What are you doing?
 

I love talking weight loss and would love to hear how other people are doing it. It's always fun to hear ideas and other people's take on them. It's cool to see how different things work for different people, too.

So, if you want to share your current plan or what you tried that didn't work for you or whatever, please do! :)

Hi!
I have a short chat with myself everytime I want to eat. This is because I eat for ALL the wrong reasons. I made this thread about it: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/chic...eedlessly.html

I call my journey the Respecting my Body Diet

Basically, it consists of the following:

I eat when I'm hungry. For me that's a BIG deal.

I don't exercise. I just use my reason. I avoid anything that has to do with numbers. Only number I keep track of is my weight, once in a week.

Though I have a goal weight, numbers are not an objective for me. It's all about things that I can do now which I couldn't do (wear dresses, bow down to pick things, easily get in cars, sit in lotus position, cross my legs' sleep well at night, no back, knee and ankle pains etc)

So far, it's been working for me. I started in January and so far I've lost 15 lbs.
I gave myself 2 years to lose 60 lbs, so on my own terms I 'm kicking it, slowly but steadily, I'm kicking it.:)

I love reading what others are doing as well. Especially things that work for them that I may be able to incorporate into my current plan. Or free trainers that I may have overlooked online.

My current plan is a 1300-1500 a day calorie intake (it depends on how hungry I am for the day). I use MFP to count. Then spurts of exercise throughout the day. 10 minutes of cardio when I first wake up. 15 minutes of weights on my break at work. I have a floor pedal at my desk that I try to use for most of the day (very slowly, just so I keep moving). And lastly 30-40 minutes of cardio dancing/toning in the afternoon. I use two different free trainers on youtube for the morning and evening workouts. Fitness Blender and Super Hero Fitness TV.

I'm on almost the same calorie intake as you are, amy beth88! :) I see you are super active, good for you! At what pace are you losing weight?

Me, I have two challenges - Eating (1200-1500kcal per day) and running (4 times per week).

It's like a safety net for me - if I fail one challenge, I still have the other. So if happens that I ate too much I can say to myself: "Maybe I'm not losing the weight so fast, but I'm still getting fitter," or the other way around. It's my personal plan of not beating myself up too much. I developed it after a hundred diets. :)

Oh I wish I could run. I wanted to start jogging instead of cardio dancing but I have never been a runner/jogger. Also it's really hot and humid where I am, I prefer to work out in the a/c.

It depends on the month for the weight pace. With this current program I've lost 5 lbs in the last month or so, but I lost a little over an inch from my waist, hips, thighs, and arms. I think I was doing a little too much toning last month. So what I wrote up there was upping the cardio and toning down the toning. Still there, just not as much. I also upped my calories from a strict 1200 only 3-4 days ago but I've lost a pound since then. I was doing an hour of cardio/toning and 1200 calories for the 2 months before that and was consistently losing 2 lbs a week.

I try to switch up my routine every month, or at least switch youtube trainers. So it gets kind of hard to judge the pace. But overall I've lost 70 lbs in 10 months with 30 to go.

I love reading what others are doing. It is definitely motivating.

I am doing weight watchers points plus. I have been on the program for 7 weeks now and I have lost 11.6 LBS. It could have been more, if it wasn't for my birthday. That weekend we just kind of let ourselves go and that week I gained almost 5 LBS. However, that being said, I am pretty happy with 11.6 LBS in 7 weeks. I would like to get down to 150, maybe even 140 Lbs, so I still have a bit to go.

I am also working out with T25 4-5 times a week, which feels pretty good!

Becs08, I don't know what WW are exactly, so - can you explain it to me in a few sentences? They sound like they're doing their job. Don't beat yourself up about your birthday, you only live once. ;)

amy_beth88, nobody is a runner until they are. I was a hater too, until I tried jogging lightly one time and wasn't repulsed by it.

I have tried variations of things, but what I found worked great for me last year (until I got derailed with starting working) was a lowish carb diet (under 100 and about 60 net carbs) and doing a variation of intermittent fasting. I have coffee with quite a dollar of half and half and then a protein bar around noon or 1 pm. Then nothing till dinner which is around 7 pm. Then I eat a big, low carb, filling dinner. And then nothing till morning. I too have found that I can fast easily and then enjoy a big dinner. It's still lowish carb and clean, but plentiful and it's the meal we all eat together as a family, so I get to eat socially and heartily at the same time.

I do Focus T25 daily, and also try to get in some extra exercise (usually walks) on as many days as I can. I also aim for between 1200-1500 calories, depending on the day, and drink LOTS of water.

I've really enjoyed reading all this. I really love reading all the different ideas. :)

Me, I'm trying to take a healthy focus. Eating normal amounts of healthy foods. I tend to overdo the treats when I allow them, so I've cut those out. Some days are harder than others. Today, I want some lemon cake with tart lemon curd between the layers and thick, sweet lemon buttercreamy frosting. It's been rough Not Making that today! I'm going to have some fruit instead. :)

I'm logging my food again, paying attention to micros and whether or not I'm overdoing it with oils and other kinda-hidden things that add up fast.

Exercise. Ugh. It's too hot/humid for me to be doing outdoor stuff that doesn't include water and I don't like indoor exercise, so I'm not doing the best job there. I will have to work on that.

I used to really enjoy exercising, but don't right now, so it's an issue with forcing myself into it.

I'm back on weight watchers. Someone asked for a brief explanation. Basically WW works on a points system. Each food is assigned a number of points based on fat/carbs/protein/fiber. You're assigned a target number of daily points (I think 26 is the minimum) plus 35 extra that you can use (or not) however you want through the week and you can earn more through exercise. Its just a different way of measuring what you eat each day really.

I also signed up today for HelloFresh meal deliveries. It's not really a diet plan, but the meals are supposed to be 400-800 calories each, so it's reasonable to work into WW for me. It's a delivery once a week of all the ingredients and a recipe card for 3 meals a week (serves 2, so, since I'm single that's 6 meals a week). I get my first delivery Wednesday of next week and I'm hoping it will help me get back in the groove of cooking instead of eating out all the time.

I used to be on weight watchers but did not like using the extra weekly points or activity points. When I was diagnosed with Celiac disease in July of last year, I had to rethink my plans and decided to start on my own by eating gluten free options and keeping track of my caloric intake (protein, fat, carbs and sugar). I was consuming about 1600 calories but have recently dropped it to 1400 per day.

I began the 5:2 plan last week. It is a plan where you normally eat you allowed calories five times a week, but two days a week you fast on 500 calories. My fasting days consist of 100 calories for breakfast, and 200 calories for lunch and for dinner. On my fasting days, I try to stay busy by working on outdoor projects or declutter and organization projects in the home. I picked Monday and Thursday as my fasting days. My first week on the 5:2 plan, I lost 1.8 pounds.

My goal is to lose about five pounds per month. I have support from my niece who lost over 150 pounds in about 3 years. She now competes in marathons. She is my inspiration.

I exercise daily by doing my Peggy Cappy yoga DVDs and I am taking a Zumba class at our local community center (I do modified movements since I have bad left knee). Now that summer is coming, I hope to do exercises in the pool at our center, to lessen any strain on my left knee.

I love Peggy Cappy! I just got Yoga for All of Us out of the library, and bought her Yoga for the Rest of Us DVD set at Goodwill. Yoga helps with so many issues! :broc: I've enjoyed the yoga classes that are available at the local gym, too.

I recently changed up my approach to 1200 calories a day. Seem to be continuing to lose steadily. I think I may like just having all my calories in one two or three hour period of the day. I'm a big fan of feeling full and satisfied, and this way I can get that once a day, for several hours, with a nice, big, several course meal. We'll see how it works! :D

Oh, and I'm hopefully trying my first Zumba-type class next Saturday at the gym.

i love to hear too . for myself i think i should say that i am a failed one on weight losing but i didn't quit so still want to have a try .
yes .try again !!:carrot:

I just started the 21 Day Fix. I like the idea of the containers vs counting calories or points. I'm not doing the exercises, though. I will walk and swim for exercise.

I've been counting my calories every now and then to see how I'm doing and what are my biggest sources of energy, and have been forming new habits based on that information. I eat around 1000 calories a day - I am really short and small-framed, and my body seems to agree with this so far. I eat a LOT of fresh and steamed veggies. As I don't eat meat or chicken, I have to be careful to get enough protein, but luckily there are other sources, like beans and cottage cheese.

I try to exercise 5-6 times a week, pole walking for 50 minutes, sometimes 90. It's been a great thing for my neck/shoulders/posture, and as I've been gaining muscle too in both my legs and arms, and don't let myself go hungry, and generally feel good and energetic, I think it's safe to say I'm not starving myself. So far me and my body seem to be agreeing about this! :)

I count carbs and try to keep my calorie intake around 1500. I also try to focus on low GI foods so I don't spike my blood sugar unnecessarily.

I have done WWPP before and lost a good amount of weight on it (20 lbs in 2.5 months last year) but it seems to get me in a negative mind set, and then I end up binging and gaining all the weight back plus some. So I'm trying to be more active and just eating more good, whole foods, including more fruits and vegetables than I was eating before. I'm somewhat tracking calories...I'm using a free site called cronometer more to track my daily nutritional goals (it estimates both macro and micronutrients) but it also has the calorie count. I've been averaging 1200-1300 calories a day, which has been fine with me. I have a small frame so that is plenty for me to feel satisfied now that my stomach has "shrunk." I'm also very busy with a new housekeeping job so I don't really have time to snack, which helps a lot.

I would like to start formally exercising soon...I do like jogging once I make it a habit, but the first couple of weeks are always horrible so I'm putting off starting :o But I am on my feet a lot right now, so I'm letting my body get used to that first. And on my days off I've been going for walks with friends, which is nice.

All that to say I guess I'm mostly just trying to be healthier overall, both in body and in mind, while being conscious of not overeating the good things and to stay active so I'll lose weight in a way that may be slower, but is sustainable for me.

I use my fitness pal to count calories - my goal is 1700 per day. I make sure I weigh and measure foods so my tracking is as accurate as possible.

Foodwise, I try to eat sufficient protein and eat mostly real, whole foods. For other health issues, I avoid gluten and soy and limited processed and refined foods.

I use the Pacer app to track my steps and walking. I like to add exercise not just because it makes me feel good and sleep better, but also because I earn an extra 300-400 calories that I can use to eat more FOOD if I choose to. I love food!

Diets just don't work for me. I don't have problems losing weight. But I would always gain it back and then some. On top of that I would always get discouraged, feel quilty, and have to psych myself up to start all over again. It was a horrible cycle of guilt, remorse, excitement, self loathing, etc. Plus, in the end after all those years of trying to diet I am actually bigger than when I first started. I told myself it would have been better if I never dieted!!

So this time I decided to just be the person I want to be and eat and exercise and live like that person. I consider myself in 'training' to be myself. This was a revelation for me and as soon as I started being 'me' all the emotional baggage of dieting and guilt over being fat went out the window.

For the first time I am successfully losing weight at my own pace, without going hungry, and without forced exercises. I stay active but do things I like to do like walking, gardening, stretching, tai chi. I have a fairly active life style so I exercise when I am motivated. Lately I have been feeling more energetic and adding exercises to build strength and flexibility.

For eating I basically try to eat sensibly and healthy and watch my portions. The only thing I do close to dieting is I am tracking my daily calorie and fat intake. I know that to be the person I want to be I need to adjust to eating within a certain range of calories so as I lose weight I adjust my calorie intake for each level or goal I set for myself. This has made it much easier on my body and I find I tend to automatically adjust as I go.

Since I am not on any diet there are no food restrictions or foods that are not 'allowed'. But after several weeks of eating healthier I find I am more hungry for foods that give my body nutrition and energy rather than empty calories or foods high in sugar, salt, etc.

I sometimes treat myself to foods that are just for fun or if I have a craving I just can't satisfy unless I eat that particular food. I no longer beat myself up about it and if I have an indulgent eating day I know that as soon as I get it out of my system I go back to eating sensibly.

This is what is working for me and what I like about it best is that I can live with this life style the rest of my life.

I am counting calories and exercising. I am not going to do a rigorous workout routine. I feel like after awhile I do get burned out. I love being active but sometimes I feel like when I make it a chore I no longer enjoy it.

I am eating as much real food as possible and limiting processed foods. I am hoping to eventually be able to stop counting calories and just be able to gauge how much I'm eating and what my daily diet should look like.

My WOE until maintenance was DANDR and moving around more. Due to medical reasons i have upped my intake to gain weight.

I am doing pretty much the same thing as applevalleygirl. I did track protein for a while to figure out what felt like the daily optimum amount was for me. It's still in my tracker menu but I rarely look at it anymore.

Like applevalleygirl my goal was to find a way of eating I could do for the rest of my life. If everyday eating is a 10, I try to set my dial right now to about a 9 to allow for about 1 lb a week loss. Some weeks I succeed, others I don't. That's OK. I'm not on a timetable.

I'm also very resistant to diets. The moment some one/some plan tells me what or when I can eat, I want to eat the exact opposite thing.

One funny thing about this question for me though is the question of "What are you doing?" Once my loss became noticible, many people asked me that question. When I responded that I was simply eating better, most of the people wanted the name of the diet. Was I on Atkins? South Beach? Shots? Weight Watchers? It seemed that "eating better" perplexed some people!

Vickie Chickie I am so glad to know I am not the only one following my own drumbeat. I just find it so much easier to eat 'in tune' with my own body and not be told what I should or should not be eating, when, how, or how much or little. I continue to be amazed at how 'smart' my body is if I just listen and keep in touch with its needs.

Like you, trying to explain its simplicity to others is not easy. I get a lot of blank stares or expressions like I am nuts. Makes me wonder if there are a lot of people that just aren't in touch with bodies and its needs. This is something that has always been important to me. But now that I have discovered I can lose weight this way its like a miracle.

I started Weight Watchers in May and while WW is an amazing program and I managed to lose 26.8 lbs, I stalled... just fell right off the wagon. I've switched to Ideal Protein to keep the momentum going, so we'll see what the scale says this Friday.

South Beach diet here, one month in to it as of today!

I find it easy to follow, and quite liberal in it's approach once the first two weeks are through. The weight loss is slow, but steady so far. 2 - 3 pounds per week, which is a healthy rate at which to lose.

I don't feel deprived at all on this plan, either. Once the cravings for sugar pass in the first week or so, the lifestyle becomes quite comfortable!

I'm weaning myself off jenny craig right now, but I just got a fitbit and it's a lot of fun, it tracks everything and sends it wirelessly to your phone or computer and cheers you on and it's just a little twist that is making diet and exercise more fun for me.

I just got a FitBit too, Cheesecake. The scale is coming later this week, and so far, I really like it. I have always been a techno-nerd, and anything that makes exercise/diet/recording more fun, I am all in!

I let my weight get back up to its high and saw a photo of myself and decided (yet again) that enough is enough.

I charged up the trusty fitbit (actually had to buy a new on) and dusted off the elliptical. I'm tracking on LoseIt for 6 weeks now (down 10 lbs) and totally threw myself into their online program.

For exercise I'm doing T-Tapp, the elliptical, walking, and weights.

My head is totally focused around losing weight right now.

I also always love to hear what others are doing. For myself, I am doing a vegan diet (not for weight loss - for ethical reasons, but I'm not eating meat and dairy) but I came up with my own plan after not having found any other vegan-type diet plan satisfactory. I focus on eating mostly whole foods but I don't obsess over it and I do eat foods that are definitely processed (like granola bars and cereal). I also eat some "fun" foods that I know will keep me from binge eating (like dark chocolate). I found that I do best when I don't worry about stuff like carbs or fats but just eat what I really feel like (healthy stuff, of course). I'm actually ending up eating a lot of salads (which are perfect now since it's so hot) and soups as well. I find that when I really tune in to what I feel like eating and I cook for myself without spending hours in the kitchen, I do the best.

I don't count calories or limit them but I am aware of how much I am eating. Right now, I eat somewhere between 1300-1500 calories a day, but in the past, I could even eat 1600 and still do fine as long as it was good stuff. It seems to be working. I was losing very well (not weighing myself, though) until about 2 months ago when stress hit (my dad was diagnosed with cancer). I actually weighed myself last week when getting back on track and I was still 12 pounds down since January, even with all the junk food I was eating, so that's not too bad.

Tam

Interesting thread!

I've been at this for 4.5 years now - I lost the bulk of my weight in 2011. At first, I started by doing Zumba DVDs at home that I got for Christmas. I didn't do anything else, but I found that I naturally ate a little less and better. I lost 10 pounds or so in about 6 weeks, so I decided to join Weight Watchers online. I'd done WW in the past and the structure is something that I work well with, but I never really got much from the meetings. A couple weeks after that, I joined the YMCA because my DVDs were getting boring. I started taking every Zumba class I could get to, and then I started doing other classes. I was working out, at the gym, 4-5 days per week, and doing long walks (45-60 minutes) 2-3 days per week.

In the first 9 months of 2011, through 2 long, overseas vacations, I went from 230 to 160. I was highly motivated, having a lot of success and really began to love my life! I stayed with WW for a year and half or so, still going to the gym a lot. Also got scuba certified and was in love with that. Weight loss slowed down, but I was really happy with myself - so that was okay.

Over the years, I really haven't used "one plan" to maintain and continue losing - if I found myself putting on weight, I would switch it up. I dropped WW and started using MyFitnessPal. I also read a ton of books, many that were recommended here on 3FC and would try little techniques here and there. I'm the kind of person that really likes novelty - I tend to get bored really easily. So, trying new things, whether it was a new exercise or class, or new food/recipes, or different tools (WW, MyFitnessPal, FitBit) has really worked for me.

Last year was a rough one for me, and I ended the year having total knee replacement surgery (in December) - so my physical activity went to zero, and my eating was all over the place. I ended up putting on a few pounds and I've been struggling with exercise because I am a very slow healer and couldn't even walk on my new knee for months - but I'm back at the gym 2-3 days per week, and taking my long walks again. I also joined Weight Watchers again and I attend meetings (I still don't like them!) - but I am switching it up again. I am making a final push to my "ultimate goal weight" - but honestly, I'm happy with myself, even at my current weight.

I also recently read "Brain over Binge" and "Rational Recovery" so I could learn techniques to end my binge-eating issues once and for all. I have been using those techniques for about a month and I can honestly say, I haven't had even one binge and I really don't want to. That is HUGE for me and something that has held me back from losing those last 10-15 lbs. :D

In the end, it all boils down to exercise and activity coupled with eating high quality foods and portion control. I also like electronics & gadgets, so I like things like WW online or MyFitnessPal, and I love my heart rate monitor and FitBit. In fact, my FitBit Charge HR is arriving tomorrow, so I can track it all the time with just one tool. I also do not obsess over weighing myself all the time, or get upset if the scale goes up a little. Earlier this year, I was up 15 lbs and I didn't like it, but I knew I'd get it off as soon as I got myself together - and I did!

Very inspiring story, and full of hope and good ideas for others! :)