#1 BEST piece of advice??
 

I am new to this and wanted to reach out to all y'all for your advice.

What's the number 1 piece of advice you received to keep you going? I am counting calories, so maybe it is a website you have used, advice from a trainer or maybe just words of inspiration. . .

Share your wisdom :) I would love anything you have to share.

Thanks!

Here is what I have learned...You have got to love yourself...you have got to love yourself so much that it becomes easy to endure the trials that weight loss brings...and realize that self love does not mean eating bad foods...such as: I did really well at X, or I have been working really hard; I deserve a slice of cake. You have to think of other ways to love yourself, and reward yourself. Thinking like that is what helped me at least...GOOD LUCK!

Be patient in your weight loss--there is no quick easy way that is ALSO healthy. Celebrate the small victories, like going down a pant size or fitting into an old dress that was once too small :)

Everything you put in your mouth counts - even when no one is looking, even if it's just a tiny bite. Count every calorie! (and also FitDay is AWESOME for keeping track)

It's all worth it! And plan plan plan ahead! I just stared a tips thread keep an eye on it hopefully there are some good ones.

I'm just starting again as well and calorie-counting is the way to go!
I started using FitDay to count calories, and I found out so much more about my eating habits that needed to be changed! It also keeps track of your exercise, and it even tells you exactly how many calories you need to burn and eat a day to lose the weight you want to lose according to your goal date! It's a great website.

Welcome to 3FC, i found a lot of support on here! The most important part really is to love yourself, enough that you put in the effort you need to to achieve your goal. At first. to me at least, it felt like I was being selfish but then I realized it's just me WANTING to lose weight over anything else. It feels good now :P

I'm sure you're as determined as all of us, and again you'll find all the support you need here! I almost threw in the towel last week but found good advice here and here I am, back on track! If it wasn't for this forum I'd probably be on the couch pigging out on crisps and ice cream. But instead I had 1202 calories today, and I'm about to go do some yoga.

There are SO MANY inspirational stories on this forum... YOU CAN DO IT TOO!!!

I will add ... don't beat your self up if you have a slip. Accept it for what it was and move on...it happens. Learn from the experience!

GOOD LUCK TO YOU!!!:hug:

be honest about every single bite you eat.

Go read in the maintainers forums. Those folks know where it's at ... where it's been and where it's gonna be.

We are so fortunate to have them. Before I found 3FC, I'd been on a few weightloss sites and there never was a bunch of successful weight loss maintainers there giving advice. We are blessed!

I use Fitday too. I love it. You can see how you've progressed through time. Check it out if you haven't already and "nothing tastes as good as skinny feels". When I say this to myself it really is true. So when you want to indulge say that to yourself. More times I have put it down when I have said this then not. It really does work most of the time.

Great advice so far! I second all of it! One thing that has helped me is keeping a weight loss journal. Not just what I ate and what I weighed, but I write down what's going on in my life and how I am feeling about things weight loss related or not. I also paste in pictures so I can actually see my progress (because the mirror lies sometimes) and it helps me stay motivated. It also helps me see trends in my life: times when I tend to struggle with eating, or times when I tend to get stuck with the scale. I write down what works and what doesn't seem to work. It helps me to see the overall picture so to speak.

I'm sure there are many things, but the most crucial thing for me is to write down my food and calories each day. That keeps me honest about what I'm really eating. It is so easy to sneak in a couple of extra snacks and just pretend it didn't happen. Writing it down requires that I tell myself the truth. Even when the truth hurts, it's necessary if I want to succeed.

Don't be on a diet. Have a lifestyle change. It's easier. Diets are restrictive a lifestyle change is a choice. You chose to have the apple rather than the candy bar. You never "can't have that" you "don't want that". Made all the difference in the world to me.

If you really want something, have it. Just have a small serving. For instance, I love pizza...the real thing. When my family has it, I enjoy a slice, too. I just have it with a HUGE salad full of veggies, so I am really full after only having one slice. If I completely denied myself, I'd be more likely to break down and binge. I do the same with other high calorie treats...enjoy a small sampling along with some other more filling and calorie friendly foods. Nothing is off limits, I just work it into my daily calorie budget. I really feel like, for the first time, I am learning how to eat...how to control myself, instead of letting the food control me.

Give up the "I blew it, so I might as well trash the rest of the day" attitude. I believe this is just our way of giving ourselves permission to continue to eat badly. Did you make a bad food choice at lunch? Then so be it. Eat a healthy, responsible dinner and stay on track. It makes no sense to say, "Since I made a bad choice at lunch and went over by a couple hundred calories, that means I should just eat a couple thousand more today because now it doesn't matter." So don't give yourself permission to do that.

Also....just for me.....I don't call bad food choices "slips" unless it really is one, like accidently using the full-fat dressing when I meant to use the fat-free. Eating a bag of fries or choosing to have a candy bar isn't a "slip" to me; it is a conscious decision that I made and I am responsible for me. That doesn't mean I should beat myself up, but it also doesn't mean that I should label it an unintentional accident, either!

So that's my advice. Don't give in to the all or nothing thinking that there is nothing between being perfect and an eating free-for-all, and take responsibility for what you eat. And be aware that I consider items like skinny cow ice cream, baked lays, and the occasional slice of pizza to be perfectly on-plan FOR ME. It doesn't work for some people, but that's just how I roll. :)