Those who have lost/are losing weight - please list your top ten tips

[motomoto]

most important first

I have lost over 7 stone in the last year and a bit. I havent really done anything to lose it, it has just been a very very stressfull time for me. So I figure I have used up more energy through the stressing. I now dont eat much sweet stuff and when I do I dont beat myself up about it. I try to eat a lot of vegatables and salad. I use Red milk and sweetners and I have brought a wii. I also took up jujitsu which has helped tone me up a bit.
So all in all I suppose its eating healthly and more exercise.
I probably never would have lost that amount of weight if it was just down to my will power and everything though and really admire anyone that has the will power to lose weight.

1 Porridge for breakfast
2 Soup for lunch
3 Smaller portion of whatever you like for dinner
4 Don't allow yourself to get too hungry - if you're peckish have fruit or a cracker.
4 fat free fromage frais with sunflower seeds / raisins for pudding

There was a programme on TV a couple of months ago called something like 10 things you didn't know about losing weight. It highlighted the fact that a diet high in dairy calcium helps you to lose weight because your body retains less of the fat that you eat. Hence the fat free fromage frais for pudding.

I donb't feel I have the time to track Points and do ww even at home, but maybe I should try it

I have lost 2 stone since April and the only thing that worked for me was to work out my BMR and eat less than that. Every so often I would re calculate my BMR and adjust my food intake.

I had to learn to count everything I picked at and was v shocked to learn that I was picking at around 500 cals a day, things I conveniently forgot about and told myself didn't count.

Nothing else was working for me, if I tried to 'just eat healthier' I was not losing weight as I was still eating too much.

And I try to exercise too, though that's not going very well.
I think about it a lot though.

I am doing Slimming World and its working really well but in addition to the plan i do the following.

When i grab something to eat between meals (or between snacks ) i try to think to myself first,

Why am i eating this?
Am i hungry?
Am i bored?
Am i thirsty?
Am i stressed?

The sometimes just stopping to think makes me put it down and sometimes if i can identify thatim not hungry but just bored i ca decide to go for a walk or something rather than eat.

I have also taken up swimming but the key i find to excersie is to either do it with a friend, or something to get it done without it seeming a chore.

For instance, i swim with my mm and we natter and gossip whilst doing leisurly lengths, by the time i know it we have done tons but it hasn't seemed like work, also i have an excersise bike that i do in front of the t.v or whilst reading a book.

I aslo try to fill 1/2 my plate with Veg then the rest meat and carbs, then i eat the veg first and the rest if im hungry afterwards.

Other than that i always keep the fruit bowl full and the fridge stocked with healthy stuff to grab in a hurry to save stopping at a shop or takeaway. Good Luck

I'm doing Weightwatchers and have lost a stone and got to my goal weight. Some of my tips are geared towards WW.

1. Weigh/measure out everything you eat and drink
2. Plan meals in advance and buy only what you need (Do not have crisps & other high calorie things in the house)
3. Stop drinking alcohol (adds cals and weakens resolve!)

4.Write down everyting you eat

1. Do not think 'diet' think healthy eating. Most of us eat far more than we need. This is not deprivation it is just healthy amounts of food.
2. Get family and friends onside and stay away from people who are not supportive.
3. Think of the changes you are making as being for 'life'
4. Exercise, exercise, exercise (and really give it you all)

9.Stop using food as a reward or a solace - it does not help 10. Think positive and enjoy your new healthy, slender body.

1. Eat laods more fruit and veg.
2. Stop eating sweets/cakes/chocs/crisps on a regular basis.
3. Eat smaller portions.

That's it for me. Can't excercise atm due to injury, but still manged to shift a stone painlessly.

Oh, yeah,

1. Stop picking at things. Either eat or don't!

Some insider tricks for you:

1. Carrs savoury biscuits are fucking delicious (especially cheese ones). At 20 calories a biscuit you can go mental, eat 10, and only take a 200 calorie hit.

1. Glug diet drinks when feeling like you might blow the diet with sweet cravings. Cherry Coke is all good.

1. Porridge for breakfast. 216 calories a microwave sachet and will fill you till lunch. Much better than crappy small portions of special k and the ilk.

1. A whole tin of soup is a good filling lunch choice. About 200-250 calories a tin.

1. Wotsits, frazzles, chip sticks, squares. All are around 100 calories a bag. Not bad for a crisp hit.

1. If you must have an indulgent pudding/sweet treat, try a tesco cream filled meringue with chocolate. Only 115 calories per shell and totally lush.

1. Have a massive salad with every meal. Leaves you feeling like you've eaten a lot.

1. Try liquorice wheels. 55 calories a wheel and feels like a treat/ keeps you occupied if you tend to bordem eat.

1. Cook with Quorn meat substitute. Really low in calories and tastes lovely.

1. If tempted to snack between meals have a large, (skinny) milky coffee instead.

10. If eating out, go somewhere that lists calories in its meals on its website. You can plan in advance that way.

Options hot chocolates are good for a sweet hit between meals.

Tinseltot - i love yours and the irreverant way they are written.

Lost almost 5stone since February.

1. Always eat a good breakfast - 2 weetabix fruit and yogurt is typical here.

1. Drink at least 2 litres of water - I do admit to drinking Tesco fizzy flavoured water, takes away my sweet craving as well.

1. Have a proper,'Meat, Potato and 3 veg meal' at least 4 times a week.

1. Make sure what you think are healthy food, especially som low fat yougurts are not loaded with sugar.

1. A little of what you fancy does you good, a lot dosnt.

1. Swap mild cheese for extra trong, a tiny bit goes a long way then.

1. Prepare veg, (carrots, Cucumber, baby tomatoes) and keep in the fridge for nibble times.

1. Dutch crispbreads - use instead of bread, 2, with a tomato and extra thin ham, makes you feel like you have had a lunch.

1. use Extra light Mayo instead of butter.

10. Remember when you pinch that lovely bit of cake in the fridge, that nobody sees you do, the only person you are cheating is yourself.

Think I'd have to agree with portion size and keeping busy. If i'm busy I don't think about food and can get to meal times without noticing - pottering in the garden I find helps.

I walk the dog regularly and this helps with the exercise and keeping busy and out of the house where the temptation is - another tip - don't take any money out with you and then when you pass the bakers you can't buy anything!

Fruit and veg for snacking is always good and if you fancy choc keep it in the fridge and let one square melt slowly in your mouth - you only need a little amount then to do the job!

Good luck with losing weight everyone

Slimming World is working for me - this is how (still applies to other healthy eating i.e. low fat low sugar I imagine)

1 Follow the SW Extra Easy rules and Eat at Meal times till you are full (avoiding processed food - rarely worth the calories)
2 Don't cheat the rules you are only cheating yourself
3 Excercise - walk the dog every day, wii fit every few days, out on a cycle ride every week should do it
4 Have a generous breakfast - weetabix, all bran, fruit, yog and milk here - the bowl must be full!
5 Have varied lunches (avoids boredom in the day)
6 Cook one pot main meals that freeze well so you always have a healthy meal available from the freezer. Chilli, Chicken Casserole, low fat Curry etc.
7 Plan meals for the week, shop to the plan, cook to the plan
8 Fill up on fat free yog or fruit between meals or skinny latte/low cal hot chocolate
9 Have a desert every day - we have one of these(the slimming world way) rice pudding, chocolate cheesecake, jelly and ice cream, a latte and dark chocolate
10 Have a small treat every day - we keep chocolate available at all times!

Lost 3 and a half stone this way, plus 4 more before that with a similar approach before I discovered the SW rules. Um hm still have 2 and a half to go though.

1. Work out how many calories a day you can eat to loose weight, then work out how many calories are in the things you eat regularly. I then count 250 calories as one point and measure to the nearest quarter point (which I am convinced is very close to a weight watcher point)
2. weigh carbohydrates (ideally weigh everything but carbs seem to be the hardest to portion control for me)
3. Eat breakfast every day
4. Exercise as much as possible - walking up steep hills works for me
5. consistancy
6. don't loose heart after one "cheat" - count it and keep going
7. Eat when you are hungry
8. have a decent lunch (about 500 cal) to get you through the afternoon.
9. Don't drink alcohol much - but again if you want to then count it in.

10. Set up an excel spread sheet for a weekly weigh in with a graph to track progress

I have done very well with this in the past but am currently lacking in motivation and am trying on line weight watchers. When I am going well I have things like jaffa cakes and 2 finger kitkats in the house for treats that don't use that many points but I know that I can cave and eat whole packets so at the moment I don't have things like that around. Also it is much easier on this sort of diet to eat processed preprepared meals that have the calorie count on the front and that is not such a good idea.

Passionberry - well done you!

1. Eat protein for breakfast (egg w/ whole

grain toast for example -- forget cereal)

1. No morning snack
2. Eat protein and high fibre carb plus fruit or veg for lunch
3. Only snack on cheese, nuts, yogurt, fruit and maybe chocolate if you're anything like me
4. No packet meals and limit eating out; no pasta sauce or any other sauce in jars or from dried packets, make your own
5. Shop once a week and plan your meals, write a list based on the mealplan. No panic food shopping. For fun, buy and eat one different/exotic fruit every week
6. Watch how much fat you use for cooking; choose lean meats, even red meats; always drain fat off before serving; severely limit gravy and added butter/marg; no cream
7. No pudding except fruit, or sweet baked goods unless you have baked/made them yourself, and just one or two
8. Commit to exercise that is reasonable and doable, like walking half an hour every day no matter what the weather id like. Increase this as you feel more energetic.

Good luck!!

1. limit carbs / eat 70% veg in terms of total food intake
2. drink water
3. exercise
4. portion control
5. small dinners

that's about it actually, i am 7 and a half stone and 5'6, tho a year ago I was 10 stone, this approach really works for me (my food is always delicious too, i put a lot of work in).

Small portions!

No snacks
No seconds
No supersize
No sweets

WW points counting becomes 2nd nature after a while. Not doing that at the mo but have in the past.

1. exercise. Build it into your life go to classes with a friend if you can.

1. don't buy stuff that will tempt you and if you have to have it walk to the shop to get it- every little helps!

1. don't weigh yourself as you could be demoralised as adding muscle via exercise. Instead use a pair of jeans or something you almost fit into/are a bit tight and try them on every week. (I just fit into my size 12s wooo hoo!!)

1. Try not to see it as dieting it just makes you constantly think about food.

5.Drink lots of water.

6.Write down everything you eat.

1. Make sure you are eating enough- restricting calories too much can lead to weight not shifting as your body goes into starvation mode.

I can't do the whole '1 square of Green & Blacks' thing it's the whole pack of biscuits/slab of dairy milk or nothing. So instead I set myself a time limit. THis time it has been the whole of August (we go on holiday sep 1st) and in that time I ban myself any chocolate, crisps, cake, buns. Also restricted alcohol (had 1 glass wine).
Have done up to 3 months of this before gives you a strange sense of satisfaction.
But I shall be having some chocolate on Tuesday. Not sure if I'm looking forward to that or the holiday more!

My tips:

1. always have breakfast
2. make a batch of soup for the week so you have a least one meal of the day covered
3. Plan your meals for the day so you don't get caught out
4. try to do something active every day even if its housework or a walk with the pram
5. DON'T WEIGH YOURSELF! that's my biggest tip, I used to do the fortnightly weigh-in and if it wasn't as good as I expected it would really de-motivate me so this time I have not weighed myself at all I just go on how I feel/what I can fit into and its been great to rediscover old clothes that fit - very motivating.

Good luck!

I have lost just over 30kg this year, so around 4.8 stone.

1. If you know you need to snack, make sure to have healthy alternatives at home.
2. Don’t deny yourself anything but plan it in. Otherwise cravings will just get huge and recipe for a binge
3. If you have a bad day, don’t feel bad about it, it happens. Start again the next day and write it off.
4. Don’t go by just the numbers on the scales. The body changes beyond that
5. Weight loss is not linear. Don’t expect even losses week after week.
6. Goes along with 2 - don’t fall for any restrictive fad diets. They might work short-term but that’s about it
7. Have healthy quick meals at home. No, I don’t have time to cook from scratch every day. Yes, I have had the odd ready meal.
8. Don’t overestimate the calories burnt through exercise
9. Set small goals - and think of some rewards if that motivates you
10. However, also reward yourself for continuity rather than just the numbers on the scales. Things like “I’ve gone to the gym as planned all week”, “I’ve stayed in my calorie deficit all week…” - sometimes the scales won’t move even though you’re doing everything right and it’s important to recognise this

Good luck!