What small changes have helped you lose weight?
mimimunchery
Posts: 69 Member
So this isn’t my first time at the rodeo. I’ve successfully lost 20 or so lbs a few times now. But I always end up slipping into old habits and gaining it back.
This time I am really trying to determine what my specific eating issues/bad habits are so I make some hopefully more long-lasting changes. So far I’ve identified:
1. Coffee drinks - I never get Frappuccinos etc but I usually have at least one 100-200 cal drink like an oat milk latte a day. Trying to cut these out.
2. Eating my kids’ food. This is a big one - I make dinner for them and end up picking at it or even eating a small meal myself and then I have another big dinner later in the evening. Trying to not snack on kids’ food.
3. Wine. The calories but also the lack willpower when I have a few glasses. A big bag of Trader Joe’s licorice always looks real good after a few glasses of Prosecco. Trying to limit drinking to weekends only.
So those are my changes so far!
Just wondering what other small changes people have made that have really helped ? Let me know!
This time I am really trying to determine what my specific eating issues/bad habits are so I make some hopefully more long-lasting changes. So far I’ve identified:
1. Coffee drinks - I never get Frappuccinos etc but I usually have at least one 100-200 cal drink like an oat milk latte a day. Trying to cut these out.
2. Eating my kids’ food. This is a big one - I make dinner for them and end up picking at it or even eating a small meal myself and then I have another big dinner later in the evening. Trying to not snack on kids’ food.
3. Wine. The calories but also the lack willpower when I have a few glasses. A big bag of Trader Joe’s licorice always looks real good after a few glasses of Prosecco. Trying to limit drinking to weekends only.
So those are my changes so far!
Just wondering what other small changes people have made that have really helped ? Let me know!
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I meditate on my relationship with food. There are never big changes that come from this practice, but small understandings that appear over time that change foundational behaviors.
I stopped eating low quality chocolate and accept only higher quality treats. I now can't stand milk chocolate as it is too sweet for me and can only accept dark chocolate that is 60% or higher. I still eat chocolate, but it really helped to start looking for higher quality versions of it as it became more and more noticeable that the low quality versions tasted terrible anyway. This happened incrementally.
I applied the same method with drinks. I gravitated away from milk entirely because it was upsetting my stomach constantly and I didn't notice it for a long time. I use coconut milk for my smoothies. I never really liked soda in the first place, but learned how I like to take water instead. I fill it with lots of ice because I love cold drinks.
I learned that being authoritarian on myself was far less productive than learning how to negotiate with myself. Telling myself that I can't have some food or that I have to limit it only eventually brought up rebellious behavior. There is often a reason why I want foods that I'm "not supposed to have" and instead of telling myself what to do, I ask myself why. Sometimes it's because I want a certain flavor and I will offer alternatives, and this is how I learned that I can curb pizza cravings with olives, and I used to hate olives too. In the case where I really genuinely want pizza, I ask myself if I can wait a day or two to see if the craving goes away. If a craving is really, really sticking, then it means my psyche is feeling too strained and I let it have a pizza. But more often than not, the craving goes away and I also gain experience in resistance. The skill in resistance increases over time.
Speaking of hating olives, I also learned how to introduce myself to new foods. Instead of forcing myself to eat it, I let my brain get introduced to it. In the case of olives, my friend gave me a small cup of them and I let myself smell them and understand how the flavor might be processed. I just sat with the olives until my brain was ready to try one after not forcing myself, but instead patiently letting it get accustomed to the undesired food. When I ate one it was a much different experience than when I forced myself to eat them before and they are now a favorite snack. I later accomplished accepting fresh tomatoes, coconut, and more with the same method.
I also learned that it is always easier to introduce more recipes and more food to try before I try to remove anything considered bad so that I have more options to rely on. I learned that I like finger foods and easy to prepare items, so I keep small cucumbers and cherry tomatoes around to snack on.15 -
I stay away from foods I don't particularly like:
- I used to drink a few glasses of wine at family dinners and lunches, going along with family habits. I don't particularly like wine, so since knowing how many calories it contains I only drink sparkling wine/an aperitif I like and no wine with the meal itself anymore.
- when offered a food I don't particularly enjoy, I will much more easily say no, especially if it's high calorie. For example pies with creme pâtissière/custard, no thank you.
I prefer spending my calories on foods I enjoy!9 -
I've come to the point of realization there are just certain foods I cannot keep in the house anymore.
I'm not a 'limit myself to a serving' kind of gal. 
I used to buy ice cream or cookies by the package and eat the whole thing. Now I indulge in a pint of ice cream every weekend and fulfill my cravings for other healthier stuff in other ways. I also have increased my veggie intake by volumes and it fills me up. I stay away from cereals, pastas, breads, potatoes(and Cookies!)....all because I know me and they're all things I could easily binge on.
Basically, I'm a grazer so find healthier versions of my texture-cravings and try to build any snack/meal around veggies first, then protein, then add things to make them please me.
Such as crunchy croutons on my humungous salads, or sugar-free syrup in my 0% fat plain yogurt. 9 -
I started batch-cooking and preparing my lunches for the workweek a couple of years ago. At that point the motivation was to save time in the mornings more than anything, but once that habit was established, it was simple to shift focus from that to calorie-counting/weight loss. Learning how to batch cook/meal prep also allowed me to log entire days, sometimes entire weeks in advance, so I could clearly see what kind of space and flexibility I had for treats.5
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On-line/click and collect grocery shopping.
Man.
I did it starting early in 2020 (of course) but when I got back to the grocery store I quickly realized that being there was a PROBLEM for me. I don't have great impulse control and the grocery store is one long trip down impulse control lane, with a lot of temptations and 'interesting' stuff.
Online looking at pictures of food and utilizing the list of things I bought last time for ease saves me bringing a lot of things home that I don't really want and will eat just because they're novel and/or look good in the store.
I still get treats but they're the things I want enough to seek out, not things that are just SITTING THERE.19 -
A small thing I have done is stopped putting half and half in my coffee. At first, I missed the cream, but now I actually like the coffee black. I think it took me over a month though, so it is worth trying to stick it out even if your first thought is "no way".4
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I've come to the point of realization there are just certain foods I cannot keep in the house anymore.
I'm the opposite; if we have it in the house, I don't need to go out and buy it when I'm craving/stressed because in that situation I'm more likely to buy and consume a larger quantity. I try to buy pre-portioned items; for example Cadbury mini bars (16g I think) rather than a 200g bar that I then break down. That makes it easier to stick to one portion (or it's a conscious decision to eat more).
I try to get my 5-a-day of fruit/vegetables, then I flipped it on it's head and try to have 1-a-day of crisps/chocolate/baked goods/ice cream. As my calorie goal has reduced (as I've lost weight) I can't necessarily have one of each, but I'd try not to have two cookies on an average day even if it would fit in my calorie goal.4 -
Frank19556 wrote: »A small thing I have done is stopped putting half and half in my coffee. At first, I missed the cream, but now I actually like the coffee black. I think it took me over a month though, so it is worth trying to stick it out even if your first thought is "no way".
+1! I learned to take my coffee black in college. Good-quality beans make a huge difference - these days I get my beans from a local roastery so they're fresh and delicious, but if you're drinking preground Folgers from the red can right now, even just switching to whole-bean grocery store coffee and grinding it as-needed will upgrade your (general "you") coffee game. I also find that preparation styles that don't involve paper filters give me a smoother and more flavorful cup - coffee beans have aromatic oils in them that paper filters tend to absorb. I have a French press that I love, it's my go-to these days since it holds the same volume as my trusty travel mug, but an Aeropress with the steel mesh filter is also a good option. We also have an old Keurig and reusable fake K-cups (no DRM here), and the coffee it makes is serviceable enough, if there's not time to boil water and steep the grounds in the French press/Aeropress.
Drip percolators, like your classic Mr. Coffee, are okay if you can drink the coffee right away; sitting on the warmer for a long time is what makes the coffee bitter and unpleasant. If that's what you have access to, though, putting a tiny bit of salt in that bitter coffee can help smooth it out without adding calories. Just a tiny bit, mind - err on the side of not enough, for sure, then taste and adjust. I usually tip some salt into my hand, usually about 1/8 tsp.3 -
Absolute #1 thing I did was begin weighing and logging.
That led me to realize how many calories a day I was consuming. And that my occasional evening walk wasn’t burning off the family size package of Oreo Doublestuffs I’d consumed earlier, as I innocently - and stupidly- thought.
Planning meals and sticking to my shopping list. It makes life so much easier than meal planning while pushing the cart. If I make an impulse buy these days, it’s usually for a deal on fruit. $1.69 cherries yesterday? Yes, please!!!!!
Pre-logging meals by the day(a) helps me control calories and use my leftovers more efficiently. It’s also helpful to change plans in the fly, knowing “OK if I have a big lunch now, I’m going to have to tweak dinner and dessert by exactly this much”.
I no longer keep packaged snacks or sweets in the house, other than small hard candies (dislike hard candy, easy not to binge on them), or a couple of small size individually wrapped chocolate bars in the freezer. I forget all about food when it’s in the freezer because I simply think of it as “meat storage “.
I used to wash down all my chocolates and cookies with a half gallon of milk a day. I use less than half a cup of milk a day to froth for hot drinks. I switched to homemade almond milk, and then to Silk plain cashew milk (richer texture and taste, 25 cal per cup).
Swapped fruit and cottage cheese, topped with fruit balsamic vinegars for candies and cookies.
Can make a mean smoothie that tastes like a milkshake for about 200 calories, and fills a 32 ounce insulated mug. Very filling. And hydrating, since that’s a major issue for me.
Forgave myself the guilt and began treating myself by buying bags of prepared, washed mixed greens. I eat a bag a day. Soooo easy. Rip it open and top with chopped veggies and pre-cooked meat I have in the fridge. I’ve discovered many leftovers go great over a giant bowl of greens- carnitas, taco filling, tikka, grilled vegetables, even leftover couscous or bulgur.
Use balsamic or calorie free salad dressings.
Hot drinks are a great snack substitute.
I walk everywhere. Rode my bike to the doctor yesterday and will ride it to the grocery store this afternoon to get the broccoli I forgot yesterday. (My bird is complaining vociferously that we’re out.)
I do many of the strategies I found in this thread:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1
Probably best tip of all is reading these boards religiously and asking questions.14 -
weighing and logging food
being more active
keeping 'trigger' foods out of the house. if i want something bad enough i will go get it, but that involves me having to make that effort and usually... its just not worth it.
finding lower calorie replacements for higher calorie items. salad dressings, etc.
My coffee creamer is non negotiable
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I volunteer at a front desk position once a week. It’s usually quiet and a bit boring. I’m bad for boredom eating so I used to tuck a fresh pound bag of M&Ms in my tote and would usually finish them off. That’s 2240 calories.
Now, I pack a bag of crisp vegetables and a container of zero calorie ranch dressing.
Today’s haul is nearly 20 ounces of veggies, for a total of 93 calories.
That’s a savings of 2147 calories, which is almost as much as my entire daily allotment.
Think through your day. Be aware. What habits have you developed that you can tweak? How does occasional events or infrequent behavior affect you? Log everything that crosses your lips til you get a handle.
Someone has a nice graphic on another thread indicating that awareness is 50% of winning.
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- Forcing myself to portion control. I used to eat 3 times what I should have. Once I got used to it, it was so easy.
- Identifying the junk foods I crave and binge on the most (trigger foods), and finding healthy/low cal substitutes has been a massive help for me. I make sure I have those substitutes at hand always, or else I will binge on a substitute... (Protein shake ice cream is a godsend)
- Forcing myself to get over my dislike of sweeteners, and using them to make homemade low cal treats.
- I don't drink any calories.
- Logging what I eat helps way more than I expected it to when I started. I thought it would be a nuisance. But it turns out I find it motivating.
- Prepping my food for the week in advance. This means I never think about "what do I want," or "what sounds yummy.." And not thinking about food, is like conquering my nemesis.
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When I start to get over my 5 lbs of "cushion", I change a few things. I'm not a morning eater anyway, so this isn't as hard as it sounds, but I skip the AM eating. I eat after my workout at lunch for the first time (around 1:30 PM).
I've also been cooking better, healthier (and large) meals on Sunday. If I plan it that way, starts the week off on a good foot. Plus, I eat leftovers for lunch. Back in the day, the wife would want something like Spaghetti and meatballs on Sunday and we'd use like 5 lbs of meat. Guess who at all of the leftovers? Not the wife. I can't do that stuff any longer and maintain.
At night (when I do most of my calories), I'll switch out things like popsicles or ice cream for fruit or a protein drink instead.
One big thing for me is not keeping honey PB around. It's like crack for me. Worse than Ice cream or anything, to be honest. If it's regular PB, I'm fine. Add that 3 to 5g of sugar into it and I can eat half a jar.1 -
It’s a series of small sustainable changes:
- make water my drink of choice
- Reduce ( I try to eliminate, but that’s too big of a change) my after dinner snack. Instead of a bowl take a handful, then eat one at a time.
- Track food.2 -
PopGoesTheCoyote wrote: »
I learned that being authoritarian on myself was far less productive than learning how to negotiate with myself.
Great insight.0 -
Reducing Wine, eating mostly vegan, with the occasional lean protein, and weighing my food.0
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I agree with the poster who suggested using a hot drink as a snack. Lots of times I'll just have my cup of coffee instead of something to eat. Sadly, I have never developed a taste for tea which would be even better.1
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I agree with the poster who suggested using a hot drink as a snack. Lots of times I'll just have my cup of coffee instead of something to eat.
Seconded (thirded?) on the hot drink as snack.
My Go-To to substitute for dessert is a cup of decaf chai and then I add Truvia. It's pretty much the only time I use an artificial sweetener, but the hot, sweet drink really satisfies the need for something sweet after dinner.
In the afternoon, I will sometimes make iced coffee from any leftover coffee from the morning. Again adding Truvia or just a little sugar - I don't use either in my hot AM coffee, so that makes a nice sweet treat. And the fact that it's cold makes it different from my regular morning joe.
Hmmm, looking at my answer in Preview, it seems my solution is a sweet drink rather than something hot.2 -
My small change is the only beverage I drink now is water and ice tea every once in a while sweetened with truvia. I gave up soda and alcoholic beverages weeks ago and I do not miss them at all.3
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mimimunchery wrote: »
2. Eating my kids’ food. This is a big one - I make dinner for them and end up picking at it or even eating a small meal myself and then I have another big dinner later in the evening. Trying to not snack on kids’ food.
This has been a really big one for me! I used to snack on what they left on their plates while doing kitchen cleanup. I figured it couldn't be that bad since it was usually only a couple bites, but now that I weigh everything I know it easily could add up to hundreds of calories! If I really feel bad about throwing it out I can put it in a small container and whatever kid left it can eat it when they inevitably say, "But I'm SO hungry!" in an hour.
Related: I have a personal rule now that I only eat when sitting down. So unless absolutely necessary I don't taste test in the kitchen or nibble on things throughout the day. I can get a dish, put my food on it (and weigh it!) then sit down and eat. If I'm not willing to do all those things, then I'm probably not actually hungry.
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- I gave up alcohol. This was by far #1 in my weight loss success. Now I drink Crystal Light lemonade with fresh basil and lemon when I want to be social. Otherwise it's just ice water.
- I do not keep "trigger" foods in the house. Peanut butter was my downfall.
- I send leftovers home with family members after big family meals. If there are still "bad" leftovers, I throw them out. I had to get over the justification that I needed to eat it because throwing it out is wasting food or I need to eat it before it goes bad. I now tell myself that if I want more, I'll make it.
- Logging my food. 95% of the time, my food is not as bad as I tell myself. Logging helps me from beating myself up when making poor choices.
- Don't give up just because I had a bad day. I tell myself I'm only as bad as my last meal.
- I resist the urge to go back for seconds when eating a meal. Instead I drink water and wait 5 minutes to see if I'm REALLY still hungry.
- Eating more "zero" calorie foods such as celery for snacks or fresh tomatoes with basil and balsamic vinegar as a side.
- Avoid eating out or fast food. I prepare all my food so I know what's in it and have no hidden calories.
- Eats lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. No canned, rarely frozen. Always fresh cooked, either microwaved or roasted.
- No bad carbs. No bread, no pasta. After a while, I didn't even miss them. I only eat whole grain brown rice and that is in moderation.
- Increased fish intake. Only have red meat and poultry about once a week. I make reduced fat sauces to top the fish.
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penguinmama87 wrote: »mimimunchery wrote: »
2. Eating my kids’ food. This is a big one - I make dinner for them and end up picking at it or even eating a small meal myself and then I have another big dinner later in the evening. Trying to not snack on kids’ food.
This has been a really big one for me! I used to snack on what they left on their plates while doing kitchen cleanup. I figured it couldn't be that bad since it was usually only a couple bites, but now that I weigh everything I know it easily could add up to hundreds of calories! If I really feel bad about throwing it out I can put it in a small container and whatever kid left it can eat it when they inevitably say, "But I'm SO hungry!" in an hour.
Related: I have a personal rule now that I only eat when sitting down. So unless absolutely necessary I don't taste test in the kitchen or nibble on things throughout the day. I can get a dish, put my food on it (and weigh it!) then sit down and eat. If I'm not willing to do all those things, then I'm probably not actually hungry.
I have a much easier time keeping the pounds(and munchies) away since I've retired from running an in-home daycare. I was terrible for eating leftovers instead of putting them in the fridge. OR buying things 'for the daycare' that they never had many(if any) from the package at all. Good example was graham crackers. They'd eat one package and I'd polish off the box. It's terribly challenging when there are children in the house. 3 -
ClaudiaDawn2 wrote: »
- I gave up alcohol. This was by far #1 in my weight loss success. Now I drink Crystal Light lemonade with fresh basil and lemon when I want to be social. Otherwise it's just ice water.
- I do not keep "trigger" foods in the house. Peanut butter was my downfall.
- I send leftovers home with family members after big family meals. If there are still "bad" leftovers, I throw them out. I had to get over the justification that I needed to eat it because throwing it out is wasting food or I need to eat it before it goes bad. I now tell myself that if I want more, I'll make it.
- Logging my food. 95% of the time, my food is not as bad as I tell myself. Logging helps me from beating myself up when making poor choices.
- Don't give up just because I had a bad day. I tell myself I'm only as bad as my last meal.
- I resist the urge to go back for seconds when eating a meal. Instead I drink water and wait 5 minutes to see if I'm REALLY still hungry.
- Eating more "zero" calorie foods such as celery for snacks or fresh tomatoes with basil and balsamic vinegar as a side.
- Avoid eating out or fast food. I prepare all my food so I know what's in it and have no hidden calories.
- Eats lots of fresh fruit and vegetables. No canned, rarely frozen. Always fresh cooked, either microwaved or roasted.
- No bad carbs. No bread, no pasta. After a while, I didn't even miss them. I only eat whole grain brown rice and that is in moderation.
- Increased fish intake. Only have red meat and poultry about once a week. I make reduced fat sauces to top the fish.
I see a lot of moralizing and self-flagellation in this post, so I just wanted to pop back in and say:
There are no "good" or "bad" foods. You are not "good" or "bad" for eating or not eating anything in particular. For the OP as well as this person, please do your best to let go of any moral values you've been taught to ascribe to food. Bread and pasta can be part of a balanced diet - some people may find more success in achieving their health goals without consuming those things, but it's not because the bread or pasta are evil in some way.
I *will* cosign the idea that it's OK to toss food you won't eat before it spoils. Your body isn't a garbage can, don't treat it like one by forcing yourself to eat leftovers that don't fit in your budget just because the alternative is the trash.16 -
goal06082021 wrote: »I *will* cosign the idea that it's OK to toss food you won't eat before it spoils. Your body isn't a garbage can, don't treat it like one by forcing yourself to eat leftovers that don't fit in your budget just because the alternative is the trash.
This actually reminds me of something else, too - since I started losing weight our food budget has actually gone down. I think avoiding food waste can be a noble goal, but it might be worth considering attacking it from the other end and just bringing less in to begin with, or cooking smaller amounts/freezing some right away rather than making too much and just letting it languish in the fridge. I don't like throwing things out, but I will if it's the best option, and just remember the next time that I didn't need as much as I thought I did.10 -
1. I don't consider certain foods as "good" or "bad", but there are definitely some foods that I just can't have in the house. For example, I love M&M chocolate peanuts and could happily scarf down an entire family sized bag. So what I do now instead is buy a small bag as I go through the grocery line and share it with my husband. We each get 11 candies and its only about 110 calories. And I'm satisfied with that.
2. I move every day and most of the time it's doing things that I enjoy. I started out by going to the gym or pool three times a week. The gym was 20 minutes walking on the treadmill and then using the weight machines for 30 minutes. The pool was a deep water running class. As I lost weight I increased my activity and now, 90 pounds later, it's just part of my every day life and for the most part, I don't even consider what I do as "exercise". For example, yesterday I took the dogs for a 45 minute hike in the morning and then in the evening I paddled with my dragon boat club for an hour. I enjoy spending time with my dogs outside and watching them run, swim, and chase sticks. I absolutely love paddling on the lake on a summer evening. Were they both exercise? Yes. But to me, I was just outside doing what I enjoy and boosting my mental health. I don't get that same pleasure from lifting dumb bells, but I know it's necessary for my physical health so I do it a couple of times a week. But the rest of the time I make sure that my exercise is doing things that I enjoy.
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When the children are in bed around 9pm this can easily be my 'downfall' time. So if I'm feeling a little hungry/feel like eating rubbish just for the sake of it, I make myself a cup of tea.
Usually after this, I'm satisfied and can save myself around 300 calories from not eating for the sake of it.8 -
The best thing I can suggest is that any beneficial small changes you find valuable be forged into a schedule, at least those that are sensible to do each day and are reasonable. Forming good habits is extremely important for a multitude of reasons. Here are the small incremental changes I added into my schedule that really benefited my life:
Wake up early, ideally same time every morning via alarm (I wake up 6am)
Establish a morning routine you do before anything else, no looking at phone or getting distracted, just get out of bed and allow yourself to get into the flow of a new day (I weigh-in, drink water, stretch, make bed, drink coffee, eat breakfast, admire the sunrise and take a two). When I find myself getting off track, I don't get hung up on it or prolong it, I just jump into motion and tell myself good watching out.
Doing that morning routine helps me get into a motivated mindset a lot even if I wasn't when I woke up, which I usually am not, usually I'm stressed out from nightmares and hallucinations (had them my whole life), but it's an easy routine to carry out and thus a great catalyst for allowing yourself to wake up feeling accomplished putting you into a better mindset and gearing up for a happy day. Put everything behind you and greet the challenge of a new day. Be mindful of the present moment and where you are putting your time. Your time is who you will become.
Something I highly recommend is a cold shower every morning. I go cold as I can go. It's tough getting in every single time but I get it done. Halfway through I start to love it and by the end I'm boundless with motivation. Anything else I gotta deal with that day probably won't get to me as much or even come on my radar considering I started the day doing something I really didn't want to. I started to learn that discomfort is important to tackle and triumph over. Cold showers are also beneficial for weight loss.
Drinking the coffee first thing in the morning lets me take a two every single morning without fail before the shower thus setting things up so I'm very hygienic and comfortable to workout later. Your bathroom schedule is important, so eating a well-rounded diet with a good amount of fiber and protein and drinking enough water is paramount. I limit myself to one cup of coffee per day at this point as well so I don't have digestive issues. All things in balance.
Following up on that, digestion schedule is important. It's good to be mindful of when you'll be working out and when you'll be eating so you aren't stuck digesting a big meal during an intense workout or running low on fuel. It can really ruin your plans. I make it simple by working out first thing in the morning after my quick breakfast of grape nuts and my shower. The cold shower gives me time to digest the breakfast which isn't a big meal to begin with and energizes me for the workout. If the energy doesn't come, that's OK, be patient and go through the motions. Your body likes habits and good ones take time to form and come into fruition. It takes practice and patience for yourself, don't give in to frustration or anger, feed mindfulness instead and you'll grow much happier.
I save my biggest and hardest to digest meal of the day for dinner after all my working out for the day is done so I can relax and enjoy it knowing I won't be doing anything strenuous the rest of the night, but sometimes I'll also have a sizable lunch in between. If I'm doing a long workout and need fuel in between I eat smaller snacks that won't disrupt my digestion so much like banana, pickles, greek yogurt or a bagel. Adding on to the whole digestion thing, I walk in nature every day to help aid digestion as well. I do it after lunch. Sometimes it works a little too well though and you gotta run home lol, that's why I try and study everything I put into my body and figure out the effects to keep my body running smoothly. Regardless, just walking around can help ease your body and mind. If you do it in nature, that will make you happier and more at peace! I highly recommend if it's available, if not, walking anywhere is good, or even opting to stand or stretch rather than sit for prolonged periods of time.
I like the morning workout to be hardest because I read working out in the morning boosts your metabolism and mood throughout the day and doesn't disrupt your sleep as much. I found this to be the case as I was failing to balance working out before bed for months with digestive issues before switching over and benefiting greatly. Work with your body and its needs. I also recommend starting with something simple and learning it well and practicing it in your schedule rather than trying to do too much at once. That's what I do to this day. If I plan to do too much or learn too much in a day it never works out. That's just life. The things you do learn, it's good to cherish them and give them your full attention and energy.
Mindset being so important, I have highly benefited from meditation, mindfulness, Qi Gong, Yoga, things of that nature. I highly recommend balancing the physical and mental aspects of life. If you put too much of your time focusing only on your body, your mind will be neglected and it will make problems. Ego. Anger. Bitterness. Irritability. Confusion. Sporadic thoughts. That's why I have days where I don't workout at all, just focus completely on finding peace. That's why I often focus on doing less things in a day and just giving it all of my attention and finding fulfillment in that act rather than aiming to do too much and only getting half the effects. We want to lose weight to find happiness after all, so find the things that bring you happiness and health at the same time.
Final suggestions:
For beverages, I only drink water, coffee (no sweetener), tea or raw cacao powder mixed with boiling water. Drinking calories upsets my digestion.
A big change for me was cutting added sugar out completely, and minimizing sugar as much as reasonable (except for fruits). I think the break from sugar is a big reason why people who water fast experience clarity and control over their perspective on food, it really clouds your mind. I get the same clarity now except I eat a normal diet. I also stopped eating when cooking unless I seriously need to taste the food. I log everything I eat no matter what in my journal and that helps stay focused. I don't distract myself with entertainment while I eat, I either sit in the sun and enjoy it or sit at the dinner table and enjoy it. I try to eat it slow and drink water every time I eat.
I don't eat after dinner, which is usually 4-5pm.
I highly suggest having a preparing for bed routine. I turn my computer off at 6, dim my phone screen to the lowest light, brew and drink hot tea and enjoy a warmer shower or bath. I also do dishes every night no matter how little or how much because it keeps my eyes off screens and my thoughts begin to slow, plus its nice waking up to a clean house. I am always in bed at 8 or 9 as much as I can help it and fall asleep before 10. I aim for 8 hrs sleep per night if I can. If I do the preparing for bed routine, I am groggy enough to sleep before I even hit the bed. If I neglect the routine, I will be stuck lying in bed with anxious energy and sporadic thoughts.
If I go too long without meditating or committing myself to patience and mindfulness, my energy will fall into the traps of the ego and it will keep me awake as well even with the bed time routine.
Perhaps that was all too much for a small changes thread, but I hope it may be helpful in any way to any one person.2 -
- Buying the right containers (for portion control and easy measurment)
- I love what someone above said about it being a negotiation with the body vs. being a dictator. I'm going to use that phrasing
- Realizing I don't have to be perfect or push myself too hard. I just have to moderate and be persistent
- Sleep. Sleep is so important for me. (I work a third shift though, so this one might just be for me)
- Realizing there is a lot of variety in what works for other people and realizing that some advice out there is more tailored to other people.6 -
At this point I eat health foods on the regular. But, introducing fruit into my diet was how I started to eat healthy and have it stick. Just started having fruit plates with mixed nuts and smoothies. It's so easy to do and tastes great. Once I got used to eating fruit all the time, everything launched from there.
Using MFP to track calories has also given me a mental boost that has helped to stay on track. It's something about seeing the numbers throughout the day and knowing I am on track, it keeps me motivated all day. When I freelance and mix up my diet, don't log my food, I go off track sometimes. But, using the app keeps everything together. It probably has something to do with when I started loosing weight, I got used to using it. But, there is a definite mental gain I get by tracking calories.
6 -
1. Putting meals on the plate instead of in serving dishes. Having a glass of water and waiting a few minutes before considering seconds.
2. Low calorie desserts (chocolate sugar free jello pudding with strawberries is delicious)
3. Realizing how many calories are in peanut butter, etc (knowing is half the battle)
4. Potatoes instead of rice (satiation factor)
5. Meals that are 1/2 veggies, 1/4 starch and 1/4 protein. Easy to visualize, simple to do.
6. Egg whites. I did not realize how satiating protein is, and I wasn’t eating enough of it.3
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