Losing weight: if you have lost weight and kept if off, give us some tips?

[Anonymous]

I know some the things that worked for me in the past was
Drinking a lot of water
None (or just a little) of snacking
Smaller portions
I exercise every day, eat plenty of veggies, like to cook etc. But I still am not at my “dream” weight. So I would really appreciate any tips you all got.

[kaylaS91]

Maintenance is key.
Don't make any excessive changes in your diet or exercise regimen. Yes, that may be able to give you almost immediate results, but those results won't last long. You'll bounce back before you know it.
Do small things like... dinner was normally a full plate? Get it 3/4 full. At a certain tiem every day, schedule a set walking route or create your own personal low impact routine at the gym, making sure it involves cardio. Exercise at least 4x a week, not excuses. Not even rain- I mean, you're not made of sugar right? It's not like you'll melt or anything. :P

That small changes thing but putting it into effect almost every day worked super well for me. Great way to get your heart health up, burn off weight, + tone up so you'll be not only looking but feeling better than ever before.
Never thought I'd say it, but once you get the results and are able to keep them, that positive reinforcement will make exercising almost addicting. :)

[Asker]

I exercise in the rain, sun... This week and last week I dug a bed and I half, did yoga, walked three miles every day, I love to exercise.
But I have a harder time with portions. And giving up cheese. :)

[kaylaS91]

lol ok cheese is fine, within reason of course. Are your portions huge? I read somewhere that what could help with controlling portions is using smaller plates.. Like rather than using the big dinner plates, use smaller ones. The fact that you're still filling up a plate, despite it being a bit smaller, will sort of fool your mind/body into thinking it's enough when the amount of food is actually a bit less.

[Asker]

I read that somewhere, and I used to do it and it worked. But it’s hard because I eat two meals a day and if I eat less I end up snacking. So either way it’ll take some serious self control.
I just have to say I love carrots. My hair is growing, (from eyelashes to eyebrows to thicker and longer curls) and when I eat them everyday I have this natural flush on my skin.

[kaylaS91]

haha k only 2 meals a day? That would explain the issues with portion control! Try to break those 2 meals down into 3 or even 4 smaller ones. It's actually better for weight loss in theory to eat more frequently, only lesser amounts of food.
Keeps the metabolism active.

[geekylady]

First thing you should do before any diet is a detox. I would recommend it with a green tea, they have these on sale on amazon. What the tea would do is to eliminate any excess of liquids, saturated fat and carbs that your body has attracting more of these. After you detox your body you have to find out what gets you fat, we are all different, but at a certain age we can't process carbs or lactose like we used to. If you know what's not good for you then you can eliminate that completely. Once you do, you keep eating healthy and you can maintain your weight. I did this 7 years ago, lost 20 pounds and have maintained my weigh since. I don't eat rice, potatoes and red meats. I eat lots of vegetables and cheese and I can maintain my weight thanks to the detox and also getting to know my body and my metabolism. Hope this helps

[Asker]

Wow.. 20 pounds. That’s awesome!!
You really piqued my interest because you still eat cheese. :P Maybe I’ll just eat smaller portions of cheese and cut out other things. I try to stay away from caffeine, (it gives me headaches) so I’m trying to use water. I don’t eat meat period. I think I have a problem with bread. I can’t go a day without eating bread. :(

[geekylady]

White bread is really bad for you because it slows your metabolism and is not easy to digest. Try to replace it with brown bread, whole grain... And try to not eat it every day, drinking water is not going to help you lose weight but to keep the weight that you have now.

[Asker]

I know. :)) My mom makes bread and she only makes wheat, barely, spelt, and light wheat bread, waffles, pancakes, tortillas, baked goods... She has a machine that grinds the flour and everything.
I think I shouldn't eat bread every day. Maybe cutting down to two times a week would work. Thanks for the good ideas!

[geekylady]

Yes, try to eat it only twice a week, or have what I call a "treat day" is like one day of the week I eat that that I can't eat.

[meatballs21]

You're on the right track. Start counting calories if you want to be extra sure. A calorie counting app will tell you a target based on your current weight and desired loss. If you can stick to that (you can go over some days and be under some days) you should see results.

Consider doing some weight and strength training too. You'll look better, feel better, exercise better... and more muscles burn more calories.

Final tip: It's not just the number on the scale. I lost jeans sizes but the scale stayed the same. I looked different, but the scale stayed the same. THEN, later on, it started to drop.

[Asker]

For me, counting calories is kinda aggravating. It kinda takes the joy out of eating. So I think smaller portions is better. :))
I love to work out. I do weights (I don’t like gyms) and my arms and thighs are really getting muscular.
I totally agree about the numbers on the scale. I just want clothes to look good on me, idc about numbers. Thanks!!

[meatballs21]

Once you have your favourite foods set up in your calorie app, you can quickly assemble them into meals or add them. It's annoying at first, but once you get going, it doesn't take long to enter them. I recommend it because you can easily go over your target without realizing, otherwise.

[Asker]

Ok that's a little less tedious. :) When I get a ipod I’ll try it out. What is the name of the app?

[meatballs21]

I like MyFitnessPal, but there are others out there too.

[Asker]

Thanks! I will write that down.

[Findingmyway]

For medical reasons I had to go gluten free PLUS I do no eat GF substitutes because they are still processed foods foods filled with fat & junk, no fast food, extremely limited processed foods. Fresh first always.. Lost 30 lbs in a yr. nothing else ever worked. And this was without exercise too.

[Asker]

Congrats on losing weight. 30 pounds is a lot!!
So you take unhealthy things out of your diet. I’m trying to go vegan. I’m finding all of these awesome recipes and their really helping. I don’t like eggs, but I love cheese. That would be really hard to do.

[Findingmyway]

Thanks :-) a friend of mine is vegan and can't lose weight. So be careful there too. Processed foods have a lot of stuff added to then. I consider my self 99% gluten and processed food free. I still have times where I will treat myself :-) I save those days for when I go out.

[aamy811]

Hclf vegan

morningrosie.weebly.com/.../1460822_orig.jpg

I recommend you watch some of essena oneill's videos on YouTube (picture above). And freelee the banana girl

[Asker]

I don't think it was just the vegan. The woman works out, to say the least. But I will definetly check the resouces out. :))

[aamy811]

She says she doesn't workout that much anymore. She used to a lot when she are herbivore, but she says that now that she's a vegan she doesn't workout nearly as much. And free lee doesn't workout that much either

[Asker]

Well, I will definetly try vegan.

[Takada]

A high carb low fat vegan diet has worked for me. I get to eat as much as I want and do martial arts once a week. That's about it.

[smexiliciousss]

It's good that you're not crash dieting maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the way to keep it off

[Asker]

Dieting only works for a little while. I’ve seen people lose weight and gain it right back. A lifestyle change is what works.

[rocelot]

Cigarettes. Not that I recommend.