A couple really concrete things are to food journal if you are just getting started or begin to lose your way. It will almost always point to the culprit "snack" or high caloric meal. I also think enjoying the exercise you do. That means changing it up. I am involved in city league sports and always meet my sister-in-law for rollerblading or hiking. Game times and workout appointments help me from straying to far from the amount of exercise I need in order to maintain my weight loss.
One of the biggest things I noticed was how much harder maintenance is than the actual process of losing weight.
If you could give someone a pointer which you have learnt on all your weight loss travels what would it be? anything that particularly helped you on the road to success and something which you wish you had known ages ago..
Thanks
It's funny, because a bunch of you have mentioned support as being a crucial factor. Don't get me wrong, having support is a wonderful thing. BUT, for me, I needed to take responsibility for myself. No one, not one single person other then myself got me into the mess - and therefore there was no one but ME to get me out . The buck stops here. I am responsible for everything I put into my mouth - and everything I don't. I needed to face that.
Some things I wish I would have known:
that losing weight IS possible, barring medical issues for every one. All these years I didn't think it was possible for me. I wish I had known that it was. I had the ability the whole time.
that living life as a slim person is much easier and to sum it up - waaaay more enjoyable.
that I could live without certain foods in my life.
that when I added in healthy foods, I wouldn't miss the unhealthy ones.
that fiber and protein are our friends. Our very, very good friends.
that the ability to exercise is a blessing and it was always available to me and I should have always been doing it.
Some pointers:
Track everything. Don't leave something so vital to your health up in the air.
Plan. Plan. And then plan some more. Plan ahead. Know what you will be eating AHEAD of time, so that when the time comes, you're not scrounging around for just anything.
Keep your home stocked with delicious healthy foods. Get rid of the junk.
Set up some food laws and rules to abide by.
Don't dread this lifestyle - embrace it. Find the joy in it. Get excited about it. Become passionate about good health and the wonderful changes you can make to your body and your very life.
I wished I had known how important the stumbles would be in teaching me how to get back on track. Life got really tough for a couple of periods after I stopped losing weight (death and illness sort of tough) and it wasn't until then that I understood how those lessons were as important as any of the things I did right from the first or 2nd try.
I agree with JayEll--it was a real shocker when restaurants started publishing calorie count! First McDonald's did, and I was SHOCKED at the calorie counts. Then regular restaurants started doing it, and McDonald's looked virtuous, by comparison!
My top two:
-Getting through the first day of a diet is the biggest hurdle
-The trick is to decide in advance the "terms" of the diet. I'd start the morning saying I'd do one type of diet, then switch to another when something tempted me in the afternoon, then end up throwing in the towel and saying "tomorrow" by evening.
I wish I had known that I was capable of gaining back everything I lost (130+ pounds) and then some. I just kept telling myself that I would stop, then I could get it under control, that at least I hadn't gained it all back. And then there it was. And more. Denial is a POWERFUL and destructive emotion.
I guess I just wished I had know it was possible too. Major weight loss was something that only OTHER people could pull off but I was one of those hopeless cases.... or at least that's the lie I believed.
We are ALL able to do this It just takes never giving up.
For me personally: Size does matter. Portion size, that is. Even though I was eating relatively healthy foods, I was eating way too much of it. Then toss on a few sodas a day on top of that, and why did I wonder why I couldn't lose weight? I had no idea what a proper portion size was.
My advice is to pay attention to what you're putting in your body. Read labels! I had no clue how many calories were in the foods I was eating and I'm still amazed at how fast the numbers add up.
Interesting thing. For me, apart from some of the things which were already mentioned, it would probably be that three square meals a day will help you to lose weight and that a plate of slad leaves is not a meal. Also, that you can overcome chocolate cravings by not having the first bite.
-lost 100 lbs when I was about 16/17 (Weight Watchers)
gained 75 back
-lost 25 (Weight Watchers)
gained 80 back
-lost 40 (Jenny Craig)
gained 30 back
-and now have lost this 76, starting in about 2002, and have kept it off since then (yes, I still have a way to go to get to goal) (using what I learned from above eating plans)
I have lost 241 lbs, looking at that little table of equations, exhausts me to think about it.
what a yo yo ride, that I don't want to repeat again.
___________
for me:
all of what Kira says, with an exclamation mark
Sacha's baby steps
--I'm not on a diet, this is how I will need to eat for the rest of my life.
--It's not just about the number on the scale. Focus on the NSV's as well, like how much easier it is to do things, how things fit, how much better I feel about myself.
--Exercise everyday. Even just a 20 minute walk is better than no exercise at all. -- onmyway
Don't dread this lifestyle - embrace it. Find the joy in it. Get excited about it. Become passionate about good health and the wonderful changes you can make to your body and your very life. -- rockinrobin
from me: it's a discovery and process, sometimes it's painful and disappointing, sometimes it's exciting and joyful. I sat in the 250s for a couple of years, just stuck, and trying to figure it out. then I realized I have to just do, and stop letting my brain interfere.
I wish I had known that I could lose weight without having to be hungry and miserable all the time. All my life, I have dieted, hated it and wished it were over. This time, I knew I would have to stick with it for the rest of my life, so I was more motivated to find something I liked.
I wish I had known that I react weirdly to sugary/empty carby foods. I always thought I was an out of control loser who couldn't stop eating after 2 cookies. It wasn't me, it was the cookies. Eliminating/reducing foods like cookies/chips/pretzels/cold cereal changed my experience with food in a positive way.
I wish I had known these things at age 20 and saved myself 15 years of feeling fat and out of control.
I wish I had known how much happier and better I feel after changing my eating habits. Weight loss for me has been very much about recognizing how gross certain foods make me feel after I eat them (french fries, McDonalds hamburgers, soda of any kind) and cutting those foods out of my life. I used to get stomach aches every day and figured I just had a sensitive stomach. Now I get them less than once a month. It's amazing!
I also wish I'd known that I can really enjoy exercise. I used to jog for a few days and then give up a couple times a year. This time I stuck it out, and after a few weeks I started liking it. Now I can't wait to get home from work and go for a jog. It's so relaxing!
