If you lost a significant amount of weight fairly easily, what did you do?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The main thing is to pick a strategy you can live with and actually do, and then not try to do everything all at once.

Start with calorie counting on an app like MyFitnessPal, and figure out what your calorie deficit should be. Then increase steps taken each day. Then maybe add in 2 walks/runs a week. Then maybe add in weights class (can do online) to have 3 workouts a week. Then add in something new the following week or two. If you hit a plateau where you don't lose, reduce calories by 75-100, nothing extreme, so you don't feel deprived.

Look at it like a longterm lifestyle change, and don't try to rush it - you didn't gain all the weight in 3 months, so it will take longer than that to lose it. Shoot for 1 - 1.5 lbs a week. The important part is to un-diet at the end. Once you hit your weight goal, increase your calories 75-100 slowly to see what you can do while maintaining that weight. That way, you don't put back on the weight you have lost, instead you learn what your body needs for that weight. Also, be kind to yourself. You don't have to make every day 'perfect' for this to work.

And pick exercise you actually like - if you hate running, dance or bike or whatever. And DO NOT eat back your workout calories. Try to separate working out from dieting, so it's something you do to feel good, vs something you have to do to lose weight.

[Anonymous]

10 pounds in 2-3 months

-took half my previous normal serving of whatever we were having for dinner and added about a cup of vegetables with minimal sauce (steamed, baked or raw), bought smaller bowls to put my meals in and stopped using dinner plates to control serving size.
-cut out all week night alcohol (previously had a glass or two of wine a few nights a week but it adds up)
-more conscious effort to eat protein at breakfast and lunch
-walk every day for 30 minutes, which helped me sleep better and be less anxious, but I don't think burned many more calories than I was before

[Anonymous]

First, 30 days without sugar, cold turkey.

Lost about 15 pounds just doing that.

Then, once I broke that addiction, I went on weight watchers and lost 15 more.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Cutting snacks is sooo right.

This was true for me. And, counterintuitively, eating MORE at meals. I had gotten in to habits of not eating in front of people because I was fat and embarrassed, then secretly snacking or grazing throughout the day.

[Anonymous]

Cutting sugars and white carbs (breads, pastas, white potato’s). Stopped snacking. Alcohol and treats only for special occasions (like once a month).
Tracking what I eat really helped me realize how much I was overeating.
Gradually increased exercise. Walking more, then JM workout videos in the morning, added in couch to 5k.
I cook soups for lunch. Big batch every weekend. I put some in the freezer too, so I have a selection.
This months rotation:
Chicken noodle soup made with egg white noodles
Chicken chili (made with white beans)
Turkey chili - made like beef chili, but use ground Turkey instead
Cuban black bean soup
Mediterranean vegetable soup with chickpeas
If I really need a snack, my go to is carrots with hummus, or roasted almonds. Or a cup of hot tea.

[Anonymous]

I think it is definitely easier if you can attribute your weight gain to something like massive amounts of junk food, eating while bored, being sedentary (or in my case all 3!) Cutting sugar, giving myself an 8 or 9 hour eating window, and doing some regular low key exercise was all I needed.

I always thought I would never overcome my sugar addiction so I never really tried before. It was not that difficult. I also thought my metabolism was terrible, but now I think that I probably should have been heavier than I was based on the amount of crap I was eating for years. (It took me about 12 years to creep up from 130 to 160 and about 4 to 5 months to get to 127).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lost 50lb over 6 months and kept it off.

I went low carb (not keto but cut out rice/pasta/bread/corn/dessert/sugar and sugar-added foods.) I didn't count how many carbs were in fruits/vegetables etc. I always preferred salty and spicy so it wasn't too hard for me.

I also counted my calories and made sure they didn't go over a certain number (I am a small woman so it was 1400 for me, maybe be different depending on your height/build etc.) It's a lot easier to do this if you cook all your meals.

Added two hours a day of walking. I don't like gyms and exercise routines but enjoy walking so it was pretty pleasant. It also has the advantage of not needing to be done in one chunk but can be broken into two, three or four to accommodate your schedule.

The thing that worked for me is that it was a very steady and consistent weight loss, about 1-2lb a week so I'd see a steady progress and not get discouraged. I also didn't feel particularly hungry.

When I lost what I wanted, here is what I've kept from that which seems to keep the weight I lost off: (1) two hour walks - it's good to get out of the house during the pandemic anyway (2) watching my calories and low carb. I don't limit myself to 1400 a day any more but I do count to make sure I don't eat 2000 or anything like that; I also eat very few carbs - I may have a small dessert on Sunday or similar, but it's very limited and I track it (it helps if like me, you are not big on sweets anyway.)

Do you not have children? I'm jealous that you are getting out of the house 2 hours/day!

[Anonymous]

Significant calorie deficit, low carb/keto, IF. I also used to do occasional 24-40 hrs fasts. It was all pretty easy to me (40 yo when started). Lost 33 lbs and have been keeping it off for 2 years now.

Well, almost - I started exercising 3 mo ago and decided to up my carbs to grow muscles, so I gained 4 lbs - but I don't look fatter, probably/hopefully it's muscles)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IF. Painless but took a year. Down 30 pounds and going, doubt I’ll ever go back to eating “normally” but I don’t miss it really.

What’s your method of IF?

Did 11am-7pm 16:8 for a few months, gradually I have gotten onto more like a 12-1pm-7pm schedule. A side effect of this is that I hardly ever drink because I used to drink a glass or two of wine a night and snack. I do always have family breakfast one day on the weekend though.

I do think when I reach like, maybe 50-60 pounds of loss that I will loosen up on this and try to schedule 2-3 nights a week where I can do this. I say schedule because at this point the routine is so ingrained in me that even on nights where I think I'll do a cheat night I sometimes forget entirely.

I started incorporating a significant amount of exercise about six months in but that hasn't really changed the loss progress, just made me more fit and, admittedly, made me look pretty good even while still at an obese weight (just a few pounds over though, I'm coming for you 'overweight'!)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:IF. Painless but took a year. Down 30 pounds and going, doubt I’ll ever go back to eating “normally” but I don’t miss it really.

What’s your method of IF?

Did 11am-7pm 16:8 for a few months, gradually I have gotten onto more like a 12-1pm-7pm schedule. A side effect of this is that I hardly ever drink because I used to drink a glass or two of wine a night and snack. I do always have family breakfast one day on the weekend though.

I do think when I reach like, maybe 50-60 pounds of loss that I will loosen up on this and try to schedule 2-3 nights a week where I can do this. I say schedule because at this point the routine is so ingrained in me that even on nights where I think I'll do a cheat night I sometimes forget entirely.

I started incorporating a significant amount of exercise about six months in but that hasn't really changed the loss progress, just made me more fit and, admittedly, made me look pretty good even while still at an obese weight (just a few pounds over though, I'm coming for you 'overweight'!)

I'll also say, I went off hormonal birth control. I didn't do this to lose weight, but I have always struggled my entire life to lose it and I have been surprised that it has worked this time, and part of me wonders about the hormonal birth control I've been popping for 20 years that I just quit.

[Anonymous]

Try the f factor diet

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Lost 50lb over 6 months and kept it off.

I went low carb (not keto but cut out rice/pasta/bread/corn/dessert/sugar and sugar-added foods.) I didn't count how many carbs were in fruits/vegetables etc. I always preferred salty and spicy so it wasn't too hard for me.

I also counted my calories and made sure they didn't go over a certain number (I am a small woman so it was 1400 for me, maybe be different depending on your height/build etc.) It's a lot easier to do this if you cook all your meals.

Added two hours a day of walking. I don't like gyms and exercise routines but enjoy walking so it was pretty pleasant. It also has the advantage of not needing to be done in one chunk but can be broken into two, three or four to accommodate your schedule.

The thing that worked for me is that it was a very steady and consistent weight loss, about 1-2lb a week so I'd see a steady progress and not get discouraged. I also didn't feel particularly hungry.

When I lost what I wanted, here is what I've kept from that which seems to keep the weight I lost off: (1) two hour walks - it's good to get out of the house during the pandemic anyway (2) watching my calories and low carb. I don't limit myself to 1400 a day any more but I do count to make sure I don't eat 2000 or anything like that; I also eat very few carbs - I may have a small dessert on Sunday or similar, but it's very limited and I track it (it helps if like me, you are not big on sweets anyway.)

Do you not have children? I'm jealous that you are getting out of the house 2 hours/day!

I have children but they are old enough not to need much assistance with distance learning or Be monitorEd/need assistance in general and I do a trade-off with DH where I get my two hours of walking and he gets two hours to do whatever with the other person solely minding the kids. I don’t think I could have done that without my DH or if they were younger and needed more assistance. Sometimes I also get up early (my children are not super early risers) and go for a walk before they are up and do another one at night after they are asleep - DH is in the house at that point so it’s not a big deal that way. Honestly, it’s not just for exercise. I love my family but I need some alone time for my sanity so it helps that way.

[Anonymous]

Weight watchers. I lost 140 pounds, 50 of them during pandemic. I went from 280 to 140. No pills, no surgery, no gimmicks. The zoom meetings are a game changer. I go to one every day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, 30 days without sugar, cold turkey.

Lost about 15 pounds just doing that.

Then, once I broke that addiction, I went on weight watchers and lost 15 more.

Did you cut out fruit?

And were you still eating other high calorie foods?

[Anonymous]

I just the gastric sleeve. Lost 35 pounds in 11 weeks.