Finally a weight loss incentive I can get behind ...

[EeyoreEma]

I have about 20 lbs that I would like to lose, and I've been working hard, but still haven't made much progress. I finally told dh that I need some sort of incentive to keep me trying. I'm thinking he'll throw out a trip to the bookstore or to the gourmet grocery store an hour and a half away. But nope - he says that he'll go ahead and get another 100 DVC points if I can lose the 20 lbs and keep it off for one month! So, I'm thinking that's some pretty awesome incentive. Throw your best weight loss tips at me!! I do a fairly consistent job of walking on an incline treadmill almost every day, and I'll kick it up a notch on that. I think one of my areas where I run into trouble is the fact that I like to eat. I tend to be a snacker, too. I don't really do breakfast because I don't like cereal/pop tarts/anything semi-easy to fix. Let me know what's worked for you in the past - I'd really love to add some points on here!

 

[ToddyLu]

My challenge was 50 pounds for 50 points. I have lost over 60 pounds before. The first two weeks I cut out salt, caffeine and increased my water. I also walked at least 20 minutes a day. I was doing a high protein, low carb diet with protein supplements thrown in. It took me a little under 6 months to get the weight off. Unfortunately it has found its way back but I am still not as heavy as I was by a few poinds. It took so much mental energy on my part to keep up with making a daily diet plan. I have never been one to focus on my outward appearance so while it improved for sure--it was not the incentive I needed. I think my overall incentive should be overall health, regardless of poundage. I think focusing on this will help me in the future.

My hospital has built a multimillion dollar Healthplex that will open 2/14/11. Now I have no excuse to cross the parking lot and excercise. There is even an enclosed pool for water aerobics so my ortho problems are no longer an excuse. Plus the hospital was smart. Our employee sign up was free and the monthly membership will only cost me $13.75 if I use the membership so many times a month. We get a special deal like this for having an enhanced health plan with or insurance. They have made it so easy.

Good luck going forward and enjoy your points.

 

[88golf88]

The best thing that I can say, is know what you are eating. Know the caloric content as well as fat/sodium/carbs etc. It is amazing the types of food that we are think are either healthy or good for weight loss, but really arent.

I was able to shed 25 lbs in 7 weeks, focusing strictly on what I ate. I had to eat 3 meals a day, all were filling, but not high in calories. I had 3 or 4 snacks throughout the day and was even able to eat dessert every night (Klondike has some FANTASTIC ice cream sandwiches that are only 100 calories!!).

Goals are great and often a great way to get started, but once you get past day 4 or 5, it just turns into habit. It was also extremely important to have DW help when possible, like not ordering bad things at dinner, that may tempt me to stray from my plan. Just think of all the "healthy" foods you can eat while enjoying your 100pt contract every year!!!

Good luck!!

 

[cvjw]

There are a couple of ways that I have dropped some weight over the years. Using the FIRM workout system will not only help you to lose weight, it will totally reshape your body. You will turn long and lean if you use the system religiously and follow their eating plan. Another way, which is easier for me, is to do alot of running - especially running up hills. Running burns lots of calories and gives you great legs! I find it easier to go for a run, as my dog loves to run, and needs to get out of the house.

 

[DizDays]

It really is all about the calories. I found Weight Watchers to work best because it made counting calories so much easier by simplifying them to points (and we LIKE points, right?!?). Another option... Dr. OZ just kicked off a healthy living 2011 eleven week program that looks good. You can do it from home with emails once you sign up on his website.

Good luck to you. You can do it!

 

[Sandisw]

Okay, you may think this is silly, but I have been trying to cut down on snacking after dinner and what I have been doing is eating a Blowpop!

They are only 60 calories and take me about 20 minutes to eat. It satisfies the sweet attack I am having and since it takes so long to eat, that need to "snack' goes away.

I was doing great with it before the holidays and the Xmas cookies but have gotten back in to it this week.

Good luck and what a fantastic incentive!!! I wish I could convince DH to let me have that one!!!

 

[kansas_wazzu]

It really is all about the calories.

That's the key. Pick a reasonable number of net calories per day (2,000) and stick to it. No exceptions.

Calories In - Calories Burned = Net Calories

One of the best tools I have seen (and used myself) to determine net calories is a free smartphone or web-based app called "Lose It!". http://www.loseit.com/

You enter your current weight, gender, age, weight goal and your timeframe. That simple and it works. Give yourself a reasonable amount of time, then it is not a "diet".

My final tip for overall fitness is that before you eat something, ask yourself, "Did someone 1,000 years ago ever eat this?" Not as important as the Net Calories, but having an apple for 100 calories versus a 100 calorie snack from something that Nabisco markets usually makes me feel better.

 

[DLB]

Make "smoothies" with skim milk, fruit and ice... Use banana to thicken it up a little. Try that for breakfast Ir as a snack. If is surprisingly filling and very good for you.

Also I find that if I allow myself a treat on the weekends, it is easier to stay on track throughout the week.
My truck for getting myself on the treadmill is to only allow myself to watch tv IF I am on the treadmill. A one hour show with fast forwarding through the commercials (DVR) keeps me on the treadmill for 45 min.
Best of luck to you!

 

[DVC SSR Owner]

My doctor said to never skip breakfast, cut out the calorie drinks, and increase fiber.

 

[nunzia]

I agree on the never skip breakfast thing..you need to eat after the 'fast'. break...fast. I don't really like those quick breakfast things either, so usually have a granola bar that has nuts in it for protein. I'll also boil a bunch of eggs and sometimes have a hard boiled egg.

 

[EeyoreEma]

Thanks! I'm loving all the tips. This is going to take me forever to lose this weight.

 

[nolanboys]

I lost over 40 pounds 8 years ago and have kept it off after always struggling with my weight. I do exercise 5 days a week, but as my spin instructor told the class, what you weigh is 70% what you put in your mouth. My rules I try to follow:
Always eat breakfast. I like a breakfast burger which is 2 egg whites cooked along with a piece of cheese and slice of ham on a fiber filled English muffin with some fruit. It takes 3 minutes to make and fills me up the whole morning. Also a huge fan of old fashioned oat meal with some wheat germ and bananas. There is a great recipes from Cooking Light that you can find on my recipes. It's called banana, wheat germ and oats. Make 3 servings. I eat one and stick two in the fridge and reheat them for breakfast during the week.

Pay attention to fiber. The muffins I eat in the morning have 8 grams of fiber. Really helps to fill you up. I try and get at least 25 grams a day. If you do that, you'll be fuller longer and be eating more natural foods. An apple has 5grams and if you pair that with a light string cheese, you have a great snack that holds you off to dinner.

My worst time is when the kids get home until dinner. Gum helps. I have my snack and then put the gum in so I don't grab handfuls of what the kids are eating.

Plan out your dinners so you have healthy options and know what you're going to make. We all eat better now, and if the day is rally crazy, I use the crock pot early in the morning, so dinner is just done and it's healthy.

I'm by no means perfect. I love good food and am still working on getting off the 3 pounds I gained over the holidays. I love to bake and eat Christmas cookies. I know it will come off though because i've been eating and working out for such a long time now, it is just part of my daily routine.

Sorry - I know this is a long post. Just wanted to share with you what worked for me, - although everyone is different. Good luck! Hope you get those 100 points!

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

One of the best tools I have seen (and used myself) to determine net calories is a free smartphone or web-based app called "Lose It!". http://www.loseit.com/

I second the recommendation for Lose it. I have the iPhone App (free BTW) and it's a great tool. I definitely lose weight when I keep track of what I'm eating and I don't lose / put it back on when I don't.

k

 

[Coach81]

Eating right is the key.. you can walk/run/jog all you want, but if you put trash into your body, you will get trashy results..

Good luck!!!

 

[ChiSoxKeith]

Oh...and make sure you read and post over here....

http://www.disboards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=59

as the DISBoards has a nice board for people trying to lose weight.

 

[The 6 J's]

I like this thread. I'm in the process of disassembling the treadmill and moving it from the basement (out of sight out of mind) up to our bedroom so we can start getting in shape for our trip to Disney in March. Being able to enjoy as much of Disney as possible while we are there is a powerful motivator.

 

[CdnBuzzFan]

Try planning your meals in advance or keep track of what you eat so that you can see where you need to make changes. Also, make sure that you're making healthy choices like fruits, veggies, healthy oils and dairy.

 

[alldiz]

Do this and you will have your points

You must plan ahead. Plan all your meals and have healthy food around you at all times.

Exersize every day.....Make your self sweat....Do other things besides treadmill. Switch it up. Maybe 1 or 2 times a week do your walk morning and evening.

Small meals more often. Your body is a machine....can't process much at 1 time. But it continually needs fuel.

More protein and vegetables than Carbs. The carb portion (whole grains) 1/4 of your plate. Think Salad, Veges, Coldcut rollups without the bread. Protein....A spoon of peanut butter goes a long way.

Alcohol and junk food are the enemies....ahem

Good luck....BTW I'm talking to myself as well
Kerri

 

[cseca]

1 word: FIBER

It's amazing how much increasing your fiber intake will help with losing weight. Plus almost everybody is short on fiber intake anyways.

The worst diet buster for me other than cravings for junk food is being hungry.
I don't care all the experts who say about eating 1000, 1200, etc calories will make you lose weight. Of course you will lose weight but you'll be miserable while losing weight and you'll never keep it off because once you've lost all the weight you'll get back to eating everything in sight.

Find the fibrous food you like (cereal with not much sugar, veggies, high fiber bread, etc.) and slowly incorporate them into your diet.
Yes, you have to watch the amt of calories you put in and can't eat fried chicken every other day. But chances are you would crave less junk when your belly feels full.
Don't jump into eating piles of fibrous food in one day, you'll be miserable too (you'll be constipated, gassy, etc.). Slowly add it into your diet and you'll be fine.

Good luck and I told my DH that your DH is brilliant...

oh and 1 more thing... water is your friend.
When you feel hungry, drink a glass of water first before diving into food. Sometimes your body is only looking for some water instead of food.
If after you drink a glass of water you still feel hungry then eat... that means you're really hungry.

 

[pilferk]

I have about 20 lbs that I would like to lose, and I've been working hard, but still haven't made much progress. I finally told dh that I need some sort of incentive to keep me trying. I'm thinking he'll throw out a trip to the bookstore or to the gourmet grocery store an hour and a half away. But nope - he says that he'll go ahead and get another 100 DVC points if I can lose the 20 lbs and keep it off for one month! So, I'm thinking that's some pretty awesome incentive. Throw your best weight loss tips at me!! I do a fairly consistent job of walking on an incline treadmill almost every day, and I'll kick it up a notch on that. I think one of my areas where I run into trouble is the fact that I like to eat. I tend to be a snacker, too. I don't really do breakfast because I don't like cereal/pop tarts/anything semi-easy to fix. Let me know what's worked for you in the past - I'd really love to add some points on here!

1) Eat 5 times a day. Breakfast, lunch, mid afternoon snack, dinner, night time snack (but not after 8 PM). If you're a late dinner eater (7 PM-ish), switch that night time snack to a mid morning snack. Try to keep the snacks under 200 calories (and the closer to 100 calories you can manage, and still be full, the better).

2) Don't skip breakfast. If you don't like breakfast foods, eat something else (fruit, yogurt, egg whites, protein shake, ANYTHING). Breakfast jump starts your metabolism (and tells your body not to go into "starvation mode")...the longer your metabolism is in "hibernation" mode, the less it's working to burn calories. If you HAVE to skip a meal...skip lunch.

3) Avoid big meals and reduce your portion sizes, especially when it comes to your carb/starch (lean protein is good, though) when you do eat.

4) Take a dinner plate. 1/2 the plate should be filled with non-starchie (ie: potatoes don't count) veggies, 1/4 should be your proteinn, 1/4 should be your carb/starch. It's called "the plate method". Ignore any references to "oz" in it, though.

5) Everything in moderation. That includes things like chocolate (1 oz a day won't hurt) and ice cream (those bite sized "nibs" are a great craving buster). Because if you REALLY deprive yourself, you're just setting yourself up for a "binge".

6) It sounds stupid (and it can be much more difficult than it sounds) but get yourself on an "eating schedule". Eat breakfast at 8 AM, lunch at 11:30, snack at 2:30, dinner at 5, snack at 8....SOMETHING like that. Try to stick to it. You will condition both your body, and more importantly your mind, to stick to it.

7) Cut out calories where they're easiest: Don't drink them. Stick with water, tea (iced or hot) and coffee (black..if you can stomach it...and if you have to use sweetener, use something low cal). Stay away from soda (yes, even diet...there's good studies out there about brain chemistry and sugar replacement), sports drinks, booze of any sort, and anything you can that has calories in it, as much as you can. Fruit juices is OK, occasionally....but try to stick to 100% juice. Water (real water, not flavored water), especially, is your friend. Drink as much as you can....

8) Continue to excercise. Everyone's busy..but if you can manage 30 to 45 minutes, 5 days a week...it'll make a huge difference. Trying to lose weight by JUST dieting is ridiculously hard.

I was 300 lbs. Using the above, and working out 5 nights a week (between 45 min and an hour), I got down to 189, which was my "Playing weight" in high school, in about a year. I've put SOME (but not nearly all) of it back on, and am embarking (now that my knees have been repaired) to take it back off. I use the methods above. No fad diets. No magic bullet.

Edit: As has been suggested in other replies, read the labels. Stay away from LARGE amounts of fat, as much saturated fat as you can, and ALL trans fat. Fresh food is good. Processed food (generally) is bad. Fast food (almost entirely) is horrible. I'm one who simply hates counting calories, weighing my food, etc.....which, probably, explains the predicament I found myself in. I found it much easier to make rules and stick to them.

Don't be discouraged if you "fall off" the diet wagon. That's the thing that gets so many people.....they have a bad day, come home, and inhale a pint of Haagen Daz and are so distraught by what they've done to their diet, they just abandon it in frustration. You have to be both a demanding drill sergeant and a forgiving parent to yourself. Bust your rear end when it's time to do that, and be understanding when/if you have a tough day.