Ask the readers: Best Weight Loss Tip?

Jeremy Says:

June 29th, 2007, 8:22 am

My tip is water water water. I had kind of hit a wall, and finally started drinking at least 3 liters of water a day (and cut out most of my caffeine) and it kickstarted my metabolism quite a bit, there’s a reason it’s always recommended.

Goal Setting College Says:

June 29th, 2007, 8:40 am

Go for a backpacking holiday, carrying a 9kg backpack and running with it for close to 20 minutes to the railway station. Most importantly, control your diet during the trip (i.e. eat nothing more than just water and salads)

I think I lost 7 pounds from that 15 day trip itself :D

At the end of the day, it’s back to a good healthy diet, lots of water and a good workout!

Cheers, Ellesse

coxy Says:

June 29th, 2007, 8:40 am

be very, very vain.

Paul Says:

June 29th, 2007, 8:44 am

1) Proper diet, including water
2) Exercise, exercise, exercise
3) Regular sleep schedule

Finally:
4) If you drink diet soda… just stop. Trust me.

Tony Says:

June 29th, 2007, 8:48 am

Exercise, any kind any time. Sure there are better times and better excercises for fat burning, but they all beat sitting on the couch.

Fitness Destinations Says:

June 29th, 2007, 8:55 am

Do cardiovascular training in the morning before you eat breakfast.

This forces your body to utilize stored bodyfat for energy rather than carbohydrates, since you are in a carb-depleted stated after having not eating for 8 to 10 hours.

If I had to fall back on one fitness tip to use for the rest of my life, foregoing all others, it would be that one!

- Aaron

dan Says:

June 29th, 2007, 8:59 am

I’ve lost 15 pounds this summer, after gaining quite a bit in college, and I have to say the secret for me is to never be happy so long as you’re not at your prime. It sounds a little scary, but you have to accept that you’re not as good as you can be, and then go for what is as good as you can be. It’s not the best thing for everyone, I don’t doubt, but if you’re doing it healthily (I personally bike 20+ miles a day) you’ll feel extremely rewarded when you do become as good as you can be.

Matt Heinz Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:00 am

SparkPeople.com. It’s not a fitness site, it’s a lifestyle change that’s sustainable. I’ve lost 15 points in four weeks, and counting. I don’t even feel like I’m dieting.

Here’s what I wrote about SparkPeople, and why I think it works so well:

http://mattonmarketing.blogspot.com/2007/06/blueprint-for-successful-online.html

Joel Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:03 am

I tend to not want to work out… ever. I do right up until the point where I start, then normally rationalize it away. I can get around this by stepping back and putting things into perspective. I look at why I want to exercise. Typically, once I’ve thought about it, I can do it.

I think that my natural tendency is to eat junk and be lazy. This easily can become my better half, until I think about things in the above manner.

That would be my best advice — remember to keep your goals in sight and put life into perspective.

Dave M Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:03 am

My 5 Word Diet Plan - and the only one that works: Eat Less and Move More! :-)

That plan is pretty much summed up on this very simple and straightforward website - http://www.theloseweightdiet.com/

Mike Kingscott Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:03 am

As Jeremy says, drinking lots of water (but not too much) is a good start. Regular *aerobic* exercise certainly helps, for a period of at least 40 minutes. When I was training for my black belt, I lost about 12 pounds over a month and a half period. I was doing martial arts training 4 times a week and I was down the gym 3 times a week as well. What really made the difference was upping my running from 20 minutes to 40 minutes.

If you can’t run, start slow by walking for 9 minutes and jog for 1 minute. Do that a couple of times and then slowly exchange the minutes walking for minutes running. For someone who couldn’t run at all a few years ago and now can, it’s a good way to start.

Lay off the rubbish food as well, apart from one day a week where you can eat what you like - it’ll help you stick to it and you won’t have the temptation to eat rubbish all the time…

William Mize Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:04 am

I’m a vegetarian, but with crappy eating habits (I mean Domino’s Cheese pizza is vegetarian, right?).
a) A big change came when I started eating according to the Glycemic Index, sticking with low and medium index foods.
b) Buy a pedometer and try to get 10,000 steps per day in. That’s about 5 miles +/- depending on your stride length.
c) Investigate SimpleFit, CrossFit or even calisthenics that don’t require a gym or equipment. Keep moving.
d) Be mindful of what you are eating. Keep a food journal or diary. Seeing it in writing always gives it weight and helps reveal patterns or triggers.
e) Sodas, even Diet Sodas are teh evil. Just say no.

Cecily T Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:06 am

I have to say the best tip is one of Leo’s…the 30-day challenge to make something a habit really helps make exercise a no-brainer. When I just promised myself that I’d do my cardio ‘most days’ I’d wait until the late afternoon and then somehow it would slip away and I’d promise to do it ‘tomorrow’. Making myself do it every day without fail made it easy; I didn’t have to think about it. The first step is getting yourself to do it, after that, the gains are much easier to make.

Cheers!

Jonathan W. Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:12 am

Dear Zenhabits,

We are trained, in America, often from a early age, that not to eat everything which is put in front of us. Yet, I submit that this early training, while once related to good manners, now gets us into trouble with weight more often than not, because what is “put in front of us” at restaurants and the like is not good for us, and is often too much for us.

In a more “zenlike” direction, we should often pause and reflect on actions we take, especially so as to avoid feeding desires negatively. Desires which we have for things are good, but if misdirected, can lead to negative consequences, physically, but also spiritually. We must take care that in avoiding misdirection in one area (overeating, for instance), we do not substitute something else (overindulgence in some other way - exercise, for instance, is unhealthy when taken to an extreme).

-j.

John W Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:14 am

I lost ~15-20 pounds over the last three months by switching most of my food over to raw fruits, veggies and nuts. I didn’t really change anything else. Of course that means that I no longer have a sandwich the size of my head and a bag of potato chips for lunch…

Sarah Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:15 am

I read a tip I thought was clever in a magazine. Brush your teeth early in the evening rather than just before bed. It keeps you from snacking if you’re not really hungry. It’s so true! Just this week I turned down a midnight snack my husband offered because I had already brushed my teeth :-)

You won’t loose tons of weight - but it’s a clever tip to combine with simply eating less crap ;-)

Ariel Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:17 am

My top tip: cut wheat-flour based products out of your diet.

I stopped eating bread (and pasta, and pastry) when my wife was advised to switch to a gluten free diet for medical reasons, and I lost about 18 pounds in 12 months as a result, without particularly increasing my exercise rate (and I’ve since started going to the gym about 1.5 times per week on average and have lost a further 6 or 7 pounds).

Wheat is surprisingly easy to replace when you start thinking about it - rice, oats (still some gluten there, but a lot less), more vegetables… I still miss pie and chips, but I console myself with plenty of Friday night curries… :)

Patricia Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:23 am

Portion control used with the 20 minute wait time. This means to waiting 20 minutes after eating the sensible portions, and then see if you still feel hungry. Nine times out of ten, you won’t. If you do, get a little more!

And, of course, my mantra: Eat less; move more.

John-o Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:29 am

I lost over 100 pounds and I can tell you that there is no single act that will contribute to a significant weight loss that a person can maintain. Diet is ephemeral.

To be successful you need to change your life. You need to take control of the bad habits you have turned into an unhealthy life.

You need to be excited about it too. The greatest gift any human being has ever been given is the ability to reinvent themselves. Buying pants with a 32-inch waist and being attractive to the opposite sex for the first time is something to look forward to.

Lastly, you have to believe that you can do it. Dreams turn into reality very quickly when you work hard.

marie sans importance Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:33 am

My tips (I’ve lost 10 kilograms with them) :

1. exercice 3 times per week
2. never, never, never eat between the 3 main meals
3. eat what your want when it is time to eat

Sorry because I don’t speak very well English (I’m French ;-)))

Bye from France

Mollie Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:34 am

After I had my daughter (I gained over 50 lbs for a 5 lb baby), I got the baby weight off by walking everywhere. I also carried her a lot in a front carrier or sling so I was carrying an additional 5 lbs on me as well. I also was very careful about what I ate. If what I ate was processed, I looked for food where I could pronounce all the ingredients. My personal belief is keep it as nautral as possible. That and a wonderful mindset. Visualize what you look like as a HEALTHY person, not a freakishly skinny society driven zombie.

Mer @ Living Behind The Curve Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:35 am

My best tip? Don’t try to lose weight. The number one indicator of excessive weight gain in the future is attempting to lose weight in the past. Don’t diet, it won’t last.

Now get up and go get more exercise.

Laura Athavale Fitton Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:35 am

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly vegetables. (Michael Pollan, NYT)

Eat less, exercise more.

Bill Greenfield Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:37 am

I’ve lost 94lbs and counting in just under 2 years with a loose version of weight watchers. I call it a lose version because I’ve never gone to meetings (online only) and never followed it 100% but stick to the basic principles of eating the number of points I’m supposed to eat everyday.

***Until three months ago, I didn’t exercise at all***

The exercise is opening up new worlds for me but all of my weight loss was achieved through diet alone. I haven’t really changed what I eat as much as the PORTIONS of what I eat. Previous diets didn’t work for me because certain foods were banned so I gave up after a couple weeks. With this new “lifestyle change” I still eat chocolate, chips, or whatever my craving of the day is but I’ve learned to eat ONE SERVING instead of ONE CUBIC TON. My doctor gave his seal of approval from the beginning because this style of weight loss teaches a balanced healthy diet as apposed to a fad diet that cuts out vital parts of what the body needs (such as carbs, fats, etc)

Be encouraged! Shoot for healthy lifestyle changes in your eating habits as opposed to short-term diet fads.

dhk Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:47 am

Ultimately weight loss is about the balance between calories taken in and calories burned. So by far the most important tip is to know what this means for YOU.

Take the weight you want to be and the activity level that you maintain and calculate the number of calories that you should eat to maintain that weight. There are lots of good resources for this information, but one is the No-Fad Diet Book from the American Heart Association.

Now you have to eat fewer calories than this number, on average, over time to lose weight and achieve your target. So the second most important tip is to know how many calories you actually eat.

You need to keep a food diary with full daily calorie calculations. Write down everything. You will be amazed at how much you learn about your eating habits from this.

MacKash Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:57 am

No matter how much you want a change in your life, nothing will happen until you DO something… Every night I would tell myself that I’m going to wake up early the next day to run before work, but the alarm would go off, and I would snooze until I was late for work. You can talk about starting an exercise regiment and eating healthier foods all you want, but nothing will change until you START DOING IT.

My biggest obstacles were beer and my bathroom scale. I had just turned 21 when I decided I wanted to seriously lose some weight and it was tought when all of my friends called me 4-5 times a week to go out to a bar.. I cut out drinking, and stopped being a slave to my scale and I lost 35 pounds since december.. Now I either run or bike every morning.. If I wake up too tired to do either, I jump rope in my garage for 20 minutes or so, or even just take the dogs for a nice long walk after dinner.. The most important thing is to always stay active, cut out the sugar (espeically sugary drinks –all empty calories), and stop watching the scale everyday.. If your going to weigh yourself at all, do it once a week as soon as you wake up (after using the bathroom) That seemed to be most consistant with me.
Enjoy the journey, theres no better feeling that being healthy!

Dan Says:

June 29th, 2007, 9:58 am

I agree in part with Jeremy when he says water, water, water. The difference with me was that by water, I’ve found that swimming has been the most successful component of my 60 pound weight loss during the last nine months. The other key steps I took were 1. No fast food… period. Not even occasionally. 2. No sugary drinks (this could come back to haunt me later because I’m up to about 10 diet pepsis a day), and 3. moderate weight training. I joined a gym and the money I’ve saved on big macs has been more than enough to pay for the gym membership dues. I have no intention of becoming a body builder, but working out with weights has really accelerated my fat loss. But the one consistent thing I’ve done is swim, swim, swim. It’s amazing what effect that can have on your strength and endurance. I know there are other things I should be doing, but these few adjustments to my lifestyle have been very effective for me, and now that these have become a habit for me (thank you zenhabits for all the encouragement on how to develop habits!) it doesn’t feel like I’m missing out on anything that I used to do.

Andy Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:02 am

I can’t really talk here - I’m not at my optimum weight.

But to my way of thinking, you need to commit to one diet - and stick to it for life. The latest low-calorie plan may work fine … until you stop using it.

The best way to start is to make a list of low-calorie foods that you love, that you find satisfying; and when you’re hungry make sure you eat lots of those foods.

Other than that? Eat sensibly, get enough exercise.

Juggling Frogs Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:07 am

I’m a mother of five kids, and hate to waste food. It is easy to absorb ‘invisible’ calories when clearing the table.

I learned to stop doing this, by allowing myself to eat ’scraps’ only from a fresh plate while sitting.

I *can* still eat that sandwich crust, or finish off that bit of cheese, but it has to go on a clean plate. I have to eat it while sitting down at the table, using utensils.

I started this a few years ago. It broke me of the habit of making my body the family garbage disposal.

A dinner plate of bread crusts, smeared spoons of peanut butter and half-eaten pickle slices isn’t tempting at all.

Not only has this saved me from ingesting a ton of calories, but it preserves my dignity and self-respect, making me a better role model for my kids.

Balfour Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:11 am

I’m in the process of trying to lose 20 pounds. Have lost 4 so far, over about 6 weeks. I’m counting total calories–food calories minus exercise calories–and the magic number for a weight loss of a pound a week seems to change over time (different factors: lower body weight needs less calories; less minute to minute activity on some days, apart from “exercise;” and who knows what else). Right now, I’ve been using Leo’s monthly Challenges to check in with the others in the group and this is the most compelling thing that keeps me on track when I fall off the wagon.

David Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:14 am

I have to agree with dhk. I know different diets can work for different people, but it all comes down to calories in and calories out. To make it easier to keep a food diary, I am using a great computer program called Diet Power. You simply put in your weight and your goal weight and what date you want to achieve that weight. The program then tells you how many calories you should eat every day. You put in everything you eat and how much you excercise, the program has a great database with almost any food you can imagine, and if not, you can simply add it yourself.

This it is the only thing that has ever really worked for me. It makes it easy to see where the “big bad calories” are and helps me avoid them. I also know when I can treat myself some ice cream or a cookie.

Scott Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:23 am

Here’s what I’ve found.

1) Don’t diet. Studies have shown it’s not successful, you just end up giving your body a lot of stress, going off the diet, and gaining the way back + more. Instead of dieting, analyze your lifestyle and see what healthy choices to make. It snacks between meals - starving yourself for 6 or 7 hours at a time between lunch and dinner means you will overeat at dinner. Eat slow and you will only eat as much as you need to be full.

2) Lift weights. If you diet or eat right and do cardio, by the time you’ve reached goal weight you are lighter and your metabolism has slowed down. You want to burn fat and add some muscle so it’s easier to keep that fat off - every extra lb of muscle makes you burn more calories just sitting on the couch.

3) Find fun exercise. Join a softball team, commute to work on a bike, whatever. Your strategy should be time-sensitive - only make choices you can see yourself committing to for years. Be it gym, dieting, whatever - temporary won’t work.

4) Track your eating with http://www.thedailyplate.com. Learn about nutrition. Knowledge=Power.

tom Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:26 am

well, to keep it short ;-)
Eat smart (Not Less!!) Exercise well and enjoy!
And most of the above ;-)

Mike Ski Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:27 am

A lot of people have already said good general tips so I’ll put in one that is a bit more unique.

Whenever you eat, think about how much food you would waste by overeating. Your body doesn’t *need* all the food that’s on your plate, why waste it? You could eat the leftovers for lunch the next day and save yourself some money, or you could split it with your loved one and have company while you eat. You could give it to the homeless guy down the block who REALLY needs it. Any reason you find not to waste that food is a good one.

A friend told me once about a study where two people were fed the same lunch, except one was a large lunch and the other’s was a small lunch. After they were done, both of them felt just as satisfied, and both of them got hungry later at the same time. What does this mean? It means any amount of food you eat more than what’s necessary doesn’t give you any benefit! So why waste the money for the second half of that sub when the first half will satisfy you just as much? If you think the second half of that sub may be necessary, what’s the harm in waiting an hour or so and finding out before eating that last half?

greg p Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:33 am

Change your schedule, if possible. If you exercise in the afternoon but overeat while while watching TV at night, try exercising at night. Go to work earlier, Come home later, schedule your walks during times you know you’re vulnerable to snacking. Switch things up to help break bad habits.

I lost about 100 lbs some years back when I started a seond-shift job (3-11pm) — this took me away from the kitchen during my prime snacking times.

JC Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:44 am

One quite good solution is THE book… Not one about what you should eat or not, nor about how bad it is to be fat… The only book I’ve read that is more concerned by the person that is fat than by the fat itself. It’s a book from Allen Carr called “Easy weigh to lose weight”.

It’s mostly talked about good sense and opening your eyes over the truth. I’ve just finished this book and it’s really good, now I know I will do it, I’ll lose weight, eat food without counting every grams and be happy…

It doesn’t really belong here but Allen Carr also wrote a book to help stop smoking… It works very well too…

Paul Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:45 am

Lentils.

Jasmine Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:48 am

Eat six times a day, at least! Spread it out and don’t eat too much at each session, and it’s amazing how much your metabolism can speed up.

John Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:49 am

Portion Control + Exercise you like = weight loss

Your body is very wise, as soon as you go on a strict “diet” it knows and rebels by holding onto weight as much as it can. Portion Control - 1/2 of a sandwich vs. whole, 2 tlbs of fudge ice cream instead of pint, 2 slices of pizza instead of 6 etc, etc. Second - you must exercise. But I have found if you pick an exercise you like vs. one you don’t - magic happens. I am a 51 year old male and this has work wonders for me.

Char Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:50 am

In 2005, I lost 60 pounds and I have been able to keep it off. These tips worked for me:

1) I decided to lose weight for myself. I wanted to be healthier and more physically active. I don’t care that I’m not a perfect size 6. I was beautiful 60 pounds heavier and I’m beautiful now, except now, I can run a mile without feeling like I’m going to cough up a lung.

2) I wrote down everything that I ate and I took note of what I was feeling. I discovered that I ate a lot due to boredom.

3) I tried to get enough water and fiber in my diet. 1 gallon of water and 20-25 grams of fiber was the goal. (Get your fiber from foods, you will feel fuller for longer than if you just buy fiber pills).

4) Exercise, but have fun with it! Ride your bike, dance, walk, play tennis with friends…whatever. Just get out and move.

5) Everything in moderation. If you really want french fries and a hamburger, or ice cream, or a cookie…it’s okay to indulge a little occasionally. Key word, OCCASIONALLY. Better to indulge a little, than to binge later.

6) Learn to cook, from scratch. That way, you control what you are eating.

And finally, 7) Don’t buy into the idea of “diet” foods. I still think it’s better to eat the original food that has been less processed and only eat less.

TomK Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:50 am

The best weight loss tip depends on the way your body is now and what you are trying to achieve.

For people who want to lose 5 or 10 pounds, exercising more, etc, will help.

For people who want to lose 100+ pounds, dealing with the underlying issues of self medicating depression or anxiety is going to be a lot more effective then anything else. Feeling bad about being fat and trying to lose weight, or putting yourself in exercise situations you don’t feel comfortable in are not going to really help until the underlying issues of using food to treat boredom or anxiety or depression. After treating this underlying problem, the good habits will come without nearly so much struggle.

kleanchap Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:53 am

I do running as a part of my weight loss. It is one of the best ways to loose weight. The good thing about running is you WILL burn off the fat, which means you can eat anything you want without feeling guilty. However, if you don’t keep up with the running (or other exercises you do) watch the weight creep back on to you.

Exercising is a life style. It is not a one time event. It is cheap and healthy.

PS - REMEMBER IT IS CHEAPER TO BE HEALTHY THAN BEING SICK.

Val Ann C Says:

June 29th, 2007, 10:55 am

1. Observe your hunger patterns. Choose a bedtime that’s early enough to keep you from after-dinner snacking. Stick to that bed-time. If you must snack before bed, have a something small and healthful. Maybe a tiny portion of whole grain cereal with milk.

2. If you are resistant to exercising, consider volunteer labor. Walk dogs at the animal shelter. (Find a shelter at http://www.petfinder.com. Do beach or riverside clean-ups with a local environmental group. Volunteer on building and repair projects.)

Brent Says:

June 29th, 2007, 11:03 am

I’ve lost 65 pounds over the last year by changing my eating habits. When I started, I determined that this would be a permanent change because if I went back to my old habits I would just gain all the weight again.

The single most important thing that I have done is weigh myself every morning when I get up. This has helped me to know where I am every day and it also motivated me to keep working–especially in the early days when I was losing weight but it wasn’t obvious that I was losing weight.

I also look at calories. A 500-calorie chocolate bar suddenly isn’t all that attractive when compared to a 500-calorie meal that will fill your stomach. Emphasize fresh fruits and vegetables and stay away from white flour, white rice, etc. Avoid calorie-dense foods.

Finally, eating small meals six times a day helps because you never have to feel hungry and your metabolism speeds up.

Michael Gross Says:

June 29th, 2007, 11:03 am

Don’t count calories after you each them, count before. Create a routine for what you eat - for a month, do not think of food as something to be enjoyed, think of it as fuel. The routine that worked for me (and this is terrible by diet standards) was to:

1. Skip Breakfast (a real no-no, so they say)
2. Lunch: Have a “Soup Nutsy” Low Fat Soup with a piece of crusty BROWN bread and carrots and celery for desert.
3. Dinner: Have a 6 inch roasted chicken Sub from Subway on BROWN bread. Lettuce, tomatoes, olives, onions, S&P, Mustard, and Hot Sauce.

A big thing for me was that I was hungry right after certain meals, and would want to eat more, but if you just wait, your body has time to realize that you are actually full! So, I knew what I was having each day and each meal. It was no surprise, and there was no guessing and I knew it would fill me up even if I didn’t immediately think so.

One last thing, and this sounds really terrible, almost like an anorexic, is that when I would get hungry around 11:00AM, I would think of my hunger as a positive. I am hungry, and I am not eating until 12:00, so that means I am losing weight - Good Work!

What worked for me is what Leo often preaches, create a HABIT and that way you have no options and nothing you can give in to. You get the same thing everyday to fill up your gas tank.

Paul H. Says:

June 29th, 2007, 11:05 am

There are lots of effective ways to loose weight, but I’d prefer focusing on body fat reduction while keeping lean mass.

With those goals in mind, Dr. John Berardi has a great nutrition program called Precision Nutrition. He sells it, but you can find most of his program online for free (or at least find ideas to improve your current diet). His program helps you figure out a nutrition plan that is optimal for you and your goals and is not a “one size fits all” sort of plan.

For exercise, I recommend Alwyn Cosgrove. His exercise programs are brutal. They’re published in the “New Rules of Lifting” book and online. Of course, there are many other effective ways to exercise. You definitely want to focus on doing a variety of things such as strength training (like lifting weights), energy systems training (like long distance running AKA Cardio or Aerobic exercise), high intensity work (like sprinting) and low intensity work (such as going for a walk with the kids).

Malin Says:

June 29th, 2007, 11:06 am

I lost 22 pounds during 4-5 months, thanks to using a computer program that helped me keep track of calorie gain and loss through food intake and excercise. It was a wonderful tool that showed how much fat/ carbonates/ protein/ minerals/ vitamins I ate and compared it to the recommended dosages for each. The program was set up with my data and tailored to me and my wishes. It also showed different statistics, which helped me stay motivated.

I had tried so many times before to lose weight but never accomplished much. This time I lost the weight and learned a lot about components and energy of different foods, so afterwards I could keep eating healthy beacause I really knew what I ate.

Now I feel satisfied with much smaller amounts of food, I hardly feel the need to snack at all and I get an hour of excercise outdoors every day. Great results if I may say so :) I don’t think this will help everyone, but it was exactly what I needed.

Leslie M-B Says:

June 29th, 2007, 11:18 am

I’m lazy; I don’t like to exercise a lot, nor do I like strict diets. I’ve learned to lose weight by cutting my daily fat intake to 20g or less and walking or biking briskly for about an hour a day.

I’ve also just about given up on eating dinner; I don’t need it if I’ve been good about eating vegetables during the day. (I’m vegetarian.) I use dinner time for walking.

I also weigh myself twice a day (morning and evening) to keep myself focused and motivated. Having a digital scale that measures to the half pound helps keep me on track.

Chuck Says:

June 29th, 2007, 11:39 am

Adjust your lifestyle so that you expend less calories than you consume. For some, this means exercising more. For others, eating less. For most, both. Just make sure you eat sufficient amounts to prevent your muscle tissue from atrophying.

Scott Says:

June 29th, 2007, 11:53 am

@Michael Gross

That’s horrible advice. Keep your advice to yourself. Not eating til noon only makes you: overeat at lunch, slows your metabolism down, causes muscles to atrophy, is totally unrealistic, and studies show that people who eat breakfast every day are skinnier, stronger, and more productive mentally and physically.

Grayson De Ritis Says:

June 29th, 2007, 11:54 am

From a food standpoint, the following works well with a little discipline… take one of the three meals a day, and make it healthier (veggies, fruits, whole grains, etc.). Combine this with drinking ONLY water when at work, and it’s quite the effective method to lose a few pounds.

From an exercise standpoint, replace your least favorite t.v. show (or DVR/TiVO it) with mild calisthenics for 30 or so minutes.

One and/or the other of the above methods, and you’ll see your waistline drop in the gradually into the near future!

dayatthebeach Says:

June 29th, 2007, 11:58 am

In march of 2006 I had pneumonia. I have a history of asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory ailments, so my doctor told me that I needed to start walking to strengthen my lungs, or the next time I had pneumonia could be my last. I was 36 and 75 pounds overweight. I started walking, got bored, and started running on a treadmill. I got up to 3 miles a day and lost 60 pounds in 7 months. My lungs are 150% better than a year ago. I was sick last October, but haven’t been sick since and this is a record for me. Now I appreciate the hard work and am more inclined to pass on fatty foods because of how important it is for me to stay healthy.

radhead Says:

June 29th, 2007, 12:06 pm

Start rowing (or erging) with a Concept2 rower. It’s a TOTAL body wonderland and great for your psyche!

John Says:

June 29th, 2007, 12:09 pm

Weekly fast. I have lots of difficulty with portion control. On Sunday,(a good day for me, you pick your own), I eat no solid food. I have tea with brewer’s yeast in the morning, V-8 for lunch, and a cup of buttermilk for supper. Lots of water, teas, some juice during the period. I am hungry from time to time, but not terribly so. When I get hungry, I exercise. I am much more free to do that on the weekends, and have a wider variety of options for physical activity(gardening, long walks on the trails, cutting weeds with a sickle, cleaning the basement, etc.) As we all know, the hardest part is getting started. Every week, I end up doing more exercise on my fast day than any other one. I was not so interested in losing weight as in not gaining any. Nevertheless, I am slowly losing a pound or two a week. I don’t worry about anything I eat any other day of the week

Deaf Musician Says:

June 29th, 2007, 12:19 pm

There’s only one tip: Get off your couch and run.

Ben Says:

June 29th, 2007, 12:20 pm

There are three periods in my life where I lost weight.
1. high school football
2. I quit smoking, drinking alcohol, and changed my diet. I also ran 3-5 miles a day for 8 months (before my knees started telling me no)
3. http://crossfit.com/, and http://gymjones.com/ along with the Zone diet.

I would have that your goal of losing weight will fail. Why are you really trying to lose weight? My goal, now, is to be stronger and healthier. I’m a big guy, but with #3 in my list, I’m getting to a point where I’m still a big guy, but losing fat and gaining strength and flexability. I don’t concentrate on losing weight, because a nice body is a result of the other things in your life.

Tips:
1. Make lifestyle changes. Stop drinking caffeine. Stop on the soda. Drink water and juices. Eat fiber, calcium, and protein. You can eat carbs and still lose weight. Don’t over do any of hte good stuff in your diet.
2. Start small. Changing your lifestyle overnight is very bad for your body and your mind. You’ll get sick of eating oatmeal 3 times a day, or grapefruit. Your life should be enjoyable and healthy!
3. Tell people around you what you’re doing. This will keep you motivated to continue. Don’t ask for their support, but say “I’m on this new thing where I’m going to kick my ass at the gym/road/bike today and …” whatever.
4. The most difficult thing for me on my #1 and #2 weightloss experiences were staying with it. As soon as I had a beer when I was on my #2…I stopped running almost completely. I had lost 40 lbs. in 6 months because of running…but gained it all back in a matter of a few years. So, how do you keep motivation? That’s something you’ll have to find yourself. It could be “I’m doing this because I care about how I feel/look/act/appear.” Remember that every small step you take is a step towards where you want to be. I asked someone at the gym last week, who was doing sets of pull ups with 90 lbs strapped to his waist how he does it. He said “I started with one.”
5. Regardless of anything I said above, just move more. The average American walks something like 1/2 mile a day. WALK MORE! It’s amazing what this can do for you. I used to get tired walking a mile to the store when I moved to a city. Now I can walk 7 miles across the city to the beach without thinking about it. Just do it.
6. Remember your priorities. Your health is very important. More important than any diet or shape you might be in. Make sure to keep that in mind.

Mary (MPJ) Says:

June 29th, 2007, 12:26 pm

I was having trouble controlling my appetite after having kids. I was eating healthy vegetarian meals and getting plenty of exercise chasing the kids, but I was still eating a lot and gaining unhealthy weight. I found that getting more sleep (not always possible with kids) and doing meditation and yoga helped. But the thing that made the most dramatic difference (I know this sounds cheezy) was the Shangri-La Diet. I cut out soda and replaced it with sugar water, per Shangri-La, and I have been able to control my appetite and lose weight since.

Kristen Says:

June 29th, 2007, 12:46 pm

The best weight loss tip I’ve got is to not diet—instead you should make a lifestyle change… that’s what I call it anyways. I started making small changes little by little. And since I started a couple months ago I now exercise at least 4 times a week, eat smaller portions, and I have cut fried foods, pop and sweets (except for the weekends… I love chocolate too much) from my diet. The key is that I only attempted to do one of those things at a time, when I got one down I moved on to the next and so far the results are good and I’ve kept with it.

Sam Says:

June 29th, 2007, 12:53 pm

Find motivation other than within yourself. Workout FOR somebody else that you care about (your kids, loved ones, friends etc.). When you don’t feel like working out, remember that you’re doing it for them.

Also, stop the evening eating. You don’t want to eat and then go to sleep. All those calories just sit there unused while you sleep.

Rachael Says:

June 29th, 2007, 12:55 pm

- Focus on health and NOT weight loss. It is far more important that you live a happy, healthy life than look good naked. You’ll thank yourself when you are 80 and still lead an active life.

- Make healthy changes in your life one at a time. If you change everything at once the plan will eventually fail.

- Get an active dog! They will force you to get outside every day, and they make the best excercise companions.

fp64 Says:

June 29th, 2007, 13:13 pm

If you’re a stress eater like me, try sunflower or pumpkin seeds. Lots of chewing, not many calories. Just don’t spit the seeds on the floor.

And a gallon of water and at least a 20 min walk per day.

hak Says:

June 29th, 2007, 13:16 pm

As a “retired” personal trainer, I can say that just about everything listed above will work. Where most people run into a wall is their nutrition. The challenge comes in changing your mindset from using food to satisfy a desire (hunger, reduce depression, etc.) to using food as a fuel.

From my experience, very few people have the discipline to make the big jump to that new mindset over night. Most people who try drastic measures end up quitting within a week and then figure that they’re weak and will never succeed. It creates a viscious yo-yo cycle.

The best approach always seems to be taking a series of baby steps. Little successes lead to big successes. Then, every once in a while, take a big-ass step to help blast you through plateaus.

hak

Travis Says:

June 29th, 2007, 13:18 pm

Dave M already gave the advice I always give -”Eat less, Move more.”

So, instead I’ll say - Derive your self worth from something other than a number on a scale and instead gift yourself a body that will function well to server your noble life’s goals.

You are created perfect, return to that state.

Cynthia Says:

June 29th, 2007, 13:18 pm

Exercise and regularly, building up gradually, plus cutting back on empty calorie foods and sometimes on good foods, too, if we eat too much of them. Especially for women, some kind of weight work is essential. A woman loses a lot of muscle mass each decade she doesn’t exercise, and that makes for very weak old ladies whose muscles can no longer support their bone structure, hence the large number of falls in elderly women with subsequent broken hips, etc.

Balfour Says:

June 29th, 2007, 13:33 pm

hak - please oh please, tell us how one accomplishes your statement:
“changing your mindset from using food to satisfy a desire (hunger, reduce depression, etc.) to using food as a fuel.’

The former is totally true of me - I put on weight after a major, bad life change, which I dealt with through food (sweets) and lots of premium cable, over about a year’s time. Considering what I did, the weight gain was relatively minor, mostly because, at a minimum, I always do a lot of walking and don’t have a car. Also, there’s a top weight I will never, ever go over. Someone told me to make that top weight a lower number, but that’s easier said than done. I went over the lower top weight and came close to my true top weight that I’ll never go over.

rohit Says:

June 29th, 2007, 13:38 pm

Thanks everyone for such great tips, yes proper diet and exercise combination helps. In proper diet reduce the in take of three white things - white flour (all purpose flour), salt and sugar. Get rid of white flour completely if possible. Another important thing is all efforts for weight loss should be a personal choice and not forced under any circumstance since anything which is forced is bound to fail.

Robert Says:

June 29th, 2007, 13:40 pm

My #1 tip has already been mentioned repeatedly, and that’s to drink lots and lots of water. I shoot for 2 L/day and carry around a 1 L water bottle with me everywhere.

So instead of recommending water, I’ll give my #2 tip: Watch yourself at the extreme ends of the day, both early and late. I’ve found that I have to restrict myself to maybe one cup of yogurt or one half of a grapefruit for breakfast, and none of the carb/sugar laden stuff like cereal, breads, etc. that usually serve as breakfast foods. It sounds stupid but i lose control when I am around cereal — I’ll end up eating four bowls and not knowing how I got there. Also, I have a no-food-whatsoever-after-7-PM rule to guard against snacking in the late hours when I’m tired and less resistant. Managing food in the morning and at night goes a very long way.

Grace Says:

June 29th, 2007, 13:53 pm

The Weight Watchers point system with daily physical activity works best for me. it is flexible - you don’t have to buy WW food, you don’t have to think about it, and it isn’t really a “diet”; its a food plan for life.

Dustin McLaughlin Says:

June 29th, 2007, 14:11 pm

The best weight loss tip, in my opinion, is to make friends (if you haven’t already) with very physically active people. If you have very active friends, you will be exercising without even noticing it because you will be having fun with friends.

For example, I have a lot of very active friends especially one in general that keeps me on my toes about what I diet and runs with me about 3-4 times a week and it isn’t a boring deal because I am enjoying the time with my friend. We are going to run a 5K tomorrow, so I’m excited about that.

walker Says:

June 29th, 2007, 14:21 pm

Do you walk? no! me too.the most effective simple method which rearranges your capabilities and potentialities is walking.start walking naturally,as if you love to walk but also briskly for one hour at first. watch your food,what the tongue likes, your body dislikes.so listen to your body not the mindless tongue.yes, more water to make you light as water.if you can avoid animal food you contribute a lot to your well being.keep walking.but not with johnny walker.yes its the favorite to tongue and enemy to body.why burden your body with things for which the body overworks to drive them out and there comes again the enemy of the body in to the body.Be body friendly,see the difference.good luck.

Dominique Says:

June 29th, 2007, 14:37 pm

Eat a varied diet. Only, half your usual portions. Eat a lot of vegetables and salads, but only 2 tablespoons of oil a day. Be careful with fruit. No more than two pieces a day. And never, never, never eat sweets or drink alcohol. Along with moderate daily exercise and lots of patience you can lose all the excess weight you need to get rid of. In my case, that was 33 pounds in 3 years. And no suffering!

Greetings from Spain!

Debbie Says:

June 29th, 2007, 14:55 pm

What has worked best for me is eating nothing that I have not bought myself, cooked myself, and cleaned up after. This way my laziness works in my favor. If I don’t feel like going to the store, or if I have stuff but don’t feel like cooking it or cleaning up afterwards, I am less likely to eat. (This is similar to the early-toothbrushing hint. BTW I do squats while brushing the back sides of my teeth and calf rises while brushing the fronts. Then I get in at lease some exercise and also brush long enough.)

This eating-your-own-cooking tip works great when you are poor and works best if you live alone and do not get free food all the time and do not get thrown into all-you-can-eat situations. It also works best when you refuse to buy or make anything that’s really evil. Although since I don’t know how to make chips or soda, I’m fine there.

Shelly Says:

June 29th, 2007, 15:10 pm

If food is your issue (and I don’t think that’s the case for everyone who wants to lose weight), then it really, really helps to do what you can to stop thinking about it all the time. Don’t watch the Food Network. Don’t obsessively plan menus. Don’t read food porn on the web. Most importantly, don’t waste your time reading about the “best” foods to eat to lose weight, and I personally choose not to even read about dieting and weight loss because it all just starts to fuzz up my head and make me feel like I’m either doing too much or not doing enough. I’m better off without the influence of any of that noise about food or weight.

I could go on, but there’s my best tip.

Simon Says:

June 29th, 2007, 15:39 pm

Think, then act. It is very easy for us to arrive at the conclusion that the key to losing weight is to eat less, but this isn’t quite right. You can’t fool your body; If you starve it of energy (calories), it will switch into an energy-conservation mode. This results in a slower metabolism and a longer, harder process to lose weight. That’s beneficial is you’re stranded in the wilderness and need to survive for long periods of time. Not as desirable otherwise. The key is moderation and balance. Determine your caloric needs, then monitor them. ‘Diet’ in the connotation of eating healthy foods, not restricting calories. Exercise six days a week (yeah, it’s going to suck at first, but take comfort in the fact that our bodies are more than capable of this level of activity). Make sure that you balance your exercise regimens 50% cardio and 50% weight training.

I can speak with more authority concerning men, as I have personal experience to back it up. Word of caution: Guys, be sure to keep your heart rate down around 60% of your max during early morning cardio sessions; this will reduce your body’s breakdown of muscle as a source of energy, and instead pull from your fat stores. Go to the more popular exercise and fitness websites for the best price for protein powders and supplements (bodybuilding.com and supplementwarehouse.com are where me and my gym buddies pick up our stuff). I’d say my best advice is to perform your own research. This not only results in a higher level of clarity concerning the subject, but also becomes an investment toward your new goals.

Jonathan Says:

June 29th, 2007, 16:10 pm

Its not just one thing, but a lifestyle change. First, you need to exercise and get off the couch. Whether its for a walk around the block or weight lifting, try breaking a sweat. Second, cut down on your portion sizes. This country is in a sad state of affairs when you look around at the gargantuan portions — you simply don’t need this much food! Save some for later and eat sensibly. Eat smaller portions throughout 5-6 times throughout the day and eat whole grains and protein. Cut back on salt, unhealthy fats, alcohol and eliminate HFCS (High Fructose Corn Syrup) from your diet completely. Drink plenty of water. Do this and I promise you’ll see the pounds drop.

I myself was once 40lbs overweight so I know what its like. I did the Body For Life program and I recommend it to anyone serious about losing weight.

Rob Says:

June 29th, 2007, 16:56 pm

I have to say that the words ‘more’ (exercise) and ‘less’ (eating) are totally unhelpful. More or less than what? dhk and David (above) have the correct answer…

The key to taking control of your diet is knowing what the correct amount is to eat in the first place (and possibly then you’ll know what more and less relate to).

It’s a case of simple mathematics which, as a geek, I’m fairly comfortable with. Just remember ‘calories in’ minus ‘calories out’. Calories ‘in’ are what you eat, and calories ‘out’ are those that are burned by your body simply staying alive, as well as any additional exercise that you may bring to the equation. As long as the daily total is below your required amount you’re on the right track. It’s worth noting that it only wants to be lower by just a few hundred calories - not too many more or your body goes into shock and holds on to the fat as it thinks there’s an emergency going down! i.e. starvation

As you’re in the UK I thoroughly recommend a web site called weightlossresources.co.uk as they have all the info and online tools to help you understand the simple basics about what you are eating. It takes out all the ambiguity of words like ‘more’, ‘less’, ‘varied’ , etc as you actually see real facts for once. The great thing about this being online too is that you can access it when you’re away from your own computer (on vacation, at work etc), and it has a great deal more information than you get from an installed program, as you can access its forums, as well as get advice and support from other people discovering the same things.

I had never been taught anything about what to eat in my 40 years and it was a real breakthrough for me to see it displayed as maths and pie charts (no pun intended). I think anyone who’s remotely computer orientated (I can’t keep calling us geeks) through web users, all the way to programming nerds (again, like myself) will really benefit from the information found there.
I finally found out how much to eat each day (calorie intake), and how that’s made up from the food we eat (type, as well as portion size!!!). It really doesn’t matter where the calories come from - eat a pound of lard if you like - but you’ll soon see that the online tools show you how to balance your diet so that it ticks all the right boxes. The old cliché of a calorie controlled balanced diet makes the most sense, and there’s certainly no need to upset balance by cutting out this and cutting out that, which usually deprives you of something you like in life and leaves you with cravings.

I lost 6 Stones, from 18 down to 12 (that’s 84 lbs, or 34 kgs) without doing any additional exercise, just by maintaining my correct calorie input for 12 months. I am a different person now. Just from being a reader of your site I can tell you’d love it. Good luck, and email me when you’ve got down to your target weight.

Tom H Says:

June 29th, 2007, 17:13 pm

Positive change is easier than negative change. Instead of thinking of foods that are ‘bad’ and that you feel like you need to cut out, think about all the new recipes and foods you will get to try if you start experimenting with more vegetables, more beans, more spices, etc.

Similarly, if you are putting off exercising until you can quit smoking, don’t! It’s easier to have a reason to quit smoking because you’ve found an exercise that you enjoy.

Craig Wall Says:

June 29th, 2007, 17:44 pm

After losing almost 140lbs (from 377 to 238 so far), there’s one philosophy I can give you that’s helped me:

Focus on one thing at a time.

Everything we do is based on habits. If you’ve got to both get into the habit of eating great AND exercising daily, you run a big risk of getting overwhelmed when you’re not seeing results or you slip a little.

I concentrated on getting into the habit of exercising and eating less, but didn’t concentrate on changing all of my eating habits until I got into a regular exercise routine.

If you change one thing at a time in your lifestyle, it’ll be easier for you to establish those habits you need to fully install that new lifestyle.

Blue Coffee Says:

June 29th, 2007, 18:04 pm

In my experience, not in a specific order:

1) (Like Rob said:) More calories out than in. In a healthy way.

2) Use your body, respect it’s potential.
Warming up and cooling down are very important.
Practice flexibility. Stretching is a workout suited for everyone.
You can recompose the look and feel of your body just by a proper stretching routine. Learn to experience and to know your body, you’ll like her/him :)

3) Try to enjoy your food, eat it slowly and consciously.

4) Educate yourself about the basics of the human metabolism and excercise.

5) Evaluate the pro’s and contra’s of weight loss.

Don’t make it a routine, make it a ritual. Make it a habit.

grts,

BC

Mardee Says:

June 29th, 2007, 19:24 pm

Get enough sleep - that’s the first and most important step. Without sleep, it’s harder to plan your meals, to exercise, or to consciously eat healthy. I’ve been struggling my whole life with weight problems and the only time I’ve been successful with losing weight is when I consistently get enough sleep.

Pikovaya Says:

June 29th, 2007, 19:26 pm

Things that have helped me:

1. Only diet on weekdays. Don’t binge on weekends, but save two days a week to eat the yummy things. Also, because some of us really can’t break that chocolate addiction, calculate one treat every day into your calories.

2. Take the stairs. Walk or bike ride that short distance instead of driving.

3. Use those multi-colored stars on the calendar for each day you’ve achieved your goal — exercise, diet, whatever it is. Gives you something, small as it may be, to look forward to.

Keith Says:

June 29th, 2007, 19:52 pm

A little over two years ago my Dr. diagnosed mild initial type 2 diabetes. It runs in my family and I have seen my mother, sister, grandfather and aunts ravaged by it. I don’t want to be the next. I was already an active person, but had slacked off due to business stresses for about 5 months and gained weight. I determined to reduce diabetic indicators and cholesterol numbers, get my energy back. I am coming up on the age when my dad had his bypass, so that’s another factor. BTW, I have a background in biology and health science, though not currently working in that field.

1) cut out most simple carbohydrates (starch, refined flour). But not Atkins fanatic. Nobody can sustain an Atkins diet. Most iterations of the Atkins diet are not that healthy. Not enough fiber due to lack of vegetables. Too much fat. White flour, white rice, refined corn products are the biggest culprits. I try to keep sugars and carbs under 100 g for a meal. Above that precipitous blood sugar rise is triggered.

It was a realization that so much of that junk had next to no nutritional value. Starch is essentially tasteless. Starch needs other flavors to make it palatable. Why not eat other things that have actual taste. It is a cheap filler that substitutes for more expensive and more healthful ingredients. I’m a capitalist, but the food industry should be considered a bunch of criminals.

Add spices to food to increase interest. Hot sauces, salsas, garlic, pepper, oregano, basil, mint, nuts…experiment

2) completely cut out sugar, high fructose corn syrup, etc. Increase good fats from nuts, fish, olive oil. I might have a diet Coke once in a while or some Crystal Light or Splenda in my tea, but I’m working towards reducing artificial sweeteners just out of principal.

3) found a simple scheme for blood sugar control in a diabetic cookbook called ‘rate the plate’. 1/4 of the plate can be covered with carbohydrate (preferably complex carbs) food, 1/4 of the plate with protein/fat food (meat entree), 1/2 the plate with vegetables. I actually love vegetables so that was not hard to do.
This is an easy plan to stick with that does not starve. I also try to include two or three substantial snacks a day such as fruit or a protein bar.

Beware, most protein bars are loaded with sugar, fat and carbohydrates. I found a few such as the Detour Carbwell and Pure Protein brand products that are under 5 g sugars and carbs, very low fat and taste good. I especially like the Pure Protein brand. Very good.

4) look up glycemic load. It is much more valuable concept than glycemic index. More realistic as it takes into account portion sizes and factors like fiber content. It will allow you much more leeway than just counting GI numbers.

5) Ramp up exercise. At present I lift about three times a week and do cardio, abs and calves on the alternate days. I vary cardio between several exercises to keep interest. I rollerblade when the weather is right, bike on an indoor trainer, inexpensive elliptical trainer, second hand rebounder, jump rope, heavy bag work. Cheapest things to start with are a jump rope and body weight or elastic bands/tubes fro resistance exercises. Then to free weights. Run the dog. Good for the both of you even if just for short sprints. The more you do the more you will be able to do. Think of a long term goal of how you want to look, feel, think about yourself.

6) Look at junk food and say “I don’t eat that” instead of “I can’t eat that”. Will make you feel much more in control instead of the diet controlling you. Also the condition gives me the impetus and excuse to only eat “what will not kill me”. “What do you want to eat for dinner”…”something that will not kill me”. You will look at food differently when you realize the damn stuff is killing you. What is hard to comprehend is that almost 3/4 of the food in the average supermarket is starch based junk.

7) do not pass up breakfast. Oatmeal with yogurt, peanuts and fruit, scrambled egg beaters or egg whites. Don’t be terrified of eating the occasional whole egg. Even oatmeal with egg substitute cooked into it. Sort of french toast taste. Oatmeal is a complex carbohydrate that digests slowly so your body can use the energy instead of quickly converting to glucose then the excess to fat. Watch out for traditional breakfast foods. A bagel is the equivalent of about 4 slices of white bread. Your blood sugar will skyrocket, stress your glucose management system and the excess stored as fat. Beware of ‘whole grain’ breads. Most are mostly white flour disguised with some brown chunks. The glycemic load of most are actually higher than plain white bread.

Lost 30 pounds within 6 months, diabetic numbers are in the normal range, cholesterol is in the normal range, though for diabetics it should still be about 20 points lower. Work to do.

Still have pizza occasionally, leave most of the crust. Sandwiches, subs hamburgers don’t eat half the bread if possible. Not afraid to leave starches behind. I do like tortilla chips and Cheez-its. More work to do. My wife continues to buy things I don’t eat. You have to be independent minded these days to be fit with all the counter influencing forces around.

8) Read everything you can. Some stuff is trendy garbage. Look for the books that talk about health improvement instead of weight loss. Improve your health, strength, wind, joints… and your weight will naturally come under control. I bought a couple of body building books at first, but most of what I have read and learned comes from the library and the internet. A book that rings true is Sylvester Stallone’s “Sly Moves”. The guy talks about almost 50 years of keeping fit. He’s 60 now and has a lot of good ideas, fun to read.

9) Get a $10 set of body fat calipers. Much more reliable than hi-tech body fat measuring scales (uniformly inaccurate garbage). Started at 25% BF. Down to as low as 14% BF. Currently about 17%. Goal is about 10-12%.

Better stop. Sorry this is so long. Hope it helps.

http://mysite.verizon.net/resrhsyu/ for more. Nothing to sell, just my basement and experiences

Keith

Steve Says:

June 29th, 2007, 20:32 pm

Eat less. Simple as that.

Alex Says:

June 29th, 2007, 21:53 pm

I’ve lost about 13kgs this year, I’m going slow with it.

I’m eating small meals more often of low carb (wholemeal breads etc), low fat butter and cheeses, skim milk (but I’ve always had that), lean meats that are high in protien like fish, chicken. Having my meats as a side dish and not the main meal. Lots of green vegetables as they are the “free” foods.

Cut out sugary drinks and fast food. That was the easy part because I don’t like them other than my love for Subway :)

I’m also going to get myself a Nintendo Wii with Wii Sports and try the Wii Weight Loss Plan.

http://wiiweightlossplan.com/?q=node/178

Kit Says:

June 29th, 2007, 22:57 pm

One of the biggest things that has worked for me and I’m not sure it’s been mentioned is:

TELL OTHERS YOUR GOALS.

Not only will you then have someone else also expecting you to perform but you’ll gain a cheering section!

Also, rewards! New clothes make awesome rewards for weight loss. Going out with friends (but not for anything food related) is a great reward.

Eat lots of fiber, it’s surprisingly filling compared to that cupcake.

And finally, weigh yourself but also take your measurements. Sometimes your scale won’t budge but your waistline will. :)

Dan Says:

June 30th, 2007, 1:11 am

Word to running. Find people to do it with at a regular time. Don’t be shy. Most people who run regularly weren’t born track and field stars and don’t mind somebody in worse shape tagging along. Running also teaches you how profound an effect your diet has on your physical state. If you eat crap the night before, you definitely feel it while trying to run 5 or 6 miles the next day.

Sam Says:

June 30th, 2007, 1:42 am

I lost 6 pounds in 2 days on what I call the “stomach flu” diet.

JLF Says:

June 30th, 2007, 1:45 am

I agree with Dan. I hate diets. It’s almost impossible to keep one on the long run. What you need to do is exercise regularly. Running is maybe the best and easiest way.
I couldn’t keep a regular running habit for years, until I set myself a goal: running a marathon. It changed my life. I now run 3 times a week, alone or with friends and I love it. And I ran my 4th marathon this spring.
My goals wasn’t to loose weight. I just wanted to be healthy, but my running habits made me loose 8 pounds and keep my new weight.

Carmen Says:

June 30th, 2007, 3:17 am

A couple of years ago I gained a lot of weight due to an underfuctioning thyroid. I tried lots of approaches to lose weight and the things that ultimately worked for me (I lost 30 pounds in about 8 months) are:

1. Eat as soon after you get up as possible. This gets your metabolism working at a higher rate sooner in the day.

2. Cut out alcohol or reduce your intake to one or two glasses a week.

3. Instead of counting calories, concentrate on reducing your fat intake. Fat that you eat converts more readily into body fat than does protein or carbohydrate.

4. Exercise a lot - add as much incidental exercise into your life as possible.

5. Eat more fibre - it creates a feeling of fullness that lasts longer and is also good for preventing certain cancers.

6. If you are hungry between meals, try eating a small portion of food that is high in protein. It can be more effective to eat one piece of cheese or some yoghurt or nuts than to eat bread or crackers or other snack foods.

Sam Says:

June 30th, 2007, 5:58 am

1. Go to bed early and get up early. If you stay up late, you will overeat, guaranteed. It doesn’t matter if you are a night person; change into a morning person. For instance, I’ve been getting up at 5:30 AM and I was a big time night person. Amazing how we can be much more productive and upbeat by getting up that early. Plus when I go to bed early, I don’t think about food all night.

2. Drink a big cup of coffee with organic milk for breakfast. Caffeine cuts down hunger. Don’t go without caffeine, at least until you reach your desirable weight. You will feel hungrier if you don’t drink coffee!

3. Buy a Garmin Forerunner 205 GPS Watch at amazon.com, so you can keep track of your progress automatically. Nobody wants to be filling little forms everyday to track progress. This watch does the entire job for you automatically by transferring the data to the computer, including calories burned, distance walked, pace, etc.

4. Start walking outside to get fresh air, which translates into better mood. If rains, use treadmill. But walk fast, no sissy stuff.

5. Don’t start going crazy on weight training + walking because you will burn out and give up. Take it slow by just walking for a long while initially. I notice that personal trainers at gyms like to go crazy by dumping all kinds of heavy duty series on people who are not used to. Then, when the people burns out and quits the weight training or the gym, the fat comes fast and sticks to those areas where the weight training was concentrate on (i.e., thighs, biceps, chest (the guys get boobies)). You get fatter fast when you quit the weight training, so avoid it until you feel more confident and comfortable with the routine of exercising often. Please note that eventually you will have to work out the upper body to get firmer, stronger, and to burn the rest of the localized fat (i.e., fat chest or arms). Exercise for 5 days; weekends are for resting.

6. At 10 AM, after you had exercised and had breakfast much earlier, make a bowl of natural Quaker Oatmeal + banana + apple + raisins + berries. Add a bit of spring water to make a paste, heat it up at the microwave, then add cinnamon on top. That will fill you up before lunch and provide lots of fiber. Also, the oatmeal wipes the cholesterol out of your system.

7. Lunch: Buy the George Foreman grill to start eating more grilled stuff, like fish, chicken, and vegies. Sorry, no escape from eating the boring vegies and grilled stuff.

8. Drop all processed food out of your life for good, including canned stuff. The corn syrup inside everything is killing you.

9. Don’t eat carbs after 4 PM and nothing whatsoever after 8 PM.

10. Buy the book “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan. It’s a must read for anyone interested to know where our food comes from and how to eat healthier. You will be a changed person after reading this book, no doubt about it. Check the reviews at amazon.com

11. Stay away from downers in the beginning, such as sad music, sad movies, bad news, indoors for long periods of time, not getting enough sun. Overeating has a lot to do with felling depressed, so avoid anything that makes you depressed.

12. Take one day at a time and weigh yourself once a month only. Plateaus make us frustrated and anxious, which could sabotage the whole thing. That’s why weighing is not priority. The change of habit and lifestyle is the priority here. Every time you get up, you say to yourself: I’ll pass this day and stick to my routine. Before you notice, a month has already passed.

13. If you are hooked on Diet Cola, try to reduce intake slowly until you feel motivated enough to dump it for good. Don’t try to go radical because it could sabotage your plan.

14. Don’t do it only for feeling better, but also to stay away from this crazy American healthcare system. You will save money and aggravation. Watch Sicko by Michael Moore to see what I’m talking about.

15. Never give up, even after you have failed a few times. When you fail, start over. Watch those TV programs like “The Biggest Loser” or “Celebrity Fit Club”, because they are great motivators.

kleanchap Says:

June 30th, 2007, 6:12 am

@Craig Wall

….One habit at a time…. That’s great advice! Love it! It definitely allows you to focus on your life choices intelligently yielding better results.

Slorn Fennamenson Says:

June 30th, 2007, 6:24 am

Stop eating potatoes and bread.

Takes a little while to kick in, but works very well.

Oh, and get off yer ass and go for a walk. 4 times a week, for a half hour, work up a sweat. Yay sweat.

Lou Says:

June 30th, 2007, 7:26 am

Try MyFoodDiary.com which is a good site for tracking what you consume.

zoom Says:

June 30th, 2007, 8:36 am

Set reasonable weekly goals that can be met without extreme sacrifice, write down every single thing you eat, wear a pedometer, and fall in love with that feeling of getting a little bit thinner each day.

Misty Says:

June 30th, 2007, 10:10 am

Here are some things I’ve been doing, which has helped me to drop 15 lbs in about 6 weeks:

1. Eat at every meal. Skipping meals can put your body into starvation mode.

2. Eat *sensible* portions every two hours. Breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack. The first few days of this was REALLY HARD, because I had to initially cut back on how much food I was eating in one sitting. Now I’ve gotten to the point to where a packet of oatmeal and 1/3 of mixed berries is hard for me to finish.

3. Remember a food portion is the size of a deck of cards. To trick myself, I’ll use a salad plate for dinner. It looks like more food is on your plate. The kid plates with the sections work really well for this, too.

4. If I feel hungry, drink a glass of water and wait 10 minutes. Someone told me once “If you’re hungry, your body is trying to tell you that you’re dehydrated.” I’m not sure if this is true or not, but if I’m still hungry after the glass of water, I’ll move my snack time/meal up a few minutes.

5. Eat slower. Chew your food 20 times before swallowing.

6. I’ve been using Splenda and stevia instead of sugar.

7. Have a glass of water before having a pop. I’m addicted to Coke, and this has worked better for me than “Stop drinking pop.” I’ll do that for two weeks. Then I increased to two glasses of water before pop. Now I’m up to three glasses. This way, you’re still getting the water you need, but not really depriving yourself of the sweet, sweet nectar of the gods.

8. No food 3-4 hours before bed time. And Sarah’s right on… when I brush my teeth earlier in the evening, I feel guilty about having snacks in the evening.

9. Park a little farther away when I go to any store. It’s more exercise.

10. This might not work for all people, but when I’m at the grocery store, I walk down every isle. If your prone to impulse buying, it might not be a good idea for you. This way, I can start marking prices on things I might want while making me walk more in the process.

11. Park on a different level than the floor you work on. Even if it’s just one. That way, you’re using the stairs at least once a day.

Brad Says:

June 30th, 2007, 10:47 am

Pick and choose from any of these, or do them all:

- drink tons of water
- diet soda is almost as bad as sugared soda…avoid!
- cut out sugar completely
- cut out starches (complex sugars) completely including “whole grain” breads
- cut out juices
- minimize sweet fruit. If you love it, it’s probably not much better for you than Pepsi, because it probably contains as much sugar.
- focus on high-nutrient leafy veggies (spinach, kale, broccoli.) Avoid starchy root veggies (carrots, yams, etc.)
- concentrate on short-duration, high intensity exercise. For weight training try a a Slow Burn-type method (see seriousstrength.com) and do sprinting rather than walking or running (http://snipr.com/1npql) for better fat burning, far lower injuries, and far less time wasted!
- eat high-quality protein like wild salmon and grass-fed beef and lots of high-quality fat.
- eat zero trans-fat. That means nothing in a restaurant that has been fried.
- drink oil. It destroys those late-night carb cravings. Sounds crazy, but it works. People are losing huge amounts of weight. sethroberts.net
- create an account on a social website that will support you in your weight-loss. sparkpeople is one. Bodyforlife-tracker.com is another.

Philip Says:

June 30th, 2007, 11:12 am

I am not going to make this long and drawn out and I am going to tell you the conclusion before the story.

Over the past 2 years, I changed my life. I quit smoking and lost 70 lbs. Its rare to quit smoking AND loose weight. It’s usually the exact opposite, quit smoking, gain weight!

Losing weight is all about your lifestyle. You are going to have to change your lifestyle FOREVER. This is not going to be a temporary change for a few months and go back to your old life. You need to change the way you eat, think and move. Here are the main permanent changes I made in my life that allowed me to lose weight, get fit, and become a happier person. These are in no particular order of importance.

- Find something else to do! You need hobbies to take your mind of the food cravings. Read a book, go for a walk, surf the net, whatever it takes to get you out of the cupboard or fridge.

- Stop drinking sugar filled pop/soda. This is terrible for you. Studies show that those who drink pop feel more depressed and have more upset stomachs than those who do not.

- Never, under any circumstances, eat fast food.

- Take a multivitamin and omega 3 supplement daily.

- Load up on lean healthy proteins: Chicken, unsalted nuts, low fat cottage cheese. Supplement your protein intake with extra whey powder.

- Load up on fresh fruits and vegetables. My favorite is berries and fresh spinach which can be combined together to make incredible salads.

- Eat 6 smaller meals a day. This sound like it is difficult to do but its not. Eat breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, dinner, and a snack. Here is an example day for me:

Breakfast - Plain oatmeal with strawberries. One ounce of raw almonds. Cup of green tea with honey.
Snack - Low fat, low sugar yogurt. Baby carrots
Lunch - Whole wheat turkey sandwich with a side of baked chips, One cup of broccoli steamed.
Snack - 1/2 cup Cottage cheese
Dinner - Balsamic chicken with steamed green beans. Banana.
Snack - Bowl of granola with low fat milk. Cup of herbal or black tea with honey.

- Work out. The more muscle you have, the more fat you burn at rest. I work out 4 times a week, 3 weight training sessions and 1 cardio session. I do an entire body workout every time I go to the gym. Work the major muscles in your body: Chest, back, legs, and arms. Each of my workouts last about an hour with my cardio session lasting 45 minuets.

Don’t think of this as a diet. It’s a change to the way you live your life!

In closing, I will leave you with a quote that my late father used to tell me and thinking about it makes me push myself away from the table: “Bub, you eat to live, not live to eat”

Vivian Says:

June 30th, 2007, 11:13 am

Yoga is a great form of exercise that is accessible to everyone and also teaches you to pay attention and listen to your body, which is invaluable. If you get bored with running or weight training, yoga is an excellent alternative because it can be different every time you do it. Learning to slow down mentally allows you to pay attention when you’re eating (don’t multi-task!), so you can truly enjoy your food, and your body will let you know when you’ve had enough. If you notice that you’re not hungry anymore, stop eating. When you think you’re hungry, pause and re-evaluate — am I really hungry, or am I eating to satisfy some other problem? If it’s something else, go solve that problem instead of avoiding it via snacking.

Armand Says:

June 30th, 2007, 12:01 pm

Why do people get fat in the first place? They eat more than they consume.
The logical solution is to work on that.

Arcadio Says:

June 30th, 2007, 12:32 pm

It is worth to mention that contrary to the popular belief performing only cardiovascular training is not the best way to loose weight.

A routine including resistance weight lifting sessions (low weight, high no. of reps) is of great benefit.

Jean Browman Says:

June 30th, 2007, 12:56 pm

Forget about trying to lose weight. Concentrate on developing a healthy lifestyle. Find things you like to do even more than eating. Make sure some of those activities involve moving your body.

Developing those new interests may take a while, but it’s well worth the trouble. I did that about 30 years ago and haven’t worried about weight since, except for the times I have to remind myself to eat.

Scott Stawarz Says:

June 30th, 2007, 13:45 pm

I’d say that Weight loss is similar to Getting Things Done, Think and Grow Rich, The Secret, or whatever else you want.

Here are my Best Weight Loss Tips:

-
1) Measure my progress every day.
2) Decrease my Food In (The food I eat).
3) Increase my Food Out (The exercise and activity I do)
4) Review and Adjust my routine at regular intervals (weekly or monthly).
5) Practice Positive Creative Visualization to achieve my success.
6) Make my weight management public.
-

I personally co-founded, use, and recommend Simpleweight.com to manage my weight loss, and I encourage you to use some sort of web tool to take thinking out of your weight management similar to Zen To Done takes thinking out of your time management to achieve mind like water.

UkendtBruger Says:

June 30th, 2007, 15:46 pm

I’m gonna run with some of the comments already made,

Scott: “every extra lb of muscle makes you burn more calories just sitting on the couch”

- and on that office chair!

Greg P: “I lost about 100 lbs some years back when I started a seond-shift job (3-11pm) — this took me away from the kitchen during my prime snacking times.”

- Keeping yourself busy - with something you really want to do, not just filling up time by watching TV - keeps you physically and mentally away from the junk you don’t really need to eat.

Char: “4) Exercise, but have fun with it! Ride your bike, dance, walk, play tennis with friends…whatever. Just get out and move.”

- Just get moving. You will find that once you start moving, you use muscles you never knew you had and it feels good to use them. You’ll begin to take on bigger physical challenges, like walking farther, taking the station stairs two at a time, dancing longer. And it feels great to do it!

Mardee: “Get enough sleep”

- Lack of sleep, and stress, makes it easier for us to make the ‘not so smart’ decisions. We seem to lose the view of the future when our system is stressed out, almost as if we can only see ‘now’. I find that a nightly routine helps my mind settle down enough to relax and to sleep… some stretching and balancing to get the tension out of the muscles, some music, a few sudoku puzzles…zzz…

Lots of great comments here, but just remember to ‘just do it’.

Mark Says:

June 30th, 2007, 16:19 pm

I’m with Philip almost to a tee. I train for triathlons and lift so him and I agree. Small meals over the course of the day, eat right, and don’t consider it a diet think of it as living a better life.

Flavia Says:

June 30th, 2007, 21:34 pm

Track what you eat AND write it down BEFORE you eat it. This way you’ll be forced to think before you eat and be able to make better decisions.

Jim Says:

June 30th, 2007, 23:40 pm

Don’t Diet and learn how to run your mind.

Craig Says:

July 1st, 2007, 0:52 am

Eat special k (as many servings as you like) for dinner every night for a week.

Losing Weight Zone Says:

July 1st, 2007, 1:07 am

The “after 6 diet” works for me. Don’t eat anything or drink anything other than water once 6pm strikes. However, it depends on what activities you do during the evening - if you work on a night shift, this might not work since you’ll be too hungry.

Benjie Says:

July 1st, 2007, 3:20 am

1.Give yourself a day, once a week or longer where you have a set day that you get to enjoy that one meal/dessert that you always crave, be it a slice of chicago pizza pie or just pie. You have a day to look forward to, and will work that much harder towards your goal. You will also have a smaller inclination towards unhealthy eating, and that one meal will taste especially delicious.

2.Replace fat with texture - cut cheese from your diet, and watch your belly shrink like Rick Moranis. Replace fatty foods with combinations of textures.. since fat = flavor, you have to come up with new, creative ways of making your food healthy and enjoyable.

3. Read Read Read the back of all the food items you are eating, figure out how many calories you are taking in daily. Figure out how many calories you require to stay the same weight. The miracle of losing weight is to simply burn more calories than you eat. Simple math.

4. Find a workout buddy.

5. Switch to non-fat milk and eat lots of non-fat cottage cheese, its a miracle food.

Other miracle foods you should eat:
Hummus
Black Beans
Almonds
(the three above are high calorie, so eat in smaller portions earlier in the day, but eat them!)
Green Tea
Cayenne Pepper
Non-fat Yogurt
Kefir
Chicken and Turkey

If you eat lots of cheese, I highly recommend cutting it entirely out of your diet. Replace it with non fat cottage cheese and you will thank me for saving your life.

that is all

Jared Says:

July 1st, 2007, 4:33 am

Don’t go on diets. Eating healthily is a lifestyle, and if you don’t think of it in that way, you’ll lose weight and put it on again, over and over again.

I’ve been overweight during my teenage years, and I’m only just doing something about it. A combination of being an IT nerd, zero exercise, and eating whatever crap I wanted contributed to me being a good 40KGs heavier than I should have been. Currently I’ve dropped 20KGs, just by eating right and following a fairly aggressive exercise regime. I’m getting there!

1. Eat well, but not necessarily less. Put more greens on your plate, eat low-cal meats like chicken or fish, and avoid eating anything you didn’t prepare yourself (restaurants don’t mind piling in some fat to make their meals tastier!)
2. Buy an exercise bike and ride while watching TV. That way, you can not make excuses like “the weather is bad”. You can also work out in the time that you’d usually be watching TV or doing something lazy.
3. Drink water and tea and get rid of soft drink. Use skim milk if you like white tea, and don’t sweeten it.
4. If you drink socially, use low-cal mixers like Diet Coke.

matt Says:

July 1st, 2007, 9:58 am

A bit of PREN

Preparation, routine, exercise and nutrition all need to be applied in varying quantities. Its easy when you know how.

Barb Says:

July 1st, 2007, 12:36 pm

Gaining and losing weight is NOT as simple as “calories in, energy out”. An informative article can be found in the June 11th issue of time magazine. Wed address follows:
inhttp://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/article/0,28804,1626795_1627112_1626457,00.html

brian Says:

July 1st, 2007, 12:36 pm

I lost 80 pounds and so far have kept it off for 3 years by doing the following. (Not sure if this is for everyone.)

#1. Only one meal of 1500 calories or less per day.

#2. 20 minute all body hi intensity weight training at least once a week. (optional) *

#3. Cheat at least once per week on #1 especially holidays and other special occasions.

That’s it.. wish it were more complicated. It’s tough to get used to in the beginning.. but now it’s part of my daily routine. I save a ton of money on breakfast and lunch! :)

* you won’t burn many calories working out once a week like this.. but I do it to grow muscle and look good naked.

scott stawarz Says:

July 1st, 2007, 16:38 pm

@Barb - I read the article you recommended. I agree that the science of gaining and losing weight is not as simple as thermodynamics (Food In vs Food out), but gaining weight and losing weight does not have to be exact science.

I recommend simple techniques. If you start to make a diet and workout plan complex, it begins to lose effectiveness unless you’ve got your own personal workout coach or diet coach.

Another example, I could carry a measuring tape and measure the exact distance I walk around my block, or I could get online and guess using google pedometer maps. Does it really matter if I am off .1 or even .25 of a mile? Unless you are on the extreme (world class athlete or ultra-obese), simple is better when you’re doing it alone.

However, as the article dictates, one diet or plan may not be effective for everyone. Hence, the reason I advocate adjusting your progress on a monthly basis to determine where you’re at.

That’s a good read though. I’ll recommend it to others too.

McShort Says:

July 1st, 2007, 20:29 pm

Plan a weekly menu and only buy those things at the supermarket. If it’s not on the list, don’t buy it!! Then you don’t tend to have temptations in the house, and are less likely to snack. Plan healthy snacks like rice wafers, fruits, rice crackers, popcorn, veges, etc. and DON’T GO DOWN THE BISCUIT AISLE unless you really really really need to.

… and love yourself!! Think that you’re valuable enough to be healthy, trim and fit.

Lika Says:

July 1st, 2007, 21:59 pm

Eat small portions! I have recently lost 10 lbs. I got a gym membership earlier this year. In order to get the most of my workout, I started to eat healthy. I’d eat a salad everyday, and drank lots of water and cut back on sodas. At first it was fine, but the strict regiment started to get very tiring. I was very miserable. I wasn’t even seeing any significant results after 1 month of such intense discipline. It was then I decided to screw it and just take things slowly. I gave up on eating salads everyday and went back to eating regular food. The one thing I changed were the portions. I began by eating smaller portions. Trust me, it is not very difficult. Instead of eating 1 cup of pasta, I’d eat 3/4th of a cup. Instead of eating 2 scoops of ice-cream, I’d take 1 and half. You can still eat all the great food out there, you just have to reduce the quantity. The key is to eat slowly. This way you can easily knock off 150-200 calories from your diet. Another important factor is breakfast. If you eat a good breakfast, you feel less hungry the rest of the day. Eating a bowl of cereal and fruit in the mornings is the best way to start a day.

I feel very healthy now! I believe I was simply eating too much earlier. I now have less cravings for chips and soda. I don’t find myself snacking too much. I am much more motivated to workout too. I don’t feel like it’s a punishment anymore.

Artem Ervits Says:

July 1st, 2007, 23:38 pm

1. I am not sure if it was mentioned before but I would eat smaller portions than usual.

2. Eat five times a day to speed up your metabolism.

3. Cut down on sugary drinks, substitute with water whenever possible.

4. Excercise.

5. Try not to eat late and have an early breakfast.

Jeff DeVerter Says:

July 1st, 2007, 23:57 pm

Get off your butt, and move more than you eat. Pretty basic stuff.

kash Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 2:34 am

My yoga instructor advised me to eat a full meal the first day till I was fully satisfied. From the next day, reduce the 1/4th of the same meal and make that the regular diet.
One glass of lime in hot water in the early morning works wonders too.
And exercise, exercise, exercise.

monika Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 7:26 am

Stop drinking alcohol!

Greg Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 11:17 am

I wrote a blog entry on this topic a while ago. I’ll post it here, but it can be found at: choppedherring.blogspot.com

I just lost about 50lbs.

I wasn’t monstrously obese to begin with, but I was definitely carrying an extra small child around with me everywhere I went. He was fat, sweaty, and I’m glad to be rid of him. When I see people that I haven’t seen in a few months, they often ask me how I lost the weight. I respond, “diet and exercise.” I have learned that this is the opposite of what people want to hear. What they’d much prefer I say is, “I went to Target and bought this great tasting drink. It costs $0.35. You wake up the day after drinking it 50lbs lighter.”

The usual response I get after saying “diet and exercise” is that it was very easy for me (and much easier than it would be for the person talking) because 1) I’m a man, 2) I’m young, 3) I’m lucky, 4) I live at a perfect longitude and latitude for weight loss, etc. Now, I’m not saying that some of those things may not have helped, but it says something when the person accusing you of such things is enjoying a HoHo.

Let me let you all in on a little secret. Being fat is easy… Being skinny is hard. Especially if you like food and laziness. If you are overweight and look really closely at your thinner friends, you’ll probably notice that they eat far less than you, snack less than you, and are more active than you. This is not a coincidence.

So, now on to how you, too, can lose a lot of weight in a little time. (I lost my weight in a little under 4 months)

1) NO SNACKING! EVER! 3 meals a day is all you need. If you’re really, really hungry just think that in a couple hours, you’ll eat again. Drink a whole bunch of water and you’ll feel much better.

2) No fried foods… No cheese! I love cheese! I love it a lot. I can eat a block of cheese in a sitting. I also like fried foods. In fact, fried cheese could be the greatest invention ever. The wheel is the only thing that comes close, and that’s only because it gets you to the fried cheese faster. Also, cut down on the booze. I know that when you’re dieting you want to drown your sorrows in a nice, cold beer, but that’s just extra calories you’ll have to burn off later (see #5 below).

3) Don’t eat what’s put in front of you. I eat out a lot. Far more than your average person. While I have a fiance who is a WONDERFUL cook, we like to enjoy other foods as well. When you go out for dinner, you often get a plate that could feed an entire African nation. DO NOT EAT ALL THAT FOOD! You have to get into the mindset that you are not paying for the food, but you’re paying for a meal. Stop eating when you’re not hungry anymore. You should stop WAY before you’re actually full. You can always take the food home and it eat the next day. Also, when you go to a Mexican or Italian restaurant, ask them not to bring you chips or bread. Those are just carbs and fat. — that means it makes you FAT!

4) Eat sensibly. Fat Flush, Atkins, low-carb, high-protein. These are all a huge waste of time for anyone but the publishing industry. The only way a person can lose weight and keep it off is to change their lifestyle. I’ve never met a person who did low carb and stayed that way forever. In order to keep the weight off, you have to change the way you eat and look at food — forever. Instead of fad diets, you can eat sensibly. Eat smaller portions. Eat grilled instead of fried. All common sense things that can really work, but wont sell books.

5) Get your ass on a treadmill — and I don’t mean just once! You have to do it regularly. At least 3-4 times a week… 5-6 times would be much better. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a treadmill. Any cardio workout will do… Dance, basketball, racquetball, elliptical trainer, etc. What’s important is that you do it for at least 30-45 minutes per day, most days in the week, every week. Every time you’re sitting on the couch flipping channels, bored out of your mind, get up and go for a walk or down to the gym.

I know this is not the kind of advice that make me rich (or make me friends), but it really is the best way to do it. I welcome your comments.

P.S. If you’re interested in my latitude and longitude for weight loss purposes, I live at:

32° 47′ 53″ N
96° 47′ 49″ W

Wang Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 12:04 pm

i found HIIT training helped, but i have since lost that kind of shape. mostly to lose weight or fat, i just quit eating stupid things that you know aren’t good for you, or ate them in further moderation. i went for more walks, runs, bikerides.

made it a goal to go to somewhere new/old/loved in and around where i live. it’s magical what walking for hours a day, in a place you enjoy or have never been to, will do for you.

Brian Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 12:50 pm

Best weight loss tip:

Become aware of

1) how many calories you expend in a day and
2) How many calories you take in each day.

When you are aware of how many calories are contained in the foods you eat and combine that with how many you burn up, it is easier to make better eating choices.

David Goodrich Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 13:04 pm

If I had to name one best weight loss tip:

Weight Training-helps speed up metabolism when muscle is gained and therefore no yo yo weight loss as seen in aerobic exercise by itself. try to work out earlier in the day because that is when your cortisol levels are naturally higher. At night is when you should be winding down. Overstressed adrenal glands lead to a slower metabolism.

LisaS Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 16:00 pm

Single most effective thing for me: track portions & meals in a food long. I use a paper form/methodology from Strong Women Stay Slim. (a weight-training, exercise & diet modification book).

And someone else mentioned this, but it bears repeating: beware of late night eating. Often the body tricks you, saying “I’m hungry” instead of “I’m tired.”

Jason Says:

July 2nd, 2007, 19:26 pm

Very simple, and both my girlfriend and I lost about 15 lbs over the course of 6 months, and have kept it off, plain and simple.

1)Replace white rice and white bread with brown rice and whole wheat bread, move down a notch on the milk-fat scale (whole to 2%), and stop eating so much cheese.

2)Swim twice a week at a local college pool.

3)That’s it.

In short, it’s basically eat healthier and exercise regularly. Oh, and eat healthier and exercise regularly. Plus eat healthier and exercise regularly.

Yeah, it takes some work and planning and you miss the cheese and the pasta and on swim nights you get home later than usual, but when your jeans are suddenly a little looser and your sex life ramps up and you don’t get winded walking up the hill, it’s a no- brainer.

Chris Auman Says:

July 3rd, 2007, 7:09 am

I run my own business so this might not be for everyone. I go to bed early 10:00-10:30 so I can get up and start working between 6-7:00. I deal with all the important stuff of the day THEN I leave work at 4:00 every day to work out. This leaves me enough time to get a full workout in before returning home to help with the kids and cook dinner. NOTHING has worked for me except for this. Mornings are too early, afternoons are too busy, evenings I’m too tired. If you can get out of work early, do it. The other tip is when 4:00 comes I stop everything. It doesn’t matter if I’m in the middle of something. Working out is no longer considered something to do, it’s a required element in my day and when 4:00 comes I treat it like a necessary meeting with a client. It just HAS to be done.

Thanks Zen Habits!

Shelby Says:

July 3rd, 2007, 7:58 am

What’s working for me is moving more and eating less. I’ve lost almost 10 pounds since May pretty much just by doing that. I do try to eat healthier too - more veggies and fruites. I cut out cokes and really try to not have bread as much as possible.

It’s a daily struggle. If I can exercise every day - it’s so much easier. I try to walk on the treadmill at least 35 minutes and ride the bike at least 30 minutes. After that, I’m usually not hungry.

And drink water - lots of water.

xyc Says:

July 3rd, 2007, 17:03 pm

eat till you’re not hungry, not till you’re full.

Jeremy Says:

July 4th, 2007, 10:14 am

Smaller crockery.
Porridge for breakfast.
Fruit and vegetables (5 portions minimum, 9 maximum, and no, fries don’t count).

engtech @ internet duct tape Says:

July 4th, 2007, 11:54 am

What works for me:

- It’s all math. 1 lb is 3500 calories. That is a *LOT*.

- Learning the Weight Watchers formulas so that I can compare food properly (although I never joined their program). Once you see that you can eat one of those, or five of these and they are about the same it really helps you make healthier choices. The best thing you can get from Weight Watchers is learning how to read nutritional labels.

- Watch out for nutritional label hijinx with serving size. Is serving size eight chips, or one slice of bread? They play lots of tricks to make it harder to compare products.

- Don’t eat blind. Read those labels!

- Your regular metabolism burns much more calories per day than most exercises, so do everything you can to boost your metabolism (water + fiber + muscle gain).

- Building muscle and cutting calories are often counter productive. That’s why body builders have bulking and cutting phases. You might want to alternate between them.

- Get sleep. I’m an insomniac and lack of sleep always leads to overeating, not to mention a deadened sense of smell or sense of taste. Listen to your body. Exercise really helps with insomnia as well.

- Always eat breakfast. Your metabolism is higher when you aren’t running on empty.

- Eat slower. I gulp my food down like someone is going to steal it, so I have to eat more in order to enjoy it.

- Don’t eat the same caloric amount every day. That’s the easiest way to plateau. Mix it up with big calorie days followed by two low calorie days.

- Buy a digital scale. Weigh yourself regularly and journal it. A notebook and a pen is enough, those online journals just promote using the computer.

- Journal when you eat out. My big problem is I don’t like to cook so I will get into cycles where I eat out between 7-12 times a week. Restaurant food is almost always higher calorie than something you made yourself.

- Penthouse Letters were right, raw vegetables are your friend.

- Pick your meat. Turkey

engtech @ internet duct tape Says:

July 4th, 2007, 11:55 am

ah, got cut off. Will have to do it as a blog post of its own.

ltrotter Says:

July 4th, 2007, 11:56 am

I have two suggestions:

1. Become a food snob. Someone wants to go to the local fast food chain? Disgusting! Horrible! Even if you grew up loving it, like I did. Just keep telling yourself that the food is disgusting…pretty soon you’ll believe it. if you want a hamburger with french fries, eat it. But only one made with angus beef and fingerling potatoes. You’ll find that becoming a food snob means that moderation just sneaks up on you…you can still eat your favorite foods, but you end up eating them much less. The reality, for better of for worse, is that most food available to us (fast food, processed food, buffett dinners) is really, truly, disgusting. Just keep telling yourself that.

2. Get smaller plates. You tend to fill a plate and eat whatever’s on it, no matter the size. So, just downsize.

Zepheryl Says:

July 4th, 2007, 12:06 pm

“The greatest gift any human being has ever been given is the ability to reinvent themselves.” (amazing…)

Eric Says:

July 5th, 2007, 13:58 pm

My tip is to listen to yourself.

When I was trying to take off all kinds of weight, I just asked myself, when I was hungry, if it was because my body really needed it or if it was just because I wanted to fill my tummy.

A lot of the “common sense” things like not eating candy or chips just stemmed naturally from this. I still ate crap, but when I got it down to what I “needed” I realized that those pounds of nougat weren’t so satisfying.

Christopher Sampson Says:

July 5th, 2007, 22:44 pm

I asked a trainer friend to put a workout together for me and he gave this pre-requisite, which I think provides a great run-in (pun intended) to starting any workout plan: Exercise in some way (walk, jog, run, bike, swim, weights, yoga, whatever) for as long as you like at least 3 times a week for 3 weeks. This helps you overcome inertia and become comfortable with the exercise as a routine, it is SO much easier to start in on a formal exercise plan.

Mike Says:

July 12th, 2007, 23:44 pm

About this time last year I realized how much I’d let myself go over the past few years since college. My diet was horrible and stress from work was not helping.

Tried several diets but the weight always came back. I’ve been able to lose nearly 30 pounds by taking it slow. First I cut out all fast food, haven’t had it since August of last year. Second I joined a gym and started exercising 3-4 times per week. Next I continued to improve my diet by replacing carbs with lean meats/protein and I cut out the sugar. However, I have not eliminated any foods just exercised extreme moderation. This really helps with cravings and slowly the cravings go away. I would much rather have a cup of fresh fruit over a candy bar or french fries. 3 months ago I suffered a fairly serious knee injury which has kept me from doing anything other than walking however the weight has not come back due to my eating habits.

E-dog Says:

July 26th, 2007, 11:54 am

2 No-fail tips from the common-sense:

1. Exercise more. If you exercise now, exercise more. If you don’t, exercise a little. Then apply point 1 and 2.

2. Eat less. Don’t remove some nutrient group like fat or carbs. Just eat less. Eat your McPukes if you like. Just eat less. Then apply point 1 and 2.

Bashewa Says:

August 18th, 2008, 18:04 pm

Avoid high kilojoules and deep fried snacks.

See http://www.weightlossdiets.co.za/kilojoules-in-food.html for an idea of kilojoule content in some of our typical western diets and dishes

Robbie Says:

June 27th, 2009, 10:54 am

Exercise and eat healthy, haha.
Don’t cut out all your carbs.
Carbs are the main source of energy for your body and if you cut them out your body will burn your stored fat instead.
Sounds great, huh? Well your body burning nothing but fat releases Ketones which are detrimental to your body and force it into an acidic state. It will also make you feel incredibly bad and less likely to exercise to lose that weight! Cut down carbs - yes Cut out carbs - No
Losing weight isn’t an easy overnight adventure. It takes a lot of hard work and commitment, but once you get going it becomes fun and you feel great!