For those of you that have been successful, what is working?
So I've struggled with my weight on and off as long as I can remember. And I'm just wondering outloud for those of you in my same situation, what has finally worked and why? I could use some motivation! I know to never give up and never quit trying but it's this cycle that goes back and forth and round and round year after year.
I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks so much!
Rachel
The biggest thing you'll probably hear is that it is a lifestyle change, not a temporary diet. Honestly, once you get into the mode that starving yourself isn't the way to go but eating better foods and exercising for your health then the weight can start dropping.
Thank you, you are so correct, I've got to start saying that to myself. You have lost a lot of weight - I'm so impressed. Do you mind telling me what you're doing and how long it's taken you.
Hi,
Many people have asked the same thing, even I did when I began, I think. I am not sure why this is working, I think more determination than last time, like Nelie said , this is for life, not just to lose weight and stop. I think my declining health was scaring me, wearing a size 26 pants and they were tight!!! . My kids were getting into the same bad habits as I was. All these factors have motivated me to stick to it. A few months ago if anyone said I'd be 70lbs lighter , I would laugh. I guess anything is possible if you work hard enough and believe.
cheryl
Well, I recently came back here after a month-long hiatus. One of the main things that worked for me was being able to come here and get support. If I had questions, I found answers. If I needed to have a pity party, I would find a sympathetic ear or two, or ten. lol. If I was frustrated, I could get ideas and different points of view that I never would have come up with on my own. My hiatus from here, and from my progress came when my boss put the brakes on my using the internet at work. I had dial up at home and it was just too slow to access these boards. I wouldn't play on the internet while working, but when I had a few free minutes, I would check in. But when that support base was gone, I felt like I was swimming upstream. I didn't realize how much I like updating my sig ticker and "showing off" my progress until I wasn't really able to do it. I also let other things in my life take over and stopped letting my focus be on ME and MY needs and desires. I am back on track now, and back to doing what I know works for me. What works for me: 1. counting calories. I'm currently aiming for 1800 a day. I haven't counted in about a month, and I may quickly find that that is too high a starting point, but it's where I started before, so we'll see. I'll adjust if it is too high. 2. Getting my butt moving. I love, love, love Leslie Sansone's Walk Away The Pounds (WATP) videos. Sadly, I got out of the habit of using those as well, but I know I can walk anytime, no matter the weather, if it's light or dark out etc. 3. Water. I know, it's been proven that water isn't as much of a weight loss miracle as it was once thought. But I find that it keeps me feeling full, it gives me something to put in my mouth and it helps me generally feel better. Plus the aid it gives my skin is a fabulous bonus. So, for me, water works.
I also know that this isn't a quick fix deal. If it were, I wouldn't have gained back 6 of my pounds lost when I went off my plan. You have to look to the ultimate goal and be prepared to be in it for the long haul. Best of luck to you.
Determination. After a mess up, you have to remember to just pick yourself up, dust off, and keep on moving forward. It's important to learn about your body, what makes you feel full and what your trigger foods are. Learn what makes your body bloat up, and what works to help fill a craving. You need to learn what works for you, what makes it easy for you to continue on with this healthy eating for the rest of your life.
I've spent the majority of my life losing weight and then gaining it back again. I used to look at it as failure, but now I look at it as my wealth of experience. I learned what worked for me and what didn’t. Learn from your past experiences. You have to become the export on your own mind and body. I think the majority of losing weight has to do with our mental attitude. This time has been so different for me because I finally got it through my very thick head that I will never be able to eat whatever I want and as much as I want whenever I want it. It’s like something finally clicked in my head. I want to be thin much more than I want whatever food it is at the moment. Here are the keys for me.
1. Positive self talk – remind yourself that you can do this and you are worth it!
2. Everything in moderation – if you want something have it but portion size is so important.
3. Get moving! I hated exercise, but now I find that I need it.
4. Try to understand why you eat when you do. I’m an emotional eater so getting that under control has been a struggle.
5. Don’t let food control your life! You have the power to control the food!
The reason that I have been successful "this time", is because I finally, after 20 years, decided, once and for all that I didn't want to be fat any longer. and that I was willing to do the work involved to get the weight off and keep it off. Once I made the decision and then the commitment, it all fell into place. I found strength in myself that I never knew existed
One thing I've learned from 20 years of dieting is that dieting doesn't work and the other truth I hold dear is that what worked absolutely for one person doesn't necessarily work on the next person.
For ME, what's given me some success (and I will only really think of it as a success if all the weight is gone and stayed gone for 5 years!) is:
1. been honest with myself -- the reason all my half-hearted attempts at losing weight failed was because they were half hearted! The results i got were equal to the effort I put in
2. started eating breakfast, and a little protein & fibre at that
3. started moving - 15 minutes at first, increasing as i could
4. didn't look at anything as "forbidden" but "spent" my calories like money -- did i REALLY want that slice of cheesecake??? that meant no supper if i did! so I'd settle for a nice bite and savour it
5. didn't "forgive" myself too often -- I had 15 years of "oh well i screwed up i'll do better" I just decided to suck it up and power thru LOL it kind of sucks sometimes but I think of the alternative (being fat and dying at 45) and i get over it
6. got it into my head that it's MY choices, MY habits, MY lifestyle that got me here, and I'm the only one gonna get me out of it!
and finally -- be happy! be excited over what you're doing! yay! you're getting healthy and slimmer and clothes shopping is just around the corner, and you can get out and do more stuff! yay!
Persistence. I didn't care how long it was going to take, and I learned that if I blew it, that wasn't an excuse for an all-day (all-week, all-month) eating marathon.
It's not going to be easy and at times it's not going to be in the slightest bit enjoyable - but when you reach the point where you've just had ENOUGH and are willing to do whatever it takes... it all kinda slots into place (I'm not belittling my/anyone elses attempts by saying that btw I just have no other explanation other than listing the careful attention to diet and exercise etc)
I never had to lose weight before. I thought this was going to be really hard. It hasn't been. Slow going yes, hard no. Go to your doc. Find out what a good calorie count is for you. They will also give you some very basic amounts of fats and carbs you should be taking in. You don't eat enough, you won't lose weight. Fit day is a great tool. While I don't worry to much about being right in line. It does help me see at a glance what I still need to eat to have the required amounts of my 4 basic food groups in for the day. You eat this today, well then you don't eat that tomorrow. We didn't get fat from what we ate in one day. Keep the averages in line and everything else will follow just fine.
I use a salad plate instead of a breakfast plate or lunch plate. Keep those portion sizes to normal. I use a lunch plate instead of a dinner plate. For me, if the plate isn't full, I don't feel like I am eating enough.
I eat lean cuisines or lean pockets when the family is having something i really dont want like kielbasa.
The most important thing I have found. Don't do without. This is not about doing without. This is about changing how we eat. Portion sizes are a big thing, our portion sizes are way out of whack. I don't do without a thing. I might not be able to have something I want today if my calories or fat or carbs are up for the day ( because I already had something else I wanted lol ) but I can have it tomorrow.
I eat from the time I get up until the time I go to bed. I know have plenty of calories and fat and carbs to have a snack everyday. I plan things this way. Do I want a big steak for dinner and no snack or do I want to go ahead and eat a smaller piece of steak or maybe have tuna instead and have that really yummy snack? It is all about choices.
For me it's all been about consistancy. I consistantly try and make the best food choice available. I consistantly go the gym whether I'm in the mood or not. I consistantly do all the things that make this easier for me. It helps me realize that this is a longterm situation, that I can't just go for the quick fix and hope it all works out.
I think consistancy breeds good habits and those will serve me for years to come.
So I've struggled with my weight on and off as long as I can remember. And I'm just wondering outloud for those of you in my same situation, what has finally worked and why? I could use some motivation! I know to never give up and never quit trying but it's this cycle that goes back and forth and round and round year after year.
I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thanks so much!
Rachel
Not to be a huge drama queen but - completely changing how I eat for the rest of my life. After 20 years of yoyo dieting, I had to finally accept that it just wasn't possible for me to expect a short term, temporary diet to have long term, permanent results.
Once I wrapped my head around that difficult concept, the rest pretty much fell into place. I had to change how I ate forever - which meant picking a lifestyle that wasn't too restrictive, too punitive. Instead, I adapted how I ate (pasta, quesadillas, stir fries) to more healthy options (whole grain pasta, whole wheat tortillas, lots of stir fried veggies over brown rice).
I also recognized a few of other things:
1. For me, it's impossible to eat healthy by accident. We all know that eating an apple for a snack is a good thing - that's easy. Having the apple handy when you nee dit - that's the hard thing. So, I try to plan as much as possible. I menu plan on Sundays, grocery shop, pack lunches, plan snacks, etc.
2. I had to abandon the "perfection or nothing" mindset. Previously, I starved myself until I binged. If I ate offplan, the day was "ruined" and I could eat whatever I wanted until I started over the next day. I had to accept that life was messy and uncomplicated and eating off plan was GOING to happen occasionally. One offplan meal/snack didn't make me heavy. I just had to get right back on track immediately.
3. I love to eat, so I had to like the foods I ate. I never liked 100 calorie yoplaits or snackwells or any of those diet frankenfoods. I was always bored, hungry, restless and bingy. I really really like the foods I eat now - Greek yogurt with fresh blackberries, grilled salmon, natural peanut butter, sugar snap peas, roasted sweet potatoes - I look forward to everything I eat.
4. This is for life. Maintenance looks exactly like weight loss except I eat more healthy calories every day. I still menu plan, estimate calories, food journal, weigh myself once a week. I had to accept this was forever.
Reading all that, it sounds like a miserable lot of work, but it really isn't. I made some healthy habits and I'm okay with all the changes I made. When I ate whatever I wanted, I might have enjoyed the taste of the foods in my mouth, but I was heavy, depressed and miserable. Now, I am more aware of what I eat, and I eat 90% healthy whole foods and I am slender and a much happier person. I credit the change from crap junk food to healthy whole foods to much of my change of attitude - I am giving my body good foods and I have so much more positive energy as a result.
For those of you that have been successful, what is working?
. My kids were getting into the same bad habits as I was. All these factors have motivated me to stick to it. A few months ago if anyone said I'd be 70lbs lighter , I would laugh. I guess anything is possible if you work hard enough and believe.
and the other truth I hold dear is that what worked absolutely for one person doesn't necessarily work on the next person.
