What works for me. What works for you?

I am now going on two months since my lifestyle change and here is what I have found to be working for me. My weight is down 33 lbs. and I am not starving.

• I weigh every day at the same time each day
• I try an exercise everyday.  Easy walking, etc
• I log everything that goes past my lips in the food journal
• I keep my calorie intake between 1450 to 1700 daily
• I log all my exercising in the activity log
• I drink at least 60 oz water a day
• I drink all types or tea throughout the day. Green Tea being my favorite. 
• I eat at least 5 servings of fruits and veggies
• I eat 5 to 6 times a day. (small meals/snacks)
• I make a journal entry daily.  Keep me accountable
• I set daily, weekly, and monthly goals
• I eat 25 to 35 grams of fiber each day

What works for you?  I am interested to see what others are doing so I can possibly add to my routine.

Together we can reach our Goals,

Roy

I choose not to weigh myself every day because it can get discouraging when you try so hard and you feel like you must be dropping tons, then you step on and you're the same or more as the day before.

I go by how my clothes fit.  Right now, I follow almost everything your list says except I eat fewer calories (try to) and probably don't get as much fiber as I should, but still always at least 15 g.

A pair of my dress pants appears to be getting just a little bit looser. That is a good sign for me.

And when you get your clothes out of the dryer and you try them on, they're always a little snug, but if you put them on and they still feel comfy, you're at least not gaining. :)

I weigh first thing in the morning

I keep a food journal

I remind myself that it's okay to make mistakes, and if I eat too many calories one day I make up for it with either fewer calories or extra exercise the next day.

I remind myself of the difference between how much I NEED to lose and how much I WANT to lost, knowing that it's ok to get my NEEDED loss and it's not the end of the world if I don't get my WANTED loss.

I set small goals with small rewards , and big goals with bigger rewards. I.E. meeting calorie goal one day, or eating an extra fruit or veg per day=one lotto ticket, or substituting my own am tea, for a small soy milk earl grey from starbucks (same amount of calories, but way better flavor). Big goals--monthly loss = new clothes, or a hair cut.

I do EXACTLY the same things and have lost 140 pounds so it works for me and apparently for you too. 

I do a reward too and my last was a purchase of 600.00 in jewelery for hitting 210 and my husband said (don't lose it too fast now).  Well, 200 is around the corner and look out!

I skip the weighing... as a matter of fact i don't even own a scale... I take my weight measurements from the doctor, I think the numbers don't tell me what I want to know and that is how I look.

Everytime I look in a mirror I remind myself to keep good posture (engage those abs right?) and I note if I look any smaller. I also keep tabs on how my clothes are fitting and how I am feeling...

the biggest thing I do is keeping a Diet and Exercise "journal" (its actually a spreadsheet cause I'm nerdy like that) I have a page of food values of past things I have eaten and a row that sums my intake (I track calories, fat, carbs, protein and fiber) and balance them against measured targets I have looked up/calculate based on my BMI. I am working on making a nice graph that will show how on target I am weekly... but I'm not there yet :P

I weigh in once a week.

I exercise 6 days a week 20-45 min. (just started this on March 1st)

I log everything I eat.

I keep my calories between 1400-1550

I eat 5-6 times a day.

I drink water and water only.

I eat 25+ grams of fiber a day

I eat 75+ grams of protein a day

I have lost 27 lbs since Jan. 1st

I weigh in daily.

I eat around 1250-1350 on days I don't excercise and 1350-1550 on days I do excercise.

I excercise 3-5 times per week at a gym. Circuit training..cardio and weights.

I drink water and ONLY water *sigh*

I take apple cidar vinegar pills before each meal.

I have drastically lowered my sodium intake. I realized that was one big problem I didn't notice before!

I cut out everything thats bad. Including smoking as of today yay day one down.

I lost 11.5 lbs since Feb. 23

Reducing my salt intake has played a major role in shedding those unwanted pounds.

I weigh twice daily, morning and night

I usually make it to the gym 3 times a week, but sometimes it just doesn't happen.

I do a 40-minute cardio on the treadmill, followed by weights (circuit) and then stretching

I get some daily activity working with my grandsons (I am their "grandnanny")

I target a calorie range of 1350-1550, which is my goal weight maintenace calories. 

I never add back the calories I burn at the gym -- I use them to create a larger deficit.

I eat only during a four hour period each day, fasting the other 20 hours. 

My diet is whole grains, fresh fruits, veggies, and dairy, with very little meat. 

I started this weight loss venture in October 2005 and have gone from 255 to current 183ish.  When I hit 182, I will be half way to goal.

My stress eating has stopped.  My emotional eating has stopped.  I have no more cravings. 

Hello everyone!

It seems like everyone has some really sensible routines. 

These guidelines have helped me lose 48 lbs in just over a year (it was kinda slow, i know):

weekly morning weigh in, and every few months the tape measure comes out

Follow the canadian food guide to healthy eating, and eat a lot of vegetarian options

taught myself how to cook healthy and delicious food - i don't eat "healthy" food if i don't enjoy it

average approximately 1600-1800 calories most days

eat smaller meals more frequently

exercise everyday (i usually miss one or two days every week but my goal is to do something active everyday)

mix up my exercise routine (i.e., never do the same activity two days in a row)

weight train a few times/week

aim for expending 400 calories everyday with activity (i just recently upped this goal from 300/day)

keep an exercise log so i can make gradual improvments with my fitness level

journal - not just about "weight" related things, but about everything that's relevant at the time

try a new activity every once in a while - because you just never know what you will enjoy until you try it

not giving up no matter how far you feel you have slipped

writing out realistic short-term and long-term goals, committing to them, and revising after they are reached (or not if they are unrealistic)

****support**** this has been invaluable since i committed to losing weight. 

That's all i can muster up right now.  I'm sure there's more deep in there haha. 

Julie

Since I am maintaining, this is what I've been doing so far:

• I workout four times a week (double workout on Saturdays).
• I log everything that I eat (something I should stop doing now).
• I keep a carb/protein/fat ratio of roughly 20% 25% 55%
• I drink at least three litres of water a day.
• I eat 5 times a day at regular intervals (two snacks and four smaller meals).
• I keep my sodium intake at under 3000mg daily (preferrably at 2000mg). 
• I eat 7-10 servings of vegetables a day and 2-3 servings of fruit
• I eat between 25 and 35 grams of fibre daily
• I have a slight calorie deficit during the week so I can have a treat day on the weekend.

This has worked for me:

Starting January 1st, 2007:

• I workout 4-5 days per week with weights.
• I do cardio 4-5 days per week (treadmill, elliptical, etc...)
• I keep a food journal.
• I eat 5-6 times per day (oatmeal for breakfast, yogurt mid-morning, small lunch, fruit in the afternoon, small dinner, sometimes a small snack at night)
• My carb/protein/fat ratio is about 60/20/20.
• I have a cheat night on friday nights where I eat whatever I want...but usually sushi rolls.

This year I've lost 15.5 lbs (from 175 down to 159.5 as of this morning) with 14.5 pounds to go to reach my goal.

I have lost 65lbs, and am 5lbs from my goal weight.

I log my calorie intake - 1600-1800 daily. I reduced sodium, refined sugar, and white flour in my diet. I increased protein, fruits and veggies. I drink no less than 2L of water daily in addition to what I drink before, during and after a workout. I exercise in some form daily, even if it's just a nice walk after dinner. I sleep 7-8 hours every night.

And most importantly: I'm nicer to myself. I used to look in the mirror and tell myself how badly I sucked because I didn't fit into the 'ideal' mold. Now I look in the mirror and notice my hair looks particularly good one day, or how nicely my legs are shaping up from running, or simply that the top I have on is a flattering colour.

I walk every morning for at least 30 minutes, today I went for 45 minutes, before I weigh myself because if I don't I won't walk.

Then I weight myself hoping to be down about .3 lbs from the day before, but if not I don't get discouraged because as long as I'm reaching my weekly goal of 2 lbs I'll be happy.

My problem isn't that I eat too much anymore, it's that I don't eat enough. I used to never really eat any meals and snack all day long (healthy, but not enough) or not eat anything all day and eat one HUGE meal at the end of the day and because I'm working and going to school both full time, it's usually fast food. Plus I'm not a big fan of food because it is what caused me to gain the weight in the first place so I struggle with wanting to eat and when I did eat it was just to get rid of those annoying hunger pangs. So what I decided to do was in my food and exercise journal, I drew four boxes on each day one for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and walking. I went out and bought stickers and each time I eat a real meal and walk each day I put a sticker in the box. If I get all my stickers for the week I reward myself with something not related to food.

I also cut down on my soda intake because I haven't been able to completely give it up and I don't like diet. I'm only drinking one glass a day.

I drink a lot of water and iced tea.

I'm 21 and right now I weigh 226 and I've only been doing this a few weeks, but I've lost 6 lbs, so that's what's keeping me motivated.

I drink 96+ oz. of water everyday
I eat oatmeal every morning (since Feb. 1st)
I do cardio 4x a week
I lift weight 2x a week
I eat between 1300-1500 calories
I weigh myself every 2 weeks (scale is not a factor for me)
I plan my meals the night before
I always have something sweet/salty after dinner (to keep binges at bay)
I brush my teeth right after my last meal
I take a multivitamin every night

rfosteriii mentioned cutting salt out of his diet.  Can someone explain how this will help.  I know that salt makes you retain water, but it has to leave eventually.

I don't have high blood pressure and i drink tons of water.  Will cutting back on my salt really make that much of a difference in my weight loss?

• I weigh every morning around 7 a.m., everything empty.
• I aim for 1600 calories a day (5'10" female, currently 204 lbs.)
• I walk home when the weather's pretty (1+ mile).
• I go to the gym 2x per week (30 min).
• I don't take exercise into account in my calorie goal, since my exercise is so moderate (usually not more than 200 cals a day).
• I plan what I will eat at lunch / during the day and log those calories right after breakfast. 
• I plan my dinner based on what I've eaten that day.
• If I can't identify ingredients (multisyllable chemicalesque names) I don't eat it.
• If it makes claims (gimmicky diet foods), I don't eat it.
• If it has high fructose corn syrup, I avoid it or limit it.
• I aim for a grade of at least B.
• I eat fruit at work/school to avoid candy/junk.
• I avoid chain restaurants (high HIGH sodium)

So far, I'm down almost 8 pounds from official start (13 Oct 2006), and 5 lbs. from my restart point (21 Feb 2007).

Most of my focus right now is on what my intake consists of: I'm concentrating on buying/eating whole, locally produced foods, and limiting processed anything.

I've done the "exercise to lose weight" but that only kept me at maintenance (NOT a bad thing, considering the alternative) so I know I have to count calories too.  I'm exercising to relieve stress and improve cardiovascular fitness, not to lose weight.

cutting back on salt and refined sugar makes a huge difference with weight loss for many people. excess sodium makes you retain water weight, and excess sugar makes you crave more sugar-making you snack more often and on less healthy choices.

I weigh myself randomly
I don't keep track of my food or water
I don't 'exercise' but do activities I enjoy
I eat when I am hungry and have just what I want at the time (this means I never have cravings).
I use lots of salt, but unrefined - it contains numerous minerals and does not contribute to water retention or health problems - and for certain people, it is very beneficial.
I sleep 8-9 hours a night
As close as I can, I  eat a traditional, whole foods, diet: http://www.westonaprice.org/basicnutrition/di etguidelines.html

Here are mine:

• I weigh in 3x a week at the same time of day at the gym on the same scale.
• I eat ~1500 cals on weekdays & Sundays and ~1900 on Fri and Sat
• I work out at the gym 4x a week for 60 minutes
• I walk outside for 3-4miles for 60 minutes 1x a week
• I log and track all my meals & excercise in an Excel spreadsheet
• I plan out my next day's meals and weekly meals on Sunday evenings
• I modify my eating plan as I go along during the days (aka larger lunch means smaller dinner)
• I eat mostly fresh and 'whole' foods
• I avoid foods where I do not know or cannot easily find out the nutritional values
• I keep my work fridge and desk stocked with healthy snacks and fun yet good-for-me treats
• I eat 25-35g of fiber per day and try to keep low on fats
• I measure myself in the same areas once per week and keep track of the measurements (and weigh ins) in my log
• I eat 5x a day; bfast, lunch, dinner and 2 snack times
• When I have a craving I think about for longer than a few days, I go ahead and eat it
• I also keep 2 nights a week 'free' for splurges and I eat whatever I want those evenings, especially dessert!
• I have really improved my cooking skills by modifying favorite recipes into more healthy versions that still have tons of flavor
• Most importantly I have found a way to keep eating the favorite things I love and still enjoy foods...while doing it within moderation, and eating healthy and fresh 90% of the time!
• Doing all of the above, I lost 20 lbs in 6 months, meeting AND exceeding my goal...and I have maintained for over 3 months now. :)

I've been doing this since September, and I've lost almost 28lbs (less than 4lbs to go!). 

• I weigh myself whenever I go to the gym in the morning, which is between 2 and 4 days a week. 
• I work out 6-7 days a week.  I lift (reasonably heavy) weights 2-3 times a week, and for cardio I combine intervals, short runs, long trail runs, and a couple of intense step classes. 
• I plan my workouts a week in advance, and when life throws a wrench in my plans, I make sure I have a plan B.   The only way I can make sure that I work out enough is to be willing to exercise whenever and however I can.  
• I used my food scale and measuring cups religiously up until the last three weeks.
• I aimed for 25+ grams of fibre and 8-10 servings of fruit and veggies per day.
• For the first couple of weeks, I planned what I was going to eat the night before.  For the next few months I logged absolutely everything that passed my lips. For the last few weeks, since I'm close to goal, I haven't been recording my food.  I wanted to see how intuitive my new food habits had become, and what results would occur if I was more intuitive about my eating.  I'm still losing weight, which is reassuring.
• I let myself eat ice cream and chocolate.  Just less frequently and smaller portions.  I never say no to dim sum.