For those who think they eat a sensible diet - How do you lose weight when you have a sloppy 10

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do not want to be extreme. I like to eat but can be guided to better choices. What does a sensible carve down look like?

Have you ever dieted before? If not, you haven't screwed up your metabolism yet and are in the best position to lose weight easily with little effort.

The first time I ever lost weight all I had to do was drink water instead of Diet Coke and the pounds melted off. Make small changes like that and see what happens.

[Anonymous]

Exercise, no alcohol, remember to eat breakfast every morning and bring my lunch or get something I know is pretty healthy.

[Anonymous]

Eat less. Don't starve yourself, but just eat a little bit less at each meal. Figure out what the proper portion size is for proteins, grains, etc. and try to stick with it. It's surprising how small some portions are supposed to be.

I also like the mantra: eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper. Meaning, you should start your day with a full, healthy breakfast and eat less food as the day goes on.

I'm a "everything in moderation" person but if you're serious about losing weight, then you probably have to cut out white carbs, alcohol and sugar. I also try not to overdo it on the diary if I'm watching my weight.

You should also exercise, but don't go crazy because you could end up eating more because you're hungrier.

[Anonymous]

I'm using myfitnesspal.com to track my daily calories. For my size, I'm only allotted around 1,400 if I want to lose 1/2 a pound a week. After a few weeks of tracking, I am not having too much trouble keeping to that, especially when I exercise and gain a few hundred extra calories to add to that total. If I wanted to lose faster, I could even not "eat back" those calories, but I"m more interested in being able to still have the occasional sweet or glass of wine.

I am already in the healthy range but want to lose 5 pounds. Because I'm only 5'3 and already eat healthy/don't ever drink sodas/avoid white bread/etc., there was no easy low-hanging fruit to cut out. It's mostly about being aware and not eating mindlessly--like, while prepping dinner or when packing kid lunches. I'm now cognizant of everything that goes in my mouth.