The most reliable method to lose weight and keep it off?

[Dottleshead]

Watching calorie intake, sugar/carb intake and exercise over a prolonged period of time are what I know. Is this still the best way?  I had a coworker voluntarily have a stomach bypass in his 30s because he knew weight was going to be a problem for him and it worked.  But that was pretty radical.  MIL is on some diabetes drug that is expensive but helps regulate her insulin and drops weight.  Anybody else have any tips or recommendations to promote weight loss?  I'm not looking for the quick diets.  Or pay big bucks for a meal routine that will make you go broke and get fatter in the long run.  How about professional nutritionists?  Personal trainers?  I don''t know.  I know what I need to be eating and i know what and how to exercise.  Not sure paying big bucks for either of those two is the right route either.  It's really commitment and self-accountability -- and no excuses. I guess a trainer could help with the exercise commitment but nobody but me can control what I eat. But that's much easier said than done. How about intermittent fasting?

Thoughts you not so fat bastards?

[Dottleshead]

 

12 tips to help you lose weight

1. Do not skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight. ...
2. Eat regular meals. ...
3. Eat plenty of fruit and veg. ...
4. Get more active. ...
5. Drink plenty of water. ...
6. Eat high fibre foods. ...
7. Read food labels. ...
8. Use a smaller plate.

 

[Razors Edge ★]

14 minutes ago, Dottles said:

Thoughts you not so fat bastards?

Exercise and healthy eating.

But, as I suggest to everyone, a food journal and an exercise tracker are helpful.  IOW - keep track of everything you eat, when you eat it, and how much of it you eat.  Same with tracking your activity - especially exercise. 

[Dottleshead]

2 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Exercise and healthy eating.

But, as I suggest to everyone, a food journal and an exercise tracker are helpful.  IOW - keep track of everything you eat, when you eat it, and how much of it you eat.  Same with tracking your activity - especially exercise. 

Yeah, those are good ideas.  I often start out that way and then drop it over time.  Another good idea is to weigh yourself every morning. It keeps it in your mind's eye.

[bikeman564™]

get a BCC and ride 200 miles a week

[Razors Edge ★]

5 minutes ago, bikeman564™ said:

get a BCC and ride 200 miles a week

What if it is cold, wet, dark, early, late, snowy, too hot, too cold, inconvenient, a football games is on, a hockey game is on, a basketball game is on, a tennis match is on, the new Real Housewives is on, or the ....

[bikeman564™]

3 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

What if it is cold, wet, dark, early, late, snowy, too hot, too cold, inconvenient, a football games is on, a hockey game is on, a basketball game is on, a tennis match is on, the new Real Housewives is on, or the ....

fat bike. quit making life so complicated

[Razors Edge ★]

11 minutes ago, Dottles said:

Yeah, those are good ideas.  I often start out that way and then drop it over time.  Another good idea is to weigh yourself every morning. It keeps it in your mind's eye.

What is your exercise game plan as of today (not for today)?  The gym? Your bike? A home treadmill? 

I'd also suggest getting a meal delivery service and only eating that meal for dinner & calling it a night.   Those meals are appropriately sized, so you won't be going overboard for your main meal.

[Dottleshead]

I have a semi-recumbant stationary bike that allows me to work out and watch this crap:

Quote

 

What if it is cold, wet, dark, early, late, snowy, too hot, too cold, inconvenient, a football games is on, a hockey game is on, a basketball game is on, a tennis match is on, the new Real Housewives is on, or the ....

 

[shootingstar]

40 minutes ago, Dottles said:

12 tips to help you lose weight

1. Do not skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight. ...
2. Eat regular meals. ...
3. Eat plenty of fruit and veg. ...
4. Get more active. ...
5. Drink plenty of water. ...
6. Eat high fibre foods. ...
7. Read food labels. ...
8. Use a smaller plate.

Eat 80% full...meaning how you feel. It's centuries old way for traditional Okinawans.

Also try to eat dinner earlier in day 5:00 pm but  meaning don't start eating after 7:00 pm or so.  So body burns off calories for long enough until you wake up for breakfast next day.

Everyone's body is different: for myself I actually eat only 1 sizable meal each day. It is primarily dinner or it's lunch. Latter is if I have fulsome brunch or lunch which is restaurant meal, then I go very light on dinner. 

If one snacks too often throughout the day, that actually elevates one's insulin. Snacking like this is fine if cycling for several hrs.

Have favourite garment you wear and can fit post weight-loss.  I don't weigh myself all the time but I'm reminded of certain jeans I wear...with a belt.

[Razors Edge ★]

5 minutes ago, Dottles said:

I have a semi-recumbant stationary bike that allows me to work out and watch this crap:

Good.

One thing to note, though, is if you can focus on and follow a TV show, movie, or podcast while exercising, you likely aren't exercising hard enough.  Yes, there is a place for those long, slowish, meditative rides, but those are fillers for the higher intensity stuff that helps get the metabolism kicking.

[Dottleshead]

30 minutes ago, Razors Edge said:

Good.

One thing to note, though, is if you can focus on and follow a TV show, movie, or podcast while exercising, you likely aren't exercising hard enough.  Yes, there is a place for those long, slowish, meditative rides, but those are fillers for the higher intensity stuff that helps get the metabolism kicking.

The first step is to establish a routine.  Ingrain that routine until it becomes habit.  Start easy in that routine.  Challenge yourself later while keeping the routine.  Eat a Mediterranean diet. Stick to it.  Avoid sugar as much as possible.

[Razors Edge ★]

6 minutes ago, Dottles said:

The first step is to establish a routine.  Ingrain that routine until it becomes habit.  Start easy in that routine.  Challenge yourself later while keeping the routine.  Eat a Mediterranean diet. Stick to it.  Avoid sugar as much as possible.

I think the real first step is to NOT BEAT YOURSELF UP regardless of whether this works or not.  

You'll get there - or you won't - but your value as a person is infinitely greater than your ability to eat right, get in shape, read more, work harder, connect more, etc..

So, just start chipping away. Do what you can, and when/if you get into a good routine and form some helpful habits, that's great!  But we like you regardless.

[MoseySusan ★]

Here’s a rehab routine. It works to get you out of old habits.
1. 80% of full is wisdom. Your stomach is the size of a loosely held fist.
2. Eat mindfully. Chew slowly because your sense of taste and texture is in your mouth. Put down the fork between bites. Take a break after ten minutes. Assess your level of fullness before you think you need to keep eating. Pick the best bites, mindful of 80% of a loosely held fist. 
3. Eat when hungry. Find out what your hunger signals are. Assess your hunger level:  1 is a craving but not hungry, 2 is peckish, 3 is ready for a full meal, 4 is bonking. If you eat at a 2, you will store calories. If you wait for a 4, there’s a risk of unwise choices. Eat mindfully when you’re hungry. Snacks of fewer than 100 calories can help when you’re at level 2+, but meal time is an hour or two away. Think of snacks as a placeholder for level 3 hunger; just a bite to ward off a level 4 meltdown. 
4. Drink +\- 80 ounces of water. It helps ease off sugar. Mix orange juice to water 1:7 ratio to really help ease off sugar. Other fruit juice works, too. 
5. Active every day. Your organs like it when you move. Your muscles like it. Your bones like resistance and bearing weight. 
6. Intermittent fasting means close the kitchen after 8-10 hours of being open. Find the time window that works for you. I open the kitchen at 10:00 and close it at 6:00. mr. and 2nd son open at 8:00 and close at 6:00. 

[JerrySTL ★]

Diet and exercise are probably the cheapest ways to lose weight. Except if the exercise is cycling. Then even stomach bypass might be cheaper. 

[MickinMD ★]

In 2012-13, after I realized I wasn't losing weight from getting a lot of cycling and other exercise alone, I went from 294 to 229 lbs by counting calories.  Then I had some injuries, got lazy etc. and gained it back.  In 2022 I went from 297 to 273 lbs the same way.  A change in meds has resulted in a lot of water weight gain, but I expect to get back on track in weight terms during 2023 as my meds change a little.

There's a free People One Health site that has an app where you enter your current weight, age, other statistics and your weight loss goal and your given a daily Calorie range to achieve it.  That has worked for me twice.  Of course, keeping it off means sticking to your new diet.

[maddmaxx ★]

Stop eating snacks unless it's an apple or celery type snack.

 

None.............not just a few or occasionally.............none.

Stop drinking...................none.  There are tons of calories in beer.

[ChrisL]

3 hours ago, Dottles said:

12 tips to help you lose weight

1. Do not skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight. ...
2. Eat regular meals. ...
3. Eat plenty of fruit and veg. ...
4. Get more active. ...
5. Drink plenty of water. ...
6. Eat high fibre foods. ...
7. Read food labels. ...
8. Use a smaller plate.

I think it’s OK to skip meals assuming there is no medical reason why you should be eating them.  Otherwise all of the above are correct.

I’m about 15 months on Ozempic and it has done wonders for me keeping my weight down.  I still hit the wall quickly and just can’t eat as much as I used to.  Knowing I’ll get sick if I over eat I downsize portions.  So more than anything for me, portion control is what keeps my weight down.

[Kirby ★]

I think your original plan is what's worked best for me.  When I focus on losing weight, an online calorie/nutrition counter like my fitness pal really works.  Makes me realize how many mindless calories I eat.  Once you have a pattern down, in theory you could stop using it and still be ok.  But when I don't use it, I tend to revert and gain back at least some of what I lost. Plus it's free, so it doesn't cost anything to try it.

[Parr8hed]

1 hour ago, MoseySusan said:

Here’s a rehab routine. It works to get you out of old habits.
1. 80% of full is wisdom. Your stomach is the size of a loosely held fist.
2. Eat mindfully. Chew slowly because your sense of taste and texture is in your mouth. Put down the fork between bites. Take a break after ten minutes. Assess your level of fullness before you think you need to keep eating. Pick the best bites, mindful of 80% of a loosely held fist. 
3. Eat when hungry. Find out what your hunger signals are. Assess your hunger level:  1 is a craving but not hungry, 2 is peckish, 3 is ready for a full meal, 4 is bonking. If you eat at a 2, you will store calories. If you wait for a 4, there’s a risk of unwise choices. Eat mindfully when you’re hungry. Snacks of fewer than 100 calories can help when you’re at level 2+, but meal time is an hour or two away. Think of snacks as a placeholder for level 3 hunger; just a bite to ward off a level 4 meltdown. 
4. Drink +\- 80 ounces of water. It helps ease off sugar. Mix orange juice to water 1:7 ratio to really help ease off sugar. Other fruit juice works, too. 
5. Active every day. Your organs like it when you move. Your muscles like it. Your bones like resistance and bearing weight. 
6. Intermittent fasting means close the kitchen after 8-10 hours of being open. Find the time window that works for you. I open the kitchen at 10:00 and close it at 6:00. mr. and 2nd son open at 8:00 and close at 6:00. 

No bullshit, this is actually amazing advice.  

[12string]

Paying a nutritionist and trainer is a good way to establish a personal accountability routine.  They won't allow you NOT to.

Once you get bit by the exercise bug, it's hard to quit.

A pretty large guy got in the lane next to me the other day.  He mentioned that he's been swimming regularly for a few months now.  Already dropped 140 pounds.

Swimming will reshape your body faster and safer than any other exercise

[petitepedal ★]

I think  portion control is huge...along with not letting yourself get too hungry...but I mean hungry not the I need a snack or emotional eating....if you get too hungry..it is easy to over eat. And exercise for fitness...do what you enjoy..cos if you don't  like it you won't do it.  Personally I am a big fan of walking...because it is inexpensive and low impact.

[jsharr ★]

4 hours ago, Razors Edge said:

What if it is cold, wet, dark, early, late, snowy, too hot, too cold, inconvenient, a football games is on, a hockey game is on, a basketball game is on, a tennis match is on, the new Real Housewives is on, or the ....

First we should clarify WHAT and WHERE he is riding.... 

[MoseySusan ★]

1 hour ago, Parr8hed said:

No bullshit, this is actually amazing advice.  

It's the basic skills of the 24-week Wondr program. My HMO gave it to members as a benefit. 

The other part of the program is therapy for managing stress and emotions. I've lost 25 pounds so far.

[Prophet Zacharia]

Meth. Although IIRC you’ve put a lot of money into your dental work. So maybe not.

[Prophet Zacharia]

8 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

The other part of the program is therapy for managing stress and emotions.

I think this is the under appreciated aspect. A lot of people stress eat (and drink).

[Razors Edge ★]

14 minutes ago, MoseySusan said:

It's the basic skills of the 24-week Wondr program. My HMO gave it to members as a benefit. 

The other part of the program is therapy for managing stress and emotions. I've lost 25 pounds so far.

 

5 minutes ago, Prophet Zacharia said:

I think this is the under appreciated aspect. A lot of people stress eat (and drink).

I was actually thinking this same thought on my lunch walk today with my wife.  A few people we know are almost paralyzed by various things right now, and some therapy & maybe even medications might be a route to get folks to moving.  It's often hard to do the things folks "need" to do to get healthy when there is a barrier - like anxiety or depression - blocking the path.

[groupw]

I weigh my self each morning after my shower. I eat mindfully.  Even my snacks are planned. Not saying I NEVER have unplanned food, but if I do, I adjust my intake the rest of the day.
I exercise regularly with 1-2 rest days/week. Sometimes my exercise is pulling weeds. Hard to track, but I lost weight on Monday just doing that. 
Big one - don’t get satisfied. I’ve done that twice in my life. The weight sneaks back on. 

[Ralphie ★]

5 hours ago, Dottles said:

Thoughts you not so fat bastards?

I’m oot!  I can tell you all the wrong things to do but you already know that. 

[jsharr ★]

Lunch

 

[jsharr ★]

1 hour ago, jsharr said:

Lunch

Ate the chicken, broccoli and eggs and about half the lettuce.

[Randomguy]

7 hours ago, Dottles said:

12 tips to help you lose weight

1. Do not skip breakfast. Skipping breakfast will not help you lose weight. ...
2. Eat regular meals. ...
3. Eat plenty of fruit and veg. ...
4. Get more active. ...
5. Drink plenty of water. ...
6. Eat high fibre foods. ...
7. Read food labels. ...
8. Use a smaller plate.

Ok, #1 is the stupidest "tip" out there.  Skipping breakfast is a great way to skip calories.  Seriously, don't follow anything that says to not skip breakfast, it is absolutely dumb.  Regular meals?  Also dumber than shit.

Skip breakfast, skip occasional meals, fast a whole day once every couple of weeks, eat non-processed healthyish foods, not too much at any one time, get rid of additional sugar, and don't eat anything used to fatten livestock.

All of these are best practices for losing weight, but they are much easier to say than to do.  You gotta come up with the willpower to do those things.

[jsharr ★]

5 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

Stop eating snacks unless it's an apple or celery type snack.

None.............not just a few or occasionally.............none.

Stop drinking...................none.  There are tons of calories in beer.

Snacks will end up killing me.  My tombstone should be one of this big plastic jugs of cheese balls.

[Bikeguy]

5 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

Stop eating snacks unless it's an apple or celery type snack.

None.............not just a few or occasionally.............none.

Yeah... that's my kryptonite...  snacks.     

I've been slowly loosing weight over the last few years.   I've  plateaued...  stuck at 219 for a while now.  

I just need to loose 19 more pounds to be in the normal BMI range. 

5 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

Stop drinking...................none.  There are tons of calories in beer.

   I'll just eat less. 

Actually we do eat less now.   When we go to eat, most times we will probably eat 1/2 of the meal and bring the rest home. 

[Further]

1 hour ago, Bikeguy said:

6 hours ago, maddmaxx said:

Stop drinking...................none.  There are tons of calories in beer.

   I'll just eat less. 

My thoughts exactly 

[Ralphie ★]

34 minutes ago, Further said:

My thoughts exactly 

I’ve been trying that but it is snot easy. I have cut down on the beer though.  I try to switch to water sooner but that is also a tall order. I have always been disappointed that I try to eat a veggie-centric diet yet I am stuck. Old age and a long commute and sedentary job are a bad combo. 

[Dottleshead]

I don’t drink alcohol. So in one sense it makes it easier

[shootingstar]

42 minutes ago, Dottles said:

I don’t drink alcohol. So in one sense it makes it easier

Methinks each of us have some good habits we might be taking for granted  in addition, to other habits which are trying to change or know to change.

We need to be kinder to ourselves and remember the good natural habits, while also trying to change other habits.

In a way, I feel "blessed" I couldn't get hooked on alcohol, because of my allergy to alcohol, which seems genetic .... affecting several family members.  But for first few decades of life, I cursed I had this "problem". 

1 hour ago, Ralphie said:

I’ve been trying that but it is snot easy. I have cut down on the beer though.  I try to switch to water sooner but that is also a tall order. I have always been disappointed that I try to eat a veggie-centric diet yet I am stuck. Old age and a long commute and sedentary job are a bad combo. 

I find drinking water (aside from when cycling/snowshoeing/hiking), very boring.  I always have. So I drink lots of tea (or coffee) with milk but no sugar.  Creates other problems which affects sleep. So I've found green or jasmine tea (no sugar), better for me in especially evenings.  

I agree our metabolism tends to naturally slow down a bit at each decade after 50. It gets more complicated if certain prescribed medications later in life, also causes weight gain ...which happened to dearie.

4 hours ago, Randomguy said:

Ok, #1 is the stupidest "tip" out there.  Skipping breakfast is a great way to skip calories.  Seriously, don't follow anything that says to not skip breakfast, it is absolutely dumb.  Regular meals?  Also dumber than shit.

Skip breakfast, skip occasional meals, fast a whole day once every couple of weeks, eat non-processed healthyish foods, not too much at any one time, get rid of additional sugar, and don't eat anything used to fatten livestock.

All of these are best practices for losing weight, but they are much easier to say than to do.  You gotta come up with the willpower to do those things.

Though I don't make my own pasta, generally speaking alot of what I eat at home, is non-processed 95% of time. It is more how I was raised as a child and because I don't have serious daily life schedule demands as a parent of young children, I have time to prepare meals.  

So just never bothered to change drastically of what I bought a grocery store.  Nothing to do with self-discipline.