Long term weight loss

Alexus25

Anyone have any success with long term weight loss? If yes, what's your secret(s)? Anyone not have long term success? All I can say is God its so hard!

amandstu

I cut out sugar for the most part.It helps that I don't drink as I am not sure it would help otherwise.

I think it is an illusion to think you can lose weight by exercising (of course it is a good thing to be doing in moderation for lots of reasons I guess)

I didn't cut out sugar to lose weight,though.I think it is baby food and probably disrupts your normal appetite control.

I don 't follow any other diet except to try to eat well -but I do think that avoiding sugar (and refined carbs, which

is more or less the same thing ) gives a great head start against putting on weight.

It is not difficult to do as everything else is on the table ,but others can be disappointed if you don't join in with them eating sugary food.

Hande hoche!

Getting control of the snacking was key. Particularly the sugary stuff as the above poster rightly pointed out. Some people schedule one or two snacks a day. Found it easier to just skip it and stick to the three square meals.

Also it can help to try differing diets. One friend lost about two stone doing a Low Carb diet and kept it off. Have a family member who raves about Veganism but wouldn't go near it myself. Time restricted or intermittent fasting is also an avenue I have seen some people have success with.

As regards social eating develop a taste for coffee. People seem less offended or hostile if you order an Americano during the dessert course

Stan27

1 stop eating bad food.

2 eat smaller portions

Also some sort of weight training too ideally.

Grayson

I've been managing to lose one to two kilos a month for the last 5 months.

I pretty much cut out most crap. There's still some in there though. I'd plan out the larger meals in advance. make sure they were large but not too calorie intensive. And I'd allow myself a treat like a magnum ice cream after dinner. It's ok to eat some crap so long as you're still in a calorie deficit. About halfway through this I started going to the gym. My weight loss didn't increase but I feel healthier.

My advice would be to find a way you're comfortable with and stick with it. Even if you're only losing a small amount on a monthly basis, then it's worth it. What matters more with this kind of thing is consistency. It's better to lose a kilo every two months and feel good than to lose more and feel bad. And if you feel good, you'll stick with it.

silverharp

See what Americans eat now and do the opposite

https://twitter.com/realMeetJames/status/1689312744401510406

phonypony

Small and gradual changes are more sustainable. Don't just dive into restricting calories and cutting out types of food, you won't keep it up. And exercise, walking and resistance training is good.

JVince

Yo-yo'd from 16st-18 st for years.

Then just decided to push and got to 15st and have managed to hover either side of it.

A lot of processed foods gone. Crisps and most chocolate gone. Ryvita rather than bread. Use smaller plates. Took up golf.

After a while it simply became habit and weight has finally stayed off. Winter was always the time it would move up - but not this year 🙂

Titzon Toast

Eat plenty of high fibre foods.

Try not to eat too much in the evening.

That's what worked for me anyway.

Wanderer78

interesting podcast on fasting.....

https://player.fm/series/in-the-news-2930202/intermittent-fasting-the-good-the-bad-and-the-hungry

Grayson

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121835730#Comment_121835730

I found chocolate helpful. I'd buy one of those massive bars and break off one row and have it after dinner. It was my sweet treat. but it was the only crap I'd eat. I think it's important to have something that's a treat. I always hate it when you see fitness influencers say "And then I had some carrot sticks as a treat". Screw that :)

But I think the most important thing is moderation. I was the kind of person who would eat a huge bar whilst watching TV. Now I'm happy with the small nibble.

And as someone else mentioned. Small sustainable changes. If you feel **** when you're doing it, it won't last.

Like trying to get big in the gym or get fitter.

Write down what you eat a day, be very clear, and keep this for 2-3 weeks.

At the end, review and see what you actually eat vs what you think. You would be surprised.

Then make the changes that you need, want to lose weight, less fatty foods or processed foods, more greens, more protein.

Eat less, move more.

BalboBiggins

Keto and fasting are two amazing tools. Have a look at r/keto and r/fasting on reddit. My longest fast so far was 84 hours and I'm going to push this to 100+ this month.

RiderOnTheStorm

mrs Rider and I started Keto 5 years ago and it works for us. She lost 1 stone per month for 12 months straight (she was a big girl). She tried every diet under the sun since a teenager and this is the only one that worked for her , and it stays working.

Keto is low carb , high fat , no sugar diet . Eat loads of the good foods and dont eat bad foods. Then you dont have to count calories. Goes very well with intermittent fasting (because fat is slower release energy than carbs). Great for reducing inflammation (everywhere - not just joints but on organs), improved sleep, and no more stomach upset / farting.

Its not for everyone. PM me for more details if you want.

Good luck Alexus . Hope you find something that works for you.

kirving

Ignoring the psychology around eating for a moment, there is no secret formula to weigh loss - the simple fact is if you eat fewer calories then you consume, you will lose weight. All too often that basic fact is glossed over by people trying to sell you one on diet plan or another.

The difficult bit is consistency in maintaining a smaller diet. I'm trying to gain weight, and it's easy to be full for a day, but consistently eating more than I'm comfortable with for weeks on end is very difficult.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121837735#Comment_121837735

...by ignoring the psychology behind eating, you re actually no longer talking about eating, as a significant element of the actual act is in fact psychologically based....

jasonb

As people have said, a key is finding something that works for you, and something you can stick to. So if you still want to have an occasional treat, then don't completely remove them from your diet, but just be aware of quantity and frequency etc.

I was in a cycle of losing a couple of stone, and then putting it back on again, then losing it again. Eventually I tried My Fitness Pal. You still have to eat less calories/do exercise, but I found that keeping track of it made all the difference to me. I got down to the weight I wanted, but more importantly, I have stuck at that weight for nearly 2 years now, cos I didn't stop using My Fitness Pal once I hit the target weight. I still track my calories etc., and still watch what I eat, but that works for me, I like all the data etc. behind it all. For other people they might hate tracking what they eat. It all comes down to what works for you to keep it sustainable.

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121837823#Comment_121837823

Which I why I specifically mentioned it, but everyone is different.

Personally I have have little to no psychological relationship with food, I feel hungry or full and that's about it, so your statement doesn't apply to me.

My point is that there are thousands of nutritionists, influencers, personal trainers, chefs and celebrity doctors who will do their best to sell you a diet plan, meal plan, or workout plan who all do their best to put their solution ahead of the simple equation of calories in - calories out, and it's important to keep that in mind.

Wanderer78

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121838218#Comment_121838218

errr emm yes you have, all humans psychologically experience eating, all of us, so unless you re a bot or something......

Hande hoche!

The psychological aspect of eating is one where you can you make a few tweaks that can be helpful. One aspect that was mentioned was the smaller plate size. Another can be only eating at a table.

kirving

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121838336#Comment_121838336

You seem to know me better than I do.

Of course I experience eating like everyone else and enjoy good food, and get a caffeine or sugar hit, but it has never gone anywhere close to the point of indulgence as a coping mechanism or feeling guilty about what I've eaten. Whether I'm happy, depressed, stressed or anxious would have little to no bearing on my heating habits.

You need to be be able to isolate the calories in vs calories out equation from the psychology, because some peoples brain will genuinely convince them that they haven't eaten much, when it comes to assessing their daily eating habits, or that a workout burned a load of calories when in fact they're just unfit.

griffin100

I lost 2.5 stone over a period of about 18 months well over ten years ago by exercising on a consistent basis and watching my calories. By slowly losing the weight I found it easier to keep off. Since then I’ve lost another stone (I’m at 13 stone down from 16.5 stone).

My exercise was and continues to be cardio based (triathlons, marathons, marathon swims) but weight training is as good as far as I know.

For most people it’s a simple case of using more calories than you take in. I appreciate that for some people it runs deeper than that but my weight gain was due to eating too much and sitting on my arse watching TV every night so for me it just came down to willpower.

I still exercise most days and watch what I eat but I don’t really avoid any types of food or alcohol, I’m just sensible about my calorie intake. That said I have sky high cholesterol so I need to change my diet for different reasons

One of the unexpected benefits of exercising regularly is that my kids see this as the norm and are all as a result sport mad and play a range of sports.

HalloweenJack

I lost 17kgs a few years back. I have put three or four back on but I learned some good habits and keep most of it off.

A key thing to remember is everyone's body is different so it doesn't work for everyone.

Regular exercise is key. I go to the gym a minimum of four times a week, usually about six. Once your body is used to regularly burning a higher amount of calories, you can compensate for the occassional day you overdo it.

Eliminate ready meals. Cut back on meal sizes and variety. Keep it simple, i.e. a piece of meat/fish and a vegetable.

Big lunch, small dinner. You're not going to do much movement after dinner so you're better off eating more in the middle of the day when you still have stuff to do.

I have a slice of rye bread for breakfast and a piece of fruit mid-morning. You need to eat something to get you going but nothing too sugary.

When I started, I stopped drinking beer for six months. Replaced it with wine but I still was drinking less. The problem with beer is the carbs, not just the alcohol.

Cut back on sugar, though not necessarily snacking, just replace sweet stuff with fruit or yoghurts.

I adhered to this strictly and it worked wonders. Once I bottomed out, I've eased up a bit but I'm still a long way from where I was. Developing those habits in the first place is key.

hairyslug

I was 210lbs, set a goal of 150, reached that by cutting out 1 thing completely (chocolate digestives, my 1 main weakness, I was eating a lot of these a day as a coping mechanism) and dropped the amount of tea I drank each day, therefore limiting my sugar. I also started running.

Once I hit 150, I bounced back to 170, started in the gym, eat what I want but I’m still at 170. My 1 weakness still being digestives.

so for me, if I can pass in any advice, once you hit your goal, then it gets hard and you have to set standards for yourself on the even longer term

Galwayguy35

I was fat until I was aged 17, I cut out all the junk food and started walking and cycling and have remained the same weight for the last 32 years.

Eat less and move more.

Greyfox

I'm down 1 and a half stone since last July, slow and steady is the only way that works. Diets and cutting out bad food completely is guaranteed to fail as they are not sustainable long term. Gradual changes make a huge difference as long as you're consistent. When it comes to eating more healthy food you need plenty of trial and error to actually find what healthy food you can eat often and what healthy food would you just put in the bin in a few days. With exercise you need to find what works for you too, i find walking with an audiobook is underrated, whatever exercise you do you need to mix it up and gradually increase the duration over time. Yes diet is more important than exercise but I find exercise helps me with cutting back on junk.

ruth...less

Homemade soup as one of your meals.

Cream crackers with little bit of butter as a savoury snack.

Jaffa cakes if you crave chocolate.

Popcorn.

Wanderer2010

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121837735#Comment_121837735

What many people don't realise is how clever the human body is when calories are restricted. Metabolism slows down and further weight loss is rendered almost impossible. Keeping weight off is the real challenge. The billion pound weight loss industry wants people to believe that if you eat x calories per day you can look like a member of Love Island!

The fact is, we could all eat the exact same amount of calories and do the exact same amount of exercise and we would still all look different. Fat, thin and everything in between.

taxAHcruel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058338197/long-term-weight-loss

It can be a bit like asking "How can you be happy in life?". The answer one person might give could be entirely different to the answer the next person would give. Finding successful diets and long term weight control (I say control rather than loss because maintaining your desired weight can be every bit as frustrating as getting to it in the first place - if not harder) can be every bit as personal and individual as that.

Basically the "best" diet for you is the one you adhere to. Lots of people will want to tell you what diet is best or what one works - often because it worked for them. But that does not mean it will work for you. Worse, when a diet that works for 10 of your friends does not work for you it is easy to get into the head space of self blame and assuming something must be wrong with you.

But no diet is good if you do not stick to it. And the one that works for you might be surprising when you finally find it. High Fat low carb. Low fat high carb. Keto. Intermittent fasting. On and on and on - you will read all kinds of arguments for and against them. But really the first and most important argument is which diet will you personally most likely stick to?

For me for example - the diet that helped me control me weight and well being and concentration and libido and peak physical condition turned out to just be to eat as much as I want but do so with as much variety as possible. So if I eat "x" today I will try not to eat that "x" again for as many days or even weeks as possible. So I cycle though a huge variety of food over the year.

On top of this I tend to do things that suppress my appetite. So intermittent fasting helps there as I tend not to be hungry each day until I start eating. I also tend to eat something that suppresses appetite about 30-45 minutes before an actual meal. Like popping a hard boiled egg. I am also a preference towards meat eater (some months even going full carnivore). And good meat is also good for quick satiation. Fibre also important to me.

This works for me. It might not work for you as I said above.

Another guy I know failed to lose weight will all kinds of diets. In the end he asked me for advice/help. So I put him back on what he was eating before he started trying any diets. Then I changed when in the day he was eating those things. And he started losing weight. Which just shows that while "calories counting" (calories in calories out thinking) can help as part of an over all plan - it is also not the whole picture. He was eating the same calories - and same foods - but just at different times in his daily routine and he started losing weight. If diet was only about calories in / calories out then that would make no sense.

So there are no easy solutions. But there are simple/simplistic mindsets which are a good place to start. As others above have said you can do a lot worse than simply "eat less move more". Exercise in and of itself does not directly make the weight fall off you. But many things about exercise will.

Finally we are starting to understand more and more the role of good sleep in weight loss. So if you are struggling a lot with weight loss then have a good look at your sleep length and quality.

SuperBowserWorld

Alcohol will slow your metabolism right down and make you feel crap so you don't care about yourself. Cut it out and bonus ... save loads of money. Just give up that crap.

Healthy breakfast, eg. porridge, yogurt, fruit, boiled egg ..

Ditto for lunch, dinner. Nothing fancy. Avoid the crap stuff. Cook your own meals. Bonus, you know what your eating and save lots of money.

Dark chocolate for a treat. Not as nice as milk chocolate, but bonus, it's good for your heart, in moderation. And also splurge out occasionally.

Walk everyday. Doesn't have to be far or hard. Get a dog or borrow a dog. Loads of dogs locked up all day. If you won't walk for you, you'll walk for the pooch. A sheepdog will walk the pounds off in no time.

Lots of good sleep. Avoid coffee if it **** up your sleep.

Alexus25

Thanks for sharing all - I'm back in the drivers seat and in a good routine right now - life be good!

ottolwinner

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058338197/long-term-weight-loss

What’s your target OP? How much do you want to lose and what’s the long term timeline of that?

what’s the hardest part of losing it for you?

_Kaiser_

Interesting thread..

I'm now late 40s so getting rid of the weight takes a lot longer than it used to in my experience, but on top of that is a WFH job that keeps me tied to the desk most of the day on calls and replying to emails and messages.

I also hate cooking. I'm not a foodie and eat quickly in general so spending 30/40 minutes preparing and cleaning up after a meal that'll take me 10 to eat is a real bug bear for me. I also have a very sweet tooth and love of things like a takeaway.

But I'd like to lose a bit of weight as it's been creeping up since WFH became my normal day. I occasionally get out for a walk but it depends on my day as to whether I will have the mental energy/motivation for it after work or not.

I know I'm not helping myself of course, but this is the way it is. It's a pity there's not some sort of pill you could just take in the morning.

Darwin

I'm mid 50's, I was never overweight in my life but in the last year have gone down to waist 30 (from a 32). I make a point of walking every single day but my new regime is doing press-ups first thing in the morning and evening (along with some light resistance training) and that really made a huge difference for me. It's hard work, but I haven't missed a day in a year. The only downside is my left shoulder is a bit sore now and having to get physio. In terms of diet, I have porridge for breakfast everyday, apple at 11 with coffee and banana at lunchtime with water. I eat what I want at dinner and always snack with crisps/dark chocolate in the evening. I drink too but I ain't cutting that out. I had a medical check the other day and my blood pressure is 119/70 so I was very pleased with that.

ZX7R

Cut white bread out all together you be amazed how much you lose off the belly.

Keep an eye on your calorie intake moderate exercise.

Pick one day a week let yourself have as a free day get take away or some sort of treet.

I've shed just short of 22kg since last May.

Trousers 36 inch to a 34

XXL t shirt to a L t shirt but I perfair xl

Don't beat yourself up about the weighing scales let you clothes do the talking most.

Best of luck.

taxAHcruel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121906131#Comment_121906131

I think I am super lucky in that I learned to quite love cooking after I had a bit of a mindset change on it. I stopped looking at it as a means to an end (to produce food to eat) and started looking at it as an end/hobby in itself. And after that I got to like it, then to love it, and now its in my top 3 obsessive hobbies.

What I noticed in myself and others though is that when stress hits, or a pull on our available time, or a lull in our energy and motivation - what we eat tends to be one of the first areas that gets compromised. That little bit of time and effort we can save by reaching for the "convenience" food. And there is a lot one can lose out by doing that. Not just the good nutrition.

Unfortunately that can be a spiral leading to more malaise and drops in energy and motivation. Until our sleep and stress and more can be affected. And our concentration and focus - so now a work day that might have taken us 7 hours before requires 9. And the spiral continues. Not to mention that bad eating is not the only cause of weight gain. Hormonal issues around stress and sleep and so forth are also being identified more and more in studies and research.

As for energy and motivation for exercise - over the years I have found them the worst thing to rely on for me to get the exercise done. Too variable and unreliable. What I use is discipline.

If I want to get it done the best way to do that is to just do it. Sitting around waiting for motivation to come and inspire me to do it simply would not work for me. Very quickly a few days of "I will do it later" would become "I will do it tomorrow" and then become "Ah remember that thing I used to do - I should start doing that again sometime".

There are little tricks that help with that of course - It's nice when motivation supports discipline for sure. But no matter how much I support my self discipline - my discipline still needs to be there.