My HOW is about counting calories, cutting 200-300 calories doing workouts and having dinner before 7pm. I don't drink alcohol, I don't snack and I don't eat sugary things. My problem is I love cooking 😍. I weight the food I'm going to eat to calculate the calories before sitting at the table. I will need these restrictions for the rest of my life so I allow myself to have some little slips sometimes.

Yesx3
Awesome topic.. my how ATM is super simple but also a but of a essay too lol!!!... it's all about controlling the food as the working out comes much easier to me. So this month I'm just regining my calories back in, and learning from wat does not work. So this week I am going to try to hve our dinner on a plate and weighed ready to go in the morning. I usually always cook dinner in the morning but still find even just portioning it out at night time sends me on a habitual grazing session.... not sure why... maybe stress from the day, maybe I loose will power at night, maybe I get food envy seeing how much more hubby can eat than me or maybe trying to get it all done with a screaming toddler yanking at me causes me to graze like crazy..lol. whatever it is it doesn't matter its my weak time of the day so I need to over prep and set myself up 4 sucess!!! I am also going to try to eat slower at dinner, I notice some nights esp work days I inhale my food so quicky that it hurts at times. Again not too sure why I do this cld be a nervous thing, could be the anticipation of dinner, could be stress relief or maybe it's a I'm not in my body kinda moment? Not sure wat it is but am going 2 try to be mindful!xo

SummerSkier wrote: »

Now that we have done the WHY I am curious about each of us and our HOW.

Let us know your current how - no judgements - and if it is a repeat HOW or a new HOW for you. Mine is a new approach because dammit once you are in maintenance cutting seems harder than ever.

Great topic!

In 2014 I was at a very low ebb. I had a worsening problem with one of my hips which meant that my mobility was affected, and I subsequently put on quite a lot of weight. I had to lose the weight so that I could have a hip operation done.

After trying unsuccessfully for over a year my daughter suggested that I tried MFP. Initially, I didn’t actually use the app.

At the end of the year I got an email. It was a 4 step plan from Jurgen Wolff, the author of “My Writing Coach“.

It was a turning point for me. It became my HOW. Over the years it has helped me create and adapt habits which support the person I choose to be.

I am a person who values the health and fitness of my body, mind, and spirit.

Over the years my primary focus changed from losing weight to becoming as fit and healthy as I could.

My 4 Step Plan for goal setting success
(AKA Jurgen Wolff, 'My Writing Coach')

🔹Step 1.
💡Imagine you are at the end of the year. Think of the one thing that you would like to be able to look back at, at the end of the year, and say 'I did that!'
📝 Write:
"At the end of this year I would like to look back and be able to say ....................."
💡This becomes your primary goal. (If you have an unused note book use the first page to do this.)

🔹Step 2
📝 Underneath that write:
Today, to help me achieve my primary goal, I am going to do............... (Write in one or two small things that you can do now to start you off.)
💡Now go and do them! You are taking the first step towards success!

🔹Step 3.
📝Now that you have taken the first step write out and complete the following sentences
Tomorrow I will ....................... to help me achieve my primary goal.
This week I will ....................... to help me achieve my primary goal.
Next week I will ...................... to help me achieve my primary goal.
Next month I will .................... to help me achieve my primary goal.
💡Please take the time to write these out. It reinforces your commitment to the goal.

🔹Step 4
📝Review your progress daily, weekly, monthly.
💡Adjust the steps as you progress.
🎉CELEBRATE EVERY SINGLE STEP YOU TAKE!

Below is what I wrote on the first page of my notebook. I am now into my seventh notebook.

🔹At the end of the year I would like to be able to look back and say that I had lost 1lb for every week of 2015.
I lost enough weight by September 2015 to have my hip op. I have never looked back.
🔹Today, to help me achieve my primary goal, I will:
💡start logging my calories on MFP.
~ I had been putting this off for far too long. I got the shock of my life when I realised how many calories I was eating. My dietician had said I should be eating between 1200 and 1500.
💡walk to the local shops.
~ This was a 2 mile walk. It took me over an hour, but I felt great afterwards.

🔹This week, to help me achieve my primary goal, I will:
💡park on the other side of the town park and walk to and from the activity centre instead of parking outside it.
~ This was a twenty minute walk each way as I took a roundabout route through the park.
💡weigh my food and log it on MFP and stay under goal.
~ I have done this almost every day now since I started logging.
💡do a minimum of 30 minutes exercise every day and log it on MFP.
~ I started walking around the neighbourhood after dinner if I hadn't done this earlier in the day. Now I 'Walk with Lesley' several times a day as well as doing my out and about stuff.

🔹Next week, to help me achieve my primary goal, I will:
1. weigh and log foods
2. increase my walking to a minimum of 60 minutes a day
3. do a minimum of 3 X 30 minute aerobics sessions
4. do 30 minutes of Tai Chi each morning

🔹Next month, to help me achieve my primary goal, I will:
1. weigh and log food
2. Join challenges on MFP
3. increase my aerobics sessions to 45 minutes
4. Extend my yoga/tai chi using YouTube vids
5. increase my walking to 90 minutes a day
6. Keep a diary of my progress.
8. Add other goals as the months pass, but never lose sight of my primary goal for the year.

✅ Exercise. 5 km walking to the cinema.
✅ Calories.
✅ Calories tracked.

0/3 pass days.

Tracked and logged.
Exercise all day moving and stacking firewood for the coming winter 🪵

My how? I just set a calorie goal and keep it for awhile move it around if needed.

✅✅✅

SummerSkier wrote: »

WOW! I seriously loved the opener about your WHY yesterday and all the very detailed answers. So today now that we have done the WHY I am curious about each of us and our HOW.

For me my HOW is about counting calories and setting a top limit. I am in maintenance but have drifted up a little this past few months (age, less activity, a few more binges? who knows) so my how is defined as that I have a calorie limit which is maintenance for me and I would like to eat below that most days. But I know some days I just wont have the chutspa to do it so it's a long term drift downward based on when I can (mentally and physically) cut a few hundred a day.

Let us know your current how - no judgements - and if it is a repeat HOW or a new HOW for you. Mine is a new approach because dammit once you are in maintenance cutting seems harder than ever.

Thank you for the opener.

I track and pre- log my day. I use my recipes and Meal entries in MFP since, I eat basically the same set of food. Learning to identify food items that does help my health journey. In addition, I exercise daily.

✅ Exercise - 10.5 mile hike/backpack
✅ Calories -
✅ Tracking -

Closed all my Apple watch rings today
1 Pass days used

Documenting consistency (if there is a P=instead of number its a Pass Day)
UAC: P-2-3-4-5-6-7



This is what backpacking in Northern California looks like.

As to my how - I generally eat a lot of the same things that are already in my frequent or recent tabs for the food diary, so that makes tracking a much easier proposition. I also plan my exercise for the day and can adjust my afternoon walks to make sure I can hit my goals. Lastly, I weigh everyday which helps give me feedback as to how what I did/ate yesterday impacts me.

Great next step @SummerSkier - thanks
And I hear you in how can dropping a lb or two (and staying) there be so elusive when we did so much more before! 😘

My HOW:
I’m really working to make maintaining & exercising EASY & efficient so I can do all the interests I’ve developed.

1st How: exchanging some nuts for veggies
Prepping cute containers of vegetables while I make my breakfast has been a game changer! Today I was a little hungry, and instead of my automatic nuts, I took a cold sparkling water & a container of 5 different cut up types of veggies. SO refreshing.

2nd How: Not feeling I’ve failed. This morning I was exactly a pound over my maintenance range. I tend to feel really fate hen this happens, so my 2nd How is being positive with myself. “You are doing great. This is a miracle. You’ve got this.”

3rd How
On days when my food is under control, for the first time in 5 years, I have skipped a day here or a meal there.

Yesterday, I finally realized what I’m doing. I’m shifting another giant step closer to eating moderately without the need for careful tracking. I’m not there yet, but I’m getting closer. I’m optimistic that this can be my reality for the first time in my life.

4th how:
I weigh & record & reflect upon my body weight each morning. So far, so good.

I also post my weekly trend weight.