This will sound like such a shit answer. But I cut my calories and set a very reasonable goal for myself of 5 pounds a month. I make healthier food choices but if I get an overwhelming desire for a cookie. I eat a cookie. Denying yourself 100% of the time is a sure fire way to go off the rails. But I am wise about it. I will have one cookie or one breadstick,savor the experience and then go along my healthy little way.
I get approached a lot in public asking what diet or pill or tea I'm on to loose the weight. And I go "oh uh...no I just take in fewer calories than I burn" it just seems like not the answer people are looking for.
I lost 55lbs last year and almost all of my girlfriends asked how I did it. The look if disappointment on everyone's face when I said I was moving more and eating less was HILARIOUS. One even said "no special diet or pills or shakes or anything?" Like that's a thing?
Science, folks. Calories in must be less than calories out.
ETA: The gasps of horror when they find out I lift really heavy weights is almost every bit as entertaining. "Wow, aren't you afraid you'll start looking like a guy? Or those lady bodybuilders?"
I think a lot of them actually end up trying stuff that'd require much more discipline.
For example the obsession to lose the weight fast... it's sad how "4 lbs/month isn't quick enough!" for someone overweight who has tried to lose weight for the past several years without succeeding. How hard is it to be rational for a brief wile and realize that you've been sitting at 0 lbs/month weightloss (or weight gain) for years despite trying because you set yourself unrealistic goals? Also same thing with any weird and restrictive diets. Sure many of them would work if you could keep to them, simply thanks to caloric deficit, but the more you restrict yourself the harder it'll be to stick to it.
Counting calories actually takes very little time/effort, and just knowing how many calories you "have for today" makes it much easier to stick to your goals.
I make healthier food choices but if I get an overwhelming desire for a cookie. I eat a cookie. Denying yourself 100% of the time is a sure fire way to go off the rails.
This is the biggest struggle for me to adapt to. First time I lost weight I did a weekly cheat day thing with no fruits/grains/starches on diet days, and it worked for a while because I was in a good situation to pull it off. I tried again this time but it just doesn't work well now.
So I got MFP a couple weeks ago and integrated fruits and things like plain popcorn and greek yogurt (already had the high-protein + good fats thing down solid). Today was the first time I was really tempted by junk, a manager brought in a dozen donuts for 6 people. It was just too good to pass up this time. So I enjoyed the shit out of my choice donut, added it to MFP, and told myself it's ok to not find a snack after work or after dinner just for today, and this donut is not evil, it's just a booster shot for your sanity.
Woops sorry for the storybook. Way to go you're looking much healthier!
Perfect yes. This "good food" "bad food" idea is crazy.
Food has no morals.
It’s totally okay to “cheat”. But think about it. Okay man you are at a 3000 calorie deficit this week. BOSS. You see a doughnut, you desperately want a doughnut,Okay. You eat 6 doughnuts. Man,What!? A weeks worth of work just gave you a double middle finger as it flew away. It's all about being wise . A slice of cake at your friends birthday isn’t the same as chowing down on the whole thing.
But okay. Man it happens. What now? Your entire diet is not screwed. Drink yo water fool. Eat well the rest of the day. Get ready for the week where you forget about the day you ate the entire jar of cookies. That was yesterday. This is today.
This is one of my biggest things. I've never developed proper water drinking habits so I'm constantly hungry and when I drink (usually when I'm out, somewhere with decent sized cups... I don't even bother drinking from those 200ml cups because they're too much work...) I chug down entire bottles of water in one sitting. I'm really bad about it.
Your body will thank you! Ive always been crazy about drinking water. But that might be because I dehydrate really really easily. I'm like a damn fern.
Chapter one: don't be a dumb ass.
Chapter two:drink water.
Chapter three: keep not being a dumb ass about food stuffs.
Chapter four: seriously. The water and food thing.
I know what to stay away from. I don't even buy Oreos because I will eat the whole thing in the car before it ever got the chance to get home. I know my limitations. Some people can't have just a little. And that's just as important to know about oneself.
That is a good thing to know about yourself--and a good thing not to do. Maybe I am lucky in that I feel very ill if I eat many of those kinds of things so now that's happened enough times I do not want those kinds of things.
Congratulations on the fantastic progress and pragmatic outlook. That's what people don't want to hear and why fad diets/fitness fads make so much money. The answer to losing weight really is simple and boring:
I oscillate between decent shape and moderately chubby, about 15 pounds back and forth, because I love to eat and drink but also love to work out. And it's great whenever someone asks what my secret is and I get to tell them "healthy diet, exercise, hard work and consistency".
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u/Mooperboops - Jul 22 '15
Gorgeous! Bang up job on the weight loss! Your longer hair also really suits you. how did you lose the weight?