Submit your health and fitness tips for the chance to be featured in our 2023 New Year’s plan!

My tips for my clients and myself are; food prep every week. This makes the decision of what to eat so much easier. I incorporate the use of a crockpot to make larger meals for the week. I usually eat the same thing weekly, only changing the type of fish with a rotation of fresh veggies that are organic and in season. On special occasions, I refer back to MFP for some succulent recipes that I can share with my clients.

I set my clothing out each night so that it's one less thing I have to think about in the morning. When b-fast is done, I get the kid ready for school and I throw on my pre-planned workout clothes. For my clients that work and then go to the gym, I have them set their clothes, shoes, and gym bag by the front door. That way they don't forget to take it with them to work. They won't have any excuses and are setting themselves up for success.

Consistency is vital when it comes to creating healthy habits for life. I remind my clients that they didn't gain weight overnight, so weight loss won't happen overnight. But with consistent changes that occur daily, weekly and monthly... the weight will come off through sustainable lifestyle changes.

In my 12-week program I created; Healthy Habits for Life, I teach my clients that being active is so much more than working out in the gym. I encourage daily walks for 30 mins or more. This involves the whole family, or if they have a dog, the family dog. Being active is roller skating with the kids, hiking with friends and fam, swimming in your pool or lake... So many activities to keep us moving and staying healthy. A body in motion stays in motion. A body at rest stays at rest.

Increasing my fitbit steps bit by bit. First - I wear my fitbit on my ankle so it counts all steps. Second - I walk first thing in the morning before breakfast. That way it is done and I do not have to worry about it. I set small goals each day. Then increase it little by little when I feel able. Example, first day walk to 2 mail boxes. A week later I was able to walk to 3. Later in the week I made it to 3 1/2. Last, I do not compare myself to anyone else. I find joy in my improvements.

Kingsthursday wrote: »

Logging the food diary different than a calendar day.
... so 5pm to 5pm each day. That way I log the dinner and then can know what I have left for breakfast and lunch the next day. I am just a week in to this plan, so we will see how it works out. So far so good.

What an EXCELLENT idea! Totally going to do this

I am on my weight loss journey again! We can do this people!! Losing weight can improve your health and make you feel more alive and energized and revitalized. The best part is I'm in control, I get to choose what I eat and what I do with my time. The best part is I can put myself first and feel I have the power with no regrets.

I can control what I put in my body because it's my body at the end of the day no one is going to force me to eat anything. I can sleep sufficiently, I can rest when I'm tired and I can move my body to gain my life back. Little by little I take charge and am becoming the person that feels empowered to help and be a role model to those around me. And I'm not putting it off any more because the person that I am today is the person that got made through my pains and goals and gains that I accomplished little bit little, not all at once. Small steps people, we can do this!!

Lift heavy weight, leave a few bites on your plate, drink the wine, eat the dessert.

Do what you like…when you feel like it. Slow down. Listen to your body. Enjoy the journey!

Tracking my food is key for me. I always start slipping when I think I can guess my food for the day.

I also try to get my big walk/bike ride in the morning. I also do a smaller one in the evening after dinner.

Drink drink drink. I mix it up between diet ice tea and water.

Finally measure yourself. We tend to be so tied to the scale but there other measurements which can boost our confidence when the scale is not going down as quickly.

Having a partner even virtual to cheer you on which is why joining a group of people with similar interests keeps me motivated

These all seem obvious but we want a magic pill to fix everything but slow consistent progress builds good habits and helps keep the weight off.

FIND IT‼️
Find out what works for you.
Find something you enjoy doing.
Find something you can comit to doing long term.
Find something you look forward to each day.
Find Something you will consistently motivate you. This includes eating style and physical activity.

My tips are nothing new, but here goes:
*Track everything you eat
*Exercise can't make up for a poor diet
*Small changes + Consistency + Time = Success
*Always start small and build slowly but consistently.
***No change is too small!***
*Appreciate your body. It has been faithfully serving you every single day despite all the abuse you have heaped upon it.
*Drinking the appropriate amount of water for your weight and see all the great results!

*When the urge to quit is overwhelming, say, "I can do this 1 more minute." (Even if you have to say it over and over again until you regain your motivation.)

Finally,

*If you "mess up," REMEMBER: All is not lost. Get right back on track because success isn't a perfectly straight line of progress. Rather, it looks something like a tangle of yarn.
"Fail better." (You can look up the definition if " fail better" is something you haven't read or heard before.)

-HGF

I am currently on my second attempt at losing weight. Like others, I fell off the wagon at some point and went back to ground zero. There are three tips I can share for me personally.

1. Changing your lifestyle is 95% mental. I learned this the first time. If you are not mentally ready to take on the challenges and barriers ahead, then you first need to get to a state where your mind is clear, and you are ready to focus. I knew what I needed to do, but it took me several months to prepare my safe physically. If you are like me, you first take care of your mental health. As a Marine Corps Vet, I know what it takes to be disciplined, but the mind controls that desire and effort.
2. Do not let others influence you? It ticks me off more than anything people telling me, one bite won't hurt, or you have to reward yourself. Peer pressure is pure negative energy, change the subject or walk away. This is what pulled me off the wagon the first time and I am determined that will not happen again.
3. Build yourself a support group of family, friends, colleagues, and people you do not even know. Tell them that you want them to hold you accountable. Ask them not to put you in situations where you are only surrounded by temptations. There always needs to be a choice so you can choose correctly and come out with the win.

I would tell you good luck, but you do not need luck when you stack the odds in your favor. So, enjoy the journey, it is a game, and you will win.

There is so much I could share here I wouldn't know where to begin. And I'd love to say I've been through it all but I know for certain there are always others who have had it worse. My OCD and fixation with body complex began in eigth grade. And while my intentions were good, to try and achieve a muscular, aesthetically pleasing physique surrounded by well built rugby players, I took it it too far. Ultimately landing up in hospital weighing a mere 37 kilograms at age 14. 15 years later remnents of the past still live with me, though barely noticable to those who would not have known my story. For years I suffered with depression, anxiety and compellsions that forced me to do things I knew were not just counterproductive, but potentially harmful to my body.
But, knowing how much damage I had done not only to myself but to those around me, I knew I needed to get better. And despite the countless hours in doctors rooms, dietition consultants and psyciatrist visits, I knew that I and only I was capable of making the change I wanted, no, needed to see.
At the time I could never have imagined summoning the strength to correct my thinking and alter my behaviour for the better. But having competed in several bodybuilding shows and coaching athletes of my own I noticed that everyone is fighting a battle of their own and if there is one lifestyle that you can adopt that can change your life forever for the better, it's this one. We all have it within ourselves to accomplish things we never thought possible. I am only one but to this day I am constantly reminded of how great we are and just how much we can achieve. Anyone can.

I like mixing my vanilla vegan protein powder with another vegan drink -like Ripple chocolate milk. Tastes like a black and white cookie first think in the morning!

Also fasting16:8 helps with energy a lot. Dinner at 4:00pm.

I decided to lose weight after a stroke & kidney failure. I was taking loads of pills & knew nothing about nutrition & trusted only people of “ scientific authority”. I refused taking drugs offered for sleep and then I had a dream & was told who to most trust (myself&my God) and began a journey of joy getting my body back. I already had kidney disease from 2002 and when the stroke hit me, I had become more savvy but still 280 pounds laid in this body because the nutrition for kidney health was so confusing! It was stressful. I began to question the old ways presented and to doubt non-caring people who made all the money!! I researched a lot in books. I continued to use my fitness pal every day, not drink alcohol (34 years sober) and to lose weight as I also payed close attention to what helps the kidneys most and what hurts major organs. I have maintained weight loss by being HONEST and caring about myself. I have lost & maintained nearly 100 pounds & am helping others in person. A business colleague saw I had left an entire body behind. He was 850 pounds and was inspired to change partly because of my successful efforts. I will not stop recording, being honest, or losing pounds because it feels great to care for myself, my husband, our kiddos, and our home with more ease. By the grace of God & hard work, this approach continues to be a blessing. I am not yet on dialysis and am still swimming and eating. I watch the amounts and eat a colorful plate. I’m grateful and Praise God!


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things that seem to work for me:
keeping daily log of food intake, exercise, blood glucose level, weight; intermittent fasting 16/8; low carb; drinking > 3 l water / tea per day; 3 workouts per week at the gym (30 minutes each including steam bath 15 minutes at the end).

SWAP

My best tip for anyone trying to do anything fitness related, is to use what I call SWAP goals. None of this info is new and I most certainly did not come up with the science behind it, but I find it easier to remember if I group these 4 things which help me be ready for, and recover from, my daily routines

• Sleep - I aim for between 7 and 8 hours per day. This is very important if you don't want to undermine your hard work
  
• Water - I aim for minimum 3 Litres but try to get up to 4 litres per day. Hydration is always important no matter what your goals are.
  
• Activity - Whatever exercise you want to do is fine but if you can, no matter who you are, weight/strength training is amazing. Lean muscle requires more energy so burns more calories. Weight training helps build new lean muscle. It's physics.
  
• Protein - Protein is very important, especially after exercise. it helps repair your muscles and build new lean muscle. I aim for 35% of my caloric intake to be Protein. You may be surprised how low your protein intake actually is in your normal diet and you may be even more surprised how effective upping your protein intake can be to help you achieve your goals.

You hear about all of these things and you think it's too hard or a bit of a gimmick or whatever, but for me, having these goals has helped immensely and all these things work hand in hand so the results will come and the results that come, help you achieve more results by building new lean muscle and more strength which allows you to work harder and burn more fat/build more muscle and so on and so forth. Getting enough sleep helps with your motivation because you are not too tired to get up and go for your walk or hit the Gym. Not only is sleep necessary to properly recover after exercise, studies have shown that people who don't sleep enough look for high calorie foods to give them energy so they can get through the day.

Obviously your calorie intake should ideally be in a deficit if you want to start shedding those unwanted kegs, but even if you keep your intake at your maintenance level, these goals will still yield results if you are strength training. You can see these results for yourself. Set yourself some SWAP goals based on your own requirements and then meet those goals every day for a month. you wont be disappointed.

I have been a member since 2011. In this time I have gone from a size x-small to housing two babies and now being the biggest I have ever been. YIKES! BUT I am not going to give up on my weight loss goals.

My experience has taught me that eating too little will get fast results but cause a rebound effect!! It is important to eat according to your cycle (ladies!). When our hormones are out of wack we cannot lose weight and may gain weight! Finding a moderate calorie deficit without overdoing it is key! I am finally working with a personal trainer now and getting out of the mindset of less is more. I have had amazing results so far!

My experience has also taught me to be kind to myself. Weight fluctuates with age, having babies, and hormone changes but all the positive qualities about myself do not!

Weight is definitely a factor in health and wellbeing but we are also a lot more than a number. Self-kindness breeds better and long-lasting results!