Well I am probably slightly then some here. I have lost weight by upping my calories. Before I was 160lbs and eating 600-800 cals a day with no exercise other than cleaning house and chasing kids. I stayed at 160 for a long time. But now I am eating more 1400-1500 give or take and exercising at least 20 mins a day or more if I can. Also I cut out sugary drinks and caffeine. I drink nothing but water with some milk a day and herbal tea as a treat. I am currently down to 148. So far this has worked for me.
I should have said on the upping cals part. I eat better foods. Whole grains, veggies, fruits, lean meats, low fat yogurt and what not. Also I have a Fitday account to track my calories and what I eat.
I agree with you ladies ~ my menu plan is portion-based; and consists of Lean Meats, Whole Grain everything (with some added Fiber), lots of Salads and Veggies, Fruits, no-fat/sugar Yogurt, lots of soup, and water; plus daily walking and mixed exercises (including hand-weights).
Recently, I have ^upped^ my time and distance in the exercise (as I hit a set-back and plateau after losing over 70+ lbs). But last weigh-in lost 2 lbs; so I'm on the move again ~ YEAH!
I am also keeping track more carefully what I eat each day. I'm slowly lowering my total daily calorie allotment by about 100 cals to keep losing. I think exercise is sooo key to success and a continued loss; ie today, I extended my walk by increasing the distance a ways. I think consistancy is important. ROSEBUD
I had to finally face facts and figure out that I needed a plan that I could do forever. There was no more going back and forth. I needed something that had a beginning of course - but no end - just a continuance. So for me that meant doing the whole lifestyle change. Totally and completely in fact. I elminated the junk, but got to ADD in healthy, nutritious and DELICIOUS foods (that being key, if the food's not tasty, then just how does one stay on it forever?). I also count calories, cause even though the food is healthy, it still adds up. Calorie counting is my way of portion control. The ONLY way in fact for ME. It's what keeps me accountable and forces me to set limits.
Exercise is another valuable component to my "plan".
i'm using ww just as a rough guideline, because honestly i'm pretty clueless about nutrition and would otherwise probably try living on lettuce until i gave up and pigged out on junk again. i'm not paying for it though, i think it's kind of unfortunate that so many companies try to make money on people's misery. i just happened to have a relative that did it awhile back and gave me a slider and a bunch of booklets and stuff.
so i've come up with a few 'staples' that i can live with having frequently, (turkey breast wraps loaded with veggies, etc)... and i'm getting good at guesstimating points in most things, or checking when i'm not sure. and i've found a few surprises (wow, i can have that?!?!). i'm not totally sticking to how many points they suggest either (i think they were overly generous based on poundage). i eat when i'm hungry, but if i'm not then what's the point?
i do my best as far as nutrition - lots of veggies/water/fiber, adequate protein/calcium... low fat/sugar - but i'm still just wingin' it. i don't genuinely know what 'lots' is, or adequate is, or what low is for that matter... and trying to educate myself extensively on the subject would likely bore me to tears. but, so far so good and i'm making choices that i can live with long-term i think also.
I had to finally face facts and figure out that I needed a plan that I could do forever. There was no more going back and forth. I needed something that had a beginning of course - but no end - just a continuance. So for me that meant doing the whole lifestyle change. Totally and completely in fact. I eliminated the junk, but got to ADD in healthy, nutritious and DELICIOUS foods (that being key, if the food's not tasty, then just how does one stay on it forever?).
I went through exactly the same process. Permanent change of lifestyle is the only way to go for me. And I hear you about the quality of the food. We had to completely revamp our menu and in many cases invent new things we were happy with eating. And of course, a near unwavering commitment to exercise is a big part of our plan too.
Calorie counting and exercise. I consider calorie counting to be more than just healthy eating, so I chose "other." My eating wasn't horribly unhealthy before, but I ate way to much of even the healthy foods that I ate. Now I measure and weigh every piece of food that goes in my mouth and I plan out all my meals and snacks in advance to make sure that my calories will be under my limit for the day. I also write down everything I eat. Ask me what I ate on this day a year ago and I could tell you.
How did you lose/are you losing your weight?
