Alright, please give me your weight loss tips!

[Melaine]

You guys, I'm so frustrated. I have always been a non-dieting yoyo-er. My weight just tends to fluctuate a lot, I assume because of thyroid issues. I'm not overweight but my weight for me is not what I feel is comfortable. I'm 5'6" and 155 lbs currently. I was 140 in September and the pounds just kept piling on. 130 would be my ideal and it's been many, many moons. This time last year I was almost the exact same as now so I don't know if it's strictly cold-weather soups and holiday food that are getting me or what the heck but it drives me nuts that I need multiple sizes of clothing every year in my closet. Last summer was exceptionally stressful for me and I lost the weight. I also started Zoloft in the summer so that may be adding to my difficulty. I did just get all of my bloodwork done and everything is great, even hormones and thyroid which I have continued to blame for some of these struggles.

I have been walking but that's about it, the gym freaks me out still with COVID and we honestly have zero room for a treadmill. I would have to put it in my living room or in my bedroom which would look awful.

I think part of the issue is I learned that diet foods were unhealthy so I am not good at making subs for some of that and I haven't spent any time counting calories so that would be something I'd need to learn to do.

I should mention I love intermittent fasting (I think I was one of the first to share about it here on this forum years ago). Unfortunately, something has changed with me and I seem to have blood sugar issues and seem to need to eat every few hours or I get shaky, lightheaded and dizzy. This is new for me because I used to be able to go most of the day without eating with no trouble. That's another reason that I think I'm struggling because it seems that I need to have some carbs and protein fairly frequently which is really upping my calorie intake.

[klwa]

Honestly, the thing that's worked best for me is to just track my calories using an app. I'm horrible with fasting or restrictive diets, but if I can eat what I want, just in smaller quantities, I'm good. It's about time for me to start tracking again.

[jgenie]

If IF isn’t working for you, I would have half a plate of veggies with each meal. Cook whatever you normally would but serve your veggies first and fill the remainder with your regular meal.

[gatorsmom]

I love the tips from the pp. I do both of those too and they really help.

Ive found that I lose weight just by tracking my average weekly calories. It takes time at first but soon it just becomes habit. Research shows that by simply counting your calories and tracking what you eat, you’ll eat less and make better decisions. If you want to lose more weight, you have to start lowering your average weekly calorie intake. The best way to do that is by eating more veggies with lean sources of protein. Protein will help keep you fuller longer in between meals. I track my calories with MyFitnessPal. It provides the weekly average for me.

Other things I find helpful is getting a good nights sleep. I snack more when I’m tired. Also staying hydrated is important. I find I’m hungry less often in between meals when I keep a contigo container with me throughout the day with hot tea in it. It’s also important to understand why you snack, so you can stop. Some healthy snacking is fine but unhealthy snacking can really sabotage your calorie counting. I found that I stress-eat particularly if I have something I need to do and have procrastinated getting it done.

Exercise is really important too. You can burn more calories by even 30 minutes each day of walking on the treadmill or outside. I find it suppresses my hunger, increases my energy and allows me to eat more calories during the day.

I’ve lost 21 pounds since September. It’s going slowly but I’m ok with that. This is probably unique to me but with everyone home quarantining, I don’t have to drive as much, kid activities are reduced, most of our commitments are reduced and I feel less stressed so the weight is coming off easier for me. The holidays and Valentine’s Day set me back a bit but I’ve since lost those pounds too. I really needed to lose some weight. I was the heaviest I’ve ever been and my foot arches ached all the time as well as my other joints. I’d like to lose another 10-15 pounds to be closer to a healthy weight for me. You can do it Melaine! The key is to just keep trying even if you have set backs.

[SnuggleBuggles]

Start doing some weight training. Even if you don't lose weight from it, you will get stronger and improve your overall health. But, it does help with weight loss too. :) If you have never done weight training, you should check in with a professional to make sure your form is ok so you don't injure yourself.

[carolinamama]

Weight loss for me is all in the kitchen. Working out helps, but I have to put my main focus on what I eat. I like to do WW with the app and my own version of intermittent fasting - don't eat before noon. It really comes down to eating lots of veggies and fruits with lean protein and minimal grains for me.

[dogmom]

Pre or post menopause? Because I got nothing post, lol.
I’ve used fitness pal in the past +exercise with good effect. But it’s not enough now. I’ve just Noom, which has some good features. I like it after a couple of weeks and finding the simple food analysis they have actually helpful and starting to shift my intake. At my age it really is ALL about portion control. I will say I’ve never done well with the several small meals a day. I’ve only manage to lose with two real meals and one snack more than a meal.

[KpbS]

What about Weight Watchers for tracking? Some friends have success with that and you can eat many veggies for 0 points.

[MSWR0319]

The only thing that has worked for me is calorie tracking. I used MFP and that worked just fine and I was able to lose the weight quicker than I thought.

[bisous]

I think what I've determined is that the only way to lose weight is to increase activity and decrease calories. All the strategies revolve around ways to make doing those things easier and less inconvenient. And different things work for different bodies and different personalities! So whether you're a calorie counter or a IFer it serves to set limits in how much you are consuming. Eating low calorie, filling vegetables or lean protein help you feel fuller so you'll eat less calories. Restricting categories of foods makes it harder to eat too many calories too, sometimes because it is just more inconvenient and therefore harder to overindulge! Weightlifting helps build lean muscle that burns calories "passively" but I haven't gotten to a muscular level that that has really worked super well for me yet. Other exercises literally burn calories, but they also sometimes make you feel hungry so you have to fall back on tracking what you eat so you don't overcompensate!

Now as a disclaimer, I "hacked" the Optavia weight loss system and lost like 25 pounds a few years ago! I kept it off for a couple of years but I did gain about 10 back since quarantine started. Quarantine life is hard for me. It is lower overall calorie reduction (since I'm at home and not walking kids to class, running errands, etc.) but also because it is very tempting for me to eat when I am at home all day. I have been working on getting back down to my ideal weight of approx. 135 (I'm 5'7) and I do believe I'll get there. I'm being gentle because quarantine is hard. Some may not like the Optavia system because it is very repetitive. But I'm that person that will eat the same thing every day so it works for me.

Here is what works for me:

I plan all my food in advance. I've heard it said that weight loss starts in the kitchen and that is true! But only if that kitchen has the right foods in it. So shopping and planning has been huge for me. Additionally, I set out my food in containers ahead of time to help me be accountable.

I eat high protein, low fat, low carb foods. I eat 6 snacks a day and one big meal. The snacks are HALF a protein bar (I like the Kirkland brand ones) and I eat one about every two hours. When I'm maintaining, I add a fruit or veggie with approx. half my snacks. Dinner is a large portion of lean protein (chicken, ground turkey, greek yogurt, eggs) and three large servings of vegetables. If you would be interested in specifics, pm and I'll share. For me, I don't have the will power to eat "well" without the advance planning. And prior to hacking the Optavia plan, I really had no idea what to eat. Please know that I eat about half my calories a day in these Kirkland protein bars. They have LOTS of ingredients. So if you are a whole foods person this will not be a fit! That said, I've toyed around with replacing the nutrient quotients of these bars with whole foods and if I had more time I think I could make it work. (Maybe after quarantine?) Also, I just REALLY like the way the Kirkland bars taste. One SIL thinks they are gross but I just love them. I'd eat them instead of a brownie. Also, they're super high fiber. My bowels are very happy.

As far as exercise, I think walking and adding "steps" is the best thing for weight loss. I really do. I actually exercise quite a bit right now for my own mental health and I love it. I think it shapes my body in good ways but I don't think it really helps me lose all that much. My secret with exercise is finding something easy to do that I LOVE. I do a High Fitness workout from youtube 2x a week and weight programs and barre programs from Grokker (DH gets this for free through his work) 4x per week. I do it at 5am in my living room or my bedroom (if DH is up). I was a dancer as a child and these dance based programs are really, really FUN. Part of me thinks I should add a HIIT routine or two in there and I think it would have "results" but I don't enjoy those programs nearly as much so it hasn't become part of my life yet. Maybe I'll get there?

I really do feel great. I really do think I could eat like this for forever.

[Moneypenny]

I know many people find a lot of success with counting calories, which is great! I've never been inclined to do that because it just seems like a lot of hassle and I get hung up on situations where I was eating out or at someone's house (ahhh, the good old days) and couldn't figure out the calories and my perfectionist self would freak out...anyway, it just doesn't work for me. What I've done is create a routine around eating, focusing really more on when I eat than what I eat. This is easy for me to follow and easy to adjust if something disrupts my normal schedule. No food is off limits, but I am mindful of quantities. Other than the doc's office, I haven't stepped on a scale in years because it just isn't helpful for me. If my clothes start to get too tight or I feel like an extra roll is around my middle when I bend over, I reduce portion sizes for a week or two until things feel "right" again.

A normal day for me is:
Breakfast of one cup of coffee, homemade smoothie, 20 pistachios (Why 20? I have no idea, but it keeps me from grabbing big handfuls)
Midmorning snack of one cup of coffee, small piece of dark chocolate, bowl of Greek yogurt with honey and berries
Lunch is any combo of grain/protein/fruit or veg. No second helpings because I get sleepy.
No afternoon snack right now because we eat dinner early to accommodate DD's work schedule. If I need a snack, i grab a few almonds or a chunk of cheese or something.
Dinner is any combo of grain/protein/veg. Second helpings are fine but I try to make it mostly veggies.
Evening snack of ice cream/cookie/brownie/cake. I bake every weekend and have a treat every single night.

It helps me psychologically to know food is coming again soon. My body has been trained to be hungry at certain times and I have a plan for what I'll be eating at each time. Even if I don't know exactly what's for lunch, I have enough go to items/combos so that it's easy for me. My main issue with food is kind of grazing mindlessly on crackers or whatever because I'm hungry but have no plan, or because I feel like I shouldn't snack because it's "bad" but maybe some pretzels don't really count as a snack so I'll just have this handful but then I'm still hungry and it's still 90 minutes to dinner...

I have no idea how many calories I have in a day. I do try to be active. I like to run a couple of times a week and do yoga, but if that doesn't work in my schedule I don't freak out and just try to be sure to move around, walk around the block, go putter in the yard, whatever. As my grandma always said, "Just keep moving!"

[Globetrotter]

IF is the only thing that has worked for me for long term maintenance… so that’s a bummer re. Your blood sugar issues. I wonder what’s causing it.
I’m going on two years now with consistent results, but in the past when I have lost weight some things that have worked have been weight training and also filling up on loads of veggies and water with my meals.

[Melaine]

IF is the only thing that has worked for me for long term maintenance… so that’s a bummer re. Your blood sugar issues. I wonder what’s causing it.
I’m going on two years now with consistent results, but in the past when I have lost weight some things that have worked have been weight training and also filling up on loads of veggies and water with my meals.

Me too....my guess is maybe adrenal fatigue. I know that adrenal fatigue can be precipated by extreme low carb diets, and before my "big crash" three or so years ago I cut almost all carbs for a couple months trying to combat a terrible bout of GERD. I might try to work my way up to it. Just not sure.

[gatorsmom]

IF is the only thing that has worked for me for long term maintenance… so that’s a bummer re. Your blood sugar issues. I wonder what’s causing it.
I’m going on two years now with consistent results, but in the past when I have lost weight some things that have worked have been weight training and also filling up on loads of veggies and water with my meals.

I sometimes get really hungry between mealtimes when counting calories. I’ve noticed that if I’ve eaten something sugary without protein (so cookies or baked sweets) as my last food item, I’m much more likely to get shakey and a headache inbetween spaced out meals. For this reason, I try not to have sweets around the house all the time but especially when I’m restricting calories. If I have lunch and then feel myself getting hungry and I won’t be able to eat for several more hours, I should absolutely stay away from a plate of cookies someone might have brought to us. It might fill me up a bit but coming off that sugary cookie is AWFUL. When that happens, I have to eat protein right away to take away the shakes and the headache. That feeling doesn’t happen after eaten a high-protein, high veggie meal. Maybe there is an explanation in there somewhere to why fasting can cause some people blood sugar issues. Just my 2 pennies. :)

[Globetrotter]

Me too....my guess is maybe adrenal fatigue. I know that adrenal fatigue can be precipated by extreme low carb diets, and before my "big crash" three or so years ago I cut almost all carbs for a couple months trying to combat a terrible bout of GERD. I might try to work my way up to it. Just not sure.

I see.. so you think adding more carbs back in might help? Have you been tested for the adrenal issue?

[essnce629]

IF seems to be the only thing that is working well for me and I started out pretty much the exact same size as you (5'7 and 155lbs) and am now down to 138lbs after 14 months of IF and zero exercise.

I'm sorry it's not working for you and I like the idea someone mentioned of half your plate being veggies for each meal (that's a Whole 30 thing too).

Sent from my SM-A515U1 using Tapatalk

[Globetrotter]

I sometimes get really hungry between mealtimes when counting calories. I’ve noticed that if I’ve eaten something sugary without protein (so cookies or baked sweets) as my last food item, I’m much more likely to get shakey and a headache inbetween spaced out meals. For this reason, I try not to have sweets around the house all the time but especially when I’m restricting calories. If I have lunch and then feel myself getting hungry and I won’t be able to eat for several more hours, I should absolutely stay away from a plate of cookies someone might have brought to us. It might fill me up a bit but coming off that sugary cookie is AWFUL. When that happens, I have to eat protein right away to take away the shakes and the headache. That feeling doesn’t happen after eaten a high-protein, high veggie meal. Maybe there is an explanation in there somewhere to why fasting can cause some people blood sugar issues. Just my 2 pennies. :)

Before IF I used to get the shakes if I hadn’t eaten for awhile, but that no longer happens as I’ve adapted.

[wendibird22]

I've had some mixed success with IF. I started it in Jan 2020. Gained a few pounds initially, then lost about 5-6lbs and now have gained back 3lbs in the past few months and I haven't changed anything. Eating window is the same, foods consumed is the same, exercise (yoga M-F and running Sat/Sun) is the same. The only thing different is the weather...maybe it's winter weight to survive NY winter lol. And I'm always STARVING in the morning. I eat between 11am-6pm, but am starving by 9am every.single.day and have been since starting IF. I'm not hungry during my eating window or at night, but basically wake up hungry and then feel starving until I eat lunch.

[WatchingThemGrow]

I'm down 10+ lbs from Sept. using the Lose It! app to track what I'm eating. It really does help! After the initial 10 lbs, I took a break, but the current plan is to get back in the habit and get more off. It feels so much better to be 142 than the 154 where bending was uncomfortable (also 5'6".) My digestive system has been out of whack the last year or so, and weight fluctuates so much based on how full my colon is. Maybe I'll start a thread about that fun topic!

[Gracemom]

I’m doing my own combo of Whole 30 and Bright Lines eating but not really following the stringent rules of either. I believe in customizing what works for you. I eat 3 meals a day of protein, veggies, fruit and fat. No snacks and I cut off eating at 7 and don’t eat again until 10 am. Not really hungry unless I don’t eat enough at meals. This usually happens when I don’t eat enough fat. Lots of water and unsweetened iced tea. No sugar or flour because those are my binge foods. I should probably not eat dairy but a little cheese and yogurt seem ok for me. I have a lot more to lose than you so I need something I can do long term and still have energy. I have to have carbs in the form of potatoes, sweet potatoes, fruit and other veggies or my energy is nonexistent.