Long-term weight loss and lifestyle change recommendations

[Anonymous]

I need to lose weight. Not a crazy amount, roughly 20-25 pounds. It's not for vanity; my lousy genes put me at high risk for hypertension and diabetes. I'm not really overweight now, but experience has shown that I'm healthiest when I'm fairly thin. I'm not looking for a crash diet, I really want to change in fundamental ways to ensure that I'm setting myself up for good long-term outcomes. I think I'd do best with some outside help. Who does one contact? A nutritionist? Anyone done this sort of overhaul before, and if so do you have any good advice?

[Anonymous]

I am not a nutritionist but I have been in your shoes and successfully dropped the weight over time. Gained with pregnancy but that weight is dropping using the same approach I used before baby.

Log your food and eating habits for a couple weeks. Don't try to change anything but see what your patterns are. Same with exercise and physical activity. Keep track of your energy, how you feel, etc. I use myfitnesspal.

Pick one thing about your diet to improve. (Such as, eat a vegetable with lunch every day, increase daily protein by 20 grams, ), reduce overall caloric intake by a couple hundred calories. Whatever you want to start with.
Once those changes become habits move on to something else. Same with exercise. Try to do some type of exercise twice a week for 20 minutes. Then make your session longer, add a session, make the workout more intense. Progress is slow this way but it works. I havw found that nutritionists and doctors often see overweight people when the condition is life threatening. A former doctor told me to stick to an extremely low calorie diet for my size , ignoring th fact that I work out a lot. I ignored her , kept the moderate changes, and watched the weight come off.

[Anonymous]

Also you can totally do this and you are on the right track.

[Anonymous]

You likely already know why you are carrying the extra weight - too much snacking or too many high calorie dinners, etc.

You can pick up any magazine with weight loss advice and follow the tips. They are written and meant for people in your position who need to lose 20 lbs or so.

[Anonymous]

I lost 30 pounds last fall doing the 21 day fix. It focused on clean eating, which was my real goal! You can easily replicate the program at home without buying anything -- I bought it so I would feel more inclined to actually do it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I lost 30 pounds last fall doing the 21 day fix. It focused on clean eating, which was my real goal! You can easily replicate the program at home without buying anything -- I bought it so I would feel more inclined to actually do it.

30 lbs in 21 days? Did you keep it off? How did you create a 5k/ deficit per day ?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You likely already know why you are carrying the extra weight - too much snacking or too many high calorie dinners, etc.

You can pick up any magazine with weight loss advice and follow the tips. They are written and meant for people in your position who need to lose 20 lbs or so.

If tips in weight loss magazines worked they wouldn't be publishing new ones every month. Making permanent change is not as simple as drinking a glass of lemon water before bed. It takes work to change habits. Don't you have any bad habits?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I lost 30 pounds last fall doing the 21 day fix. It focused on clean eating, which was my real goal! You can easily replicate the program at home without buying anything -- I bought it so I would feel more inclined to actually do it.

30 lbs in 21 days? Did you keep it off? How did you create a 5k/ deficit per day ?

Oh no, not in 21 days. Sorry, I realize that wasn't clear. I did three rounds of the program, and lost weight both during the actual 21 days and in the weeks I was off plan because I was still focusing on clean eating. I would say it took me maybe 5 or 6 months? I've kept all but 5 pounds off, but I plan to start another round next month.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I lost 30 pounds last fall doing the 21 day fix. It focused on clean eating, which was my real goal! You can easily replicate the program at home without buying anything -- I bought it so I would feel more inclined to actually do it.

30 lbs in 21 days? Did you keep it off? How did you create a 5k/ deficit per day ?

Oh no, not in 21 days. Sorry, I realize that wasn't clear. I did three rounds of the program, and lost weight both during the actual 21 days and in the weeks I was off plan because I was still focusing on clean eating. I would say it took me maybe 5 or 6 months? I've kept all but 5 pounds off, but I plan to start another round next month.

Ah ok that makes more sense.

[Anonymous]

I'm reading an amazing book right now called Mindless Eating that is written by a university-level food research lab director, and it has REALLY fascinating information about habits that we form that results in weight gain over time. And, in the opposite direction, simple habits we can change or shed that will result in weight loss without making us feel deprived.

One thing that has really stuck with me so far is the general concept that any caloric increase or deficit that you do on a daily basis will, roughly, equate to 1/10 of the amount of daily calories as a pound at the end of the year. I'm not phrasing that well, but essentially, let's say you start eating a new snack at work that's 100 calories a day. By the end of the week that's 700 extra calories. In 5 weeks you will have gained a pound from that. By the end of the year, it will equal 10 pounds of extra weight, just from that one small snack.

Similarly, if you walked for a mile after dinner every day, burning 200 extra calories, by the end of the week you'd have burned 1400 extra calories. By the end of the year, you'll have lost 20 pounds just from that one new habit.

So you don't have to go on a drastic new diet. Just change a lifestyle habit. Maybe you go for a walk after dinner. Don't expect dramatic results right away. Think about something you want to change for life, something that will make your life better. Do it. By the end of the year, you will see results.

Lots of other great tips in the book about how to find those small things in the "mindless margin" that really add up to pounds at the end of a year.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am not a nutritionist but I have been in your shoes and successfully dropped the weight over time. Gained with pregnancy but that weight is dropping using the same approach I used before baby.

Log your food and eating habits for a couple weeks. Don't try to change anything but see what your patterns are. Same with exercise and physical activity. Keep track of your energy, how you feel, etc. I use myfitnesspal.

Pick one thing about your diet to improve. (Such as, eat a vegetable with lunch every day, increase daily protein by 20 grams, ), reduce overall caloric intake by a couple hundred calories. Whatever you want to start with.
Once those changes become habits move on to something else. Same with exercise. Try to do some type of exercise twice a week for 20 minutes. Then make your session longer, add a session, make the workout more intense. Progress is slow this way but it works. I havw found that nutritionists and doctors often see overweight people when the condition is life threatening. A former doctor told me to stick to an extremely low calorie diet for my size , ignoring th fact that I work out a lot. I ignored her , kept the moderate changes, and watched the weight come off.

Also op - I understand that different things work for different people but I was tired of being on a plan or off a plan. I just live my life more healthily now, mostly unprocessed foods but not 100 percent. I am not "off plan" if I have a giant piece of cake because my lifestyle is so healthy that occasional indulgences don't matter (and my sweet tooth has been tamed!). I also have small kids and it is important to me to not have to create special meals for myself. We all eat the same food.

[Anonymous]

OP here - Responding a previous poster about bad habits...my worst habits are probably just a consequence of being constantly busy. I often eat on the go or whatever's nearby, I rarely exercise, and I don't sleep as much as I should.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here - Responding a previous poster about bad habits...my worst habits are probably just a consequence of being constantly busy. I often eat on the go or whatever's nearby, I rarely exercise, and I don't sleep as much as I should.

What has helped me a lot is to avoid those "just grab whatever" situations and plan most meals and snacks. I keep a protein bar in my bag for emergencies.

[Anonymous]

You can do this. Being scared straight by a health issue will help you stick with it. You've already identified your weaknesses so try to address those. For me, I'm very habitual during the workweek:

I have replaced weeknight wine with many cups of hot tea.
I drink homemade veggie juice for breakfast in order to increase my daily veggie intake.
On Sunday I plan dinners and shop. I rely heavily on my crockpot in Fall and Winter, and on my grill in Spring and Summer.
I bring lunch to work.
I "strive for 5" fruits and veggies a day
I eat a greek yogurt mid-morning or at lunch every day.
I look for sneaky ways to get exercise: standing desk at work, 30 minute walk in the evening if the weather is nice.

But if I were worried about diabetes I would make time for real daily exercise. I'm cheap so I don't join classes, just jog. But if I were in your shoes, I'd be willing to spend real money on this.