What’s the single most effective thing you have done to lose weight?

[noitsachicken]

I am struggling with the last stone, which is now more like a stone and a half since lockdown 🙄
What one single thing did you which most helped with weight loss?
Drinking more water?
Cutting out bread?
???
Thanks

For me personally, sticking to eating just meat and vegetables/salad has worked. I have cut out added sugar. (Obviously fruits and vegetables have natural sugar in so won't and don't want to avoid that) but found it has really worked for me.

Alternate day fasting

Power walking

The Jane Plan also worked for me. It was worth the money! I also use it to maintain. Lost 2 stone in 3 months.

Not a healthy nor a long term solution but eating once a day - at 6pm - about 1000 calories - kept it going for a week ..
but other simple things that helped was not to buy any treats - no cake chocolate or biscuits in the house.

Eat less calories than I use each day.

3,500 calories deficit to lose about a 1 lb. So that's living at a deficit of 500 calories a day whilst losing. So it is about being careful with what I eat. I find it hard to sustain as it is depriving your body. But I'm carrying to much timber since baby two. I don't use my fitness pal myself, but it's good if you can be accurate.

To those doing alternate day fasting: how on earth do you manage this????? Aren't you hungry the whole time?! Also, don't you feeI constantly restless? I've done 5:2 successfully but it somehow left me 'on edge'.

MyFitnessPal to log calories, and moving my main meal to lunchtime (stops me snacking in the afternoon) 35lb lost in 18 months.

Also adding weight lifting into my fitness regime

Keto. Total game changer.

Shedtheload, well done and thank you!

I've lost 10 stone in the last year. The most helpful things for me have been using the NutraCheck app to log everything I eat and using digital scales to weigh my food so I'm not guessing my portion sizes.

Cutting carbs has really been the biggest change I have made. I don't eat bread, pasta, potatoes, rice or couscous etc. I eat a lot if vegetables and I make my own chicken stock to use in delicious soups and broths.

'To those doing alternate day fasting: how on earth do you manage this????? '

I was wondering this too. I feel lightheaded just thinking about it! Couldn't even attempt 5:2

Eating less.

Gave up bread and alcohol..honest tracking MyFitnessPal. Not cheating on the weekend.

800 calories a day, eat normal at weekends. Not hungry and I am a big girl. Thought I would be starving all the time!

16:8

Intermittent fasting 16:8 or 18:6 or 20:4 and the occasional longer fast, absolute clean fast only black tea, coffee or water.

I’ve lost 13lbs in lockdown and the best thing I have done is to track everything I eat accurately in Nutracheck (alternative to MFP) AND I have a spreadsheet where I put in my daily calories every single day and how many calories I’ve burned for the day to see my daily then weekly deficit.

It’s kept me so accountable. I feel myself starting to slip but have just filled in my spreadsheet and can see that if I just reduce my calories by 100 each day for the rest of the week I can make up for my bad start to the week.

Drink two to four litres of water a day

ChequerBoard 10 stone loss is phenomenal, congratulations!

I’ve recently lost 4 stone of baby weight (1 to go!) fasting, 16/8 works best for me. I find I think more about what I am going to eat and honestly don’t even feel hungry anymore during my fast hours.

@Needanotherholiday I like the idea of your way best. I cant imagine weighing/logging food every day I just know I would lose interest fast.

Following this thread with interest

I don’t stick to a rigid diet. I have reduced portion size. I don’t snack. I vary calorie intake from day to day. This doesn’t allow my body to go into fat storing mode. Walk the dog daily and have generally changed my eating habits. I now find it difficult to eat if I’m not hungry. I’m in it for the long run and as it’s for health reasons ( chronic sciatica ) I am determined to keep at it until my BMI is in the normal range. I have lost over 10kg since the beginning of the year and hope that I reach my comfortable weight range by the end of the year.
I have only just started weighing myself so it was nice to see a significant loss. I intend to weigh in on a monthly basis so I don’t feel too disheartened by small losses. I am happier using clothes as a guide.
With lockdown I haven’t seen many people and it’s a real boost when people compliment me on my weight loss.
I have struggled for many years trying to lose weight, I have had problems with endocrine function since my twenties but now, going through menopause, I’m finding it much easier.

I'm 54, oroginally lost 6kgs doing 5:22 diet to get down to 57kg (I'm 5'8) 6 years ago and have kept it up doing a lot of sport, 16:8 fasting most days, more if required. I weigh myself daily to keep a track of things, if the scales start going up I cut down on meals, bread etc. It's easier to lose 2kg than 20.
I eat a lot of salad and veg, very little meat and cook everything myself. Never eat fast or processed food, but eat homemade cakes with the rest of the family (in moderation!). We don't eat until after 8pm in the evening so no evening snacks required. My weakness is almonds, I can eat 500g a week easily, but I run at least 10 miles a day so can indulge. Alcohol is dangerous, lots of useless calories and makes it easier to temptation so I try to just drink red wine at the weekend.

stopping snacks.
no calories at all between meals.

I have learnt to deal with being a bit hungry some quite a lot of the time. I think society has conditioned us against this feeling, but it's normal and healthy to allow ourselves to feel hungry before eating.

Very few carbs (hard for me as I could exist purely on crisps), very little booze, lots of protein and veg.

I no longer pick at the DCs' leftovers. Also hard for me as I love grazing.

I don't eat after 4pm.

I regularly hit 25k+ steps /day through walking (I have an active job) and running. I run around 25k/week.

I also have the hottest new DP so I burn a fair few calories through constant shagging too