what they eat by 20% so factor in a buffer zone. At my heaviest I was consuming around 5,000 cals a day, identifying the swaps I was and was not willing to make allowed me to get it down to what works for me to lose weight. Once you know what you are consuming start to swap out the least necessary items for better ones or hydration (I learned I am very "hungry" when dehydrated for example) I also realized for me alcohol was eating up way to many calories and triggering me to eat crap at night. Most importantly unless you want to end up mentally unwell it's very important to surround yourself with positive people and seek out therapy if needed to deal with emotional issues as opposed to punishing yourself with workouts and diets that are unrealistic.3
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Be gentle with yourself. After all, you're doing this to improve your life. It didn't go on overnight, and it won't go off overnight. If your loss slows down because you're stressed, don't freak out. I had mine completely stall for three months. Course, in those three months we moved and he lost his job! But it did restart, and now I know that sizeable stress will impact my loss. I just kept eating right and drinking my water, and it got better.
Find ways to reward yourself for life goals that don't involve food. And shift your thinking about food. It's just part of life, not the point of living, not the reward. It's just part. It can be a tasty and enjoyable part, but it's just part. Start finding other parts of life to enjoy so that your only enjoyment in life isn't food.3 -
Meal plan if you can. I use Slender Kitchen and Skinnytaste for recipe ideas. I keep them on a Google Doc with a notation of where to find the recipe. I also list any ingredients that I may not have on hand so that I am not caught short. I can go back and look over my meal plans and make a grocery list pretty easily. I also try to use recipes that have similar ingredients that I may not buy regularly - for example I don't keep celery on hand but I need it for one recipe for next week so I am incorporationg a couple of others that use celery into my meal plan.
Know that this will not happen quickly, as others have said make small changes so it is sustainable. Accept that there will be periods of time when the weight loss or slow or there is none. Don't give up no matter how tempting it may be.0 -
Consistency. Make a plan with small changes. Make the plan something you can live with. Stick to the plan. If it's not working, change it and make it better for you.2
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I just started in Sept this time i wanted to make it count. I didnt wanna do something that was too hard. So i did these steps.. it might help you, this is just what i did you can try if you want.
1) I did start out eating really low, first 2 weeks it was really hard (side effects - headaches, cant sleep, sugar cravings) but if you stay with it, its gonna pass. i literally would hear my stomach growl... especially at night , but you know what i learned what that is.. its called the hunger hormone... its used to you eating all the time esp carbs and then crashing again... it goes away .. this happens because my body wasnt used to eating at correct intervals.. your suppose to feed your body every few hours i only did 3 meals a day but you can do what works for you
2) exercise... you have to move your body... and try to go for walks if possible. But LIFT heavy weights, if you cant do much.. .just do what you can do bodyweight exercises, pushups, lunges, just do what you can.. and you can go for walks but dont do 1 HR of cardio
3) after the first 2 weeks detoxing.. of feeling starving, cutting sugar you start to feel kinda better...
4) whenever you're hungry drink water FIRST
5) make sure your eating mostly protein at each meal, if you can get 20g each meal. especially if your feeling hungry at night. chicken,fish,eggs, protein powder, protein bars, yogurt, cottage cheese
6) make healthy choices when possible.. you know what those are! your hungry at night... and already had dinner... have 1 piece of cheese and grapes.. avoid crackers, you can have 1 or 2 but try to. go for fruit instead.
if you go to a restaurant, mcdonalds.. get the healthier options.. they have small chicken wraps, salads, junior chicken (smallest low cal options), ask for coffee black w/ splenda.
7) eat at the correct intervals... our body is starving initially because we are used to eating carbs and then crashing and needing energy. eat at the right times,8-9am breakfast lunch 12-1 dinner 6pm, like that? make sure theres a balance of protein carb fat (chicken - protein, olive oil - fat, carbs - veggies) youll notice when your eating enough food at each meal.. you will feel full between meals.0 -
--Lose slowly. You are more likely to keep it off.
--There will be plateaus.
--There will be weeks with increases. It-s the average overall per month you should focus on.
this--> "Sometimes you owe the scale, sometimes the scale owes you" (i.e., you can "pig out" on junk food and not gain that week, then eat and exercise well for a week and scale doesn't move. or goes up! Eventually it does catch up)
--Least helpful for me - "if you are hungry, drink water".
--Don't give up because "a bad day undid all your work". Plan for it. There will be days you overeat.
--Do NOT eyeball or estimate. If you really cannot weigh, then over-estimate.
(If you don't believe me, try estimating and then weigh after. Easy to underestimate size)
--If eating out, don't forget the oil, butter and other "hidden" calories.
--Move. exercise, or walk or do something almost daily. "You eat every day" [my goal is 7 days, and I am happy with 5 or 6)
--Your weight will fluctuate all day long. don't panic.
--that a "tablespoon" of peanut butter is not how much pb you can get to fit on the spoon.0 -
I just started in Sept this time i wanted to make it count. I didnt wanna do something that was too hard. So i did these steps.. it might help you, this is just what i did you can try if you want.
1) I did start out eating really low, first 2 weeks it was really hard (side effects - headaches, cant sleep, sugar cravings) but if you stay with it, its gonna pass. i literally would hear my stomach growl... especially at night , but you know what i learned what that is.. its called the hunger hormone... its used to you eating all the time esp carbs and then crashing again... it goes away .. this happens because my body wasnt used to eating at correct intervals.. your suppose to feed your body every few hours i only did 3 meals a day but you can do what works for you
2) exercise... you have to move your body... and try to go for walks if possible. But LIFT heavy weights, if you cant do much.. .just do what you can do bodyweight exercises, pushups, lunges, just do what you can.. and you can go for walks but dont do 1 HR of cardio
3) after the first 2 weeks detoxing.. of feeling starving, cutting sugar you start to feel kinda better...
4) whenever you're hungry drink water FIRST
5) make sure your eating mostly protein at each meal, if you can get 20g each meal. especially if your feeling hungry at night. chicken,fish,eggs, protein powder, protein bars, yogurt, cottage cheese
6) make healthy choices when possible.. you know what those are! your hungry at night... and already had dinner... have 1 piece of cheese and grapes.. avoid crackers, you can have 1 or 2 but try to. go for fruit instead.
if you go to a restaurant, mcdonalds.. get the healthier options.. they have small chicken wraps, salads, junior chicken (smallest low cal options), ask for coffee black w/ splenda.
7) eat at the correct intervals... our body is starving initially because we are used to eating carbs and then crashing and needing energy. eat at the right times,8-9am breakfast lunch 12-1 dinner 6pm, like that? make sure theres a balance of protein carb fat (chicken - protein, olive oil - fat, carbs - veggies) youll notice when your eating enough food at each meal.. you will feel full between meals.
@lillyy23
You are making things harder on yourself than needed. Weight loss has hard parts built in. If you exhaust your resolve doing things that are unnecessary then you are in trouble when you really need it. I should know... it is on my greatest hits album of ways I failed.
You believe some myths. This happens. There are many out there and they can be quite compelling especially when you have heard them over and over again sometimes from seemingly credible sources.
Weight loss only requires a calorie deficit. It does not require special food other than what is needed to control hunger.
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I just started in Sept this time i wanted to make it count. I didnt wanna do something that was too hard. So i did these steps.. it might help you, this is just what i did you can try if you want.
1) I did start out eating really low, first 2 weeks it was really hard (side effects - headaches, cant sleep, sugar cravings) but if you stay with it, its gonna pass. i literally would hear my stomach growl... especially at night , but you know what i learned what that is.. its called the hunger hormone... its used to you eating all the time esp carbs and then crashing again... it goes away .. this happens because my body wasnt used to eating at correct intervals.. your suppose to feed your body every few hours i only did 3 meals a day but you can do what works for you
2) exercise... you have to move your body... and try to go for walks if possible. But LIFT heavy weights, if you cant do much.. .just do what you can do bodyweight exercises, pushups, lunges, just do what you can.. and you can go for walks but dont do 1 HR of cardio
3) after the first 2 weeks detoxing.. of feeling starving, cutting sugar you start to feel kinda better...
4) whenever you're hungry drink water FIRST
5) make sure your eating mostly protein at each meal, if you can get 20g each meal. especially if your feeling hungry at night. chicken,fish,eggs, protein powder, protein bars, yogurt, cottage cheese
6) make healthy choices when possible.. you know what those are! your hungry at night... and already had dinner... have 1 piece of cheese and grapes.. avoid crackers, you can have 1 or 2 but try to. go for fruit instead.
if you go to a restaurant, mcdonalds.. get the healthier options.. they have small chicken wraps, salads, junior chicken (smallest low cal options), ask for coffee black w/ splenda.
7) eat at the correct intervals... our body is starving initially because we are used to eating carbs and then crashing and needing energy. eat at the right times,8-9am breakfast lunch 12-1 dinner 6pm, like that? make sure theres a balance of protein carb fat (chicken - protein, olive oil - fat, carbs - veggies) youll notice when your eating enough food at each meal.. you will feel full between meals.
@lillyy23
You are making things harder on yourself than needed. Weight loss has hard parts built in. If you exhaust your resolve doing things that are unnecessary then you are in trouble when you really need it. I should know... it is on my greatest hits album of ways I failed.
You believe some myths. This happens. There are many out there and they can be quite compelling especially when you have heard them over and over again sometimes from seemingly credible sources.
Weight loss only requires a calorie deficit. It does not require special food other than what is needed to control hunger.
Hey @NovusDies, I actually thought @lilyy23 had some good pointers to get started in those early "feeling crazy" weeks. I am only something like 6 weeks in "this time", but I am a repeat offender, which is sounds like you are as well. For me, I needed some rules for those early few weeks to help push me through and help to convert my mindset. It's funny because those early weeks (and all those weeks where I was gaining) hunger and old cravings were my main issues. So I targeted some rules that help keep my blood sugar more steady to support better behavior. Right now, I have kept some, but I am living looser now and living a bit more. But now I feel safe doing it because my mind has switched over to where it needs to be. Seven weeks ago, any bit of hunger, I could not handle. Now, the sensation of reasonable hunger feels empowering. Anyhow, I get your point that it is calorie deficit that is the key and that I think you are pointing out that one needs livable, sustainable habits, but at the same time, I think Lilly gave some great rules to support getting the ball rolling. Her suggestions are not far from what I did 6 weeks ago.
All in all, I am enjoying reading the pointers from everyone on this thread. Keep them coming. I am still building my tools.
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