After 20 years of restriction, binging and yoyo diets, finally accepting that I couldn't expect a short term approach to have long term results. I completely changed how I ate in a way that made me happy and satisfied and I could maintain long term.
I'd agree with Glory87. I've been going up and down for a long time, and I've had to realize that my way of eating and attitude toward/use of food has to change completely, and permanently. I can't lose weight and then decide I'm "done" with food planning, because the result has always been the same--regaining weight.
Another thing that has helped is to realize that I can sometimes have those formerly favorite foods, even during weight loss, if I just plan ahead.
1)Don't do anything to lose weight that you would not be willing to do for the rest of your life.
The other thing that has really helped me is:
2)Find a way to work food you love into the mix.
So basically the exact 2 things that Jay and Glory said.
What those 2 things look like for you may be different than for anyone else. For me, unlike Jay for example, I dont do much planning. I just write it down as I go. Because I decided that for ME I could live with counting calories, but planning makes me feel constrained. And for me #2 means chocolate every single day. It might be only 5 m&m's but every day.
It only ever works for me when I include exercise as the major component.
I have fluctuated over the last ten years by almost 50 pounds. A year ago I got serious about exercose especially running. It became easier then.
I DO NOT believe in being afraid of any one particular food group.
I take real butter on my toast and have real cream(1/2 & 1/2) in my coffee.
Moderation is the key. Is is cliche? Yes, but it is so true.
You know you should eat fruits and veggies, ,limit fats and sweets, we all do.
Don't deprive yourself of anything.
If you go out to dinner with SO or friends order dessert but just have one or two bites (share). You'll get the taste, savor it.
The only tricks/tips I consistently use are:
Drinking lots of water especially before I eat.
Also, I eat salads BEFORE lunch and dinner. Between the salad and the water, I tend to not overeat. I have always eaten pretty well. My downfall was getting the exercise in.
Make it a prority.
My main advice (and also to myself) Just DO IT!!!!! We know what to do - eat less, move more. We know pizza, cake, chips, chocolate are bad, we know fruit, veg and lean proteins are good.
Somedays I feel I plan my life away, and I fill in little forms and I work out calorie averages and percentages and "I'll go to the gym tomorrow" and "I need a rest today" and "One chocolate won't hurt" and "But I'm hungry". It all gets in the way, in the way of just doing it!
Yes a plan is good, but don't forget to DO IT. MOVE! Eat less, resist that chocolate doughnut and YES IT WILL HURT!
The very main thing for me was to put food in its proper place in my life. It's not there for consolation, anger management, boredom or to entertain. Food should be used to provide nourishment and energy. That being said I like ennay have made sure to include delicious foods in my day. I really and truly enjoy everything that I eat. I eat three meals and 2 snacks a day, eating every 2-3 hours so that I am never hungry. I eat mainly low fat proteins and tons of salad and veggies. I eliminated all junk from my house and keep it well stocked with healthy things. Planning is also KEY for me. I drink lots and lots of water (a debateable issue around here), I find it works for ME. Exercise is also something that I have added to my life and is essential.
Aside from putting food in it's proper place the other main components for me is determination and commitment. Both which have been increasing for me as I go along. Throw in a little (or a lot) of some good old fashioned will power and you've got a recipe for success.
All of the posters have given you great tips! Without a doubt I have found this forum to be tremendously helpful as I try to make it to ONEderland! There's something VERY, VERY special to have THOUSANDS of people who know where you are in your weight loss journey and who are there for you!
I have learned many things about weight loss as I have been losing my pounds, but I probably have learned more about MYSELF! I have learned how much of a MENTAL TASK weight loss really is. This has been the most surprising thing to me.
I have found that when my head is clear and when I am focused on my goal, all goes well. When I ALLOW myself to get/be out of focus, that's when the trouble starts.
A part in the book Calorie Queens by Jackie Scott and Diane Scott Kellum was a HUGE eye-opener for me. It may help you, too!
"I needed to recognize that wanting to weigh 135 pounds means I have to be mentally and physically happy eating about 1600 calories every day. Forever."
They have a list on page 19 of their book that tells you how many calories to eat to weigh a particular weight. I found that to weigh 160 I need to eat about 1920 calories. To get to 150 I need to eat about 1800. When I began to tally up the amounts of food and the total calories I ONCE was eating...well, you can say it was NO WONDER I was 275 pounds! The women's chart in the book goes only to 220, and the men's chart goes to 270. Even FOR A MAN, at 270 pounds he must eat 3830 calories to maintain HIS weight. I know I had to be eating more than that!
Good luck as you choose your goals and find the plan that works for YOU! Don't be afraid to adjust along the way to meet your needs. Above all, do this FOR YOU!
"I needed to recognize that wanting to weigh 135 pounds means I have to be mentally and physically happy eating about 1600 calories every day. Forever."
That's it. That also has been my realization. When I first 'got' that, it wasn't a comfortable thought, but it seems to be the truth--I'll have to be aware of how much I'm eating for the rest of my life.
The very main thing for me was to put food in its proper place in my life. It's not there for consolation, anger management, boredom or to entertain. Food should be used to provide nourishment and energy. That being said I like ennay have made sure to include delicious foods in my day. I really and truly enjoy everything that I eat. I eat three meals and 2 snacks a day, eating every 2-3 hours so that I am never hungry. I eat mainly low fat proteins and tons of salad and veggies. I eliminated all junk from my house and keep it well stocked with healthy things. Planning is also KEY for me. I drink lots and lots of water (a debateable issue around here), I find it works for ME. Exercise is also something that I have added to my life and is essential.
Aside from putting food in it's proper place the other main components for me is determination and commitment. Both which have been increasing for me as I go along. Throw in a little (or a lot) of some good old fashioned will power and you've got a recipe for success.
This is also what works for me. Find out what works for you and follow it. I cannot and will not allow myself the unhealthy foods I used to eat. It is not good for my body and will age my insides faster than my outside. I also cannot take one bite of a trigger food because than I will eat the whole thing.
My best tip...DEFINITELY get the junk food/food you tend to overeat out of the house! When I had those little boxes of corn muffin mix in my house, I couldn't help but make a box and eat multiple corn muffins! Now I don't have them...no problem!
If you want a treat, go out and buy ONE, don't leave self-laid traps for yourself in your house. I keep the food that I need in the house, and no bags of tortilla chips, muffins, cereals that I like to eat by the handful, or anything else that I might "accidentally" overindulge in in a week moment.
Something that helps to keep me going is to have goals other than the number on the scale. I need instant gratification, and the scale can't give me that. Instead, I strive to meet daily goals, which I have set personally for myself (e.g., 100+ grams of protein each day, no more than 2000 calories each day, 30+ minutes exercise most days, etc.). By meeting these minor goals each day, I know I am successful (even when the scale doesn't cooperate!).
Another thing: don't be afraid to try new things. Despite my best efforts, I still don't like many veggies, but I have found that I do like beans. I never would have thought that black beans would be a staple in my kitchen cabinet, but they're always there now. Same with natural peanut butter. I used to not be able to tear myself away from reduced-fat Skippy, but now all I put into my body is pure peanuts. So try new things, and try healthier variations of things you already know you like.
Along the same lines, don't feel like you have to give up "normal" foods. I still eat club sandwiches, pizza, and cheeseburgers on a regular basis. The difference is that I make them myself where I can control the ingredients rather than buying them in a restaurant. I use things like thin-sliced cheese (half the calories and all the flavor!), whole grain breads, turkey burgers, center-cut bacon (40% less fat than regular, 25-30 calories per slice, and still tastes the same to me), whole wheat pizza crust, turkey pepperoni, etc. You can take just about any recipe you love and make it healthier without completely killing the fabulous taste
"I needed to recognize that wanting to weigh 135 pounds means I have to be mentally and physically happy eating about 1600 calories every day. Forever."
This MAY or may NOT be the case ladies. I've never really been more than 15 pounds overweight before my pregnancy. And I'm coming to the new realization that to LOSE weight I really do need to eat a LOT less than when I was maintaining. Once you've maintained your goal weight for a while, you're body will feel comfy there, the way it currently does at a higher weight. You will not have to fight with your poor body to starve itself into consuming fat for fuel rather than obtaining its fuel from foods, which is obviously what's happening during weightloss. Once you're body settles on a new weight, and IF you keep up the regular exercise, I would almost guarantee that you will be able to eat more than an average of 1600 calories per day. No, you cannot eat 3000 calories per day or even anywhere close ever again. But it truly is much much easier to maintain than to lose weight. Your body becomes happy again and it will be nice to you in turn, maintaining your weight at possibly 1900 or more calories per day (NOT MUCH MORE THAN THAT THOUGH and you'll need a few low days each week at maybe 1600). The key to this probably is having lots of muscle as 1 pound of muscle burns 50 calories while at rest while 1 pound of fat burns nothing at rest. So with 5 pounds of extra/new muscle, you will be able to eat an additional 250 calories per day to maintain at the same weight. So start your strength training now.
Please share your weight loss tips!
DO IT!!!!! We know what to do - eat less, move more. We know pizza, cake, chips, chocolate are bad, we know fruit, veg and lean proteins are good.
