What helps you stay on track?

hwalton20 · November 2023

So many times I hear about the results but not the steps that really helped to get someone there. What helps you? What made the difference for you to lose weight? What’s your one “must-have” or “must-do” each day to stay on track? I’m struggling and feel so stuck. Help me get new ideas.

JoLightensUp · November 2023

I'm sorry that you're struggling and hope you can get some ideas and support here to help you get back on track.

I have lost weight before, regained, and am now in the process of losing again.

My one must-do every day is logging my food and exercise in MFP. If I commit to tracking, I find everything else flows from there. Honestly, it's like a switch goes off in my brain.

I don't aim for perfection with my tracking - I only weigh some things, for example - but I enter something for everything I eat, even if it's a guesstimate or a quick add and I describe it in the notes section.

I find the mere process of logging helps me stop and think before I eat something, and I automatically start adjusting my diet and exercise. If I overeat, I know I will be logging it all, so it stops me going down the path of "oh well, I've blown it today...may as well eat ALL THE THINGS"!

In fact, tracking has helped me see that sometimes when I feel that I have really overeaten, it hasn't actually been that bad, especially when I view it in the context of the week. (I find the weekly averages feature of the app really useful.)

If you haven't tried it, one option might be to simply commit to logging all your food and exercise for a couple of weeks and see what happens?

mlrtri · November 2023

I need to weigh myself every morning and log it. It keeps my goal of losing weight (and eventually of maintaining) in the front of my mind.

I lost about 25 lbs more than a year ago. Then I quit weighing myself. Then I slipped back into habits that caused me to gain weight.

I no longer get discouraged by small bumps up on the scale as long as my weight trends down. I am now down almost 35 lbs and plan to weigh myself every morning forever because I know if I don’t I run the risk of falling back into habits. I want to end the yo-yo-ing. That is when I doubt myself and convince myself I can’t improve my health. So, for me, it all starts with accountability on the scale.

Sett2023 · November 2023

What helped and helps me is having introduced no revolutions in my life.
No forbidden foods, no hard exercise, nothing major/disrupting.

Premise: I had very little to lose, I wasn't even in the overweight range, but I've always been skinny and I have to stay there for heart condition. In 2012, I abruptly went from my usual 47 kilos to 71 in three months due to betablockers, so I had to lose a part of those kilos (52/54 is my and my doctor's goal).

Now: I did it in two rounds, but the first 7.5 kilos I lost for good, while the other I lost and regained, and that's the reason I'm at it again (I basically did it, really, I'm already at 55 kilos).

And what made the difference is that those first 7.5 kilos I've lost very slowly and in an easy way, only adding more healthy foods (vegs ---> which naturally resulted in eating smaller portions of sweet foods, 'cause I'm full!), and adding 10k steps/day (I really love walking, so not a problem; on the contrary, I'm sad when I can't do that).
It took me a whole year, but these little changes were so... little, and very pleasant to me, that they became an habit, and I "stick" to them since from 11 years ago without problems. The point is this: I don't feel I have to "stick" to this: simply, it's my life, not a diet or exercise regimen.

To lose also the other kilos, instead, I reduced a lot of things I love (pizza, pasta, fries) and added exercises that I don't love, so it was a continuous effort. So yes, I lost those other kilos in very few months, but I also regained them, 'cause that was not a good life for me. And that time yes, I felt I had to "stick" to something I hatred.

So, this time I did as the first one (simply, I added a little more vegetables and a little more steps). I eat a lot, I eat *everything* I like, I don't oblige myself in hatred exercises... and I lost (8,3 kilos in almost 9 months) without effort.

PS: another key I found this time is a different order in introducing food. I went from a sort of "dissociated" way of eating to the "plate", eating the same foods, no changes in it, only the order/mix in which I eat. I did it for healthy reasons, but I discovered it satiates me way more. Since that moment, my struggle is to eat all my calories (!) instead that having to restrain myself!

springlering62 · November 2023

Welcome to MFP @hwalton20

We all started somewhere and had similar questions and issues. The main thing is getting up every morning and telling yourself “I can do this for another day”. And another, and another, til it becomes habit.

Weighing and logging my foods were the single best thing I did. It made me so aware of what was going into my mouth, I couldn’t help but make changes.

Then it became fun. What could I do different to achieve similar tastes, if that make sense.

Who doesn’t love pizza? I started making my own crust from scratch. It’s so easy I smacked myself upside the head. Then I discovered that “pizza” on lavash bread (Joseph’s Oat/flax is our favorite- 140 calories for a peice that overflows a dinner play!) was even lower cal, and crispy and yummy.

I learned that mozarella logs were fewer calories (and waaaaay better tasting and cheaper!) than the pre-shredded stuff. Turkey pepperoni (husbands choice) is pretty good, but I like diced prosciutto on mine. All are lower cal than pepperoni.

We can have a really generous homemade pizza and a side salad for under 500 calories, and we don’t even miss the takeout kind. Once every three months or so, we (husband is also -willingly- on MFP) save up calories and enjoy a mid afternoon lunch/ dinner at Mellow Mushroom.

Applying that kind of thought to regular recipes and snacks has been a game changer.

I’m sure other MFP’ers are tired of me and my ice cream, but we each enjoy half a pint of homemade ice cream every night. It’s very easy. Half a serving each of skyr (gives a richer taste) or Greek yogurt, a serving size of sugar free pudding mix, and enough water to bring it up to half a pint each, run through a Donvier, Ninja Creami (our choice) or other ice cream maker. Voila! A huge bowl for under 100 calories each, unless I add fruit or peanut butter powder to the base.

I also broke my loss up into mini goals. That was very helpful. My first goal was 200 pounds. I needed to lose about 25, so at 5, I told myself “20% gone”, at 212 it was 50%. I know it’s mind game, but I responded well ti that. You know yourself best. What would you respond to?

I found a tiny dress and hung it sideways in the closet and talked to it every day, since I had to push it to the side to reach my clothes. It was a constant reminder that I had goals.

As I got lower and lower, I started rewarding myself with really nice colorful leggings every five pounds, planning which would be the next pair I’d get.

I never rewarded myself with food, as I had in the past, only things or experiences like a foot massage.

If you do this slowly and mindfully, you’ll build new habits which will carry you into maintenance. I’ve been in maintenance about three years now, and will share the best advice I ever got here “treat maintenance like you have five pounds to lose”.

And finally (whew!) the other major part of my sycresful loss and maintenance was haunting these boards. For advice, commiseration, myth busting, and laughs.

What helps you stay on track?

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