What's one thing you know now...
Options
Replies
-
Agree with the above post about weight loss not solving all your problems. People with a normal bmi range still have bad days a abs get depressed.4
-
makethistimedifferent wrote: »
I agree with you... to a degree! I lost 5 stone in 10 months without exercising, and I ate 1600-1800 calories a day so I definitely wasn't on an extreme calorie cut.
Prior to this, I had successfully lost lots of weight on numerous occasions, and had never exercised either.
After losing the 5 stones in 2014, I felt more body confident and I did start going swimming. I dropped another stone in the next 6 months while eating my way up to 2000 calories a day. I've maintained that 6 stone+ weight loss since April 2015.
When we went into the first lockdown in March 2020 (UK), I began walking 10,000+ steps a day, and I've definitely lost inches, and a few more pounds, to the point now that I'm looking quite bony, and my loose skin is more crepey. The latter is definitely something I'm building up to addressing but feel apprehensive about eating more or walking less! My recent weight loss is probably a result of slightly undereating about 50 calories a day over an extended period of time, more than as a result of lots of walking. However, I appreciate the walking/exercise may have played some part too.
Overall, and it's only my opinion, I think exercise is good for losing inches, more than a necessity for weight loss, but I don't expect everyone to agree with me!
OP, I'm going to think more about your question so I might be back!
I think exercise is useful, my point was it wasn't essential for my weight loss or maintenance. I've heard more times than I can count that how you look/weight is 80% what you eat, 10% exercise, and 10% genetics. I'm living proof of that statement.2 -
These are all great tips! I'm doing an intentional maintenance for the first time in my life. All the other times, I'd hit or get close to goal weight and put the weight back on again.
Logging my meals gives me an awareness of everything that goes into my mouth. Overeating has been a coping mechanism for me, so it's easy for me to slide into denial about the amount of food I'm consuming. Watching the macros help me to not overeat on carbs and to make sure I get enough protein.
For me, exercise is important for many reasons, but in reference to maintaining my weight it burns a few hundred extra calories. I translate this into "earning" treats, such as a bowl of popcorn, some pizza or a dessert.
Thank you so much for sharing!3 -
That it IS possible to maintain.
Maintenance is the True Goal, not weight loss.
That it’s a dynamic, creative problem solving process.
That learning how to catch oneself & get back on track may well be the KEY Maintenance skill to master.
That my mastering this health issue has brought joy & relief to my family & friends.13 -
Chef_Barbell wrote: »1200 is not enough calories.
@Chef_Barbell
I totally agree with this! At 5’9” no one should have placed me in a 1,200 calorie diet 😡 My BMR definitely higher than that even in my 60’s. Criminal. #SetUpForFailure3 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »Chef_Barbell wrote: »1200 is not enough calories.
@Chef_Barbell
I totally agree with this! At 5’9” no one should have placed me in a 1,200 calorie diet 😡 My BMR definitely higher than that even in my 60’s. Criminal. #SetUpForFailure
Totally agree. When I first started dieting about 40 years ago, I went on a 1000 calorie a day diet and that was quite normal, well normal with the people I knew who were dieting at that time. I lost lots of weight multiple times, but I always put it back on.
A decade or two down the line, things were changing and I was dieting on 1200 calories a day. Again, I lost lots of weight, and again I put it back on multiple times!
About 10-15 years ago, I was dieting on about 1400 calories and I lost and gained again.
When I started my final 'diet'/healthy eating plan in 2014, I initially ate 1800 calories for the first couple of months, 1700 for the next 2, then 1600 for the following 2, 1500 calories for the next 3 and finally 1400 for the final month. 10 months in, 5 stones lost and I never had one day when I felt hungry. That's not to say I didn't have days when I wanted to eat more, but hunger wasn't the reason.
Nowadays, I couldn't imagine having to stick to 1200 calories a day, although I appreciate I have a height advantage over some people. I'm 171cm (5'7 & a quarter) so I'm certainly no giant but it maybe does give me a few extra calories!5 -
MadisonMolly2017 wrote: »That it IS possible to maintain.
Maintenance is the True Goal, not weight loss.
That it’s a dynamic, creative problem solving process.
That learning how to catch oneself & get back on track may well be the KEY Maintenance skill to master.
That my mastering this health issue has brought joy & relief to my family & friends.
Well put... I like and agree with all 5 points .1 -
Three things I didn’t know at the beginning;
*An hour exercise does not equal a whole bag of Oreos, a family sized sack of M&Ms, or a carrot cake “bar” from Publix bakery. I had absolutely no concept of in versus out whatsoever.
* Being thin would not be a cure-all for painful shyness. 🤷🏻♀️
*Goal wouldn’t be dancing unicorns sliding down rainbows with fireworks in the sky and heavenly choirs. It would just be the gateway to maintenance, which is a whole ‘nother experience.
Oh. Wait.
Four things.
*This whole process was so much easier than I ever dreamed and I’m kicking myself for not doing it years ago
Wait. Wait……….FIVE things:
*I was not “destined” to be obese like my mom. Unless I chose to be. The apple can fall anywhere it damn well wants to.27 -
#4 is so very true!0
-
I think I found my all time favorite quote: *I was not “destined” to be obese like my mom. Unless I chose to be. The apple can fall anywhere it damn well wants to.
I may have to let my father know "Big" bones does not run in the family7 -
springlering62 wrote: »(Snip other good things)
*This whole process was so much easier than I ever dreamed and I’m kicking myself for not doing it years ago
(nother snip)
QFT
It wasn't easy every minute in every way, and I'm entirely willing to believe it is harder for some people than it was for me . . . but it was far easier for me than I had ever imagined it could be.5 -
People keep mentioning maintenance, and I think that is really the key needed for loss. What's different in my mindset this time is that I decided that whatever I am doing to lose weight are changes FOR LIFE. I knew that I would not be willing to permanently give up certain foods that I love for the sake of losing weight. This meant I had to find a way to have those foods in the context of a healthier diet. A "diet" is temporary and temporary changes will only lead to temporary weight loss. We all know that. Most of us here have lived that (likely multiple times ).
I also agree that once you have the right mix of food and exercise figured out, the weight just falls off.
It's quite easy. Having said that, it can be quite difficult to get to that point. Those first 2 weeks for me were super hard. There were cravings. I was fighting lifelong food habits. I had days where I was super hungry with not enough calories left because I hadn't yet figured out the right mix of foods to keep me satiated. However, that all passed. Experimentation and patience were key.
Anyway, that's how it worked for me.4 -
0
-
This is such a great thread.
And the context of “easy”, @dralicephd explained it well. Once over that first “habit” hump, it was easier than I ever expected.3 -
Personalization of tactics is key. Different people do best with different tactics, depending on their individual preferences, strengths, limitations, and overall lifestyle.
For a specific individual, finding the habits that are easy enough to be pretty much flying autopilot, is likely to make loss, and especially long term maintenance, much easier.
P.S. I kinda disagree about consistency. I'm inconsistent AF, but lost and maintain OK anyway.
ETA, in case it isn't obvious: I'm perfectly willing to believe that consistency is important, essential even, for some people, maybe even most people. Why would I disbelieve what others say works for them?
Methinks you are more consistent than you imply.
You may be inconsistent day to day, but when you take three giant steps backwards you would see that, overall, you consistently avoid eating more calories than you expend. I think that was the idea that @londoneye was putting out there.
And in general, thank you for all your well reasoned contributions to our little family.
Yes that's what I was getting at! That's why I contrasted it with "perfection". I also have "extreme" days in terms of food and movement but the majority of days I'm eating at or just below maintenance.0 -
springlering62 wrote: »
* Being thin would not be a cure-all for painful shyness. 🤷🏻♀️
*This whole process was so much easier than I ever dreamed and I’m kicking myself for not doing it years ago
*I was not “destined” to be obese like my mom. Unless I chose to be. The apple can fall anywhere it damn well wants to.
First point: my self confidence has increased a lot, but I'm still introverted and shy at heart. Perhaps better at hiding it now 🙂
Point 2 and 3, that is so true for me too.
If I had known how easy it was, I could have spared myself a lot of stretchmarks by not ever getting fat to begin with.
My mom (obese, even more than I was) still swears by the defeatist 'a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips' and it gets on my nerves every single time.3 -
Personalization of tactics is key. Different people do best with different tactics, depending on their individual preferences, strengths, limitations, and overall lifestyle.
For a specific individual, finding the habits that are easy enough to be pretty much flying autopilot, is likely to make loss, and especially long term maintenance, much easier.
P.S. I kinda disagree about consistency. I'm inconsistent AF, but lost and maintain OK anyway.
ETA, in case it isn't obvious: I'm perfectly willing to believe that consistency is important, essential even, for some people, maybe even most people. Why would I disbelieve what others say works for them?
Methinks you are more consistent than you imply.
You may be inconsistent day to day, but when you take three giant steps backwards you would see that, overall, you consistently avoid eating more calories than you expend. I think that was the idea that @londoneye was putting out there.
And in general, thank you for all your well reasoned contributions to our little family.
Yes that's what I was getting at! That's why I contrasted it with "perfection". I also have "extreme" days in terms of food and movement but the majority of days I'm eating at or just below maintenance.
I'm glad to hear it! I posted what I did because I have seen folks around here using the "consistency" word, saying it's required, when (for my tastes) what they were advocating was too inflexible and rigid, to the point where it wouldn't work for me.
I'm truly, sincerely a believer in "each on their own best path, which will differ", but I think there could be pitfalls with any kind of tight-eternal-vigilance approach to maintenance.
Apologies for misinterpreting you!3 -
I'm starting to feel more comfortable with maintenance now that I've started looking at my weekly stats instead of the daily ones. As long as I keep my Weekly Net Average in the vicinity of my calorie budget, I'm able to let my hunger (and my mood) guide my choices. Like today I wanted a Meatball Hoagie that was way over calories, but I could have it worry-free because I knew I'd left a bunch of calories uneaten earlier in the week when I wasn't hungry. I like that. It makes me feel free and relaxed while still having enough structure to keep me on track. When I was losing I was super-focused on the daily totals, but using the weekly ones seems more doable for real life now that my mind is on other things besides weight. My goal has always been to find a way of life that would work long term regardless of my moods or circumstances, and I think this might be it. Time will tell, but it's working so far anyway. I still weigh in the mornings and record the number, and it's holding steady, so that's encouraging. My next step will be sorting out the clothes that are too big. For the first time I think I might have the confidence to give some away. In the past, I've always held onto them "just in case," but then I always lost weight by dieting in the past, and this time I've eaten whatever I wanted. That means there's no wagon to fall off of.13
-
@BrightEyedAgain yes!!!!!!!!!!! I wish I’d known at the beginning that I don’t have to be spot on for calories or macros every single day. I look at the weekly average now. Way less stressful.
And calorie counting gives me power. Husband is out of town for a couple days. That means a gyro as a treat. But a friend invited me to lunch at the Italian restaurant. No worries! I shifted the gyro to tomorrow night, and will just enjoy (mmmm!) the last bowl of my tomato soup with Italian chicken sausage for dinner.
I used to hang on to old clothes “just in case”, but I decided they were a mental crutch, and got rid of them as I sized down. Now I have no excuse. I can’t put on weight again and beleive it or not, that’s very motivating in itself.
Which reminds me, I wish I’d known at the start that weight would keep coming off, and thrifted or spent less on clothes. I ended up giving away four wardrobes on the path from XXL to XS. But I always thought, “I’m here!” I never knew “here” wasn’t a static target but would keep moving.8 -
Such great, insightful comments! I needed the discipline of sticking to my calories most days while losing the weight. But now that I'm in maintenance, I find that a weekly total works best for me and allows for more flexibility.
For me, I can't imagine a day without movement. Even when I was obese, I was still fairly active (I just ate way too much). I coached hockey (along with a couple of other sports) and oh my, bending over to tie up those skates was a workout in itself! Putting on a bathing suit for my deep water running was a cardio class on its own! I sure don't miss those days.
Like others have said, I wish I'd known that once I made the decision to lose weight, it would be easy. And by that I mean that it wasn't a complicated process. No "special" food or drinks were required. No expensive memberships required. Just do the work. Count the calories. Move. How I eat determines my weight. How I move is for my overall health. Nothing complicated about that.7
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.6K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.2K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 913 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.3K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions