What is your best weight loss tip? (veggies, Weight Watchers, patient)

[TXRunner]

I drink diet soda all the time. It has no effect on my weight. Maybe that's just me. The most important thing is calories in and calories out. The next thing is metabolism. Do things that raise your metabolism like eating breakfast as soon as you wake up, eating 4-5 smaller meals instead of 3 big ones.

[sansea]

Get to know your body, how it works and what it needs.

[SuzyQ123]

Stop wearing stretchy pants. Only wear pants with a button and zipper. Smaller plates and bowls. Only drink water. One time a week eat one thing you REALLY want. Last week I had a snickers bar. This week I want Chicken and dumplings.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by sansea

Get to know your body, how it works and what it needs.

That's not so tough.

It's the "what it wants" part that's tough.

[Chickrae]

Originally Posted by SuzyQ123

Stop wearing stretchy pants. Only wear pants with a button and zipper. Smaller plates and bowls. Only drink water. One time a week eat one thing you REALLY want. Last week I had a snickers bar. This week I want Chicken and dumplings.

That is a very good tip. I stopped wearing stretchy pants also and now I can gage if my pants are getitng tighter or not. Lately they are becoming very loose so I guess I am on the right track. Also good idea to have something you really like once a week. That way you don't feel so deprived

[cd771]

sparkpeople.com is a good free website. You can keep track of what you eat and your calories and there are forums for support.

I lost a lot of weight by keeping dinners on the small side with little carbs. Like I would have a boca burger without bread, a piece of cheese and a small can of V8. I ate a big breakfast and lunch. I also had one cheat day a week when I could eat anything I want. If I wanted something during the week like pasta I either had it for breakfast or saved it for my cheat day. I lost 18 lbs in a couple of months doing this and felt great.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by cd771

I lost a lot of weight by keeping dinners on the small side with little carbs. Like I would have a boca burger without bread, a piece of cheese and a small can of V8. I ate a big breakfast and lunch. I also had one cheat day a week when I could eat anything I want. If I wanted something during the week like pasta I either had it for breakfast or saved it for my cheat day. I lost 18 lbs in a couple of months doing this and felt great.

I'm sure this would work for me too. I just don't think I could maintain this deprivation forever.

It's also particularly difficult to maintain a rigid eating habit when you live in a household of six and there are goodies everywhere. When I was a bachelor, I could more easily control what entered the house. My wife is "normal" and one scoop of ice cream works for her. But, that means there will be ice cream in the house.

You keep alcoholics out of bars.

[azriverfan.]

If you want to lose weight, you have to stop making food your source of entertainment. That's not to say that you can't enjoy food. I'm not asking you to be one of these people that only looks at food as fuel. BUT...people who are often overweight really enjoy food like a hobby and you have to stop that. You need to find a new hobby that will distract yourself from food. I was slim my whole life and I became obese in medical school because food was my only source of entertainement between studying long hours. I also began watching the Food Network and cooking all types of unhealthy food.

I'm not a puritan by any means. I will grab Wendys every now and then. I will even have some key lime pie and desert. The key is I also make sure I eat healthy meals too. I also exercise. And I also look forward to doing other things besides eating. I actually like exercising now. It's fun. I don't kill myself at the gym but I will do the Eliptical with a nice magazine or book in front of me an some great music with sports or CNN playing on a TV in front of me. It's a fun activity and I don't even realize I burned 400 calories. I do it for 45-1 hour an go home and shower.

Food is great but it's just not my life any longer. If I eat out, I will eat small portions and notice I get full with small portions. I don't choose the greasiest item either. I'm not a puritan who only orders salad but I will get grilled items and have some mash potatoes or a baked potatoe. I will split desert with my family.

I'm sure food is a big part of your life. If it is, that's okay. Think of it like this, you have so much to explore and learn! Pick up some new hobbies, travel, exercise, play video games with your kids, paint, read..do things you have never done. Pretty soon, you will lose weight and best of all, you won't miss all that food. But always keep it real and balanced. Treat yourself on occasion so that you don't develop these psychological cravings. Just remember to eat healthy the next day or two. Eat healthy for 3-4 days in a row and then have a fast food or unhealthy meal. Just make sure you get some type of exercise each day.

Lastly, if you are a woman, you don't need to look like a Supermodel. When i was younger, I lived in LA and the opportunity to meet many of these models. They are ridiculously skinny and the camera adds weight to them so they look somewhat normal on camera. In real life, I was appalled at how skinny and gross they looked. These women are not normal either. They often smoke like a chimney and do cocaine to curb their appetite so they don't eat. Many of them are just blessed with amazing genetics. That's not normal. Don't try to look like them. Be healthy! That is the key. Be as healthy as you can be. And truth be told, most men like women with curves. We are not into women who are ridiculously skinny.

[2bpurrfect]

i lost 13 pounds in about 6 weeks recently. it happened because i moved, and my physical activity increased a great deal during that process. I also had no time to eat that much. I think if you spend your time doing other things, you will not have the time to overeat. if you are overeating, you might be spending too much TIME on that activity. I found this out for myself, and now i am going to be keeping myself busy doing other things, which i need to do anyway! my house will be cleaner, and i will have more money, because i will be busier with these things and less time fixing or eating food. Plus the physical activity must have already sped up my metabolism.

[Charles]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

people who are often overweight really enjoy food like a hobby and you have to stop that.

For how many (what percent of) people would this approach solve their obesity problem?