Losing weight.....any tips, success stories

I have a friend in the US who lost about 40 or so pounds in the last year..and he said "eat less, move more". He started eating better (and less) and working out. As much 'not fun' as that is, it's really the only truth to losing weight and keeping it off. Also, don't look at it as a 'diet' because it's not, per se...it's a lifestyle change. It's mainly about changing your eating habits for life. That's about 80% of losing weight, your diet. I would stick to a lot of veggies, lean meats, fruits etc...just eating very clean.

Also, I have a good friend who is a trainer, and he always says, to eat very well and light (not 3000 calories or anything per day) for 6 days a week and one day a week, you can eat whatever you want in moderation. That way you're not depriving yourself.

good luck and don't get discouraged!

PS- Personally I don't believe in all the latest diet or whatever out there...but I do believe in eating right. Replace your dinner with a salad..or your lunch- but one meal a day (and not smother it in dressing because that kills the point of eating right).

And have your lunch be the big meal of your day..that way you're not adding a lot of calories at night when you're less active. jmo!

I lost 20 pounds after moving to Florida but I was able to get out more,it was warm,I walked my fluffs almost every day and I did aquatic exercise in the pool.Nothing fancy just walking around in the pool and leg lifts using the water's resistance to burn off calories.
Unfortunately as soon as I moved back to Ohio,I gained 30 pounds!
4 months ago,Al started to weight lift to help his shoulder pain and I worked out w/ him..that way it's less boring for both if us.
I haven't lost a lot of weight but I feel better and I have slimmed a bit.I replaced fat w/ muscle. So remember if you eat less and exercise more,you might not feel like you're loosing weight.It's not about what you see on the scales,it's how your clothing fits and how you feel.
Another reason we've stuck to this,is we're not geting any younger...(if you know anyone who is...I wanna know their secret). We know if we let our health slide,we have no one to take care of us. Our folks have us,but we really have no one....

OK I got down to 94 pounds this was the stay in bed do not eat because of stress and panic attacks. I would not recommend that diet.
When you skip a lot of meals your body will start to make more fat cells. The body is trying to save your life.
Try to drink a lot of water (can't do it) do not like water and if I drank the huge amount of water web sites recommend I would never get out of the bathroom.
Next eat many small meals daily. I will start my day with a banana then I move. I am basically eating what I would only do it through out the day. Gardening, cleaning house, walking anywhere are all exercises.
I leave my glass of sugared ice tea and will have to walk to get a drink. Those of you that like green tea is also a diet aide. I also will go and get one thing at a time like window cleaner. Then walk back to get paper towels etc. This makes me move a lot in the house. Any movement is much better than none at all. It is too hot to do much in the heat.
Good Luck in your quest.

It truly is lifestyle,not diet that keeps you healthy.
We've changed how we eat,though I do backslide a bit...chocolate...
I rarely drink sodas now.Funny since I quit drinking them,I don't crave them and they taste nasty to me now.
I try not to eat processed foods, I do eat a lot of vegetables and fruits and even some meats too. No frying,I'm not much of a fried foods person though... I don't eat as much breads,do like to snack on Cocoa Pebbles though. I'd rather snack on bananas,cherries or other fruits. I hardly crave pizza since I quit drinking sodas...
Can't remember the last time I ate potato chips.
All I can say is the anti-trans fat was a wonderful revolution,once restaurants and potato chip manufacturers quit using it,the food tasted awful!
The same thing that made me quit eatting candy bars and junk food,they made it taste bad! (No will power).
Crisco,haven't used it in 10 years...to cook with,works great for mold release in concrete casting! Haven't eaten a McDonalds or Wendy's hamburger in 20 years,though I do have a weakness for those Steak and Shake burgers.....
Overall,I eat much better now,in the last couple of years,due to will power. I look at my folks,they have a horrible junk diet and I don't want to end up as unhealthy as they are. Luckily they have my husband and I to take care fo them.
We don't have that luxury,we have to stay healthy for our future and our fluffs' futures...
If you think of it was a diet,you won't stay on it,think of it was a lifestyle, flexible and long term w/ a tiny backslide once in a while...

Nikki's Mom said:

We can discuss this subject forever with many differing opinions. I've tried them all. This is the one that worked and continues to work for me.

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I agree with Suzan here. You first need to determine what works for you. Not all plans work for all people. You first need to determine what metabolism type you are. There are three different somatotypes. Ectomorphs, endomorphs, and mesomorphs.
Ectomorphs:
Ectomorphs tend to be slim and petite. They have small bones and their musculature tends to be lean. The ectomorph body shape is linear or rectangular. They are not very curvaceous and are often flat chested, with naturally low body fat. Ectomorph metabolism is naturally very high, and they therefore find it very difficult to gain weight either as fat or as lean muscle.
Mesomorphs:
Mesomorphs have a naturally athletic build. Female mesomorphs have an hourglass shape, while males are triangular/rectangular. Mesomorphs enjoy the advantage of being able to lose weight easily and can also develop lean muscle relatively easily. Cutting calories and increasing exercise is often all that is needed to lose weight.
Endormorphs:
Endomorphs are naturally big and carry more fat. The body shape itself looks wide, round, soft and curvy. An endomorph may look like he/she carries weight around their waist but his may not always be the case as they will naturally be wide, often with a round face and with a large overall bone structure. Buttocks and thighs also tend to be larger. An endomorph will usually have a larger amount of fat storage due to the fact that they have a higher number of fat cells than other body types. Their body shape typically is apple or pear shaped. Endomorphs also have the slowest metabolism and therefore find it relatively difficult to lose weight and they tend to gain weight easily.
I know that I am naturally an Endomorph. I do best on a diet low in carbs and higher in lean proteins. It is always hard for me to loose weight, especially now that I am older. I need to be physically active and always watch what I eat. My sister is a tiny ectomorph! She has always been this way. She looks like our Mom and I look like our Dad. Just the genetic throw of the dice. LOL!

bellaratamaltese said:

This has been my pet peeve for the last year. I used to not have to worry about my weight but i have gained 30 lbs over the last year and it WILL NOT BUDGE. I've tried low fat, exercising and most recently, I've been on a strict low carb diet and have I lost weight? no! I've gained weight! I think it's my hormones (don't get me started there, LOL) I'd get off of the low carb thing (since it's not working) but Marina has been on it with me and if I get off of it, so will she and she has been losing weight on it. So... i am staying on it and hoping that one day, it will do what it's supposed to do, LOL. I mentioned it to my doctor the other day and she pretty much blew it off.

The low carb diet is actually pretty easy to stay on and I really don't get hungry on it.

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It's common for women to gain weight at first on a low carb diet until your body adjusts.

It could also be sluggish thyroid, adrenal burnout, or a slow metabolism. I have all three of those things, ugh. So I've spent years researching and trying to figure out what is the healthiest way of eating.

I feel totally awesome when I am on a Primal/Paleo - which is a Low Carb, real food diet. (No artificial anything)

I have a hard time losing weight, though. So far, I've lost 18 pounds on the Primal Blueprint, but I need to lose a lot more. It's coming off very very very slow, but I don't mind, as I want to be healthy more than anything. If I include nuts and dairy, those foods cause me to overeat, so I've cut out both for now, and it's helped a lot.

I am not 100% strict, I do it at about 90%, because no one is perfect. Hang in there, you WILL eventually lose weight if you are doing The Primal Blueprint or something similar.

I have been trying to lose weight for years. I know what to do and what to eat i just have a hard time with it. I hate to cook and i'm a fast food or take out kind of girl. I have never had a weight problem until i had my youngest son (23 years ago), i could eat anything i wanted and as much as i wanted and was always underweight. I guess it hasn't sunken into my brain yet that i can't just eat all i want anymore. I did lose about 35 pounds 8 years ago and then stress put that plus more back on me. I'm more of a night eater and when i worked the 2-11 shift i would come home and eat like i was starving even though i ate breakfast and lunch. I'm now working daytime hours and will be able to eat about the normal hours to eat and the gym up the street from me is a 24/7 gym so that way i can go no matter what time i get off from work.