CHALLENGE POST - Tips for Success

[Ranaesheart]

This community has an array of members with varying amounts of weight to lose and varying histories of success.  Since we're all here to accomplish the same goal and to truly receive the benefits of a vibrant support community, it is time to pull together and help establish and share our "Tips for Success!"

Today. the first part of your challenge is to share one or more "tips" you have implemented and found successful AND to come back and read through this post to learn some more to put in your arsenal.  

We'll be providing you with some more in an article post and then be placing all of them in Health Pages for future reference.

The second part of your challenge, is to pick or find a new "tip" that you are currently not using and USE it for the next week!  We'll put up a new post next week and ask you what tip you found/used and whether you found it helped or what difficulty you may have had with it.  This will allow others to learn from your experience as well as allow those who find that particular tip useful to provide you with additional insight on how it has been beneficial for them.

COME ON TEAMMMMM .. YOU'RE DOING GREAT!!!

(PS - Have some really big deadlines at work requiring OT and will be working on MH this weekend to try to get back to everyone on your posts and welcoming you personally ... just wanted you to know I care and am THRILLED YOU ARE HERE!!!)

YOU MEMBERS are Absolutely A m A z I n G and it is heartwarming to see you care for yourselves and your teammates!!!  We are definitely in this TOGETHER and you are proving what TEAM is all about!!!!!

T ogether

E veryone

A lways

M akes it!

T ie in with
E ach other
A nd together we
M ake our dreams come true!

[TrudieC]

My tips are to calculate (using a web site) how many calories, protein, fat and carbs you are eating each day.  You may be shocked that it is higher or not in the right proportion.  I find eating beans and legumes really keeps me full and eliminates cravings.  Don't skip meals!

[lucindamartinez]

Great tips Trudie!  

My favorite tip (for me anyway) is regarding exercise.  I know that you have probably all heard something like this before, but I schedule appointments with myself during the week for exercise (Mon, Wed, and Fri).  And I very strictly honor those appointments only excluding days of serious illness, no matter how busy I am.  I intentionally set my mind against dread of the exercise, instead choosing to look forward to it.  Before I ever get to the gym I decide exactly what I am going to do...and I absolutely do not quit until I have finished the outlined goals for that day.  It is a wonderful feeling walking out of that gym with my head held high!  ; )  

[mikeg427]

That's a great way to do it Lucindamartinez!! I did the same thing and it helps so much!

Also, Great tip TrudieC! Beans and legumes are extremely good for you as well! They help with Building muscle, helping burn fat, and regulating digestion! (source: Men's Health Ab's Diet)

One other thing to sorta go off of what you said, is, whenever you are preparing your lunch to take to work the next day (because it's always better to take lunch, you actually know what you're eating and how much!), prepare your meal right after dinner.

By then you should be full to the point where you won't be tempted to snack while preparing it consuming extra calories. And by then you won't have hunger on your mind to make your lunch larger than it needs to be.


Good Luck everyone!

[txmama]

Well, I do not know how well this tip will benefit anyone however, I started doing my exercise in the morning! I used to say that I will wait till the evening to do it but then I read an article about how a lot of people with hectic busy lifestyles have a hard time exercising in the evening! So research shows that if you cut 30 mins of TV time in the evening and set you alarm 30 mins earlier you will have the time in the morning to exercise. Also, you can tape your favorite shows that you may miss and watch them the next day because getting plenty of rest plays a major role in weight loss! Good Luck!

[lucindamartinez]

Mikeg:  Great suggestion to pack your next day's lunch after dinner when you aren't tempted to nibble some more!  That is sort of what I do also.  I pack up the leftovers into individual servings.  I work from home, so when it is time to eat....I pull one out and microwave...ready to go!  

txmama:  I think that's an awesome tip!  That's what I used to do when I first started back into exercise.  I found at that time that if I exercised very first thing in the morning that it improved my energy level for the entire day as well!  

[Barb135]

I'm going to add 2 tips (one I do regularly and the other I've been very lax at)

Try eating your meals from a salad plate rather than a dinner plate.  Using a smaller plate, allows you to eat a plateful with less food.  (this one I do)

Adding to TrudieC's post: Use a food journal to log everything you eat after you've calculated the calories, etc.  That will let you keep track of what you are eating.  It might also be helpful to log your emotions to see if something is triggering emotional eating.  (This I have not been doing and must start doing it again).  I made a food log in Excel, which works very well.  

[JoyRenee]

Walk, walk, walk, walk, walk. When I was in highschool I walked home from school almost every single day. It'd take me an 45-60 minutes to get home. It was the slimmest and most fit I had ever been in my life!

AND--- ditch the pop, coffee, juice, tea, etc. It's just adding calories. Plus, most are known to actually DEhydrate you! So stick to water, which is beneficial for reducing bloating and restoring cells, cleaning out your kidneys and liver, etc., etc., etc. So many things water will do for you, including LOSING WEIGHT!

[gokuangel]

Every1 has great tips!! I'm not too sure what to put lol!! All i can say is remember YOU are in charge of your body and what you put into it! Moderation is key you dont have to starve but dont gorge either!! This and a lil exercise can go a long way!! it has helped me quite a bit!!