Top 6 lessons from my weight loss journey

I thought it might be useful to pass on a few tips I learned in losing weight using the app in hope they may help others. I pass these on knowing that everyone's body is different and what works for one person may not work for another. But each of these tips is something I learned along my journey that I wished I had known at the start. As background, I spent 2.5 years without MyFitnessPal losing 20 pounds, and then lost 15 pounds in less than six weeks with it.

-Focus on the carbs, not the fat - For all the talk about a low fat diet being good for you, there is no scientific evidence dietary fat is a cause of heart disease, diabetes or any other disease. In fact there is actually more evidence that increasing the fat in your diet will accelerate your weight loss, since fat makes you feel less hungry and slows the release of calories from your digestive system. So when you start getting the summary from the app of your breakdown of protein / fat / carbs, pay close attention to your carbs. My advice is: 1) eliminate all industrial / processed / refined flour / fructose foods from your diet since these are the worst possible carbs / sugars, and 2) keep your carbs consistently low to maximize the fat burning.
-Make sure you are getting enough protein - Prior to using the app I was not consistent in my protein intake, and was often severely under the daily recommended amount (which depending on your source can be 0.7-1 gram of protein for every pound of body weight). It took me the first couple weeks to get consistency in my intake of protein / fat / carbs, and once I did the weight loss seemed to kick in.
-Maintain consistency in consuming / burning calories - For the last 2.5 years, I was in a routine of going to the gym five days a week. This level of exercise resulted in my body naturally wanting to consume more calories. While this was fine Mon-Fri on my workout days, when I hit the weekend I switched to a low activity / sedentary lifestyle. The result was that I took two steps forward during the week, and then two steps back on the weekend - and then I'd wonder why I was not making more progress. I solved this quickly using the app by adjusting either my calories (e.g. eat less), my activity (e.g. long walks on weekends) or both.
-Find your go-to low calorie / low carb / filling snacks - There will be times in the day you just need a snack. I used to eat a lot of nuts as a snack to fill me up, but after using the app I realized how dense they are in calories for my portion sizes. I found my solution in two foods: 1) popcorn with some nutritional yeast (for protein), and 2) celery with humus (small humus portion size). I would eat these at times in the day where I was hungry but not ready for a meal. Find the foods that work for you and just keep them stocked for when you need them.
- Limit your eating window - I can't prove this actually helped me, but I will still pass it on. I made sure not to eat after 6 PM under the belief any calories consumed in the evening will not be put to good use. I actually chose to do my workouts / walks in the morning before I ate too, under the assumption that it would accelerate the fat burning. Again, I can't prove it helped, but I suspect it did.
-Add a low impact activity into your day - I added a daily walk into my routine to increase my energy expenditure. On days I wasn't going to the gym or when I knew I was eating out, I would increase the length of this walk. I found this a great way to adjust my activity to the anticipated calorie consumption each day.

Well that's all I can think of in my first pass. I'd love to hear your tips too.