Make sure I walk at least one hour every morning. That's about 300 calories I don't need to think about...

If I manage to squeeze 30 minutes of cardio/strenght training, I know that I met my objectives for the day...

For me its giving up alcohol. I'm such a freaking wino and not only is it bad for me in general its taking up so much of my daily calories! I have to change my whole mindset when it comes to that :) Just like I gave up smoking years ago :)

Developing a stradegy to address most of the reasons I gained so much weight. So much of this is 'head stuff' that I had to go at that with the tenacity of a cat behind a closed door. No matter what plan or how much exercise, if I didn't get to the head stuff I would be spinning my wheels.

Record what I eat and what I weigh each day. My plan is flexible enough to accommodate most meals, just not huge portions. And daily weighing allows me to see and accept the normal fluctuations without panic, and to notice early a creep up the scale.

My "official" weigh-in, however, is once a month.

It is important for me to log my food, and to hold my actions accountable and not to make excuses for why I did not lose weight a particular week.

Originally Posted by walking2lose:
+1!!!

Also, completely changing the mindset I've had for twenty-odd years (I blame/credit Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories for the beginning of my shift in thinking) and actually transitioning to a way of eating that has made me feel better than I have in many, many years. It's hard to pinpoint the ONE thing, so I hope it's ok that I gave a rather broad answer. Best part = getting smaller/feeling better and not being HUNGRY -- finally!

This.

Also, in keeping with Taube's advice, near complete avoidance of sugar, as it is a drug to me.

Stay within my Points limit. I do that, everything else follows.

Not giving up. Making a commitment for an extended time period, which was one year for me.

Originally Posted by Shmead:
This is long, but I swear it is one thing.

Developing a plan that is easy to stick to, and sticking to it 100%.

The problem with dieting is that every time we go off plan, we immediately get a reward: a yummy bit of food, or an extra hour in bed. This reinforces going off plan. The rewards for staying on plan are much more abstract and take longer to see.

If every time a child misbehaves, you were to give them a cupcake but yell and scream to make them feel guilty, but good behavior was rewarded only after weeks and months (even with something awesome), you'd see more bad behavior than good. The positive reinforcement of the cupcake would be more powerful than the negative reinforcement of the guilt and shame, and the "good" rewards are too distant to be worth trying for. You'd also have a ****ed up kid, because that sort of emotional roller coaster is no way to live your life.

We dieters do this to ourselves. Every time we go off plan we "pay" for it with guilt and shame and remorse and "accountability posts", but before that, we get the joy of eating the whatever. The rewards for sticking on plan take longer to manifest, and it's harder, on an emotional level, to see the connection between good choices and a different body.

So it's important to never, ever go off plan. But the trick to that is not "more will power", it's "more realistic plan". Better to plan to eat 1600 a day and really do it than to plan to eat 1200, fall off the wagon a couple times in the week (getting rewarded with a cheeseburger and fries once and a big piece of chocolate cake the next time), beat yourself up, and end up at that same 1600 calories.

A strict plan is self indulgent. It allows for the classic Sunday-night dieter's fantasy "I'm gonna be so good. I'm only gonna eat X and Y and Z and the weight will fall off and my mom will be so impressed and I'm going to look so good", but when it falls apart, it teaches us worse habits than we started with. It teaches us that weakness brings an addictive emotional roller coaster of joy and shame.

THIS IS SO AWESOME.

I never thought about it before, but I agree with it completely.

For me, what makes it possible to do this is to be committed to being healthy and losing weight.

The commitment means putting my health and body first, by prioritizing my exercising (I will avoid social engagements if they fall at the same time as my exercise, I make everyone work around me in that area) and my food plan (even if I pay more for fruits and vegetables, I'll spend $6.99 for strawberries because it's much better than spending $3 for a box of cookies, I'll choose the healthy option on the menu, I'll preplan/pre-cook my foods).

The most important thing I do for myself to lose weight is counting calories (and writing it all down). It helps me to be accountable and I can see exactly what I am eating throughout the day.

I started counting calories January 1st because before I did that I was just exercising like crazy and overeating healthy foods. Once I realized how many calories I was really taking in every day I started counting them and it has helped tremendously!

Persistence

I would have to say adding whole grains to my diet has really helped me!

Originally Posted by Shmead:
Developing a plan that is easy to stick to, and sticking to it 100%.

This!!! Consistency is key! I have 2 friends who started out at the same time I did - we did the same workouts, the same eating plan and yet I am the only one who has been successful. Reason....I stuck to it when they did not. They always ask me 'are you doing anything differently outside the program?'. My answer - 'nope....i am doing the same things'.

Stick to it ppl! It pays off!

Great advice everyone!!! and Shmead... WOW

your post was very profound and really made me think. AWESOME!

Being surrounded by people that are on the same journey !!!! 3fatchicks and other forums because I learn so much and also stay inspired to keep up what Im doing!