For those of you who have successfully “broken the code” with diet

[Anonymous]

Do people really count calories and weigh forever?? That sounds exhausting. I can see at first to get a handle on how much calories you are really consuming and what one serving of something is supposed to look like, but forever- geeze.

I don't count calories at all ever. It is too easy for it to turn into an obsession and takes the fun out of eating if im assessing up every bite.

Listen to your body. Eat when you are very hungry. Stop when you are no longer hungry, but not full.

Lots of fruits and veggies
Moderate amount of whole grains
Moderate amount of yogurt
Very little meat
Healthy oils and nut butters liberally
A little dark chocolate daily
Coffee or herbal tea if I'm wanting to eat but it isn't a meal time

Limit snacking, and if you really need a snack make a smart choice and then be done

[Anonymous]

Oh and weighing daily can be a good habit too. It helps to stay ahead of any gaining patterns before they get out of hand. It's hard for 10 lbs to just creep up on you if you are weighing every day or at least a couple times per week

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I weigh myself every day. If I go up a pound, I super extra watch what I eat the next several days until it goes back down. I eat a ton of veggies and really limit carbs. Meal planning helps. Allowing a treat a couple times a week so I don’t feel deprived. I find it fairly easy to skip dinner and breakfast the next day if I have a really full lunch. I’ve maintained my weight loss for about and a half this way.

I've been weighing myself every day since I graduated from college (I'm currently 39). I think this has played a big role in helping me maintain my weight during this time period, with the exception of when I had my two children.

I also exercise regularly (4-6 times per week), eat lots of fruits and vegis, lean protein, and I try to limit my carbs. I don't cut out carbs completely, I just try to eat them in moderation. Its honestly a day to day commitment. I think weighing myself daily has been very helpful because that jump in the scale when I overeat is the kick in the pants I need to motivate me to cut back the next day or two. If I didn't weigh myself daily, that one bad eating day can quickly stretch on to a bad eating week or month, and that is when real weight gain starts to set in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do people really count calories and weigh forever?? That sounds exhausting. I can see at first to get a handle on how much calories you are really consuming and what one serving of something is supposed to look like, but forever- geeze.

I don't count calories at all ever. It is too easy for it to turn into an obsession and takes the fun out of eating if im assessing up every bite.

Listen to your body. Eat when you are very hungry. Stop when you are no longer hungry, but not full.

Lots of fruits and veggies
Moderate amount of whole grains
Moderate amount of yogurt
Very little meat
Healthy oils and nut butters liberally
A little dark chocolate daily
Coffee or herbal tea if I'm wanting to eat but it isn't a meal time

Limit snacking, and if you really need a snack make a smart choice and then be done

I have been weighing and counting calories for over 10 years. It’s really not that hard or time consuming. The time it takes to log in an app is less than the time it took you to make that post here on DCUM. You prioritize questioning people’s weight strategies, I prioritize getting the job done that I need to to stay thin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Honestly, I weigh myself every day. If I go up a pound, I super extra watch what I eat the next several days until it goes back down. I eat a ton of veggies and really limit carbs. Meal planning helps. Allowing a treat a couple times a week so I don’t feel deprived. I find it fairly easy to skip dinner and breakfast the next day if I have a really full lunch. I’ve maintained my weight loss for about and a half this way.

I've been weighing myself every day since I graduated from college (I'm currently 39). I think this has played a big role in helping me maintain my weight during this time period, with the exception of when I had my two children.

I also exercise regularly (4-6 times per week), eat lots of fruits and vegis, lean protein, and I try to limit my carbs. I don't cut out carbs completely, I just try to eat them in moderation. Its honestly a day to day commitment. I think weighing myself daily has been very helpful because that jump in the scale when I overeat is the kick in the pants I need to motivate me to cut back the next day or two. If I didn't weigh myself daily, that one bad eating day can quickly stretch on to a bad eating week or month, and that is when real weight gain starts to set in.

This. Weighing myself daily helps me address any weight gain immediately. I’m the same weight I was in high school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do people really count calories and weigh forever?? That sounds exhausting. I can see at first to get a handle on how much calories you are really consuming and what one serving of something is supposed to look like, but forever- geeze.

I don't count calories at all ever. It is too easy for it to turn into an obsession and takes the fun out of eating if im assessing up every bite.

Listen to your body. Eat when you are very hungry. Stop when you are no longer hungry, but not full.

Lots of fruits and veggies
Moderate amount of whole grains
Moderate amount of yogurt
Very little meat
Healthy oils and nut butters liberally
A little dark chocolate daily
Coffee or herbal tea if I'm wanting to eat but it isn't a meal time

Limit snacking, and if you really need a snack make a smart choice and then be done

I have been weighing and counting calories for over 10 years. It’s really not that hard or time consuming. The time it takes to log in an app is less than the time it took you to make that post here on DCUM. You prioritize questioning people’s weight strategies, I prioritize getting the job done that I need to to stay thin.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you look at studies of people who maintain weight loss over years and years you find that there is no one thing they do. There are sets of practices that people engage in, not one thing. But the thing that is consistent is that it is a never ending struggle, weight regain happens, and the people who are successful with maintaining loss have a sort of trip wire weight where if they gain a few pounds they go into weight loss mode again. I am one of those long-time weight loss maintainers (50 lbs 7 years ago, have maintained 40 of that) and I find that nothing - NOTHING - works forever. There are some methods that I don't like or don't work for me, but in general if I try hard enough anything can work - Noom, Weight Watchers, IF, low carb. You find that being dogmatic about this stuff is useless. What works this year won't work next, either because I have changed or just because I am too bored with it to stick to it anymore.

With the issue of insatiable appetite, I have come to terms with hunger. I stopped thinking of hunger as the enemy, or something to be appeased or prevented. Its just a feeling in my body, and just like I don't give too much thought to a headache or stiff back, I'm not going to give too much thought to hunger when it is inconvenient. My hunger got me to 50 lbs overweight - clearly my hunger is not a reliable partner in telling me how much food I need, so I've stopped letting it control me. Hot tea, cut up veggies, and pickles (all sorts) are my go-to when I know it isn't time to eat but I am ravenous.

This is great advice. Thank you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do people really count calories and weigh forever?? That sounds exhausting. I can see at first to get a handle on how much calories you are really consuming and what one serving of something is supposed to look like, but forever- geeze.

I don't count calories at all ever. It is too easy for it to turn into an obsession and takes the fun out of eating if im assessing up every bite.

Listen to your body. Eat when you are very hungry. Stop when you are no longer hungry, but not full.

Lots of fruits and veggies
Moderate amount of whole grains
Moderate amount of yogurt
Very little meat
Healthy oils and nut butters liberally
A little dark chocolate daily
Coffee or herbal tea if I'm wanting to eat but it isn't a meal time

Limit snacking, and if you really need a snack make a smart choice and then be done

+1 This is how I eat also, except I'm not a big fan of fruit other than apple slices or berries so tend not to eat as much in the winter. I do weigh myself every day, especially after dining out (which isn't often at all) or eating larger meals than normal, and I cut back on portions if I need to. Lunch is my biggest meal and if I'm not hungry for dinner or eating too late, I'll skip it or just have a cheese stick and tomato slices or something equally as light. I do 20 mins of strength training once or twice a week and sometimes run but mostly walk 3 miles a day. I'm 41, 5'5", weigh 125.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If you look at studies of people who maintain weight loss over years and years you find that there is no one thing they do. There are sets of practices that people engage in, not one thing. But the thing that is consistent is that it is a never ending struggle, weight regain happens, and the people who are successful with maintaining loss have a sort of trip wire weight where if they gain a few pounds they go into weight loss mode again. I am one of those long-time weight loss maintainers (50 lbs 7 years ago, have maintained 40 of that) and I find that nothing - NOTHING - works forever. There are some methods that I don't like or don't work for me, but in general if I try hard enough anything can work - Noom, Weight Watchers, IF, low carb. You find that being dogmatic about this stuff is useless. What works this year won't work next, either because I have changed or just because I am too bored with it to stick to it anymore.

With the issue of insatiable appetite, I have come to terms with hunger. I stopped thinking of hunger as the enemy, or something to be appeased or prevented. Its just a feeling in my body, and just like I don't give too much thought to a headache or stiff back, I'm not going to give too much thought to hunger when it is inconvenient. My hunger got me to 50 lbs overweight - clearly my hunger is not a reliable partner in telling me how much food I need, so I've stopped letting it control me. Hot tea, cut up veggies, and pickles (all sorts) are my go-to when I know it isn't time to eat but I am ravenous.

This is great advice. Thank you.

+1 Sound advice.

[Anonymous]

This is what worked for me:
1) tracking calories with www.myfitnesspal.com (free)
2) exercise 4x a week
3) drinking a lot of water

Took a year and a half but I've maintained my goal weight for a year based on the above. I don't track calories daily now, or exercise as much, but do still drink a lot of water. The big thing for me was recognizing that a lot of the time when I thought I was hungry, I was actually dehydrated. I weigh myself every week or so, and if the number gets above my comfortable range, I go back to tracking calories and doing a little more exercise.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Oh and weighing daily can be a good habit too. It helps to stay ahead of any gaining patterns before they get out of hand. It's hard for 10 lbs to just creep up on you if you are weighing every day or at least a couple times per week

I think this is key. I gained a lot of weight last year while my master bathroom, where the scale was typically kept, was being remodeled. I just packed the scale away and didn't weigh myself at all for 6 weeks (the remodel took forever to finish). I was shocked at how much weight I had gained by the time I got back on a scale.

[Anonymous]

I also weigh myself daily. It just helps me be honest with myself and make changes right when weight gain starts happening instead of ever having to lose weight through a "diet". I also think it's interesting to learn how your weight fluctuates based on your menstrual cycle, eating habits, after travel, etc.

It's truly not an obsessive thing for me, just a set of information to use to monitor my health.

[Anonymous]

You also have to know your body. Though I am not overweight, I am very insulin-sensitive. Eating large or high-carb meals, makes me feel lousy. Eating breakfast makes me feel sleep and sluggish and I gain weight very quickly. I really try to focus on what makes my BODY feel good (not my mind, or my mouth). Lots of water, unsweetened tea; little sugar, no traditional "junk food"; I have been a vegetarian for nearly 30 years. I love veggies and beans and lentils and eat them every day. I don't eat until at least 2pm every day and I work out every morning on an empty stomach (HIIT or 50-60 mins of cardio/runnin, plus strength training). Those are the things that make my body feel the best, and I learned this through paying attention. Sure, I'd love to eat that Little Debbie at 3pm today, but OI know that by 4pm I would feel sluggish and so tired and grumpy; if I need a snack it is usually a hand full of chick peas or some plain popcorn (Boom ChickaPop, etc). I am turning 50 next month, I am 5'2 and have weighed between 118-124 my whole adult life (except for when pregnant).

[Anonymous]

Those who are skinny assume that those of us who are fat are eating when we aren't hungry. Not true. We are starving. We are eating because we are starving. Almost always starving. We are not mindlessly eating. We are not sad and eating to fill an emotional void. We are hungry. Very hungry.

A PP was right in the approach of learning to ignore the real feeling of discomfort, pretty great discomfort, of being hungry.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Those who are skinny assume that those of us who are fat are eating when we aren't hungry. Not true. We are starving. We are eating because we are starving. Almost always starving. We are not mindlessly eating. We are not sad and eating to fill an emotional void. We are hungry. Very hungry.

A PP was right in the approach of learning to ignore the real feeling of discomfort, pretty great discomfort, of being hungry.

When I first started tracking and limiting calories, I was hungry. Now, I am better at picking high volume, low calories foods that will keep me full for longer AND I think my body has adjusted to smaller quantities of food. I get hungry around lunch and dinner time but am otherwise fine. It has been a big shift for me. I am actually surprised by it.