Has anybody been able to lose weight by watching portions and exercising? In the past, I have had success by writing everything down and counting calories and measuring. But lately, I have the discipline to do that for a few weeks, then I slowly lose my discipline. I have read that what ever you do, that in order to lose the weight and keep it off, you have to do something that you can do for the rest of your life. I just can't see myself writing everything down every day for the rest of my life. I don't know what the answer is for me. I am hoping, I guess, that I can just do something simple ~ I think that if I can just keep it simple and not make it too complicated, maybe I can succeed at this thing.

Gayle,
That is basically what I do. I never have time to record everything I eat. I tried Fitday and gave up after 5 weeks--it was just too much! In order for me to live with my family, I have to fix food that they will eat, so in order to lose weight, I give myself smaller portions. It works, although it is slower for me this way. If I really concentrate, I can lose 2 pounds a week, but without really watching what I eat and only watch the portions, I lose only 2 pounds per month. I'm not worried about this, I have a long time to devote to losing the weight and I'm not going off track. I also don't have a lot left to lose. I'm trying to incorporate more superfoods into my diet and I'm really restricting processed foods. I also always watch the fat content of what I am fixing. If it's really fatty, I just get a taste or two--not a full serving!
Take care and good luck!

Hi,

I've never been able to do the writing/measuring thing... I have done it on a limited basis to check just what is 1/4/6 ounces of something, but once I have that visual, I know what to serve and a few calories here or there is not going to make that much difference.

I am a firm believer in exercise for building fat burning muscle and stamina. I do away with the processed foods that don't add any nutritional value. When I have to cut calories/fat/carbs, I want to make sure what I do eat is filling and valuable, nutritionally speaking. It has never steered me wrong.

I don't "do" fast food, sodas, "whites". I find alternatives in whole sprouted grains, fish instead of red meat, a natural sweetner (on the rare occasion that I even need it) like Stevia, LOTS of fresh veggies and fruit, broil or poach instead of frying. Simple guidelines that I can follow any time. It works very well for me.

I do try to watch ratios, but not religiously. If I drive myself nuts, I won't keep it up.

Gayle -- DON"T WORRY ABOUT IT!

Who knows what we'll be doing in a year? I mean, I have a plan, and a pretty good idea, but...

There's this neat book called God Said Hah!

I do know that TODAY I have to plan my meals (cottage cheese and applesauce for breakfast, split pea soup, peanuts and V8 for lunch, and baked chicken and a salad for dinner), do a pilates video tonight, and, good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, I will go to the rec center and do a good workout tomorrow.

The thought of doing ANYTHING forever exhausts me. I need to keep my time frames really short. I remember quitting smoking - I won't have a cigarette for an hour, I won't, then I won't have a cigarette today, now I rarely think about them. It was 22 years in April. Wonder if I'll still be thinking about chocolate in 22 years?

Sue

I started off counting kcals, and then moved to simply watching portions (still choosing whole grains and other good stuff, mind) after a while. I was dropping around a pound a week doing this, which is about half the rate of before.

I've gained some weight after a two month holiday of crazy eating/drinking, and much as I'd like to drop it quickly, I know that I'll be more successful in the long run if I practise portion control rather than obsessively count every kcal that passes my lips. So, that's what I'm getting into again. I love it because it's virtually effortless. And I'm inherently lazy.

That said, I still weigh/measure a lot of my food. I do this as my way of determining what constitutes a reasonable portion. If I'm fancying beans or cottage cheese, I'll measure out half a cup, say, and class that as one portion. Using a measuring cup is no more hassle than jollupping it out with a spoon. I might occasionally weigh a piece of cheese, fish, or meat to check it's around the right size, but I pretty much have that off pat now. For some reason, I cannot successfully eyeball what constitutes a tablespoonful of anything though. Every time I try, I'm so far out it's laughable.

I wholeheartedly agree with you about finding something that's sustainable. Early on in my journey I thought that counting kcals was something I could do forever. That was before my inner brat started misbehaving. If I wanted something for 150 kcals, but had only 100 left for the day, I found I would metaphorically stamp my foot, and end up eating way more than that extra 50 kcals. It's a head thing with me. Now if I want something, I simply have one portion. Generally, this is quite sufficient.

It's not foolproof or perfect, but with some discipline it works well enough for me. Give it a try for a few weeks to see how it goes for you.

YEAH! What she ^ said too! Thanks for that reminder Sue

I do kind of a hybrid:

I measure, measure, measure- this is just what I have to do to keep my portions correct, and it's what I do to follow a recipe, so I just act like every dish is a recipe, I don't "wing it".

However, as far as keeping track, I don't write down everything individually- so last night's dinner went like this:

We had (each):

2 gorton's fish filets (garlic/butter -these are really good btw, and not badly priced when on sale) 200 cals
2 oz's pasta w/marinara and parmesan- 275
zucchini and yellow squash sauteed in olive oil w/ garlic and parmesan - 125
1 slice sourdough w/ garlic creamcheese spread - 125


This is what I recorded:
Fish dinner - 725 cals

The counts for my simpler dishes I know from heart (or get from the box), the more complicated ones I have written down on recipe cards with the cal/portion number right there. It takes me almost no time now, and I find it to be a big relief to know how much I am eating.

Hi, Glynne,

I normally go by portion control. When I start to slow down, and the calories start creeping too far up (which shows on the scale), I go back to fitday for a while, it helps me to keep my eating more in check. I'm doing it now.

There's a recent foods option that makes logging in what you eat much quickly (just check the foods that apply). I tend to eat a lot of the same foods from day to day.

HI Gayle...

Well...I've been doing weight watchers online for well over a year now...so I guess you could say I'm counting and watching portion sizes. I love my online points tracker..I just plug in my foods and it figures out the points for me...it's really simple and I spend so much time on the puter anyways....it's just another little stop on the world wide web for me..u know?

I know the flex points system has been great for me but I've also been exercising a lot.....for me..that has been the key. I just love The Firm series...I've been doing that five times a week and then alternate in my gazelle and stationary bike....I never, ever thought I would say this but....I LOVE exercise....scary isnt' it??

I guess when it comes down to it...you have to do what's right for you...and you're right...it does have to be something feasible...something you can keep up with for the long haul. I don't think there's any one right way to losing weight....you just have to find a system that works for you. I tried everything before WW....and for me...WW just clicked..u know?

Ok...good luck Gayle...we're always here for ya..

Luv,
Liv

I have lost weight by watching portions and exercising, rather than counting calories or following a "commercial" diet. But it's not quite that simple. I exercise a lot, and I prefer that because it gives me more leeway with my eating. I watch portions pretty carefully, not so much with vegetables but with pasta, rice, chocolate etc. I've also worked quite hard on the quality of what I eat, and have ended up eating a lot more homemade food and fresh fruit and vegetables.

I've never got on with Fitday - first because it's not really set up for English food, and then because I started cooking everything for myself from fresh ingredients that I didn't necessarily have nutritional information for. So I've never really counted calories although I do use them as a guide (e.g. I know that a snack in the 100 - 200 calorie range is usually more appropriate than one in the 500 - 600 calorie range )