Changes made in your diet to manage your weight

[DavideFitbit]

Hello everyone! 

Many people struggle for a long time to learn how to manage their weight properly or to loose some of the excess weight. The most important thing is the negative health outcomes as well, including diabetes, high blood pressure, and greater risk of heart disease.

I invite you to share your experience with this, What changes did you make in your diet/life to manage your weight? 

I personally had to read a LOT about healthy eating habits, because I was very used to eating junk food and not counting calories at all. Once I starting counting the calories and I became aware of how much damage you can cause to your body with certain foods, I felt like I finally had the tools to change my diet and lifestyle to be more healthy.

I started by removing all fast food, at least for the first few months, and I decided to follow a diet that I knew I was really willing to commit to with healthy food I actually liked. Many times we follow the first diet we find online and this didn't really work for me, I always ended up giving up, but I decided to stick to this diet (approved by nutritionist) and I lost 30 pounds in a few months. I can't say everything has been easy, but fortunately I haven't had any problem to maintain by weight ever since. 

I'll just tag a few of you so we can start off the discussion, but we'd love to hear experiences from everyone in the Community!! 

@SunsetRunner @Odyssey13 @MAmaral @medas2005 @jaclin @realmanpwns @Shadowsforbars @EleanorNC @Baltoscott @RachelShrinks @reszy @ElaineJ27 @Cele21 @MargaretG139 @CJ_Here @Katrin. 

[Glenda]

Baltoscott,  That is a brilliant solution I didn't think of....I'll be driving.    I'm sorry I don't know how to do things on here.  I don't know how to give credit for solutions, and I don't know what things mean like little push pins & check marks &  I have even tried looking for explanations and can't find any.   

     Grace, I appreciated your comments too.  Thank you.

[Glenda]

You are looking GREAT.   Maybe you should have a new profile picture.  Glad the beard is gone.  Excellent job you have done dieting.   Amazing

[Julia_G]

@Glenda, yes, the doughnut comment was definitely just an example - they don’t do much for me... I prefer fatty, salty food to sweet food, myself.

My point really was that one of the reasons that “diets” fail is that folks feel deprived, and that feeling can often lead to more eating - sometimes even a binge response.  If you know you can eat anything you want (even a so-called “bad” thing - like donuts, an extreme example - maybe you can think, I just won’t have it today...

One way of eating (not so much a diet as a system) that many people have managed t lose weight on is the intermittent fasting idea: you restrict most of your eating to certain days, or perhaps certain hours of the day.  It seems that it works because any “deprivation” is temporary.  Folks can say, I can’t eat what I want today, but I can have it tomorrow.

For some people that seems to work better than thinking they can’t have what they want for weeks or months.  If you know your period of hunger is going to end in a few hours, or the next day, for some people it does seem to be an effective way of losing weight.

That was really my point!

As for the drinking issue, I live in England.  Twenty or so years ago if you went to a party, or even a family gathering, and said you weren’t drinking, people would urge you to have “just a few”...  Now, it is completely unacceptable to drink and drive, and all you have to do is say you are driving and no one asks twice.  In fact, they often ask if you are driving before they are even willing to pour you one!  

So if that one hasn’t yet caught on in the States, I am sure it will soon and you can be a start of the trend!  Just say you are the driver, and I expect most hosts will back off fast.  No need to go into personal stuff like whether you want to lose weight (someone will be bound to say you look great and loosen up...) or you don’t feel good in the morning (someone will be sure to offer you their favourite hangover cure).  There really isn’t a good answer to “I am going to be driving a one ton + vehicle at 60 miles an hour down a dark road, so I had better have my wits about me...”

These days when I am having a dinner party I always have a couple of alcohol free options to offer my guests.  My favourite is sparkling water mixed with pomegranate juice, maybe with a lemon or lime wedge - or even just straight pomegranate juice, because no one else knows that isn’t red wine!

[Baltoscott]

Thanks for the kudos @Glenda (FYI, putting an @ in front of a name will let people know you are talking about or responding to them).  Like my wife, you favor me without the beard, but ... as you can see in my current profile pic from halloween this year, it is back :-).  It is a seasonal look for me.  On from late September and off early April.

[Glenda]

@Baltoscott  You must know that a grey beard makes you look OLDER.  Why do people do that???

[SunsetRunner]

Hi Glenda, I just experienced the same thing with my daughter (she's 28).  I'm visiting her for Christmas this year and she wants us to go out for drinks one night and have a great conversation.  I was just honest with her.  I said, "Is it going to bother you if I drink coffee with 2% milk instead of having a drink?" She asked me, "Is it going to bother you if I have a drink while you have coffee?"  I said, "Of course not."  She said, "There's your answer."  I just told her the truth that I didn't want to put any extra calories in my body that I've spent the past six months working hard to burn off.  It didn't even bother her at all.  I believe honesty works the best.  Now, I feel relaxed, because I took care of it ahead of time rather than trying to explain myself when we're actually at the sports bar.  Also, I wouldn't worry if people were rude about it.  Be true to yourself, and as hard as it is, ignore negative comments.  My daughter is more blunt than I am.  If someone asks her to do something that she doesn't want to do, she just says, "No." without explanation.  Her friends would push her and push her for a reason or excuse but she continued to say, "No." until they dropped the subject.  I've been in situations where I just say, "I don't eat sugar." or "I don't eat dessert".  Most people just say, "Okay."  I realize some family members can be more "sarcastic".  I still stay true to myself.  I told myself it's better to feel temporarily uncomfortable/awkward/embarrassed rather than to feel bad after giving in to something I didn't want to do.  Another thing that works for me is just saying, "No thanks, I'm good." whether I have to say it once or multiple times.  Even stubborn people will drop it.  Stick to your guns.  People will eventually get it.  

[KatBaby]

These are all great suggestions!  Thank you all for posting them. 

I've lost some weight this year (50 pounds - YAY!) and have become more active in general, but my challenge is prediabetes.  I really don't want to be diabetic and am doing what I can to keep it at bay.  I've cut out all sugar, and most carbs since March.  I look at food differently because I'm not just trying manage my weight, but eat healthy to keep my sugar levels down.   Anyone else struggling with that? 

I've wondered why there aren't more support groups for weight management.  Similar to AA where you have sponsors and there are meetings at several different times & locations.  Not managing your weight isn't as devastating as not controlling your alcohol, don't get me wrong there.  I just see a need for it.  OA has some meetings, but not in my city. 

So I found this wonderful Forum where I can read about how you all manage the day to day aspects of weight management.  And I can participate with the tidbits I have picked up over the last year.

[SunsetRunner]

Hi KatBaby,  Congrats on losing 50 lbs. this year!  I hear your struggle with wanting to keep pre diabetes at bay.  I'm doing the same thing, but for borderline hypertension.  I was surprised to learn that sugar can affect blood pressure like sodium.  Before I joined the Fitbit Community, I was also looking for the same support groups that you were researching.  And, I couldn't find local groups either.  It would be nice to find a group to attend in person.  But, I have found that the Fitbit Community is a great place for support, encouragement and advice.  And, I'm able to participate with what I have learned on my healthy lifestyle journey as well.  Welcome to the group!

[Julia_G]

@KatBaby, 50 lbs is amazing!  Do you feel that you have more to lose moving forward, or are you wanting now to stay stable?

This is a great community for sharing ideas and just getting support, however you are choosing to mange your weight, keep moving, or any other challenge you are facing.

I think the important thing is to connect with some like minded people who can help keep you going and give you a boost in those inevitable tough times.

Amd since you have already come so far, you have got a lot to offer those first starting, so Ihope you will keep joining in!

[Glenda]

,  @KatBaby and @SunsetRunner, @Julia_G    Wow!  KatBaby, losing 50# is wonderful.  It is surely less tiring now to do everything!!  For anyone whose motivation might slip a little, it might help you to know of two studies I just read that support your healthy habits.  Alcohol adds lots of calories especially if you snack with it.  Japan (U. of Tokyo & Harvard) just discovered that ANY drinking is linked to a higher cancer risk.  They studied the medical records of 63232 people with cancer and a matched group in hospitals  without cancer.  (126,464 people!)  Cancer risk was lowest with Zero drinking of alcohol.  

U. of Buffalo:  found that  Advanced Macular degeneration, a loss of vision  which would prevent us from driving is 3 times more likely to develop if you eat a fattening diet high in red and processed meat, fried food, high fat diary & refined grains.   So,  staying on your diet and avoiding the most fattening food & alcohol will help you to be slim and avoid disease.

[KatBaby]

@SunsetRunner  thanks for the encouragement!  I hope your healthy eating habits keeps hypertension at bay.  The Fitbit community does offer a lot of support.  Who knew??  I guess you did!  🐵

@Julia_G  I have about 35 more pounds to go to reach my goal.  I do need to connect with more people who will encourage me and understand the daily struggle.  Although since I've lost weight, more people have talked to me about their issues with weight loss and healthier eating habits.  

@Glenda Thanks for sharing about those studies!

[SunsetRunner]

Thanks for your kind words, KatBaby!  We're going to reach our goals and have happy and healthy lives.  We've got this!

[Glenda]

Ladies,  You might want to check out the Dec 13 Hungry Girl  email with the 2019 most popular recipes. She has pumpkin pancakes, little meatloaves in muffin cups, and breadsticks that look worth a try!!  And other things too.    I'm  definitely not a cook  though.  Only flour, baking powder and yogurt in the breadsticks!!!

[Glenda]

@KatBaby   Maybe everyone will be a bit more motivated to stay on a healthier diet by some things people wrote lately.  The Ask Marilyn news column today said that many of us mistakenly thought that High Fructose Corn syrup was more unhealthy than regular sugar.  Surprised me.  I googled and  Mayo clinic agreed with her but a Dr Axe didn't.  I googled him and he is in the "all genetically modified food is bad" group, a  chiropractor & practices naturopathic medicine.  He sells supplements.     Columbia U Irving Med Center said diets with processed grains and added sugars caused greater risk of insomnia.  And another study I forgot by whom said lots of sweets, like in this season, was linked with depression.  So maybe we should all eat less sweets  of any kind??  I had been looking in all products list of ingredients  to avoid high fructose corn syrup, like ketchup....  Think I'll stop.  But sugar free is fewer calories. 

[Julia_G]

@Glenda  there is very little evidence that “high fructose corn syrup” is really worse for you than regular sugar (glucose).  Basically the human body is designed to take sugar, in in its many forms, in fairly small quantities, whether it is fructose, sucrose, or glucose (whenever you see “ose” in an ingredient that basically means sugar - lactose is milk sugars..., a first food for babies who basically need high protein for growth and high sugar for energy, plus all the milk fats...). As we grow, we need less, but we still want it...

There is absolutely no evidence that consuming GM foods harms anyone in any way.  (Potential environmental risks are another matter, which and should be debated.). I would steer clear of any “nutritionist” who claims that GMO is bad for your health.

You are right that most people need to eat less sugar in all its many forms.  And less processed food in general.  That’s a good takeaway for a healthy diet.

[Glenda]

@Julia_G  I am happy you commented.  We are in violent agreement.

[DavideFitbit]

Excellent @KatBaby! It is a great to know this forum and thread have been helpful for you. It is great indeed to be able to read about how other people here manage the day to day aspects of weight management. Oh and congrats on loosing those 50 lbs! 😀

[Glenda]

@DavideFitbit  Ideas of what we can change are helpful.  I am trying one others might consider. Consistent habits, routines and operating on "auto-pilot" works so much better for me than thinking about it and making decisions.  Exercise is that way for me and  even though the 5-2 diet works as well or better than dieting every day, I just can't do it on auto-pilot.  So I experimented with fasting & various times and length of "eating-windows".  I found 18 hours of fasting and only 6 hours of eating impossible.  I never made it to 16 hours either.  I could have done 15 except I forgot to take my evening dose of magnesium soon enough.  14 hours though is reasonable and do-able, and I can make an everyday habit of eating  only 10 hours a day.  Monday, the day I always weigh the most due to eating more on weekends, I weighed 119 which so horrified me it was motivating & today I weigh 114 mostly due to not eating ANYTHING in the evening.  I do have coffee in the mornings with artificial sweetener though and don't count that as eating.  I think this is going to work.  

[DavideFitbit]

That's a good strategy @Glenda! 

That's what I do when I'm on the treadmill, I just go on auto pilot and try not to think about the workout 😂