I thought it would be useful if we collected some of the more important things we've learned since beginning our respective journies towards health and fitness.
Let's try to each of us think of the one thing that has been the most helpful to us in our learning process. Calorie content in specific foods? Eating at certain times? Water intake? And try not to post something someone else has posted, so we don't end up with a thread full of "portion size!"
So, what have you learned?
My number one thing is that I have to listen to my body. My body knows what it wants, it knows what it needs, it knows what is good for it. If I eat something and feel awful after that, I know I should avoid that particular food. I need to listen for when I'm legitimately hungry and not looking to fill an emotional or psychological void in my head.
Now, if I could just respect that lesson and consistently follow it now that I've learned it, I'd be a lot skinnier
"It's a lifestyle" doesn't mean "you can never have a cookie again".... it means "when you have a cookie, don't freak out and think you're a failure, just keep on going".
I've learned (the hard way) that diet and exercise have to go hand in hand. I've found its so easy for me to be a hard core exerciser, but I'm a total weakling when it comes to being realistic about how much I eat. This might not be that helpful to the rest of you, but you need to be in it all the way.
Rest is VERY important, nothing is more detrimental to staying focused and on track than exhaustion...I can't count how many times Ive said "Im just too tired too (insert healthy thing here)".
The biggest thing i have learned is to not let myself get too hungry, especially when there are nibble foods around. I have a snack when i first start to get hungry, then i am not starving and going to over eat. Also, if i get too hungry and it is not a meal time, i end up eating WAY too many nuts, sugar free cookies, you name it. But if i nip it early i tend not to binge.
I'm with abakerchick17. I've learned that when I exercise, I actually see results. Just eating right won't cut it. Now, saying that, I suppose I have to get off my duff and get there!
PLAN AHEAD!!! Know what you're going to eat that day and don't forget to pack it! Forgetting to bring lunch/snacks has always been a diet/money killer for me.
And read the labels!!! Evil food companies like to stick in that HFCS whenever they freakin' can!! Drives me nuts.
The biggest thing I've learned? Don't wait to be "motivated", especially after the initial "Im losing weight!" excitement fades. If you find yourself trying to talk yourself out of a workout, trying to convince yourself to do it... stop. Stop the inner monologue, get up, and start. Once you get started, you'll find that you have to keep going.. and then once you finish, you'll be glad you did it.
In the past I've formed the habit of losing a few pounds, feeling more confident and then slipping off my plan immediately because I've been so '"good" lately that I deserve a break. In the past month I've lost 5 pounds and there's no way I'm letting myself indulge this time! I always regret it.
House of Mirth- I found it in HUMMUS and a can of kidney beans!!! I almost threw a fit in the grocery store. WTF?!
Hotnewspirts- That's one of the other things I've learned. Food Rewards = Diet Killers, for me at least. I treat myself to manicures, pedicures, and the like.
I think one of the key things I've learned is to differentiate between realistic and unrealistic. Once I faced reality, everything started to come in to perspective. I was able to be smart about my eating, and not totally give up if I made an error.
Ok, so what I have learned is that putting substances in your body that are foreign and not good, equals bad. Be conscious about what you ingest, for we have one shot at this and our body is our shell. We need to treat it with respect and it will treat us with respect back. This goes for exercising as well... if we push too hard, it will push even harder back!
Also, I have come to EXTREMELY DISLIKE the word DIET! My fiancé always flips me crap about my "diet" that I am supposedly on... someday he will understand that it is my way of eating and realize I am in it for the long haul! What funny about this is that I have always eaten very well around him the entire time we have been together, but if he offers me dessert or a second helping of food and I turn my nose to it, then he passes judgment...
haha.. did I just go on a rant??
Things we've learned
Drives me nuts. 
