Successful long-term weight loss people: What SMALL change did you make that made a big difference?
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Anonymous
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I gave up carbs pretty much, except what I need to get 30+ grams of fiber daily. No sugar. Very limited flour (only in low carb bread or tortillas). No rice, grains, bread, pasta, etc. Instead I eat 25+ grams of protein per meal and low carb veggies.
I also stopped eating breakfast, which I never really liked but ate as an example for my kids. Instead, I have large coffee with about 3/4 cup of protein milk. Eat a meal at noon, a high protein snack in the mid afternoon and dinner by 7 pm. This completely stopped my binge eating. For me there was something about carb consumption that made me want to eat more carbs - I never felt satiated and I could pound a bag of cookies, chips, bread, cake or pasta. It may sound like a big change, but is actually much easier for me this way. No exercise. Pounds kind of melted off. |
Anonymous
| Unlike first page PP, I *started* eating before noon. I realized that skipping breakfast was throwing off my eating entirely... I was starving by lunch time and ended up making bad decisions out of hunger (i.e., eating the great, fulfilling salad I packed AND a big bag of chips). Once I started eating two very small breakfasts (a green smoothie at 8:00am and a piece of ww toast with avocado or a hard boiled egg at about 10:30am), I started loosing like crazy. |
Anonymous
| Made a rule that I don't eat after dinner. I was bad for nighttime bingeing and having a blanket rule made it easier for me to stop (no mental energy) |
Anonymous
| Stopped eating sweets. A piece of cake makes me crave more cake. |
Anonymous
Agree with this - eating carbs (not just empty junk like crackers but also rice and pasta) makes me hungrier and I eat a ton. Limiting them is the only thing that works for me. |
Anonymous
+1 This is really wise. To give in and allow yourself to grieve. Then you can move on |
Anonymous
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Even if I eat a nutritious and filling breakfast and lunch, I tend to get hungry around 3/4 o'clock. I used to reach for something easy, sugary, high calorie, etc. -- like bags of chips, girl scout cookies on the counter, a donut from the Dunkin around the corner from my office, etc. To avoid that problem, I now plan and automate my afternoon snacks for the week, so when the hunger hits, my healthy and filling snack is ready to go -- so I'll have a big batch of hard boiled eggs ready in the fridge, several servings of plain greek yogurt ready, little baggies of small servings of almonds portioned out, tons of cut-up veggies, little hummus cups, some cheese cubes, et.. It takes minimal prep time on a Sunday evening. When the hunger hits, I grab my pre-planned and already prepared snack, eat it slowly and deliberately, and the craving is gone. Really has made a huge difference.
Another one is portion control and moderation -- I enjoy things like pizza, pasta, etc., but I always now pass on "seconds" or put less in my bowl, or take home a doggie bag from the restaurant, etc., or get the fruit instead of hash browns with my omlette, or side salad instead of fries with my burger. Things like that. These may not be as small, but I also drink zero calories, never eat after dinner, and have a dessert/sweets only once a week. |
Anonymous
| Exercise curbs my cravings - nothing hard core - even just a 15min low impact steps. I do mini workout with water before lunch and post dinner- I tend to eat less afterwards. |
Anonymous
Thank you for validating this. My doctors make me feel crazy, while I was overweight, telling me that low carb doesn’t work and pushing me to eat less meat and more grains, pasta and whole grain bread. |
Anonymous
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Agree with everyone. Less carbs, no processed carbs, no sugar. It completely controls cravings.
Aside from that, lifting weights and going progressively higher. I see the difference in my shape and posture. I’m a convert! |
Anonymous
NP, but I'm an early riser by nature, and workout hard most mornings at 5:30/6am. I'm supposed to wait hours to eat because... why, exactly? |
Anonymous
I literally just signed the contract to get invisalign. Yes, I need to straighten some teeth, but honestly I'm also really excited to use it to stop snacking!! |
Anonymous
+100 and I stop eating by 8pm. |
Anonymous
No one is saying you have to do anything at all. But I assume you also probably go to sleep around 9 or 10? So you pick your window based on your lifestyle. My window is 11-7 (but more often then not usually like 1/2-7). Maybe yours is 9-5, or 8-4. Or maybe IF doesn't work for you at all. But FWIW, as an IF person (I have PCOS and the insulin regulation that comes with IF has literally changed my entire life), I get up between 7-8, have coffee, have a very hard workout sometime in the 10-12 range, and frequently don't eat until 1/2. This has become completely normal for my body and I don't even feel hungry until after noon generally. |
Anonymous
| Doubling up my normal protein intake for lunch which is right after my workout. Protein and veggies only. |