Hey everyone! Everyone here seems to have a great attitude and outlook on waistloss (i.e. not looking for a quick fix). I have a degree in nutritional science and I have some experience with weight loss: gained 30 lbs in college, and then lost 40 lbs and have kept them off for about 4 years. So I thought I'd share some of my tips and advice if you'd like:
1) Stacey great job on recording your food for the day. I was in weight watchers and while recording everything you eat can be difficult and hard to maintain, it's great to start with to make you aware of what you actually are eating. All those bites here and snacks there REALLY can add up. If you can, (or are neurotic like me) even invest in a food scale so you can accurately see what portions you are consuming.
2) Follow the 90/10 rule. 90% of the time (or the food) should be high quality, nutrient dense foods- veggies, fruits, complex/whole grain carbs, proteins etc... and 10 % you should eat what you want. When I was on WW, 6 days I was on the program, and the 7th I eat what I wanted. I didn't go overboard, and still recorded it, but this way I was never consumed by cravings.
3) Don't avoid fat. Fat itself is necessary so pick "healthy" fats- i.e. not processed fats. Olive oils, avocados, some studies even say bacon contains these "healthy fats." Just avoid the processed stuff most of the time.
4) Get moving. While cutting out calories alone can stimulate weight loss, being active makes you feel better and speeds up the loss.
5) Eat! Don't cut out too many calories too quickly or your body will go into starvation mode and you may even gain weight. It may take a while to find at what calorie count works best, you may need to add or subtract.
6) Don't fall into a rut. While variety can lead to over eating (at one meal because you tend to make some of every item) don't eat the same meal every day. You can get bored and "fall of the wagon."
7) Focus more on self awareness and changing habits rather than a quick fix, because yo-yo-ing is very unhealthful...even more so than just being slightly overweight.
8) Don't get discouraged. This is going to take a while, but remember if you loss it fast, you can gain it back fast. So slow and steady is the name of the game.
And finally 9) Set realistic goals. I've tried to lose more pounds, but my body really likes being around 120-125, and I'm ok with that. I'd rather do that, then starve for the rest of my life to maintain a lower weight.
Also on diets: I did my independent of types of diets, specifically high protein diets, and truth is, most diets work equally well. You need a mix of nutrients (carbs/protein/fats) so don't cut out one group. Find one that is easiest for you, or better yet, focus more of lifestyle changes than diets because that is the key to maintenance.
OK, getting off soapbox. Hope that helped!
I was sooo upset as when I started WW 2 years ago I was over 200 and I worked so hard to get my body back to a healthy weight! But now I'm back to being a size 16 (US size 12), miserable and worst of all a medically unsafe weight! My ideal BMI weight is 128 and would love to get married being the perfect weight to be 100% healthy, luckily I have a long time!
Well, when I started going out with DF I was a size 8 (US 4) - granted I was only 18 - and then Uni happened, where I stopped playing rugby and dancing, and my student loan went on pub lunches and crap. I did do a stint at WW about about 3 years ago, but lost motivation and just gave it up. Cue piling on even more pounds. Now I'm a lot more motivated and I WANT to lose weight, now up to a size 14/16 (US 10/12).
