[NUKKIE2CUTE]

Ladies y'all are losing alot of weight on here...yall need to help me do the same lol. I need tips! & lots of them..pretty please! Lol.

[luckymommy]

For me, it has been calorie counting and exercise. Counting calories may sound complicated, but it's easy, once you get the hang of it. I use a program on my iPhone called LoseIt but a lot of people like http://www.sparkpeople.com/. I also try to move as much as possible. I take walks, use an elliptical machine and I've recently started doing Pilates. I try to park my car far from my destinations (within reason! LOL), take stairs in stead of an elevator and get up as much as possible at home to do things. I drink lots of water and I've recently cut out most sugar out of my life. I also try to limit sodium intake.

You don't have to start doing everything at once. You could just start with one good habit and add it to your life every few days or week, or whatever works for you. The key is to make positive changes that you can do for the rest of your life.

I hope you'll love this site as I do. Welcome!

[elvislover324]

Welcome to 3FC!! You are going to love it here!

I agree wholeheartedly with everything luckymommy wrote. She wrote everything I was thinking!!

Good luck!

[bargoo]

I am a calorie counter, too. I find it works best for me and I have tried many other programs most with success but they were either too complicated, too restrictive or too expensive.

[firegirl441]

I am a carb cutter. I drink 1/2 my weight in water each day. I exercise 3-4 days per week and one day each week I change it up and make it longer in duration to keep me from going through plateaus.

Glad to have you join us1

[Bex1984]

I count my calories, but not crazyily so in that I don't measure etc, because I know I can't live my life forever using kitchen scales. I've been doing it for long enough that I know how much of the plates my food should take up etc.

One of my big things is to only use my small plates, even for dinner time! I don't let food items touch each other (so no heaping!) and also don't let it touch the edge of the plate either. Sounds a bit crazy but its a great method of portion control for me.

Planning is big too. I try not eat anything I haven't planned to! I know what I'm having for breakfast, even if that means "Muffin from ____" and google or use LoseIt to know the calories. I accommodate for my starbucks coffee and that 200 cals has to go into the calorie budget too.

Today for instance, I'm going out for dinner with my work. I know that I'll have a couple glasses of wine, and then who knows what for dinner. So, I had a 160 cal granola bar for breakfast, and a 120 cal yoghurt for lunch. That means I can still have a reduced calorie menu of the item, my wine and i should stay in budget for the day!

[scout83]

I calorie count and food journal. I write not just the food and their calorie counts in the journal but also what I liked/didn't like about the food, if I felt full and for how long and (this is the biggie) I write about other things going on in my life. I tend to use food to avoid my feelings so journaling has been a huge help. Welcome to 3FC!

[Andrea85]

1) I focused on eating for nutrition, not taste! I had two nutritional components I looked for (protein and fiber), and planned my meals around getting enough of those. Even with veggies and fruit, I decided what to eat based on what it did for me nutritionally. Ex- cantalope is yummy, but doesn't do a lot for me. Blueberries give me antioxidants, apples fiber, bananas potassium, etc.
2) When I wanted a candy bar, I would calculate how many minutes it would take on the elliptical to burn it off. 25 minutes for a butterfinger? Yeah, no thanks.
3) Once a certain meal became part of my routine, I searched for ways to make it even MORE nutritious/less calories. Whole wheat sandwich with avocado, tomatoes, sprouts, and chicken became an open face sandwich....and then became no bread at all, just a big mix.
4) I only calorie count when my weight loss stops. Then I count for a few days to make sure I'm not taking in more than I think I am. This worked for me before because I was loosing about a pound a week, so I knew I was doing something right.
5) WORK OUT!! Do it for your health. Exercise needs to be a lifelong adventure, not just something you do until you reach a certain weight. Find things you enjoy doing and do them every day!

All these together helped me loose 30 lbs in 6 months! I've lost another 10 since then, and it's been almost 5 years now

[IanG]

Intermittant fasting and salads and beer.

Breakfast: coffee, a light salad and a vitamin tablet.

Lunch: A large salad.

Dinner: Beer.

And I walk to and from work.

My advice is to find what works for you. Play around.

[Exhale15]

Think more about being healthy and less about losing weight. The weight comes off when you live a healthy lifestyle. Otherwise, it's a battle against yourself instead of working to take better care of yourself.

Cut back on the processed foods (foods in a package with lots of ingredients), and breads, chips, etc. Since you're cutting back on these things, you'll need to add something, so add plain 'clean' foods like lean meats (if you eat meats), also beans, lentils, veggies, and fruits. Also, cut back on sodas - even diet sodas, because they'll make you sick in the long run - and fruit juices - too much sugar, and drink instead water.

Get in lots of walking and some work with free weights for your arms. As you start to get in better nutrition into your body, and lose some weight, you'll probably feel like getting in more movement, more exercise, and that'll be great - so go with the flow.

You'll do great. Remember, this is a life-style change, so don't get crazy, just be consistent with making healthier choices.

[chubbiegurl]

I found a good cal range for me and calorie counted, but choose healthy cals and low carb (under 100) avoided sugary drinks, did 45 mins of cardio per day, no eating 3-4 hours before bed except for my chia seeds. I try to sleep 8 hours a night drink 9-11 cups of water. I could not follow any specific plan just cooked healthy and had a cheat meal on Saturdays.
Welcome and best of luck finding something that works for u.

[going2bskinny]

dont eat packaged foods that's for sure least for me lol

lots of salads, stir fry with very little oil or use broth in place of the oil, steamed veggies with a hand palm sized serving of lean meat

and fruit and a little raw nuts but be very limited on those if ya have them

and water is your friend try to drink 3 qts to a gallon each day.

I don't like counting calories so long as I stick to that I can eat as much as I want really long as you watch the meat so you don't go overboard I only try to have meat once a day or 2 times at most rest is fruit and veggies.

And also everyone messes up on their diet but long as you keep picking yourself up and continuing you will get to your goal. Never give up!