MammaMia Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Which plan are you on and how much weight have you lost? How long did it take you to lose the weight? Link to post Share on other sites
michellew Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Which plan are you on and how much weight have you lost? How long did it take you to lose the weight? Low-calorie intake (1200-1500 calories a day)...80% of these calories come from unprocessed foods (fruit, veggies, meats, nuts, Ezekial bread, some dairy, etc) and the other 20% is for treats or the occasional eating out. I use the free app, "My Fitness Pal" to keep count. Combining my diet with 30-60 minutes of exercise (CrossFit) 4-5x a week and a couple of 10-15 minute walking breaks at work everyday has resulted in an average of about 2lbs lost per week over the last 4 weeks--8 total. 2-3 pounds a week doesn't seem like much, but slow and steady weightloss is the best way to go if you don't want to gain the weight right back. I've had quicker success with very low carb diets, but I love fruit and sweets too much to stay with that type of lifestyle forever so I always gain the weight right back. Diets that are too restrictive never work in the long run. Just stick to low calorie, healthy food and enjoy your sweets in moderation. 2 Link to post Share on other sites
michellew Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Low-calorie intake (1200-1500 calories a day)...80% of these calories come from unprocessed foods (fruit, veggies, meats, nuts, Ezekial bread, some dairy, etc) and the other 20% is for treats or the occasional eating out. I use the free app, "My Fitness Pal" to keep count. Combining my diet with 30-60 minutes of exercise (CrossFit) 4-5x a week and a couple of 10-15 minute walking breaks at work everyday has resulted in an average of about 2lbs lost per week over the last 4 weeks--8 total. 2-3 pounds a week doesn't seem like much, but slow and steady weightloss is the best way to go if you don't want to gain the weight right back. I've had quicker success with very low carb diets, but I love fruit and sweets too much to stay with that type of lifestyle forever so I always gain the weight right back. Diets that are too restrictive never work in the long run. Just stick to low calorie, healthy food and enjoy your sweets in moderation. I forgot to mention...If you were wanting to follow a specific plan or program out there, I'd say Weight Watchers is pretty close to what I follow. Instead of counting calories, you count "points". Every food has a point value and you can't exceed your allotted points for the day. Link to post Share on other sites
Lernaean_Hydra Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 [sorry this ended up being so long] I lost about 120lbs in roughly 15 months. In truth though, cutting out "holiday" months I lost the weight in about a year. In the beginning I didn't follow any specific plan. I started working graveyard at a very labor intensive job at around 10-12hrs a day. Because of this labor and the hours I barely had time to get a meal in and all I wanted to do was sleep. I was always thirsty for water from the work and I rarely snacked because I didn't have the free time and only ate when I was actually hungry. -Within three months I had lost about 40lbs. After seeing how much weight I'd lost at the job, I continued even after it ended. I began running and followed a VLCD (very low calorie diet) and was losing weight at a rate of about a pound a day some weeks. This was likely due to the fact that I was so massively overweight, my body wasn't holding on to fat the way it would for a thinner person since I had it to spare! Once I'd dropped about 70lbs my weight plateaued for a while but I was okay with that. It was spring break, then early summer so there was a period of "pigging out", or rather, not really watching what I ate but mixed with swimming, hiking, camping, etc. I can only assume this combination kept me at a "balance" which would explain why I was neither gaining nor losing. About mid summer I bought a fierce ass bikini and decided I wanted to look my absolute best in it so I cut down on the eating whatever I wanted and returned to a VLCD. This continued into the winter and by that time I'd lost an additional 30lbs. I gained about 7-10 between Thanksgiving and Christmas but I didn't sweat it as I allowed myself these "cheat" periods. This year I've only lost 25 but I'm pretty much done losing. I'm exactly at my "ultimate goal weight" actually and the only thing left for me to do is tone up my arms a bit. In short, I simply stopped snacking, cut down my portion sizes and meal frequency and increased my water intake. My stomach ended up "shrinking" to the point where I once could order a large double-whatever combo from [insert fast food place here] and still be hungry, a kids meal now leaves me feeling way too full and that's only if I can manage to finish it at all. Truth be told, the bulk of my weight loss came from portion control and not exercise or anything else since I stopped running many, many months ago. I'm 100% certain I did not follow the healthiest path but it was the path that was best for me. I never counted calories or stressed over transfats. In fact, I ate fast food and didn't have to switch to juice cleanses or a veggie only diet, only now I wasn't stuffing my face. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
Lernaean_Hydra Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Oh wait, I forgot one very important key element. Intermittent fasting! I still practice it to this day and I must say, I swear by it. 5 Link to post Share on other sites
Thruster Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Mama -- dont' do a plan Don't do a diet just change your eating habits Not a new thing at all eat right -- burn more than you intake and it is a long race not a sprint for 20lbs in 8 weeks that is failure 101 3 Link to post Share on other sites
JDPT Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 Pace yourself indeed. It's for the most part in your head if you have an issue with foods. Start substituting comfort meals with fillers that will essentially go through you yet hold some sort of nutritional value. Link to post Share on other sites
Michelle ma Belle Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 (edited) Oh wait, I forgot one very important key element. Intermittent fasting! I still practice it to this day and I must say, I swear by it. I couldn't agree more. Like with everything in life it's about having and maintaining a healthy balance. Saying you'll NEVER eat another slice of pizza again in your life just isn't realistic unless you're an anomaly. I've done my fair share of "diets" over the years for one reason or another and what I've settled on these days is basically making better choices MOST days of the week. The blessing in all of this is sticking to an intermittent fasting once or twice a week for fast track weight loss. It's hard the first couple of times you do it but eventually you'll end up loving those days when you're fasting and crave it just as your body will. It's a good thing Edited August 22, 2014 by Michelle ma Belle 1 Link to post Share on other sites
deathandtaxes Posted August 22, 2014 Share Posted August 22, 2014 I instituted lifestyle changes waaaaay back in 2004, when I was 100 lbs heavier than I am now. What did I do? I educated myself on how much my body needs in the way of calories. And then I had ate sensibly, sticking to eating a little less calories than my body needed. And I started exercising. when you're a big ol boy, the weight comes off really fast. I lost at least 50 lbs in a year. And it slowed after that. I first got down 70 lbs in two years. I maintained, then did another 10 a year later. Repeated that two more times. I've been at the 100 lbs lost point for the past year and have maintained it. The most I weight myself was around 264, iirc. I hover around 165 to 168, depending on the day. I don't 'diet'. I don't do crazy food fads. I don't fast. I generally eat what I want, but in moderation. But I am active enough. I hit the weights a few times a week. I hit up yoga once or twice a week. Cardio a few times a week. And sometimes a ballet class. I'm not a gym rat. No cardio machine. No yogi. I enjoy the physical activity. 1 Link to post Share on other sites
HappyLove Posted August 24, 2014 Share Posted August 24, 2014 Oh wait, I forgot one very important key element. Intermittent fasting! I still practice it to this day and I must say, I swear by it. What do you do to fast and for how long? Link to post Share on other sites
HappyLove Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 I'm starting the water diet tomorrow... I have a wedding to go to Saturday:( So all you have is water? I can't imagine doing that! Have you done it before? Do you get a huge headache? Link to post Share on other sites
Robert Z Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 You drink a lot of water. I can't do it... I failed today. I'm just working out...low carbs just veggies. I can't take this **** I'm super moody without carbs. And I feel like crap! You can't just go low carb and expect results. It requires a great deal of structure. What you are doing is just dangerous and unhealthy. Link to post Share on other sites
Robert Z Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Mama -- dont' do a plan Don't do a diet just change your eating habits Bingo! Diets don't work. Lifestyle changes do work. Link to post Share on other sites
HappyLove Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 You drink a lot of water. I can't do it... I failed today. I'm just working out...low carbs just veggies. I can't take this **** I'm super moody without carbs. And I feel like crap! Yea, I'd rather eat super healthy than just water. Link to post Share on other sites
MidwestUSA Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 Any suggestion ? What is the question? Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts