Whats the best advice you could give someone trying to lose weight?

[Ivyiris]

Exactly as the title suggests what's the best tip/advice for losing weight? Plan on doing calorie controlled/ increasing exercise etc.

Eat a lot less, drink a lot more water especially before mealtimes, accept feeling hungry is likely to be the norm for a while, make yourself accountable to someone so you stay on track.

Good luck.

Don't go on a diet change your eating habits for the longterm. I just changed one thing at a time. So started off with intermittent fasting as a way to help me with my gastric symptoms as suggested by the gp, this helped reduce symptoms but also I was less hungry. So from there I started documenting my calories to see how much I was having and if there were any patterns to my remaining gastric symptoms. By documenting everything I found I was changing my behaviours. Choosing healthier options or reducing portion size.

Low carb

Drink a lot of water

Excercise even when you can't be bothered. Consistency is key.

Plenty protein and veggies

10,000 steps a day

Be accountable

No excuses

If you fall of the wagon straight back on.
I have friends who if they over eat on Wednesday decide to start again the following Monday or if they miss the gym one day have a week off.

small changes - one sustainable change a week

accept that being hungry befor mealtimes is normal and expected

find an exercise you like and can stick to.

Don't cut out stuff like wine , crisps or chocs. - cut down , halve what you usually have .

Don't assume that calling it a lifestyle change will make it not feel like a diet (because it is one!). The idea of changing your whole lifestyle is surely much more daunting than just picking a few little habit changes. Keep it simple, don't overdo it or you will give up quickly. Unless you're an ambitious, stubborn or competitive type person, habits are probably better than goals.

Track what goes in
Don't use up your extra exercise calories
Drink loads

Lose the 'all or nothing' mentality.

Just because you slipped and ate two chocolate biscuits doesn't mean you just as well have a takeaway for tea because it's all fucked.

Time restricted eating! It’s a game changer-only eat between the hours of 12 noon and 8.

If you get hungry in the late evening, drink water and then go to bed,you're probably just tired.

Use weights not just cardio best shape I was ever in was training in the gym 3 times a week doing weights and calorie counting

Cut out highly processed food including foods marketed as healthy/low calorie

Agreed but my eating window is earlier

What worked for me:

Eat less - track calories using a tracker. I did this for the 1st 3 weeks to gain an understanding of what I was eating in a day. It was pretty surprising. I was thinking ‘I’ve not eaten that much today’ but my calorie intake was telling me otherwise.
Once I understood my eating habits, I didn’t feel the need to track anymore.

Adopt healthier eating habits long term. Ditch the UPF as much as possible.
Cutting out UPF has not only made me feel & look better, it’s given me a healthier relationship with food. I love knowing where my food has come from, it’s really eye opening.

Move more. Get outside in nature. Walk more. Invest in some light weights. There’s loads and loads of free exercise videos on You Tube. Even 15 mins away is better than nothing. It all counts.

If you have one ‘bad’ day, don’t self sabotage and give up, saying you’ll start again on Monday. (Like I used to!) Just start again the next day.

80/20 > healthy/less healthy

consistency over time

Thank you everyone some great tips and helping me think and get my head in it. Going food shopping tomorrow and meal planning tonight.

Shopping carefully is the key. If you’re disorganised you won’t have the right stuff in the house.

Try and eat only food which gives you some kind of nutrition so no empty calories at all. No sugar.

(Whispers this one: Go on Semaglutide)

Don’t think of it as a short term fix. In order to really lose weight and keep it off you need this to be a permanent change.

Reduce UPFs

Surround yourself with like minded people, be it new friends or just listen to podcasts. I’d recommend ESG fitness podcast.

Exercise and go and do it even when every ounce of your being doesn’t want to.

Accept you will be hungry

Minimum 10k steps

Don’t give up on a bad day. If you lost £20 would you just throw away all the rest of the money in your purse? No? Then if you ate a multipack of crisps don’t give up. Just pick up where you left off and carry on.

I’ve been there and successfully lost 7 stone and kept it off for 5 years and counting

Photograph yourself naked or in your underwear and take your measurements, then if you hit a weight loss plateau you can still see your progress in lost cms. Same principal, put on a garment you love but can just about squeeze into then try it on again every week and see how much looser it feels. Keep a food diary at least until you get into the swing of things. Drink loads it fills you up, add a salad to every meal you can if it’s a hot meal have a salad as a wee starter. If you hate salad stuff add loads of veg to every meal instead. Agree with PP’s intermittent fasting is a useful tool. Meal plan and shop accordingly, consider online shopping if you don’t already, saves you being tempted by treats. Don’t be scared of feeling hungry and being ready for a meal, overeating tends to happen cause we keep eating so we don’t ever feel hungry. If evenings are difficult take up knitting / crochet / any crafty stuff keep your hands busy and not shoving crisps in your mouth. Sign up for an online course, many interest courses are offered free so keep yourself busy and learn something new as well. Set a realistic weight loss / timescale target don’t set yourself up for failure. If you go out to meet friends / go away for a holiday enjoy the extra treats you have had, don’t beat yourself up, then get back on the wagon the next day. After all this is the start of you being more mindful about what you are eating and enjoying a healthier lifestyle rather than a quick fix diet isn’t it?

Accept that if you ever go back to eating how you are now you will end back the same weight. This needs to be a permanent change.

Also accept that it's likely unrealistic to go to a party, girls night out, Easter, Christmas, holiday etc and be "good" or stick with the diet. This is a long term change so enjoy the above event and then plan to get straight back on your new eating plan as soon as you are back.

For me I have to weigh myself regularly. I can be sure that when I stop weighing, I start gaining.

It's OK to feel hungry. It's not harmful.

Not all the time, but in between meals. I know when I was struggling with weight, I would feel anxious when I got hungry and would head to the cupboard for a snack.

It's alright to just not eat until your next meal. Nothing bad will happen.