how do you guys do it?!?!

M

megz10

New member
hey all,

I am new here and I just wanted to start off by saying congrats to all of you that have lost so much weight and are still pushing along, we all know how hard it is. I have noticed alot of your tickers showing all the weight everyone has lost and just seeing that is motivation for me. I just wanted to ask everyone what do you do to stay on track??? Personaly I have been on many diets including Weightwatchers. (three times :( ) somehow i get to the one to two month mark, lose about 10 lbs. and then manage to give in to temptation (my temptation is McDonalds fries!! to name just one i know we all have ours) anyway I really want to stick to it this time and really see the results to be honest i have never stayed on a diet long enough to truely see the fruits of my labor. so anyway the big question is what is everyones secret? what keeps you motivated? and what are some foods that are part of your diet that are still really great??:D
Once again I hope you all give yourselfs a big pat of the back for all the effort your have put into your weightloss success!!! you are all my motivation as i start this journey!! :)

thanks!!!
 
there's a trhead in the news portion of this forum called Cheating = Success... what it amounts to - is if youdeprive yourself- you are doomed to fail...if you love mcdonald's french fries :)shudder: why? Do you know that their smell is manufactured in a factory in hte New Jersey Turnpike?) have your mcdonald's french fries... just plan your calories around them... either work out a little more- or eat a little less to stay in your calorie range...

and if you do give in to temptation.. move on - don't use it as an excuse to eat everything in site.. and don't supersize them...

you can do whatever you put your mind to...
 
My initial motivation was buying a husky puppy - and wanting really badly to make a success out of the dog. Huskies are a very difficult breed - they are full of energy, and need active ownership. My health had been getting worse and worse - I always had indigestion, slept poorly, bad skin, got out of breath real easy. I was 48 pounds over my ideal BMI (for what that is worth), and approaching but not yet quite in the obesity range. However, although I say that my young dog motivated me - it must have been more than that - I don't know where the strength all came from - I put it down to being an obsessive bloke, and to a 'mid-life crisis' - I'm 44 years old, never took an interest in fitness before, and all my life, lived the life of a nutrition slob.

I started out by eating healthy, learning about nutrition, and by becoming more and more active - starting with dog walking! It was like a drug! I didn't weigh myself for the first month - when I did, I could hardly believe what I was losing. Avoiding scales for the first lap almost certainly helped to keep me going through the early days. I knew that I felt better without using scales. To be honest, I must have been cutting a little too hard - because I lost something like over 30 pounds in only three months. I don't suggest to others that they do this - I did lose some muscle mass, which I'm now working on. I did it by eating healthy and exercising - by now I was running and had bought a cycle. I didnt go hungry, I ate lots of fibre, drank lots of water, always had breakfast and at least three meals per day.

The next few months, I learned more and kept tweaking my diet, I continued to lose weight. The feeling of increased fitness - being able to run, swim, cycle, fueled motivation. I joined a gym - me! It was like a vegan getting a job in a butchers! I now love the gym. I hit my final target weight - but its a Lifestyle change - not a silly slimming diet (they dont work long term) - and so I continue - I want to be fitter, grow more muscle, burn more body fat. I changed my diet to more cals and protein, but I still control what I eat. I'm not perfect - I fall from grace. My food addiction is booze - I love a tipple of wine on days off, or a few beers with mates down the pub. So I continue to do this, but with more moderation than I once used.

In summary - my motivation - feeling better. Being able to do more things - and starting to believe in myself. I did read some self-improvement books, and although some of it I took with a pinch of salt - some of the visualisation exercises did help. I started to see myself as I could be and wanted to be.

what are some foods that are part of your diet that are still really great?
Click to expand...
TONNES OF THEM! You really can change your tastes - you have to work at forcing habits. Some of my present (I'm not cutting cals at the moment) favourites:
  • porridge oats with a little honey.
  • Fish, fish, and more fish - steamed, grilled, canned, etc - salmon, tuna, sardines, haddock, cod - you name it!
  • low fat cottage cheese - chuck it all over those salads or tasty and crunchy steamed vegetables
  • low fat live yoghurt - with added mixed nuts and seeds, or / and grapes, or freshly chopped pineapple - the food of Gods...
  • Olives.
  • Lean rare beef steak hmmmm
  • Grilled mushrooms, sliced egg plant, and corn on the cob.
  • Fruits - natures sweeties (candies) - so many colours, so many varieties.
  • Wholemeal bread and pasta yummy, why eat that bland white junk? Sandwiches or toast with cottage cheese, almond spread, honey, etc
  • Nuts - unsalted - how did I miss them before?
  • Beef jerky - ok its processed with sodium - but high protein, and yummy!
  • Hummus on everything.
  • Fresh strawberries with low fat yoghurt - I've got some in the fridge now...
  • Liver - grilled.
  • red wine - well, everyone has to have some weakness...
Perhaps ... good real food ... is another motivation?
 
Last edited:
Stay On Track

I actually do the Jenny Craig Diet, the food is good, and ot does work. I will say after awhile you do need a break, sooo I'll pick one day to eat regular food. I seem to lose weight faster when I exercise.
 
Thanks for all of the great ideas! I have learned thus far on this "lifestyle change" is IT IS exactly what it is, up and tell now it has always been a diet here and a diet there, but always for the wrong reasons, this time it feels so much different and so much better! I have realized just how important exerise really is. I have been working out 5 days a week for the last 2 weeks now, and i feel so great i sleep better and i have more energy through out the day and i actually look forward to my afternoon workouts! that is just un heard of for me. also i have been very good about what i eat, generally i eat at work so breakfast for me usually the weight control maple/brown sugar oatmeal, then lunch is usally a weight watchers frozen meal with a piece of fruit then afternoon snack (usaully snack size popcorn or fresh vegies, low fat cottage cheese) then dinner is usually chicken vegies and brown rice or baked potato. i think the biggy for me is that it is more in moderation now, i am practicing what it feels like to be full, normally i just eat, and then my stomach hurts :rolleyes: also i am a recent college grad and it is hard to break old habbits and even harder to be trying to make it financially they have you convinced in college that you will go out and make all this money. HAHAHAHAHA.. I can barley keep on top of the student loan payments! :) ...but it is all good, It is a new chapter in my life and a healty one, I am starting to collect reciepes and make real meals, im sure most of you know a student lives on ramen noodle and fast food! :D once again thanks for all the great tips! :)
 
Hello There,

I'm on day 2 on this site so I'm still a newbie but I think I have some advice to offer and since you asked........:)

How do I stay on track? Very good question, I think for me it's a matter of not looking at my change in eating habits and exercise as drastic and not on a "Diet" either; a word I do not like. (Any word where the first three letters are D I and E I want nothing to do with) Having said that, I knew I did not like to do the Weight Watcher, Slim Fast, etc all those programs that are out there, they work for some just not for me, I love food too much, I like to cook so saying I have to do without something doesn't work either, I just want it even more. I decided to just eat whatever I wanted; If I want some Ben and Jerrys Ice cream, eat it. Pizza? eat it, Fried whatever? eat it. What I did differently now is I didn't eat the entire pint/quart/half gallon/gallon, the entire large pizza, the entire plate of egg rolls or calimari, it's all about moderation. I'd have one small scoop of ice cream, not every night either. I'd eat a salad along with the pizza and a large glass of water before each meal to feel full. I never really felt deprived so I never really wanted to "relapse" and binge eat.

I feel we Americans have some messed up attitudes about food, we have so many types of Non fat/Lo fat type of food products yet we have many overweight citizens. I really do think it's about moderation and portion control and exercise. I live in San Francisco, haven't owned a car since 93 so I walk a lot, even more so now that I am shaping up but I'm amazed when I travel through many U.S. cities, especially the suburbs where there are no sidewalks, virtually no public transportation, nothing is pedestrian friendly so you have no choice really but to buy a car and use it alot. Then people become dependent on their cars and drive across the street to go to the store, I've seen it happen. It's so easy to get wrapped up in not thinking about what we are going to eat and no exercising, heck I was there myself but now that I am aware of my activity and what I eat I feel much better and I am looking better which is making me feel even better; see the cycle?

Also, having friends and family that support you in what you are attempting to do is a big help, I had one friend in particular who would purposefully try to sabotage my eating plan just for kicks; needless to say I don't see that friend as often as I used to.

Sorry to ramble, hope this helps, and now I gotta go for my evening 30 min swimming session.

Keep up the good work,

David
aka David1965
 
for me it is all about wanting this more than food! And this site(it has made all the diffrence in my will power), and eating healthy, we all know what that is so i won't elaborate, and exercising;) , it just takes time and the will to keep on keepin on!!!.........welcome aboard ......STAR
 
What a great thread! I'm really interested in what drives people to make successful weight loss decisions and what those decisions are. Especially enjoyed reading ToothlessFerret's story. His philosophy and approach is very much like our own.

In my own inexpert opinion, I have to believe that folks who practice healthy changes as a lifestyle and are slightly flexible yet unyeilding with those practices will be the folks who keep off the weight in the long term.

My own bias is towards whole foods and and away from processed stuff. Also I'm a big beliver in a high-fiber, low-glycemic diet with a big emphasis on nutrient-packed, low-caloric density foods. Get the most nutritional bang for your calories. And of course always keep in mind what it is that makes living the healthy life important. That is, whatever makes it important to you in particular. Looking better, health issues, wanting to be around and active in your golden years, whatever.


John
 
Weight loss is 100% mental.

If you truly want to put effort into weight loss, you will lose weight.

I agree with all the other posts about nutrition and excerise, but if you truly want to lose weight, it all starts with your mind.
 
Bledi has a valid point. I think that many of us knew that we needed to change - we might have even gone through periods of yo-yo dieting in the past, but suddenly, for whatever reason - something clicks. You suddenly reach that mental state when you are ready to commit to change. Without that mental commitment, you cannot change for the better. You need to mentally decide to take control of your lifestyle.
 
I think if there is some sort of an incentive it always helps. For me it is that I will need to hit the beach in December. And I want to WOW my friends visiting from over seas.

If you just work towards something, it always helps.
 
for me it was simply looking into the mirror and not knowing who I saw. now the weight is coming off and my blood pressure is getting better so I just take it one day at a time.
 
You must have proper mind set

......to make it happen. The first year after I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes I did a ton of reading and research. I found out that there are some folks who can control their diabetes through exercise and diet. I was fascinated that there is a disease that can be controlled this way. One day I was having lunch with a good friend, he asked me how my diabetes was going, I told him about some people controlling their diabetes with diet and exercise; he didn't say anything for a couple minutes and then replied, "so why aren't you doing this?" That's when it hit me, why wasn't I doing this? If other people can do it, so can I. That was the turning point for me that finally made me say, "It's time to start taking care of myself".

I have gone from 262lbs to 211lbs (todays weigh in) I am at a plateau and seem to be fightin with 4lbs, just last week was at 207lbs.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top