Who has Been Successful Losing Weight and Keeping It Off?

[Sam Gamgee]

This thread is now open!

[Title shortened and some words "de-capped".] Original: "How Many Of You Have Been Successful At Losing Weight & Keeping It Off?"

I’d be curious to know what you did / are doing? Seems like when I focus on slimming down, all I think about is food! I exercise but still eat too much. Dinner is my big downfall. I’ve noticed you can’t really exercise it off. What a mess!

 

[AcesAndEights]

I hear ya! I’ve yo-yo’d my whole life pretty much. I ballooned a bit after our third kid came along. I’m actually going through a “down” period right now. I quit drinking, quit SNACKING AFTER DINNER (my biggest hurdle), and I’ve focused on getting some exercise (lots of basketball and walking). Maybe I’ll keep it off this time!

 

[Chasing Embers]

I’d be curious to know what you did / are doing?

By eating thousands of calories per day and watching an evil thyroid torch them off faster than I can replace them.

 

[jttnk]

I have found tracking food and a plan like weight watchers has been the most successful for me. You eat real food and quickly learn vegetables, fruits, lean meats are your friends. Anything packaged or prepared adds too many “points” calories and are not worth it.

Night time snacking is my downfall! Good luck.

 

[Andriko]

The mistake is 'dieting'. To lose weight you require a colorie defecit, and one that isn't even that much. 250-500 calories a day will see gradual and long term weight loss. 250-500 calories a day is not such a big thing to cut out - it's a few biscuits or a chocolate bar, so cutting out 'snack' stuff alone will make a difference and you won't feel like you're starving yourself.

The other way is to sustainable increase the amount of calories you burn (ie excersise). 2 hours a day at the gym is a bit much, but 30 minutes extra walk a day is something that should be fairly easy to add to your lifestyle.

I managed to loose quite a bit of weight by doing 30minutes of yoga every morning, which also has other health benefits, and even though it doesn't seem to be a form of excersise that will help you slim down, it does do quite a good job at it - have you ever seen a yoga practitioner who's fat?

I don't want to make assumptions about your diet, but another thing that would help would be to cut out processed foods and take aways etc. and eat more salads. I'd also suggest increasing your fat intake and reducing carbs, nothing as extreme as keto or Atkins, but more Greek yogurt, more butter, more eggs and cheese, less pasta.

The trick is to make lifestyle changes and incorporate them into your day to day, that way the weight stays off.

 

[El Capitán]

Lose weight? Why do that when you can be warm and jolly?

 

[Kobold]

It’s easy. Just get some crushing depression and stop eating. Pounds come right off.
Seriously though I’m up and down weight wise all the time. Drink more water, cut out sweets, no food after dinner and always take the physical challenge. When there’s stairs take them over the easy option.

 

[originalnutcracker]

I took up walking rather seriously - did the Camino de Santiago 2 years ago and Gros Morne Newfoundland this year.

Planning the Coast to Coast across the UK next year. (Ulterior motive maybe - as the first half is though the Lake District!)

So I land up walking at least 10km a day to stay in shape and ramp up in the summer.

I lost 50lbs during the Camino trip - and it has stayed off!

Walk obsessively and eat responsibly- it actually works!

 

[SBC]

Exercise stimulates muscular growth (or cardio endurance, depending), but it’s woefully inefficient at burning fat. The number of calories you burn in even lengthy and grueling cardio is miniscule compared to the number of calories you put in your mouth in just a couple minutes. There is no way to eat whatever you want and just exercise harder to make up for it. It doesn’t work. Calorie restriction is the only path to fat loss.

I’m a big fan of water fasting, partly because of the added physiological benefits, and partly because of the mental/spiritual discipline it builds. I do it regularly. I’ve done up to 4 days. Read Jason Fung on the medical side.
But of course a water fast isn’t indefinitely sustainable.
The most effective sustainable approach I’ve personally done is a combination of keto with OMAD (one meal a day). Actually it wasn’t keto because I allowed carbs like baked potato – but it was grain free and sugar free.

You get a one hour eating window each day (say whenever your family eats supper), and during that hour you eat as much as you want, but no grains (bread, pasta) and no sugar.

I lose weight quickly on that.

And if you think it’s not sustainable … honestly it is.
Ramp up to it by spending one week eating whenever you want, but no grains and no sugar. Adjust to those restrictions.
Then in the second week, still sticking to those restrictions, start backing up meal times by 2 hrs. each day – 9am, 11am, 1pm, 3 pm, until finally you’re eating only supper.

By the time you get to only supper, it won’t seem as bad as you think it will. And after a few days on the full regimen, you’ll feel completely used to it.

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

Years ago I got into cycling and bike commuting to work where I had shower facilities. I dropped a ton of weight but I was doing 20+ miles a day. Currently I’ve gained a lot of weight back but dropped a lot this past summer by riding daily again, on a fixed gear for ten to fifteen miles a day. I quit drinking all soda/pop years ago and only drink beer on the weekends. I also switched over to more of a plant based diet Monday through Thursday and cut out as much sugar as I can. One of the easiest and cheapest dinners I make is a pot of black beans and jasmine rice with onions, bell pepper, habanero pepper, Rotel tomatoes and a spice mix of cumin, turmeric, cayenne, paprika, salt, and pepper.

It takes a while to get into a routine that you can stick with and I’ve tripped up many times. You need to be forgiving of yourself as weight loss is a marathon, not a sprint. Good luck!

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

The mistake is 'dieting'. To lose weight you require a colorie defecit, and one that isn't even that much. 250-500 calories a day will see gradual and long term weight loss. 250-500 calories a day is not such a big thing to cut out - it's a few biscuits or a chocolate bar, so cutting out 'snack' stuff alone will make a difference and you won't feel like you're starving yourself.

The other way is to sustainable increase the amount of calories you burn (ie excersise). 2 hours a day at the gym is a bit much, but 30 minutes extra walk a day is something that should be fairly easy to add to your lifestyle.

I managed to loose quite a bit of weight by doing 30minutes of yoga every morning, which also has other health benefits, and even though it doesn't seem to be a form of excersise that will help you slim down, it does do quite a good job at it - have you ever seen a yoga practitioner who's fat?

I don't want to make assumptions about your diet, but another thing that would help would be to cut out processed foods and take aways etc. and eat more salads. I'd also suggest increasing your fat intake and reducing carbs, nothing as extreme as keto or Atkins, but more Greek yogurt, more butter, more eggs and cheese, less pasta.

The trick is to make lifestyle changes and incorporate them into your day to day, that way the weight stays off.

This is the way.

 

[growfood]

I’d be curious to know what you did / are doing? Seems like when I focus on slimming down, all I think about is food! I exercise but still eat too much. Dinner is my big downfall. I’ve noticed you can’t really exercise it off. What a mess!

Have you considered laying off of the po-tay-toes? ...sorry someone had to.

 

[PaulRVA]

No Pasta or potatoes (maybe twice a month)
No red meat.
No sweets.
No fried foods.
No bread unless it’s wheat or rye.
No sodas (unless diet soda)
Walk or run 6 miles a week and your
Back to 20 yrs old in 3-4 months!

 

[HeavyLeadBelly]

No Pasta or potatoes (maybe twice a month)
No red meat.
No sweets.
No fried foods.
No bread unless it’s wheat or rye.
No sodas (unless diet soda)
Walk or run 6 miles a week and your
Back to 20 yrs old in 3-4 months!

Is gyro meat considered red meat cause that’s on my agenda for tonight lol

 

[irishearl]

My only trick was undergoing multiple cardiovascular stents. Didn't change my diet much after they went in but the weight fell off. Lost 50 pounds. That was 14 years ago. Down to my high school weight which has stayed that way. Ultimately had triple bypass surgery. Don't know if that's the route for weight loss I'd recommend for everyone.

 

[El Capitán]

No Pasta or potatoes (maybe twice a month)
No red meat.
No sweets.
No fried foods.
No bread unless it’s wheat or rye.
No sodas (unless diet soda)
Walk or run 6 miles a week and your
Back to 20 yrs old in 3-4 months!

I'd rather be fat. Not too fat though. Short sets heavy lifts ftw.

 

[PaulRVA]

I'd rather be fat. Not too fat though. Short sets heavy lifts ftw.

Cemetery is full of that.
Running and lifting helps too.

 

[PaulRVA]

Is gyro meat considered red meat cause that’s on my agenda for tonight lol

If it is then I’m fugged!

 

[El Capitán]

Cemetery is full of that.
Running and lifting helps too.

I work out regularly, well until I broke my ankle. I still did the bench press but my deadlift suffered.

 

[PaulRVA]

I work out regularly, well until I broke my ankle. I still did the bench press but my deadlift suffered.

I hate some of my regiment but it beats dead by a long shot.
Thing is it becomes second nature after a couple weeks.
I miss heavy booze though.
Now just a glass of red wine a couple times a week.