Welcome to the forum! We all look forward to getting to know you (albeit only through the internet) and seeing your weight loss ticker go down! What I find works for me is tracking everything! Weight loss is largely a numbers game so it's very important to be honest about how many calories you are eating and how many you are burning off through exercise. Do not underestimate your food calories or overestimate your exercise calories. Be slightly pessimistic. Also, find a physical activity you are passionate about to spur you on. For me it is cheerleading, I am losing weight and improving my fitness so I can cheer again. Or you could, for example, take up a martial art or a sport that you will want to work hard at so that exercise is fun.
Vegetables! I add steamed or fresh vegetables to everything. It increases the volume of food so I feel full longer.
Example I learned on the boards. If I eat a frozen meal that includes a sauce, I place the meal over steamed broccoli or steamed spinach. The sauce flavors all of the food but I only add about 45 calories. I feel full and I have full flavor. I also like wraps. I can add a lean protein, any type of spread - I use Hummus, Laughing cow cheese spread and loads of baby spinach. I also like Tilapia lightly seasoned with a drizzle of olive oil and steamed broccoli or brussel sprouts.
I also use a food scale and measuring spoons/cups. I have found that I can't trust packaging. There are often calories that I lose in some food items. A tortilla might say 160 for one serving (53g) but when I weigh the item it is only 50g or maybe 55g. This may not seem like a lot but a few calories here and there add up.
Last edited by ImImportant; 12-31-2012 at 12:11 PM.
For me, it has been watching my calories - I use the MyFitnessPal app on my phone. It is SO incredibly useful at keeping me on track.
I've cut my portions right down too and I drink lots of water. Do not underestimate the power of h20!
I'd say that moderation and variation are key - make sustainable changes that will last a lifetime. To me, no food is off limits. I just choose not to eat certain things safe in the knowledge that I can eat it if I want to (and just factor it within my calorie limit for the day/week when I do).
This may not work as well depending on your eating habits, and may not be THE best healthy choice, but it worked for me and fit practically into my days.
Investigate all your usual haunts and restaurants for nutrition information online. Pick a few key meals that you can easily order, you like, and that will fit into a typical day's calories. I keep a list of fast food / quick service restaurant meals with calories in Notes on my iPhone. I haven't looked at it in ages, because after a while I started to remember.
Going to Jimmy John's for lunch? Get the #1 with no mayo, no cheese. 420 calories.
Going to Chipotle? Get a Bol (any meat) with fajita veggies, no cheese, guac, sour cream, etc. Light rice if I'm hungry, no rice if I'm closer to cals max for the day. As low as 400 calories (depending on meat and rice).
Going to the salad shop down the street? Get a Mediterranean salad w/ chicken and lemon juice dressing for 450.
This only works for restaurants that have published nutrition information, but since I eat out a lot when at work and usually at a handful of predictable places, it really helped me be aware of my calories without making dramatic immediate changes that I wouldn't be able to keep up with (like going from eating out all the time to cooking every meal for myself).
Not recommending it if you DON'T eat out a lot already, but just an idea for those who do.
Edited to add - low/no cal sauces can really help keep things interesting. Frank's Hot Sauce and sriracha sauce are a couple flavorful sauces that are low in calories. I keep an eye out for any kinds of flavorings I can sprinkle on different meals to liven them up or create a different taste without adding more than 20-30 calories.
Calorie counting works great for me. I started off just choosing healthy foods, then cutting my portions and eventually calorie counting. I like that I can have ANYTHING I want as long as I account for it in my calories
I'm struggling with BED, but when I have had success in the past it's been counting calories, but also eating healthier foods.
For instance, if I have to go to the vending machine I always get pistachios. I try to add sauted veggies to everything. Olive oil is high calorie but 1 tblsp usually does the trick and I absolutely love sauted mushrooms and broccoli in garlic and olive oil.
I took a hard look at my diet. I was eating tons of processed foods. There are foods that are easy but less processed, like yogurt or prapackaged salads. I usually have time to cook my dinners so I try to be super healthy, but sometimes my lunches have to be easy. I like to cook a few chicken breasts over the weekend and keep them in the fridge to make fast chicken salads.
I don't really count my macronutrients but I do try to have variety where it counts. Avoid eating just carbs all day. If I have toast for breakfast I try to have yogurt or salad for lunch. If I have eggs for breakfast I could have a tuna sandwich or something.
You want to keep it varied or add veggies to everything to keep getting nutrients.
Water! Drink water. Exercise is great but start really slow. I used to burn myself out thinking I could go from sedentary to exercising everyday for an hour. You'll get tired and when you can't keep it up you'll get sad.
But I don't cut anything completely from my diet. If I want sugar in my coffee in the morning I just make sure I count those calories and I make sure I'm not eating sugar all day. If I want pizza for dinner I have pizza for dinner, but I count the calories and I try to get a really nutritious breakfast the next day.
actually, to give a flipside to what others have already said, counting calories didn't work very well for me... i live in a place where getting "diet" food is nearly impossible, and where it's very hard to count calories accurately. when i was counting calories, one time it worked and i lost a bunch of weight, and then the next time i tried, it didn't work at all. not only that but journalling was a pain and the whole thing just made me kinda crazy.
this time, what i am doing is eating mostly just protein and vegetables. i eat almost no carbs (except the veggie type) and i don't count calories or limit my portions. i eat what i want within what i'm allowed to eat. i give myself a cheat day once a week where i can eat anything i want, absolutely anything, with no guilt. though sometimes i'll go 2 weeks without a cheat day. on top of that, i exercise 2-3times a week. the weight-loss is a bit slower (about a pound a week) but it's consistant, i feel healthy, and more importantly, it is something that i can live with. i seriously cannot imagine myself counting calories for the rest of my life, or maintaining a really restrictive diet for the rest of my life. but this? this i can do.
there are a lot of ways to lose weight. i hope you find the one that works for you!
Education! Learn about healthy nutrition and just eat the good stuff! Once you realise what certain foods can do to you, how they're not fueling your body in the right way, you'll be less inclined to stuff your face with them.
Exercise you love. There's nothing worse than feeling that exercise is a chore. I love running, home workout videos that incorporate circuit training (Jillian Michaels and Shaun T's Insanity) and ZUMBA! Other people might hate all 3 but love cycling, swimming and climbing say. Exercise should excite you, make you feel awesome when you're doing it and you will want to fuel your body with good food and not ruin your progress by eating bad food because of it.
I am a calorie counter. I plan all my meals ahead of time, make a daily menu every day. Once you get the hang of it,it will take about 5 minutes a day to prepare.
I counted calories. I also found that avoiding the scale for a week or two helped more than watching it daily did. Whether this will hold true for you or not, only time will tell, everyone is different.
Learn all that you can. Read up on, well, everything that crosses your mind and not just from one source, but multiple. That way, you can be sure you aren't getting a biased opinion. Be sure that what you are reading is trustworthy information as well.
Set realistic expectations. For example, when I first began, I'd work out for half an hour and it was usually split between multiple machines. I'd get bored on the treadmill 10 minutes in and switch to something else. A "friend" told me I was doing it "wrong" but the total time spent on a machine was always 30 minutes. I could have cracked, been really hard on myself for not going harder, but I reminded myself that I just did 30 minutes of exercise. That's 30 minutes more than I was doing before and 30 minutes more than what a lot of others do. I eventually worked my way up to harder exercises and have lost almost 40 pounds.
Tailor your workouts to what you need/want/can do. Don't, as Carrie Bradshaw put it, "should all over yourself". Accept that you'll have weak moments and they'll pass. Think of this as a permanent change, a lifestyle change, rather than a diet so aim for goals you can hit and keep hitting in the long run.
Park a little further away when you go somewhere. A lot of people spend a fair amount of time cruising up and down the rows of cars looking for the closest spot. Just park and walk. Saves time and burns extra calories.
Your weight loss secret?
