Name one thing that has helped, but was a surprise
Name one thing that has helped in your weight loss that has surprised you.
My one thing is grapefruit. It just occured to me one day that I don't crave sweets and the craving stopped right around the time I started eating grapefruit again. I think that the sourness actually satisfies whatever I thought was a "need" for sweets.
Black coffee. It seems to get rid of all my cravings shortly after I drink it. I had heard of it being an appetite suppressant, but I didn't believe it since you hear a lot of bs on the internet. However, if I'm a little bit hungry, coffee works wonders.
My biggest surprise success has been with low-carb. Whenever I tried low-carb in the past, I would get extremely ill if I ate too few carbs, such as on Atkins Induction. Most low-carb exchange plans start with a super-low phase and promise that "the flu-like "carb withdrawal" symptoms would disappear after two weeks. For me, the symptoms only got worse to the point I even passed out on more than one occasion.
As a result, I was convinced for many years (decades in fact) that low-carb was not just unhealthy but actually dangerous.
When my doctor recommended low-carb, I was very skeptical. He warned me not to go too low, but admitted he didn't know how to determine what constituted too low, so I had to experiment.
Oddly enough (considering how many diet variations I have tried) I had never tried moderately low-carb - only very low carb. Low-carb diets like Atkins encouraged readers of my size to stick with the lowest carb phases and not only never warned about going "too low" they all dismissed any concerns on that matter. I had never heard of anyone eating low-but-not-too-low carb.
Considering all the experimentation I had done over the decades, I felt like a complete idiot for never having thought to experiment in the moderately low carb intake range. The answer turned out to be so simple, that I still can't believe I never thought to experiment with carb levels.
I was shocked to learn that I lose more weight on 1800 calories of low-carb than on 1800 calories of high-carb (and not just during the first weeks where water weight drops off dramatically when dramatically reducing carbs).
One thing that I really think has helped me, but could be completely all in my head is cold water swimming (water temps around 65-68F) and short, maybe 2 minutes or so, of ice cold showers... Definitely motivating...
Plain soda water, with or without lemon or lime. It helps to fill me up and tastes great. Also, hot tea helps to satisfy when you want something but don't know what or you think you're still hungry after a meal.
Cutting off eating early has helped me a ton. It's kind of an unintentional Intermittent Fasting. Sometimes I eat as late as 4:30, but I really like to stop eating at or before 3. The only exception is if I lift after that time, then I'll have a protein shake afterwards no matter what the time is.
I don't believe it has anything to do with eating close to bed time or anything, for me it's just an easy way to avoid eating too much. My hungriest part of the day is mid to late afternoon, and this way I get to eat a large meal right at that time of day! Works out perfect.
kinda TMI but lots of water seems to clean me out.... that and i used to eat only between noon and 6 when i was heavier. now i dont eat past 6 BUT i do eat about 10am. depends on when I get up for school =)
My job. Before I got sick, I was on a regular schedule and the stability was amazing. Now that I'm feeling better, I'm working on getting back on that same schedule.
Pregnancy. Oddly enough, pregnancy gave me that motivation to get serious about weight loss. I was so determined not to gain tons of weight while I was pregnant. I was 6 month pregnant when I started lifting weights and eating healthier and I guess it stuck. Now my baby is 3 months and I'm smaller now than I ever was before I had her,
It's one of my favorite things and I thought I would have to severely limit it when I started. However it's such a saving grace. If I have the munchies, I am satisfied with a cheddar cheese stick; it is filling, high in protein, and no carbs.
I remember the days when we'd have cheese, baguette, and some grapes for lunch. That doesn't happen anymore. (Bread, the one thing that I thought I would never ever be able to ignore - I have it maybe 3 times a year. And I don't miss it.)
Naturally flavored sparkling water. I buy the in-store brands, cause they are cheaper. They help not to crave soda. Soda is a BIG crutch for me. I'd drink about 6-8 per day! Having these I get the flavor, the fizz WITHOUT the sodium or caffine. It's a big help! I love black cherry & white grape!
Having breakfast. Eating first thing in the day saves me from eating all day long! I make sure to have plenty of fresh fruit, yogurt, etc. on hand for easy brakfasts.
Name one thing that has helped, but was a surprise
Having these I get the flavor, the fizz WITHOUT the sodium or caffine. It's a big help! I love black cherry & white grape!
