Serious this time

jackdermody1
jackdermody1 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I've declared war on internal and external forces that thwart all my attempts to lose weight. At my age (won't tell), weight loss means LIVING LIFE! I'm treating nutrition as a really big science project. If YOU have used this approach, please share what you know actually works. THANK YOU.

Replies

  • Betty
    Betty Posts: 8,883 MFP Staff
    Welcome to MyFitnessPal! Best of luck with reaching your goals.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,598 Member
    I did kind of treat weight management as a fun science fair project for grown-ups, and that worked out very well for me. I *will* reveal my age: I was 59-60 when I lost from class 1 obese to a healthy weight, and I've continued within a healthy weight range since, now age 66. I wish I'd done it decades earlier: So worthwhile!

    No one approach is perfect for everyone, but this was what I did on the eating side of the equation:

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

    There are lots of paths, that's just one: It worked for me, but something different might work better for you. (That's part of the experiment, eh? 😉)

    On the activity front, I gave some thought to both formal exercise and daily life activity.

    On the formal exercise front, I was fortunately already pretty active (yes, even while obese), so I mostly just kept going with that routine, but I put a little more emphasis on being consistent with strength training (I'm usually kind of a flake on that front). The aim there was to keep as much useful muscle tissue as I could, while still losing fat.

    On the daily life activity front, there are lots of options to increase movement. Lots of MFP-ers shared their ideas about that here:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10610953/neat-improvement-strategies-to-improve-weight-loss/p1

    There again, not all of those things might be useful to you, but perhaps some might.

    Those are just things that worked for me: I'm sure you can find your own best mix, if you keep working away at it as time and energy allow. Persistence is powerful!

    Wishing you much success with MFP!
  • drtradecraft
    drtradecraft Posts: 25 Member
    Training and nutrition go hand in hand. The nutrition program best suited for you will depend on what you are training for. I am rules-based with flexibility so I understand your comments and question perfectly. You eat to optimize your training results. Not enough 'training data' in your question/comment to develop a nutrition strategy. You only mention weight loss so with that in mind, start with the basics. Eliminate processed carbs. Replace them with fibrous carbs. I use a 9:00, 4:00 and 12:00 strategy to layout my portions. I place the fibrous carbs in the 12 to 4 location on the plate; the protein in the 4 to 9 location and starchy carbs in the 9 to 12 location. Also, I look for quality fats to consume such as avocados and almonds. You need fats to manufacture new cells. Drink plain water with meals and through out the day...this is important. Reduce alcohol intake. Alcohol is the perfect fuel and it will jump in front of your other energy sources for your body to burn. Which means the meal you just ate will be stored. When I drink alcohol, I can almost always expect poorer results. Do not underestimate a good walk. According to the Cooper Center in Dallas, you can lose weight if you walk 2 miles, twice a week in 30 minutes (this is fast); or walk 2 miles 4 times per week in 35 minutes; or walk 2 miles 5 times a week in 40 minutes; or walk 3 miles twice a week in 45 minutes...got it. Finally stay active as much as possible throughout the day. For example, while watching TV, get up and move in some athletic manner during every commercial such as push ups, sit ups, high knee lifts, squats, etc. Oh, one other, first thing when you wake is drink water and a cup of milk. The water is good for you and the milk will start you metabolism for the day. Good luck...

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