#1 piece of advice?
 

Thought this might be a fun thread, especially with today being Friday and the beginning of the weekend. And, honestly, my husband leaves for deer camp on Monday for a week! In years past, this was my free for all week ... totally ate anything at all, but I want this year to be better and actually use it as a chance to make changes. So, what is you one (or two,hehe) best piece of advice for motivation, diet, control, etc.?

Mine is a little silly, but I've started to realize how effective just saying no really is. My biggest problem is lack of self control. I'm learning how to tell myself no. For anyone with the same problem, I can't express how important that is.

I agree with saying no! And I have to tell myself -daily- to KEEP GOING. Keep going and it WILL happen. :)

The best piece of advice is to write down all the reasons you want to lose the weight and to read it multiple times a day. Sometimes it's so easy to lose focus, but this habit forces us to remember.

Most of us know this, but I find keeping a food diary is a big deal. It so helpful to see my whole day written (or typed) down. It keeps me accountable and I make better choices.

My DH is gone for business often. I find I actually do better when he's gone. I don't bake for myself and I don't buy the higher cal stuff when he's gone. He's my partner in crime when it comes to eating. Which can be bad for both of us. Thankfully, he's trying to lose now too. My advice would be to keep the higher cal foods out of the house while he's gone and to stay busy.

I'm a big believer in letting yourself have that thing you really want...so long as you log the calories and don't go over. Example: my sister made fresh baked bread recently, and I knew that a large chunk of it smeared with butter would be umpteenamillion calories. But I ate it anyway, because I love it, and skipped dinner. Healthy? Not really, but if I thought I could never have beloved item *fill in the blank* again I would lose my motivation, which is a bigger risk in my opinion.

Hi,

I really like this idea. I have a had time staying focused on all the great reasons to lose weight and start focusing on how hard it is, how I feel deprived, etc. Reading my list a couple times of day should help me keep focused and motivated.

This is a great thread!

I put my weight on the fridge. I just take it down when people come over :)

I agree with this. My problem is impulse control. So often in the past, I would just give in. Now, if I can just resist whatever it is I want to eat, the urge usually passes within ten minutes.

My #1 piece of advice is that perfection isn't required but consistency is. I think many of us who have struggled with weight issues over the years have an "all-or-nothing" mentality. I know I used to have this mentality. If I could not be near perfect in my eating and/or exercise, I would just throw in the towel completely. I've gotten so much better this time around, though. Now, I realize that even if I go over my calories or if I skip a day or two of exercise, it's really no big deal unless I make doing so a habit. That has made it easier for me to last this time. I've gone from a size 14 to a size 8, and it has felt so much easier than it ever has before. I was thin about 6 years ago before starting a new job, and then gained about 40 lbs. because of new-job stress (and other issues at the time). I gave up on myself for years. I somehow found the motivation in June to start taking care of myself again. I just focused on behaviors and decided I would be consistent rather than perfect. As I sit here so much thinner than I was in June, I am still amazed that I'm not fat anymore. I never thought I would be thin again, and I credit so much of my success to ditching that all-or-nothing thinking.

I agree with ditching the all-or-nothing thinking. It's so easy for me to use that as an excuse to revert to my former self-indulgent behaviors. And just saying no is also a good strategy. I've been eyeing the donuts/bagels/treats in the office kitchen and finally told myself to stop it, for ****'s sake!

I've also found that using some of my calorie allowance on the occasional cookie (or three) keeps me from feeling sorry for myself, so it's easier to stick with the plan.

Don't use inconvienence as a reason to get off plan. Last night my sister was baking for 2 hours when I needed the oven (at a way higher temperature) for dinner so instead of doing what I used to do "ah, it's too late, these cookies look awfully yummy..." I stuck to my guns, cooked even though I was annoyed, and was proud..

Be prepared. Have a plan.

Planning out my meals for the week has been super helpful, because I already know what my main meals for the day will be and how many snack calories I have left. Also when I go grocery shopping I only buy food for my planned meals so there isn't extra junk in the house to tempt me later.

#1 - consisting and planning.

I agree with the perfectionism isn't the solution to being overweight. It's consistently making the best choices you can, but plan for it -- don't wait until you're ravenous and your choice is between McDonald's or having to cook for an hour for a meal. McD's is always going to win!!!


The thing is, I would add there is another critical component to this which is that we have to change our habits that got us overweight to healthy habits that will help us lose or keep the weight off.

Finding some other things to explore in his absence might also help divert you from food. What are things he doesn't like or things only you do? When my husband travels, which he does a lot, I will do musical movie marathons, take extra workout classes, read... just an addition to the other awesome advice.

Awesome advice and tips!! I'm going to breeze right through this ;). Well, at least it'll be easier with these great tips. I'm going to make it a little special & do things he doesn't care to do, watch my tv programs, take a new workout class, try new recipes!

Define success in such a way, that you can experience success frequently. Not so frequently that there's absolutely no challenge, but not so rarely that the failures looms larger than the successes.

I failed at weight loss most of my life, largely because I defined success in such a way that it was rarely acheivable. And it wasn't all my fault, because in this culture, we're taught to be incredibly unreasonable in our expectations for weight loss.

For me, making weight maintenance (just "not gaining") my primary goal (and while I'm at it, trying to lose "maybe just one more pound"), essentially eliminated the temptation to quit.

I'm never tempted to quit, because I can start most days with the "success" of having not gained (or at least the success of not having gained more than I've lost).

Because every day's goal is "not gaining" first (and the secondary goal is losing), even if I don't succeed at losing, I've still succeeded at "not gaining." Or, if I've gained, I still have success to point to. For example, if I've gained even 8 lbs (which I can easily do during TOM), I can still celebrate the success of having kept off 90 lbs. My successes always outnumber my failures, so discouragement usually isn't a problem (unless I forget that my successes outnumber my failures).

I really wish I'd learned this when I was younger, healthier, with a faster metabolism and a less sedentary lifestyle, but I didn't. It just burns me up sometimes that I learned this lesson so late of accepting slow weight loss, preventing backsliding, and simply just not giving up.

I mean we all know we're not supposed to give up, but I'm not sure we know that we're making giving up nearly inevitable by defining success in such a way that it's virtually unacheivable.

I strongly suspect that the most common obstacle to weight loss is frustration, so preventing frustration really needs to be made a bigger priority.

Learn to cook.

Learn to throw together fabulous salads.

Weigh everything.

Find an exercise that you are in love with.

I agree . . . or at least find one that you don't dread! For years in every weight loss attempt, I would do the usual gym routine even though I dreaded them. I mean, at the time, during the exercise, I didn't mind so much, but I literally dreaded the thought of going to the gym and doing what seemed like purposeless activity. I would count down the seconds on the machines. Ultimately, I would give up.

I learned so much about myself over the years, and one thing I've learned is that I'm extremely efficient. I don't like wasting time or energy unless something productive comes of it. I decided that the idea of wasting both is what most bothered me about exercising. (I know with exercising, the "productive" part is the improvement in how one looks and feels, but I needed a more immdiate benefit). So, a couple years back, I learned that a doctor from the Mayo Clinic had developed the idea of a tread-desk, where you walk slowly on the treadmill while working at a computer station. I do a lot of work on my computer from home, so I had my husband create one for me on my treadmill. Since then, I have consistently exercised on my treadmill while still getting my work done.

I also combine work and activity in other ways: I vigorously clean my house, purposing putting in more energy into it. This has actually resulted in me becoming a neater person. Now, instead of just standing around waiting for the coffee to brew in the morning, I wash the dishes, or dust the ceiling fan or fold a load of laundry---whatever. I just keep moving. I also park farther from stores and from work and walk more to my destinations----suggestions I had read for years in magazine articles but never took seriously.

I think with both eating and exercise it is important to eliminate as much dread or frustration as possible.

This is great! I'm going to do this tonight!