Nothing, absolutely nothing - not the most reasonable, sensible plan (the one I follow now in fact) would have worked for me unless I was WILLING to MAKE it work.
That being said, I'll cut and paste something I wrote about my plan a few months ago:
I knew the only way this weight loss thing would *work*, permanently that is, would be if I could find something that I could stick with LONGTERM, forever in fact, because not only do I want to lose the weight, but I want to keep it off - forever. It simply won't *work* if you dont' stick with it. Consistiency, consistiency, consistiency. STICKING with it is of course the key. Lifestyle change. Creating a new normal. No going back to the old ways. Permanent, sustainable lifetime changes.
So of course finding something that I could stick to and was willing to stick with was essential.
Things I needed/still need to be on my plan:
- I could never, ever be hungry. Just not for me. I despise that feeling and need to AVOID it all costs. It would only set me up for failure.
- I need LOTS of food, volume that is.
- I love food, always will and need to get enjoyment from it. So eating delicious, very tasty, satisfying foods was a MUST.
- I am terrible with portion control. I have no boundaries. My intuitive eating button is totally broken or just missing completely. So I need to fake it. I need something that forces me to set limits.
- I want not only to be thin at this point, I want to be healthy. Strong bones & muscles, good vision, healthy hair and nails, low cholesterol, normal sugar levels, high vitamin count, lower my risk of cancers.
So therefore, let's see if I can do this with one breath - I eat frequently, every 2 hours or so, choosing low calorie/high volume items (veggies), lots of protein and fiber (to keep me full longer), I count calories (forced portion control/accountability), I eat foods with high nutritional values, I've found foods that I LOVE, not *diet* foods per se, food that any one and every one can eat.
I also set myself up for success. By ridding my home of the junk (very crucial in the beginning, and still is). I got rid of the sugar, the rice, pasta, bread, cookies, cakes, ice cream, etc... Sure I love the stuff, but I have no control with it. I figured I can not have it both ways. I simply can not have those foods in my life (very strict with it especially in the beginning, cold turkey in fact) and be that healthy, fit person I so longed to be. I have no control over them and realized I was just better off without them.
I keep my home fully stocked with tons and tons of veggies. I discovered fabulous ways to prepare them and now enjoy them more then the other garbage I was eating prior. Amazing how ones tastes change when you stop feeding it junk. Fruits and low fat proteins are my other main foods. I cook fabulous meals that my whole family enjoys. So finding yummy recipes that you like is essential. No reason to go off plan, when on plan is so good.
I also prepare ahead, as it is the ONLY way to succeed, IMO. Eating healthy does not happen by accident. Therefore it MUST, MUST be planned out in advance. I know what I'm having for my meals and snacks days in advance. I pack food with me, taking it with me wherever I go, leaving nothing to chance. It's just THAT important.
I drink lots of water. It's something to do with my mouth; a delaying tactic and it keeps my tummy full.
And of course, there is the calorie counting. Would be nowhere without it. Nowhere. Since I don't know how to set limits for myself, counting calories is my answer. Counting and tracking my calories keeps me honest and keeps my food in check. Period.
Exercise has now become part of my life and is a big part of "my plan". I started out slowly and built up. Cardio & strength training. I make sure there is some kind of daily movement going on, 7 days a week.
Probably the biggest part of my plan though, was making a commitment. Deciding once and for all that I was going to "do this". I told myself enough is enough. I realized, once and for all that I didn't have to be fat if I didn't want to be. That it was something that I did indeed have total and complete control over. No reason on earth for me to waste another second of my life being miserable, worrying about my health and not living up to my full potential. Not being the very best ME that I could be. So I made a commitment to good eating and good health.
And that, in a nutshell (albeit, a VERY large one) is *my plan*.
Find what works for YOU, all the while being WILLING to MAKE that something work. In other words, it'll work, if you make it work.
Mine's pretty simple: I began running, I watched my calorie intake, and walla - 45 lbs gone.
But I am also someone that thought at one point that I could not lose weight, that all diets failed, that there was something wrong with me. The only thing wrong was my lack of commitment.
The desire to become a runner was bigger than my desire to stay obese.
what worked for me so far, is calorie counting. i have a LOT of trouble with cutting out certain foods/food groups all together, so i needed something flexible. i try to make "healthiER" choices. i have a taste for sweets, carbs, and basically everything thats bad for you, lol. instead of completely cutting it out, i try to make healthy choices when i eat it. instead of a candy bar, i have a skinny cow fat free fudge bar, etc. i get totally obsessed with something as soon as i decide i CANT have it, so i dont do that any more. i also eat small meals more often so that im never hungry.
Im noticing that planning is a lot of it. So you ate basically veggies and protein and any carb not white?
Oh yeah. Planning was and 3 years out, 2 years maintaining, it still is essential to me. This eating healthy stuff just won't happen on it's own. Like anything that counts, matters and is important, it takes effort, time, thought and advanced planning.
Lots of folks are different, but for me, I can't eat the stripped down carbs. Carbs found in veggies and fruits - fantastic, all other ones - recipe for disaster, for me. I have difficulty stopping when I start - so I finally realized, I'm better off not starting, this way I don't have to worry about stopping. Same thing with sugar. I was super strict with this in the beginning. Super strict. And no, I never, ever not once felt deprived turning down those foods. I felt deprived eating those foods and remaining morbidly obese.
I know it sounds insane to give up the foods that you overeat the most, you wonder how in the world is it possible, how can you live without them, but it was the most wonderful, freeing thing in the world. Once I made them definite NO's, I no longer had to think about them. They stopped calling my name. I made it a rule, stuck to that sucker like glue and they were no longer an issue. And it freed me up to lose the weight and live the life of my dreams.
Im noticing that planning is a lot of it. So you ate basically veggies and protein and any carb not white?
I posted in one of your threads just a few days ago with what worked for me. I concentrated on eating foods with powerful nutritional properties and avoiding foods with little to no nutritional benefit. I didn't eliminate white carbs completely, but I have significantly reduced them.
Planning is EVERYTHING for me. It is Sunday night, I just got back from the grocery store and I have everything for breakfast/lunches/snacks and most of the dinners for next week (got stumped what to have Wed-Thurs and decided I would decide later). Tomorrow morning, I will get up and make 5 days worth of salads so my lunches are packed and ready to go.
Here is a typical menu for me (I am in maintenance but trying to lose 2 lbs):
B - Trader Joe's fat free Greek yogurt with honey, 4 oz sliced strawberries
L - big salad - romaine, purple cabbage, carrot shreddies, grape tomatoes, grilled chicken, a little bbq sauce, a little fat free ranch, some crispy tortilla strips, a little bit of roasted corn
S - tall non fat latte
S - tangelo
S - string cheese
D - lean beef burger on a whole wheat bun, sweet potato french fries
(I hardly ever get hungry after dinner, so I dont plan after dinner snacks. I'm snacky in the afternoon, which is why I have 3 afternoon snacks, you have to figure out what works for you).
I've been doing this for over 5 years now, and I know the calorie counts of my favorite breakfast lunches and dinner and just plug them in every day, knowing that if I follow my plan, I'm in my calorie range for the day.
Dinner is my biggest meal of the day, usually 500 calories (because I loooove dinner). 200 for my healthy carb (brown rice, whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortilla, sweet potato, corn), 200 for my protein, 100 for a big pile of veggies. My dinner is pretty much always some variation of this: big veggie stir fry with a little shrimp over brown rice, home made veggie pasta with a little ground turkey over whole wheat pasta, home made pizza on a whole wheat boboli crust with a ton of veggies and a little fat free feta.
I like to picture my plate as divided into 4 pieces - 1/2 for veggies, 1/4 for protein, 1/4 for healthy carb and a little healthy fat (like cooking in olive oil).
I guess my food might sound boring to people used to yummy fast food and Awesome Blossoms and nachos, but I am totally satisfied with the foods I eat and look forward to every meal (that was key for me, since I looooove food). Most amazingly - all my life I struggled with restless munchies. Go to the pantry, open it, rustle around, eat something random. Trying to fill SOMETHING. Now that I eat well, that has DISAPPEARED, the cravings are gone. I like to think my body wanted some nutrition it wasnt getting, but now, it gets everything it needs.
Decide what you're going to do and just do it. Plan and follow through, plan and follow through.
Calorie counting and COMMITMENT (and the tons of good advice you see in Glory and Robin's posts).
Commitment even when it was brutally hard and I was throwing temper tantrums and hissy fits and giant "why me" pity parties inside my head -- commitment even then.
rockinrobin summed it up nicely. planning and commitment helps.
not being hungry is definitely important, because this is a lifestyle change. I guess what really works for anyone is all trial and error. It mostly comes down to calorie counting, but some will gain weight eating carbs, others can go vegetarian and feel fine , so then we need to tweak our diets that way. Some will be able to manage having small portions of their favorite foods, others will have to avoid it because it will be a trigger food down a downward spiral.
I guess my food might sound boring to people used to yummy fast food and Awesome Blossoms and nachos, but I am totally satisfied with the foods I eat and look forward to every meal (that was key for me, since I looooove food). Most amazingly - all my life I struggled with restless munchies. Go to the pantry, open it, rustle around, eat something random. Trying to fill SOMETHING. Now that I eat well, that has DISAPPEARED, the cravings are gone. I like to think my body wanted some nutrition it wasnt getting, but now, it gets everything it needs.
All of these posts have been great, but I want to highlight THIS! Proper nutrition is vital. Not only is it vital to not eat too much, it is vital to eat enough and get enough veggies, fruit, healthy carbs, lean proteins, healthy fats. One good change to start with: go for 5-7 servings of fruits and veggies each day. The days I don't have proper nutrition, I am hungry and munchy and tend to make poor choices. When I have healthy high nutrient-packed foods, I am satisfied.
I lost 180 pounds by counting calories and eliminating alcohol from my diet. I actually quit smoking, drinking and binging all within a week or so of each other. While I was losing I ate 1200 calories a day Monday thru. Thursday. Friday, Saturday and Sunday I upped it to 1500 a day. Though to be honest, I didn't up my weekend calories for several months into my plan. I've never been much of a snacker, I've always been a 3 squares, (large squares) kind of gal, so I broke my meals up into allotments. Breakfast was/is 300 calories, Lunch is 400 calories and supper 500 calories, on the weekend I added 100 to each meal, or sometimes used the 300 extra all in one meal if celebrating something special....and I log every bite in a cheap little date book. Everyday. EVERY SINGLE DAY, I write down what I eat. Like Glory and Robin, (and others) I only ate nutritional foods...and lots of it. (Now that I am in maintaince I have treats now and then, but still need to stay far away from sugary baked goods and candy.) I also make sure everything is voluminous. My doctor told me way back when that if I was going to only eat 1200 calories a day (4 days a week) that it was a MUST that every calorie come from nutrient dense foods, no empty calories were his exact words. No 100 packs, no saving up for ice cream, etc. One thing I noticed is that when I got rid of the junk food I no longer craved it. I was happy and satisfied with what I was doing and what I was eating. I was also losing weight at a very nice rate so "cheating" didn't appeal to *me*. I had no desire to go off plan. I guess I wanted the mound of fat off more than I wanted a candy bar. Once the weight began to melt off, I was totally dedicated. I just knew that NOTHING was going to stop me from reaching my goal...NOTHING!
Oh and exercise....well, I didn't exercise for a long time. Probably for the first 80 pounds the only exercise I did was doing the things I didn't do when I was so big that I couldn't do...like really deep clean the house, gardening and mowing, painting, and decorating, and getting rid of clutter. Things like that. Just moving, carrying around 180 pounds of excess weight seemed like weight lifting to *me*. Once I got to know my diet, (I still call it that) inside and out, where it was totally second nature...then I added in exercise, but still, it's not gym worthy, it's hard farm work. We no longer need a hired man.
I've read several of your posts and threads, and I can feel your desperation. My only advice to you is just pick something....ANYTHING that is heathy and doctor approved, and do it. (EDIT: You can always change to a different plan if you find something you prefer better.) You just gotta start, and pray, and remember every time you go to the drive thru or eat a huge pile of non-worthy food is ANOTHER day of being fat and miserable and unhealthy. I hope you decide today to start your new life. It is so awesome. You will love it. It's not a death sentence, it is a new beginning.
So here goes, and you'll notice that NONE of this is directly food related! Because IMHO food choices are very personal and the plan that you eventually choose HAS to be one that works with your lifestyle and food preferences. SO, on a philosophical note:
1. Be RUTHLESSLY HONEST about your life now and what you want it to be. This helps you identify areas where you may need to change things. If you are able to rationalize away behavoiurs that aren't productive for you, you won't be able to change them.
2. OWN IT. Be accountable mentally for what you do and what you could do better. Forgive yourself for not being perfect, but strive to do the best you can (the HONEST best you can) each and every day. You are only fooling yourself if you minimize or rationalize away your actions. If you don't account for what you are doing, I guarantee your bottom will!
3. CHALLENGE YOUR DEFINITIONS. If you don't THINK, you won't grow as a person, and you won't actually change. Think of it this way: I'd say the vast majority of people who want to lose weight get enthusiatic and then go back to the same old mindset that they'd had for years without success. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. Now, I DON"T mean this in terms of plan alone. I've gone back to WW this time because it works for me BUT my MINDSET is different. THIS is what I've addressed -- I've dropped the diet mentality and decided that this will be my LIFE from now on. So THIS is what is different. And to do that, I had to seriously change my views, beliefs and attitudes about "diet", "lifestyle", "exercise", and the diet industry in general. Don't be afraid nor offended if you see lots of different ideas on this forum! Lots of people DO get defensive if their long-held beliefs are challenged: some actually get offended! But those who have been the most successful have been willing to reevaluate their entire lives and belief systems so that they can change. So keep an open mind!
4. ACCEPT THE FACT THAT PROGRESS MAY BE SLOW. It isn't for all of us -- there are lots of stories here about those who rapidly lose weight. And that is amazing! But others here are weight loss turtles. And you need to accept that you MAY be a turtle (hopefully you'll be a hare!) and that is just fine. This isn't a race, and weight loss won't be linear, but if you make the changes for life, then really, who cares? As long as you are determined, give it 100%, own your errors and forgive yourself and move on, and actually see PROGRESS (without progress, it is all just talk and no action, so what's the point? IMHO), you'll be just fine...
Hop on the WL Train! There's a seat for you here on 3FC!
3. CHALLENGE YOUR DEFINITIONS. If you don't THINK, you won't grow as a person, and you won't actually change. Think of it this way: I'd say the vast majority of people who want to lose weight get enthusiatic and then go back to the same old mindset that they'd had for years without success. If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got. Now, I DON"T mean this in terms of plan alone. I've gone back to WW this time because it works for me BUT my MINDSET is different. THIS is what I've addressed -- I've dropped the diet mentality and decided that this will be my LIFE from now on. So THIS is what is different.
Thanks for bring this up Kira. I wanted to touch on it but forgot. See with me every time I started a new plan, or a different approach to diet, I was told that I couldn't do it the way I've always done it or I would fail. But trying to change *me* never worked, so I realized I need to change the "diet" to fit me. Like I said in my previous post, I aways ate 3 large meals a day, but most weight loss plans say you need to eat 4-6 times a day. Well, I never felt full. I was always hungry. But I kept hearing that old motto, "If you always do what you've always done" and I would think...oh, I just have to change the way I think. Whelp...thankfully I got out of that mindset. I could do what I had always done...I just developed a plan that fit what I always did.
Wow, I would say Lori Bell nailed it. I couldn't have written it better. I too count calories. I have done ALL the others, and they worked initially for a few pounds, then I just gained the weight back and more - plus more depression. Counting calories, eating healthy (read some books, like Jillian Michaels Master Your Metabolism) helped and I moved more. I too keep my range between 1200 and 1500. I have gone from 270 to 213.
I'm always surprised about how entrenched and emotional diet views and eating plans become for people, even when their choices AREN'T getting the results or when the plan becomes unsustainable in the long term. Knowing yourself and finding your own path with respect to what works for YOU and having the strength to keep at it is IMHO the KEY factor to long-term success...
What worked for you?
My only advice to you is just pick something....ANYTHING that is heathy and doctor approved, and do it. (EDIT: You can always change to a different plan if you find something you prefer better.) You just gotta start, and pray, and remember every time you go to the drive thru or eat a huge pile of non-worthy food is ANOTHER day of being fat and miserable and unhealthy. I hope you decide today to start your new life. It is so awesome. You will love it. It's not a death sentence, it is a new beginning.
Lori Bell!