Small changes = Big weight loss??
 

Hi All,

I am new here and pretty much in awe of all the successful people on here. My weight has fluctuated a great deal throughout my adult life. It's at the highest ever for me (non-PG that is) and I just want to get it under control for my health and sanity.

I want to start something that I can stick with for the long haul and I am very interested in the concept of making small changes that you can stick with long term.

Like replacing your morning glass of juice with ice water or unsweetened hot tea. Like walking for 40 minutes a day instead of 30. I once read that you could lose almost 5 lbs over a year by getting rid of your remote. Not that I would go THAT far :)

Has anyone here made small changes that made a big difference in your success?

Care to share any?

I think the biggest small change I made was drinking water almost exclusively. It cuts out alot of calories.

I added fiber to my diet - 25-35 grams/day....made the difference for me.

Eliminating fast food.

I took away water cold turkey(I was allergic to diet I found out), slowly took away fast food(couldn't afford it after I moved out), slowly added in exercise and healthy eating. It's worked so far.

I started this journey by just bringing snacks and lunches to work. It takes a bit of time every week, but VERY worth it. Good for my pocketbook and my waistline.

Some of my small changes:
-I stopped going to McDonald's.
-I started exercising with several 10 minute spurts a day and eventually increased my stamina.
-I made food substitutions:
lo-cal bread instead of regular bread
100-calorie snack packs instead of cans of Pringles
ate more Lean Cuisines, etc., than I ever had in my life, lol
more fruits
Laughing Cow cheese wedges instead of Swiss Cheese or American Cheese slices
found some "new" and good stuff to eat that I discovered I actually liked (like Special K with berries, hot oatmeal, soy milk)

Basically, I came up with things that I could adapt to and that could adapt to me, mainly in the form of substitutions and portion control.

So many little changes make up my lifestyle change:

• eating breakfast - EVERY day
• 6 small meals each day (no becoming ravenous in between meals)
• moving more - parking further away, going out of my way to take stairs, etc.
• substitute whole, natural foods for the convenience products I was buying
• veggies at EVERY meal
• try new activities whenever possible - who knew that I would like yoga?
• eliminate diet soda - although it is non-caloric, I feel so much better not drinking it
• keeping healthy snacks within reach - especially at work (no donut or muffin raids in the break room)
• cleaning the cupboards and pantry and getting rid of foods that aren't healthy
• celebrating small victories and forgiving myself as needed instead of having an "all or nothing" attitude about success
• keeping a food, exercise, weight journal in Fitday - EVERY DAY!

I eat several times a day, generally 6 times
I eat the required amounts of the four basic food groups 95% of the time
I don't do without but I do watch portion sizes
I do at least a 1 mile walking/aerobic video everyday
I have started to do resistance training
I walk up the stairs instead of sending the kids for something
I don't use the remote I use my legs
I walk around while folding laundry instead of sitting on the couch
I walk down the stairs and check laundry instead of sending the kids
I push mow my yard instead of using the riding lawn mower

Changing my cooking in small ways was key. I cut down on the amount of oil I use, added extra veggies to every recipe, subbed turkey for ground beef in dishes like chili and tacos. And then I portion control everything. Honestly, my cooking tastes better than it ever did and is much healthier!

Heather
You are very right. I started useing spray oil instead of dumping oil in a pan to fry things. One of the best things I did for us was changed the way I make fried chicken. Spray a pan with oil, bread the chicken, place on pan then spray chicken with oil. Bake until crispy. Tastes great, less fat, less everything.

Some of my changes:

-Switched from 2% milk to 1% milk
-Switched from putting half and half to skim milk in my coffee, and stopped putting any sugar or sugar substitute in my coffee
-Switched from butter to SmartBalance Light with Omega 3
-Switched from regular soda to diet soda (this made a huge difference all by itself--I think this one singlehandedly made me drop 5 lbs)
-Started measuring all portions with measuring cups and spoons
-Started bringing fruit and yogurt to work for regularly scheduled snack times so that I don't get tempted by office munchies
-When I have salad, I either measure dressing with a measuring spoon or keep it on the side and only dip my fork in it.
-Take the stairs at least 2 times a week in my apartment building (I live on the 6th floor)
-Always park in the very last parking spot at the mall/restaurant/movie theater

I started out by doing small changes. I replaced the junk in the house with a lot of healthy fruits and veggies and went from diet soda to flavored, artificially sweetened, carbonated water. From there, I went to the non-carbonated, flavored, artificially sweetened waters, from there to plain water. Getting acclimated to each new flavor along the way. I started out by going for a 1 mile walk each day and added to it as time went on. It became a run, and turned into 2 miles, then 3. I cut back on red meat and chose more lean stuff. I didn't do it all at once, I did one or two at a time. I'd get used to the new thing, then add another. And I lost over 100 pounds doing it and have kept it off. By giving myself the time to get used to each new step, they've stuck with me. I now actually enjoy water and apples moreso than candy and soda. And I get restless at times if I'm not moving around. BIG change from where I was 5 years ago. And all due to small changes.

Thanks for all of your replies--I got a lot of ideas from you all. I think the advice about moving more will be especially helpful to me. I hate cleaning, but I am sure that keeping up the house would burn megacalories. I have a 20 mo old and a 3 year old and they are MESSY! It would kill two birds with one stone if I cleaned instead of watching tv or eating.

I have been making one change every 3 days or so--let's hope I can keep it up!

Thanks again for the ideas!