For anyone wanting to lose weight: I recommend you start by tracking. Get an app (I use Samsung Health and I really like its layout and options, you don't need a Samsung to use it) and track your food, track your exercise. Track your water (I don't but it can be useful). And then, after you've been tracking for a couple weeks, you can adjust your life towards a more balanced one. Consult a doctor or a nutritionist if you are uncertain of where to start or what's healthy for you. Definitely consult a doctor before making any major changes or if your minor changes lead to any drastic or unwanted changes in your health.
Or dilute your juice with water - half half initially, then later quarter juice to three quarters water. Juices often contain lots of sugar, so like that you reduce it whilst still getting the taste.
Also, if you like tea, adding tea to juice can be good. (I like green tea and berry juice myself) which can help make your drink more flavorful with less sugar.
Also also, it may seem like a great idea to use artificial sweeteners. It isn't. Anything that promises you sweet but doesn't cost you calories isn't a good thing for you. If you consume no/low calorie sweeteners often (even the natural ones) you confuse your body. You are designed to know you need a certain amount if calories (energy) and believe sugar is high in calories (energy) and if you tell your body, hey, not as true as you thought, it doesn't think "don't need sugar" it thinks "need more sweet to make same energy" which means eating something like an apple your body thinks it needs more than it does.
@catfluff is right on aspartame. But as a general rule, all no/low calorie sweeteners have the above problem, and most of them have not been conclusively found to be a problem for humans (with various degrees of testing).
However, as with all things consult your doctor. While soda isn't ever good for you, it's not realistic for everyone to cut it out of their diets entirely all at once. And this goes for other things too. While no/low calorie sweeteners have the problem where they trick your brain, they still may be a better option than real sugar for those with certain health conditions.
Even the most knowledgeable person on the internet doesn't know your specific health situation and can't cover all of the exceptions to any given rule. So while the internet is a great resource for getting ideas, talking to your physician should always be the final authority.
Literally do nothing besides bathroom, sleep or drink. I mean, sure it'll fuck you up, but you'll lose weight <_<
Nah in all seriousness, just monitor your calorie intake and don't go fast, give your metabolism time to adjust or it'll come back with a vengeance.
So admittedly I've never lost a huge amount of weight so this may have to be taken with a grain of salt, but some tips I've picked up on:
-When you get the urge to snack, drink water. A lot of water. Try and make a point that you won't have a snack until you've downed at least half to a full glass or bottle of water.
-Don't cut things out entirely. It's perfectly fine to indulge if you get an intense craving-- but do it in extreme moderation. It's better to give in and eat a chocolate bar than try and resist and eat 6 muffins instead (yes, extreme example. It's late, I'm tired, cut me some slack).
-Sugar in particular operates almost like an addiction in our bodies, and you'll probably do better at reducing over time rather than just waking up and saying "that's it, I'm off sugar for life!"
-This one may seem obvious, but try and swap out your snacks for healthier alternatives. Instead of chips I'd often eat dry cereal (unless I REALLY craved chips) or carrots. Oat squares in particular (which I just happen to like as a cereal, but I imagine a lot of people would find bland). They offer a satisfying crunch factor. Obviously less sugary cereals are better. Apples have also been a big staple.
-Eat slower. Find some way to slow the process. Take bites less frequently, chew the food longer. Whatever. Just slow down.
-Try to avoid pop. It's just bad for you. Juice isn't great either. Water is your best friend.
-May just be me personally, but I cut bread pretty much entirely out of my diet when I was losing a bit of weight. I never have been a big bread eater to begin with, however. But grain breads are preferable to white either way. Which, again, is well-known, but still
Every body is different, so what works for some people may not work as well for eithers. Age, gender, genetics all play a role in how our bodies gain, store, maintain, and lose fat. There's obviously lots of other things I could add, and lots of things I've missed. These were just some of the small things that turned into big things for me personally.
@xvarnah from a physiology graduate perspective, this is the right way to do it. It works the best, and lasts the longest. Speed diets don't work, you gain twice as much afterwards. Make gradual, small changes and allow your body to adapt to them before making more changes. It has to become a habit to eat healthy - and don't bother with calorie tracking as much. People often get obsessed - been there - rather stick to a certain portion size for your meals - I have a favourite bowl that is something between a breakfast and snack bowl, and all my food has to fit in there: flat topped, one portion per meal if I'm in the office, and heaped (one and a half times the height max) one portion if I'm doing fieldwork or exercise. I also snack on two to three fruits a day, one at ten, one at three, and one at five. This was I could get over my food control obsession whilst still eating healthy.
That's good to hear. Like I said, I've never had to lose a large amount of weight, so I feel a bit off offering advice at all because I truly don't know what it's like. It's a bit like someone who jumped off a diving board offering skydiving lessons. I'm not sure it's my place to say anything at all. I just know it's a horrific struggle a lot of people fight with so much. I've watched people close to me devote so much energy to detesting themselves because of what they weigh despite there being so much beauty in them. I just think maybe if any of this can ease someone's struggles, even just a little, it's worth a shot
I really like the points you made. The calorie counting thing I've heard so much negativity about. The same with bathroom scales and such. They make people obsessive and miserable-- which is counter-productive to their end goal. I can't remember but I think I've heard it suggested you say to hell with calorie counting. Get smaller plates-- it will look like you have more food. Reserve weighing yourself to once a week-- or better yet, once a month.
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Haha I used to (and still do to an extent) rely on apples so much. Not obsessively, but similar to the water, if I felt myself getting munchy I'd go cut up an apple or two. The activity distracted me from being as hungry (that was another thing I forgot to mention in the post- when you get munchy, try and do some other activity to distract yourself), took more time than just grabbing an apple whole, and helped reduce my hunger. The rule of thumb was: I can absolutely eat as much as I wanted to eat-- provided it was an apple. Or a cucumber.
But cucumbers are just all around beneficial.
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I have a feeling the person who posted this post may well be a bot, but hopefully if someone who is interested stumbles across it some of these things people have brought up will help
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Sadly I don't think there's any easy way, but that doesn't mean it should have to be a horrendous nightmare, either. As you said, it's the psychology of the thing as much as anything. Little steps instead of drastic leaps-- you'll hopefully get there eventually, and hurt yourself far less along the way
It definitely has to be a lifestyle change. And it needs to happen slowly. But I've found for me personally that if I don't track it I can't bring myself to care enough to make a good choice. Also, I don't do as well with eating foods that met my nutritional needs if I don't track them. Weighing everyday is excessive, obsessive, and wildly inaccurate. You should also take your weight with a grain of salt. The human body can fluctuate in weight as much as 5 lbs in the course of a single day with no real indication of health. So while I weigh weekly, what I am really tracking is the trends and not so much any given single recording.
Tracking also gives you something to show your doctor. Most of us can't tell you what we are for dinner 2 days ago, let alone give a comprehensive answer to what our dietary intake looks like. But if you are tracking you can show what your tracking to a doctor or nutritionist and they can work with you within the framework of what has been normal for you.
I think the key here is that you aren't tracking your calorie intake. You are tracking your dietary intake. The first week I tracked, I was eating around 3,000 calories a day. It wasn't about tracking the calories, and it shouldn't be. It's about keeping a record of what your putting in your body so that you can use that record to make informed changes over time.
If I don't track what I eat I have no idea what I'm eating.
Also also, it may seem like a great idea to use artificial sweeteners. It isn't. Anything that promises you sweet but doesn't cost you calories isn't a good thing for you. If you consume no/low calorie sweeteners often (even the natural ones) you confuse your body. You are designed to know you need a certain amount if calories (energy) and believe sugar is high in calories (energy) and if you tell your body, hey, not as true as you thought, it doesn't think "don't need sugar" it thinks "need more sweet to make same energy" which means eating something like an apple your body thinks it needs more than it does.
However, as with all things consult your doctor. While soda isn't ever good for you, it's not realistic for everyone to cut it out of their diets entirely all at once. And this goes for other things too. While no/low calorie sweeteners have the problem where they trick your brain, they still may be a better option than real sugar for those with certain health conditions.
Even the most knowledgeable person on the internet doesn't know your specific health situation and can't cover all of the exceptions to any given rule. So while the internet is a great resource for getting ideas, talking to your physician should always be the final authority.
Nah in all seriousness, just monitor your calorie intake and don't go fast, give your metabolism time to adjust or it'll come back with a vengeance.
-When you get the urge to snack, drink water. A lot of water. Try and make a point that you won't have a snack until you've downed at least half to a full glass or bottle of water.
-Don't cut things out entirely. It's perfectly fine to indulge if you get an intense craving-- but do it in extreme moderation. It's better to give in and eat a chocolate bar than try and resist and eat 6 muffins instead (yes, extreme example. It's late, I'm tired, cut me some slack).
-Sugar in particular operates almost like an addiction in our bodies, and you'll probably do better at reducing over time rather than just waking up and saying "that's it, I'm off sugar for life!"
-Eat slower. Find some way to slow the process. Take bites less frequently, chew the food longer. Whatever. Just slow down.
-Try to avoid pop. It's just bad for you. Juice isn't great either. Water is your best friend.
-May just be me personally, but I cut bread pretty much entirely out of my diet when I was losing a bit of weight. I never have been a big bread eater to begin with, however. But grain breads are preferable to white either way. Which, again, is well-known, but still
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Haha I used to (and still do to an extent) rely on apples so much. Not obsessively, but similar to the water, if I felt myself getting munchy I'd go cut up an apple or two. The activity distracted me from being as hungry (that was another thing I forgot to mention in the post- when you get munchy, try and do some other activity to distract yourself), took more time than just grabbing an apple whole, and helped reduce my hunger. The rule of thumb was: I can absolutely eat as much as I wanted to eat-- provided it was an apple. Or a cucumber.
'
I have a feeling the person who posted this post may well be a bot, but hopefully if someone who is interested stumbles across it some of these things people have brought up will help
'
Sadly I don't think there's any easy way, but that doesn't mean it should have to be a horrendous nightmare, either. As you said, it's the psychology of the thing as much as anything. Little steps instead of drastic leaps-- you'll hopefully get there eventually, and hurt yourself far less along the way
Tracking also gives you something to show your doctor. Most of us can't tell you what we are for dinner 2 days ago, let alone give a comprehensive answer to what our dietary intake looks like. But if you are tracking you can show what your tracking to a doctor or nutritionist and they can work with you within the framework of what has been normal for you.
If I don't track what I eat I have no idea what I'm eating.