Hi everybody,
As I was driving to work yesterday, I was thinking of all I've learned in 3 months and how it would have been awesome to have known some of this earlier. So I thought, why don't we each offer a couple of things we've learned the hard way to one another? That way we can help those just starting as well as those on their way! If you want to help, just add your 2 cents and post.
Here's mine:
1. For me, it does matter what I eat as well as how many calories I eat. When I increase my healthy protein foods, I feel full longer and it seems like I lose pounds more quickly.
2. Exercise is necessary for my weight loss. I thought I could avoid it, but once I started the changes have been happening. Not pounds so much as clothing sizes!
I'm looking forward to reading what others have to say. Join the fun! Lisa
I may have other thoughts later, but one thing I have learned is that I have to do whatever it takes to lose weight. One thing that means is I can't put myself into too tight a box--for example, I could decide I should only eat healthy foods--nothing prepackaged, only whole foods, etc.--but that would not fit with my lifestyle. Another thing that means is that having decided on a plan, I have to be willing to stick with it as long as necessary, knowing that there will be times when I'm tired of it, I'm hungry, I'm sick of my choices... But I have to keep going. Whining and excuses make no difference at all when I step on the scale.
I have found it is not neccessary to pay someone to tell me what to eat or to prepare foods for me,when I couint calories and plan my menus ahead and eat healthy food plus exercise , I do lose weight.
I've learned that I can like exercising, and that I can even do it spontaneously, that even starting off with several 10-15 minute spurts a day if that's all you can do at first is better than nothing at all. Whether it's stretches, walking, jogging, dancing, using bands, balls, weights, etc....whether I take an hour a day or nab 15 minutes here and there, it's all good. And when I do it to music, which is almost always, it makes me want to do more and it just generally puts me in a great mood. I went from dreading and not wanting to exercise to wanting it and even thinking about it when I'm not doing it.
I've also learned that I can still eat foods I like, just not as much....and that some things I gave up or decreased, I don't really miss as much as I thought I would.
a) I don't have to deprive myself of ANYTHING, I just have to eat healthier foods daily and keep the less healthier foods in moderation.
b) I HAVE to exercise. But it doesn't have to get boring or tedious, I can find ways to do it to keep it interesting, continually changing it.
c) Exercise will make me feel better after I do it. It will give me more energy for the rest of the day.
d) I think losing weight is a mindset. I don't think anything in the world is going to help with weight loss until the individual is in the mindset to lose.
I have learned that when you do lose the weight the entire world does not change. They still make donuts. There are miles of french fries being made right now.Dogs still chases the cars.Stupid things happen.
You are the person who has changed and sometimes you have to fight to continue on your path.
My favorite saying written on the wall at 3fatchicks:
I did not get fat by eating one donut. I got fat by eating several every day for weeks.
The one oops is forgivable- but the week of overeating that follows will cost you in the end. Forgive yourself and get back on the diet.
A bowl full of fresh veggies will fill you, nourish you and almost always be startlingly low in cals.
Carbs are not an enemy, but they are not the best use of my calories in large portions either.
Success is not a license to fall off the wagon. When I hit a mini-goal, I think, "Wow, that was easy. I must not have to work THAT hard." The next week when I work that hard, it shows.
Mindful eating.....asking , 'Why am I eating this?"
Hey! Good idea!
I have to be willing to stick with it as long as necessary, knowing that there will be times when I'm tired of it, I'm hungry, I'm sick of my choices... But I have to keep going. Whining and excuses make no difference at all when I step on the scale.
Jay
Wow, did that describe me just last night. I told my DH I am so tired of my eating choices, blah, blah, blah. Then I got up this morning and had lost a pound! The whining felt good at the time, but the scale number today felt even better.
1) It's OK to fall off track every now and then (either from not exercising or overating) - but when you realize it, get yourself back on asap and *don't* try to overcompensate.
2) As noted by others, no food is off-limits, but make more healthful choices as often as possible.
3) Watching the calories in drinks, since they don't fill you up like foods do.
4) Working in extra bits of activity whenever possible, walk down the hall to talk to your co-worker, climb the stairs, stop doing wheelies on the parking lot looking for the closet space every little bit helps.
5) Do not obsess over the number on the scale. There are more than one way to measure fitness & progress, as the numerous NSV (non-scale victories) here can tell ya
1) Learning how to cook is good. Learning how to cook tasty, healthy, on-plan, satisfying dishes has made it easy to keep myself successfully on plan. Bonus points if you are willing to cook for other people, meaning you can have fun nights with friends and family that are 100% on-plan. Learn how to cook at least 10 different vegetables so that you love them. Learn at least 3 go-to recipes for every kind of lean protein imaginable (pork tenderloin, ground turkey breast, chicken breasts, turkey cutlets, super lean ground beef, etc).
2) (and I know some people on here might disagree with this) Routine kills. As soon as you start doing the same cardio every day for a month, or eating the same 3 meals in constant rotation, your body adjusts AND you get bored. Try something new! Experiment! Take a spinning class and cook some kale. You might find new "staples", you might have some flops, but the one thing you will -not- be is bored.
3) Do not obsess over being 100% on plan at all times. Things happen. Life moves forward. As long as you are on-plan significantly more days than not, and you don't go crazy off-plan on the days you relax it a bit, a few bites of dessert, a drink, or even a dip into the dreaded bread basket is not going to derail you. What WILL derail you is having any of the above, then slipping into one of two mindsets: "I still lost weight even when i had a drink, I guess I can do that all the time" or "Wow, I screwed up, might as well keep going".
4. I read an article recently that said that people shouldn't read on fitness equipment because it reduces the capacity at which they work...but you know what? I'm losing weight AND keeping myself from getting bored on the elliptical or stair climber by reading a magazine, and I'm willing to make a slight trade-off in cals burned for that. The ultimate authority on your body is YOU. That being said, respect that other people might have great ideas, and that if you ask for advice, you're likely to get one or two new ones that haven't occurred to you before.
5) Work the tools you have. Post at 3FC, and read for advice. Ask for help. Find buddies, online or in person, to help you. Use the internet to search for recipes. Does your apartment or office complex have a gym? What about your health insurance...does it offer deductions on fitness memberships? The fact that your office is on the 10th floor is a tool that you can work to get more stairs into your day. The best tool I have access to is that I work from home and can prep meals and/or lift weights on my lunch break. Figure out what tools you have that you aren't taking advantage of, whether they be a dog that needs walking or a kid's soccer game where you can walk around the field (exercise breaks!) or a teenager who has expressed an interest in cooking (great opportunity to teach him/her how to make healthy meals so you can take a night off a week without going off-plan), or a local farmers market (cheap, fresh, and sometimes exotic produce) - then take advantage of them! We all have 3FC as a tool, but there are so many other tools given to us that can help with our journey, even things you might not think of...like housecleaning! Turn on music, turn it into a cleaning danceparty, and get the calories burning AND the floor washed. Take advantage of the tools at your disposal whenever you can to eat better, move more, and get more done.
That's one of the most important things I've learned. All those diet books I've read in the past really didn't teach me that much. I suppose I took pieces of advice here and there from books, but more from people like the lovely folks here at 3FC, and trusted my own decisions about what would work for me. That's the biggest factor in my success so far, I think.
Another thing I learned is that ANYONE can be an athlete. We can define ourselves in new ways at any age.
Another benefit of getting established as "the one who knows how to cook" - you can volunteer to bring dishes, or even entire MEALS, for social events and everyone is happy. So, if you're going on the annual family fishing trip, you can say "i'll be in charge of the picnic" and everyone says "OK, great!". Then you can pack wraps (some on whole wheat tortillas, some on white) with lowfat herb cream cheese, turkey breast or lean roast beef, and lots of veggies, along with fruit salad and baked pita chips, veggies, and lowfat homemade tzatziki (along with some cookies - a girl can't be perfect) and you get a nice healthy on-plan social experience, AND points for bringing the meal.
I will have to exercise until I die. I will have to look for a nursing home with a gym. I can't skip. I can't ignore it. I can't pretend that eating less is enough for me to achieve complete health.
I have learned that for me personally, I can't formally diet. It leads to bingeing. I need to learn to take responsibility for deciding what goes in my mouth - not hand that responsibility over to a program, then blame the program when it doesn't work because I cheat.
I have also learned to like exercising at 6am - took a few weeks, but now it feels good.
Let's offer help!
But I have to keep going. Whining and excuses make no difference at all when I step on the scale. 
And when I do it to music, which is almost always, it makes me want to do more and it just generally puts me in a great mood. 
every little bit helps.
