What would your most important tips be for weight loss success? - 3 Fat Chicks on a Diet Weight Loss Community

02-02-2002, 01:31 PM

Hi all,

I am surprised that this part of the board isn't the busiest one, what is more important then success after all? I thought it might be good to start a success thread and we can all add to it from our success. Of course, there is bound to be a lot of overlap but even that would be very helpful since commoness among people would success would be a strong positive indication that those things are probably cruical.

Ok so I will start...

1)Motivation . I think this is the backbone of success. I remeber thinking this time I am going to do it. I just made an ironclad promise to myself to change my food habits. I don't say this lightly, it is not easy to make an 'ironclad' promise to yourself, obviously, or everyone would do it. Getting to the stage where you can and what motivates that, I can not tell anyone else. But I wasn't so special, probably, I wanted to look better and feel better, prety standard huh? But I also got angry, damm freaking angry and being overweight and that was enough to let me make that promise to myself.

2)Drinking a lot of water and eating slower. I think eating slower is a big, big thing. It is amazing how much less you can eat if you eat slower. Please try it. I think a lot of overweight people simply 'outrace' the signs that they are full. And food tastes better.

3)Exercise Does wonders for your metabloism and for feeling great. I started slow but I kept up. Now I have the freedom to go all day and its marvelous. I feel like I have reclaimed my life.

Just a comment. I know those of you familiar with my posts can see I keep coming back to these standard weight loss things over and over and over and blah blah blah. But, darnit, aren't they really the key, perhaps the only key to losing weight? If Bob Greene read my post or even Richard Simmons wouldn't they be nodding their heads yes? I am starting this because it would be informative for everyone I think to put what was most important to them to help others and for me to see what else I can add to keep my weight off.

Larry

the journey is the destination

JanetMae · 02-03-2002, 10:58 AM

Hi Larry,
Ditto to all you said; couldn't agree more.

Would like to add a psychological trick, or maybe just a new attitude, that helped me lose 100 pounds.

I was always SO stressed out back then, not just over being size 24, but because I had way too many responsibilities, and took everything far too seriously. If I didn't get everything done "just right" and on time, I'd get really down on myself, which didn't help my weight any.

So I decided to give myself a break, and forgive myself for minor failures in every area EXCEPT staying on program. I.e., if I lost or maintained that week, journaled, and attended WW, I would consider myself a big success, no matter what else I may have failed to accomplish. I made it my #1 priority (except, of course, for my family). I refused to worry excessively about anything else.

Oddly enough, soon I found myself really accomplishing much more at work, at church, and elsewhere as my health improved. Now that I'm size 10, and a lifetime ww member, my life is less hectic and my personality much sunnier. Not that I don't get myself into an occasional time crunch, but now instead of stressing over deadlines, I just tackle 'em and try to enjoy the work more. I take little breaks for exercise or visits to this board, for example.

If anyone sees herself/himself in my story, please give this method a shot. Cut back on your responsibilities wherever practical, make yourself and your health a VERY high priority, and believe in yourself. If I can do this, anyone can!
Regards,
Jan

Jibbelle · 02-03-2002, 11:56 AM

I think the most important thing for me is to set small goals. It really had to think about losing 100 lbs, but if I set mini goals it seems so much easier. It really keeps me motivated to successfully make my minigoals!

tryin'hard · 02-04-2002, 09:13 AM

What a great thread! I can't agree more that just reading what other people are doing only serves to solidify what I'm trying to do! I have lost 87 lbs since 1/1/01 and my success comes from planning. I plan my week's meals on Sunday and go shopping to fit my plan. Sure, there are exceptions to this plan, but for the most part, it works. Otherwise, we'd be eating pasta and garlic bread every night!!
I also plan to exercise. At first, I actually had to tell myself exactly what time I would walk, but now that it's been 8 months of walking every morning, it has become a habit.
I also plan one night when I can eat whatever I want. This is usually on Friday, but it helps to know that one night I can have pizza and beer (or whatever!). This helps me feel like I'm not denying myself, simply waiting until the right time.
So, good luck to everyone out there! This site has helped me realize that even thought I've lost most of my weight, it'll be a struggle to maintain it and it's nice to have support along this incredible journey!

angel-eyes · 02-04-2002, 10:26 AM

Hello Ladies. My suggestion would be never to underestimate yourself. We all have the power within. I think that most of us with a weight problem don't know ourselves and what we are capable of. A good point in question is that most of us suffer from some type of self esteem issue or self worth due to our weight. An example of this is..."well its a small piece so it won't matter" or "I'll excercise tommorow"...."Diets don't work for me, so whats the use?".

We have to come to terms with the importance of ourself and that we are worth it. We have to make the time, find the importance and also come to terms that we in fact "do have a weight problem". The weight didn't just happen over night, somebody didn't do this to us....we did this to ourselves.Did you ever look in the mirror or look in photo's and think...."How did I ever get this big?" I think once you aggree to this and forgive yourself, the mind can take over and help you to "shed" your weight triggers. Emotional eating can take many forms.....stress, relationship problems, social issues, boredom, poor habits etc etc.

The first step should be to recognize what your issues are and to go about dealing with these issues you'll find that you've been substituting food instead of solving your problems. I mean come on....how can you actually be hungry enough to eat a whole tub of icecream, or eat a whole pizza. These are two examples on how someone eats to fill an emotional need. But you can break the cycle. It can be done!!! Make small changes at first, eat more vegetables. Then start drinking more water. Most of us don't recognize thirst, but think we are hungry instead. Learn to recognize correct food portions.Slowly...and slowly your old habits will change. When stressed, realize what your trigger was and deal with it instead of reaching for food. Ask yourself...Why am I eating this? and Am I really hungry for this?

Our reasons for eating are more complex than most of us realize, but when you start to learn more about your feelings,emotions and self; I think you begin and only then to really understand the reasons for your weight and how to be a happier person.

tryin'hard · 02-04-2002, 11:34 AM

Angel-eyes, you are right on target! And what better time for self reflection is while walking! I leave my headphones at home and spend 30 minutes a day doing "positive self talk." I pat myself on the back for making right decisions and healthy choices. Before you know it, many of the reasons that made you over eat are gone! I know some people may doubt this, but to them, I simply say, try it. It works!
Come on, let's here some more success tips! We can all help each other while helping ourselves!

Pauline · 02-04-2002, 12:13 PM

This really is a great topic. The thing that I have to keep reminding myself is that all things take time. I become so impatient when it come to seeing results. You would think that I just put this weight on last week, and I want it gone this week. I know it doesn't work that way. In fact, from past experience, with my own struggle, I feel that I have to start to lose internally before it is noticable externally. It may sound crazy, but that what I've come up with. Anyway, Patience is also an important factor in our weight lose journey.

FeistyFilly · 02-04-2002, 05:15 PM

MOTORVATION: I truely think you have to have a motorvation. I was stun from looking at my picture last year. It was probably the last thing I needed to look at after getting laid off from my job. I was at my largest. 257LB. When I seen my picture I just had to go weigh myself. I not only couldn't believe how big and round I look all over I could not believe how heavy I was. This is not the same image I would see in the mirror every morning and I was horified. No wonder, I no longer felt entergitic anymore.

CALORIE COUNTING: It has been the best thing I have learn about. I had been on all kind of diets and gave up on them plus I was plain lazy in the past about them. I had to really look back on this.I Went to a doctor back in 96 and took diet pills but I got off of them in a years time. did lose 60Lb on them but gain it back then more. I pretty much let the pills do the work I didn't do much to change my life style. I punshed my self on Slim Fast shakes lost 12lb and ended up putting my body in starvation mode. Yep, that was me back then, I was either to one extreem to another. I was sick of what I was doing by the time I got laid off and seen what I seen I started to study about my body. How does it use calories, how do I burn them. I also learn I didn't have to do with out my favorite foods or snacks. I just had to learn to portion my meals, make them right, ad something that will fill you.Calorie counting has worked out for me the longest.
EXERCISE: I went from active from high school to unactive two years after high school. Goodness, How did I get this way. Exercising felt GREAT! How in the world did I take this out of my life? Walking is easy and wonderful, I live in a beautiful city that had dedcated to making long side walks by the creek all the way through town. reaches from one end to the other, and even their parks is full of side walks, I also since we pratually have a built in gym in the back yard I do a little bit of weight lifting, tredmill walk and swimming in the summer.
FAILURE: I think it is important to understand that there is failure. It is mean and evil and it is waiting. I don't believe that we can say HEY, I won't ever touch another chocolate bar, or I won't take a piece of cake, I'm not going to have pizza, I won't touch that burger. I think that failure needs to be accepted. Know that you fail that day and get it over with and get back in the saddle. I done this to many times once before where I fail and could not accept it and through the whole diet out the window and ate worse cause out of that one day, I had one to many slices of cake. It wasn't worth losing 20lb and getting mad over gaining 2lb. I know I will fail some where but I won't be out of the saddle for long.
WATER: is very important. I think about everytime I drink water how my cells inside of me is dancing and smiling, bathing in happiness

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Sweater Girl · 02-05-2002, 07:55 AM

After losing my weight I have a few tips.

1: Believe you can do this!! That's the most important in my book.

2). Yes deal with the emotional issues at sometime. All of us have different reasons for overeating... some could be deep dark issues, others could just be simple ones (like the way we deal with stress or anxiety, some people withdraw, others become angry and snappy, I was the one <like many others> who overate>, sadly I am only learning how to deal with stress now).

3. Love yourself (I think this is an absolute must before you lose weight) and relish even small accomplishments (those jeans that were tight are now loose etc)

4). Don't only emphasize a number goal, look towards other goals like wearing those size 8-10 jeans etc. I have 112-115 pounds of lean on me, so yes I do weigh more, a scale's a good indicator of weight-loss, but it isn't an absolute. I had the really dumb goal of seeing my collar bones and they look great!

5). Throw away your "big clothes" (I gave a lot to a friend of mine who was losing weight and needed interim clothing) once you can get smaller ones. Maybe share with friends who are losing weight etc. I wish my WW would have a swap meet on clothes!

6).EXERCISE!! Even if it's parking a few streets over or getting off a few bus stops early, make an effort for a little physical activity everyday.

7) learn from set backs and failure and don't see them as failure, see them as a learning experience. It took me 3 tries to lose weight and I learned something from each of the previous try.

There ya go, some of my tips!

Take care!

Ali

tryin'hard · 02-05-2002, 11:04 AM

Ali--what great tips and congrats on your achievements! Do you have any good tips for maintaining?? I (and I am sure many of us) are very good at loosing and gaining, but keeping it off is the struggle. I am definitely more committed to living a "thin" life than I have been in the past (that 40th birthday is on the horizon) and it's support like this that is going to make all the difference.
Have a great day.
P.S.--I love the bottom of your post!

Sweater Girl · 02-06-2002, 09:52 PM

Try'in: Well, I am still working at the maintanance, in a way it's the hardest part of weight loss IMHO! But thanks for your comments

Ali

sweet tooth · 02-12-2002, 08:14 PM

I'm going to add my list of weight loss tips in here, too;

1. Journal
Make sure that you write down everything that you eat. I found out when I started that I had to write everything before I ate it to make sure that I stayed within the range that I allowed for myself.

I read an article last week about people who were trying to lose weight by counting calories. When they were asked how many calories they were eating each day, they said that they were eating anywhere from 1200 - 1500 calories. When their food was journalled, it was found that these people were eating anywhere from 3 - 4 times more than what they thought they were and didn't know it.

Write down everything you eat.

2. Drink Water
I discovered the advantage of drinking water by accident one night. On a Sunday evening, I was having terrible trouble with cravings. I really crave dessert, cheese and meat. This particular day, I could not control the urge to have a huge hunk of cheddar. I decided to go for a drive, and while out for the drive, dropped by the store to buy some flavored bottles of water (for work the next day). When I got home the craving was still really bad, so I decided to take a bottle of water and sit down to read posts on 3FC while I drank it. After I finished the bottle of water, the cravings had disappeared.

A few days later, I read an article that said many people develop cravings for food when they are, in fact, dehydrated. To satisfy the craving, they eat what they crave, but the craving does not go away, so often end up bingeing. They are still dehydrated.

Drink Water

There are other things that I have had to deal with along this journey and many of them are mentioned in this thread, however, the 2 most important for me are listed above. This does not discount exercise (really necessary for a healthier being and also contributes to weight loss), motivation (until you are ready to lose weight, you will not succeed), learning from setbacks (how do you get better if you don't learn from experience).

This is a great thread.

angel-eyes · 02-14-2002, 10:59 AM

Congratulations to everyone of you LOSERS!!! I'm so happy to report that I have been one of them too. This forum has been a lifesaver for me, although I came in mid-way to the Valentine goal. I know myself, with all the kids candy.....I will likely have some ....but will not allow myself to go hog wild and crazy as in the past. I have been really giving in to my 'craves' and giving myself permission to have anything and everything that I want....BUT IN MODERATION!! On the ww program I can. And just knowing that I can, is my saving grace. I can now CHOOSE to have a pc of chocolate.....as long as my pts allow it. This is a big realization for me. In the past, I would have no problem with overeating past the pt of a normal qty. Good luck to you all on one of the hardest...AND SWEETEST DAYS!! Take care .....bye

tryin'hard · 02-14-2002, 12:39 PM

Sweet Tooth--great advice about the cravings! My dh read that 69% of the American population are chronically dehydrated! I am trying very hard to drink more water.
Angel-Eyes--isn't great to be in control of the V-day candy!!! It is so wonderful to have the choice to eat it or not. I used to start with one piece and not stop until it was gone. Let's not do that to ourselves! I have a friend who can eat lots of chocolate and I'm going to mail her all of mine tomorrow!
Have a great day!

Bueller · 02-18-2002, 03:07 PM

All these tips are great, the one I cannot stress enough is water. WW says to drink 6-8 glasses a day, but that is a minimum, a personal trainer once told me that to lose weight you should drink 16 glasses a day (and for every cup of coffee it takes 2 glasses of water make up for it). Now I know this sounds like a lot of water but trust me if you can do it its worth it. I drink 12-16 glasses a day, I have lost 75 pounds since may 2002, and the weeks I drank more water I lost more and on the flipside the weeks I didn't concentrate on drinking I lost less or none at all. It is especially important to drink lots of water if you splurge a little on the food (ie. Christmas, Valentines, Easter), you still have to watch your calorie intake, but lots of water can help to balance it out. There are lots of keys to the success of weight loss, you have to pick the ones that work for you.
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