I've been overweight for quite some time now, and although not in love with it, haven't really been bothered by it enough to sort it out. I have lost some weight and gained it back again, in the past couple of years. This year however I have finally started to make some decent inroads into losing the pounds.

One of the most useful tools I've found in this process is an online nutrition tracker (I use Cron-O-meter, which I think is excellent). I also weigh myself most mornings, not because I'm obsessed about going up or down one or two pounds in a day (which happens, because of water and fibre etc.), but because it keeps me mentally motivated to keep my diet in line with my goals during the day ahead.

Is anyone else here currently making an effort to get down to a healthier weight? Do you have a goal, in weight or dress size or just how you feel in your body? What strategies or tools work for you, or have worked in the past? Do share!

I've been making an effort to lose the 30ish lbs. I put back on out of the 110 I previously lost. I began to eat more stuff I had already given up due to the perceived "convenience" of it (french fries, potato wedges, delivery pizzas minus the cheese, fake meats and such made from soy, etc, much more peanut butter mixed with non-dairy chocolate chips, gluten-free and gluten-filled breads, gluten-free pastas, potato chips, and of course the nasty oils and other additives and such that most restaurants and companies use to prepare most of the stuff listed above), and also got back into an old habit of eating stuff after dinner/late night, disregarding the digestive processes that need to take place during that time.

My body once again painfully reminded me these things aren't wise choices, at all, so I stopped them all, once again, and am steadily dropping the pounds and feeling better. I still do my mini-trampoline, dancing, walking, gardening, and hula hooping as my main forms of exercise daily, so it was definitely the consumption choices and late night eating that packed the pounds back on.

I have no ideal weight or size I'm shooting for and no longer track each thing I eat like I used to when I was first learning how to healthily gauge my intake. I only aim for improved sustainable health and functioning from the inside out. May we all reach our desired goals by finding our healthiest, and tastiest, grooves. Peace.

110lb is a really substantial weight loss, well done!! I've lost 2 stone (28lb) so far this year and looking to do another 1 stone (14lb) in UK) by new year. That should take me down to a relatively healthy 14/16 UK dress size (US 12/14 I think) and I'll see where I want to go from there, when I get there. Though I definitely want to start a regular walking programme again - started that then it tailed off, as so many good intentions do.

I've been slowly losing weight over about a year (30 pounds so far) and I have a way to go, this thread is a great idea!

I've been following a whole foods plant-based diet based around The Starch Solution and it's great because I get to eat a lot while still losing, plus I love potatoes haha. I've been watching a lot of vegan weight-loss youtubers like High Carb Hannah and Potato Strong and it's been really motivating plus they have great recipe ideas.

I think it's a great thing to take weight loss at a relaxed pace, I just don't believe it's possible for most people to lose a lot of weight really fast and keep it off. I have a cheat day (or sometimes two) a week where I don't worry if I go over the calories recommended by Cronometer. Though most days I do try to keep inside the lines

I also love my whole foods, though unlike most of those kinds of dietary programmes, I do regularly include a controlled/measured amount of refined vegetable fats (oil, butter, cheese, mayo) in my diet.

As for weight loss motivation, I have made the mistake of watching programmes like The Biggest Loser in the past; it's compulsive junk TV, and isn't really motivational at all! The trainers (producers?) just seem to enjoy making the fatties vomit and cry! They would never admit it, but there is absolutely a smug undercurrent of 'punishment' for being greedy / lazy going on in shows like that. I also find it quite problematic the degree to which participants literally hate themselves and their bodies for being obese. 'Obese' is just a medical term, it's not a value judgement. Or it shouldn't be..

My 'Hairy Dieters go Veggie' book arrived yesterday. Most people from the UK will recognise The Hairy Bikers from numerous cooking TV series where they travel around and cook lots of rich stodgy traditional British dishes. Then a couple of years ago they decided they were unhealthily fat (they were well into the obese range) and needed to eat less, so rebranded themselves as The Hairy Dieters (all news to me, but then I don't really watch TV much anymore). This veggie book came out in May (found it on Amazon for just £6 and thought I might as well give it a go), and has lots of traditional fare, made veggie and lower in fat. I'll probably be updating the what did you cook vegan thread a lot from this book. It's getting cooler and darker here in the UK now, so a great time for stews, soups and the starchy stuff I love. Most recipes are not fully vegan, but are easy to do simple subs for the milk and butter (there's very little in the way of high fat cheese or eggs in there). Couple of their recipes linked to below, I'm definitely trying the chestnut pie and the socca and salsa.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/ar...w-recipes.html

I've just started reading the above book, The Mindful Diet, more a programme of behavioural tools than a diet per se.

Was immediately impressed on starting the book to read a strong endorsement of a 'whole foods plant based' approach to eating for health / weight loss.

I like that it takes you through slowly, one chapter per week, with time to implement all the different strategies.

It also encourages self awareness in terms of working out what your habits are - there's an enlightening check list in the first part of the book.

Possibly a bit early to recommend as I'm only into chapter one, but seems pretty good so far. Will report back..

Please do! I'm really interested in behavioural modification and I think it's the only way you can create lasting change.

Lately I've been really enjoying the Shortcut to Slim podcast by Lindsay Nixon of Happy Herbivore, she talks a lot about similar themes and does an incredible amount of research to make sure her information is accurate: https://happyherbivore.com/podcasts/

Great idea for a thread.

I like the idea of taking a slow but steady approach to weightloss, and that has been my approach, but since going entirely plant-based, even if I eat at the calorie level Cronometer recommends, the weight is literally falling off. (This is not a complaint, just an observation.) I have Cronometer set to 2 lbs per week. Last week I lost 5. My eating has been kind of all over the place the past few days though, so this week probably won't look the same. It will be interesting to see!

I'm just beginning to add weight training. I've been reading about all the benefits that it has for women in preventing osteoporosis, and preserving muscle mass, in Strong Women Stay Young by Miriam Nelson.

Ooh, thanks. I'll take a look at that!

Good for you
I think a lot of people who switch to WFPB have similar results.

Weight training is something I've never really got strongly into, though I do agree about the consensus regarding the benefits of weight training for weight loss. I have done some resistance in the past, but I'm more of a yoga person these days. It's surprising though how yoga poses can be quite strenuous. Instead of lifting external weights, you're lifting body weight and it's more about the endurance muscle (slow twitch) development over strength muscle (fast twitch).

https://www.gaiam.com/blogs/discover...ength-training

And with that said, you've motivated me to take a fresh look at my yoga practice. Going to check out this book called 'Yoga Gym' which has lots of great reviews and incorporates yoga poses with other more dynamic body weight exercises:

I'm currently using these apps on my Android phone to help keep me on target:

Water Drink Reminder

I lost nearly one stone from just using this app alone. It simply reminds you to drink water. Currently I'm drinking about 6 pints a day, neat. Including one pint half an hour before meals. It's also made my skin appear more youthful and increased my mental alertness. Great little app.

Cron-O-Meter

This is the nutrition tracker I use, I think others here have also mentioned it. Very useful, even if I don't always keep within my targets, it helps me to observe patterns of unhelpful behaviour. Currently weekend treats are my downfall; without the app, I could have just ignored this or not really identified it as an issue.

I also have used a menu planner app. Currently using Pepperplate but not sure if I may switch back to Food Planner.

Is anyone else here using apps as a part of their weight loss toolkit?

Yes, I started with MyFitnessPal, but I found that the entries were too unreliable. Too many user-added inaccuracies, so I switched to Cronometer. I also like the way it gives me a full picture of my nutrients. I've been a little shy on calcium lately, so time to up the greens and tofu!

I also like Fooducate, although I don't use it for my daily tracking. I can scan the barcode of something I'm considering purchasing and Fooducate will give me a letter score of how healthy it is. If I upgraded it to the pay system, it would also tell me if the item is vegan or not, so I'm considering switching, but I have so many recipes in Cronometer now it seems like it would be a pain in the tail to convert to another logging system.

Agree, I like to keep my recipes in Cron-O-Meter too. Very handy, but would be a real pain to switch over.

Another app I'm currently using is Map My Walk. Quite fun as it uses GPS and you can see where you've been on the map, plus it also measures your speed / distance, so you can (if bothered) calculate how many calories you've burned. I don't like pedometers, they tend to be innaccurate.

This week I've started a new goal of 3 x 30 minute walks a week on it. Very modest goal. But I think if I commit to doing that for one month - without fail - then I can edge it up. I'd like to be doing something like 5 x 45 minute walks a week with 1 x 60 minute walk (or longer) at the weekend.

I've been reading reviews of Yoga Gym and I think I might try it. There's also a weekly yoga practice before temple that I would like to check out...it's just a matter of making myself get up early enough for it on a Sunday.

The Map My Walk app looks pretty interesting too. I have had a similar experience with pedometers.

I bike to lose weight. Its very effective and cuts down on carbon emissions. I wish I could do it more but the roads in my hometown are so bike unfriendly. My ultimate goal is to have a car-less challenge for like a month.

I bought it and like it so far. I'm going to do the 28 day plan in January and see how I get on with it. If I like the programme I'll keep it up, if I don't I may look into doing a standard Ashtanga practice which is more dynamic than my current more static pose based Hatha practice.

Definitely a good little app and worth trialling. The paid version also allows you to use or create programmes, but I haven't tried that. It's a good app for motivating you to get out.

I think just adding in some regular brisk walking to my week has been really good for me this week. I came down 4.5 lb. which is a lot for me. I've been wanting less sleep too (more alert in the evening and getting up earlier), so can only suppose that my metabolism has been given a little boost.

Hi!
I am trying to lose weight from having a baby in April. I am writing a blog loosely about my weight loss journey as a vegan. I am trying to lose at least 40 pounds. My blog is called fatvegannomore.wordpress.com

Welcome and congratulations on your baby!

I have been focusing on additional activity this week. My endurance for cardio isn't so great, so I'm doing it in 10 minute bursts right now, and giving myself permission to do it multiple times per day.

I also added a new app called Habitica which I'm having a lot of fun with. It's an RPG for people who sometimes need an, ahem, gentle push to get things done. I told it my areas that I want to work on (right now that's job search, health, creative writing, and daily chores) and it gives me suggested tasks to accomplish to move me toward my goals. I can also add my own to-dos and habits I want to establish, and I earn experience and gold for them and can level up my character.

I'm still exploring it, but I think it's going to be a really good tool for my weightloss.

I looked up Habitica, looks really cute and funny

I've re-started reading 'Walk Your Butt Off' today, which is a structured 12 week walking programme utilising intervals to increase cardiovascular fitness and burn fat. I like it, but I didn't get into it when I started reading it some months ago, as the intervals seemed a bit complicated. To make it easier to follow, I've just installed an interval app on my phone, so I'm hoping that will do the complicated bit for me.

I going to stick to my current plan of just committing to 3 x 30 min walks a week for one month (November) before amping it up; just to establish the habit. Then I may start the WYBO programme in December.

I've been quite good at getting my daily walk in this week, as well as doing morning yoga. Lost 1.5 lb. this week which is good for me as I'm aiming slow and long term.

A couple of useful online tools that I've been utilising recently from a website called Shape Sense. If like me you're motivated by tracking progress and that sort of thing, it might be worth a dip into:

http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/

I've started using these two in particular:

Calories Burned WHILE Walking Calculator

Calories Burned BY Exercise Converter (Gross to Net)

A lot of calorie tracking apps don't account for the fact that our base metabolic rate (calories burned just by being out of bed and living life) is already accounted for in some other tracking tools (such as Cron-O-Meter) so the estimates can end up being quite inflated (making you think you've burned more calories by exercise than you really have). Calories burned by exercise are 'additional' calories burned on top of what you'd already be burning just by being awake for the duration of your exercise. COM already has a library of activities, but it's interesting to explore other tools.

Oh, this thread looks like the perfect place for me to hang out! I have nearly 50 lbs to lose after two years of working and stressing way too much and not at all looking after myself well enough. Now I have changed my job and I finally have so much time just for me and my wellbeing. I have started to really get back into exercising again and I log my workouts on Myfitnesspal but I need to get stricter with also logging my food as I have PCOS so I need quite the deficit to see any difference on the scales. I have seen a difference in my fitness levels already though which is motivating in itself.

Welcome @Lux_

I've got around the same amount of weight to lose. Logging food has really made me more attentive to my habits and helped me find routines, definitely recommended from here.

I've actually reduced my calorie deficit recently (I was getting hungry and then feeding up at the weekend, thus derailing efforts made during the week) so aiming to go even slower than initially planned. I don't expect to reach my target weight in less than 18 months, but am hoping that by going slow I won't regain once I'm there.

I love being fit, a couple of minor injuries have undermined me getting back there, but fortunately they're healed now so am getting back into regular exercise again and enjoying it.

What workouts do you do?

I remember positive affirmations being a thing back in the eighties and looked up on YouTube to see what was out there. I've played this one a few times, repeating the affirmations silently to myself while on my daily walk. Some of the affirmations I'm not keen on (like "I am getting thinner and thinner" - that's not actually my goal) so I may trial a few other videos and see if I can find one that has statements I can fully identify with.


Apparently studies have shown mixed results from people using affirmations. Some positive, and some less positive. From what I've read it seems to depend on how you already feel about yourself. Ironically people with really low self esteem may be best avoiding them.

Has anyone used affirmations or have any experience with them?

Thank you!

My best friend from school was diagnosed with cancer last year and to motivate myself to do cardio I signed up to do a 10k charity run (in late May 2018) in her honour and to raise money for cancer research. I try to do 20 minutes of HIIT 5 times a week coupled with another 40 minutes of steady state cardio (jogging) 3 times a week as a way to prepare for that. I used to run a lot when at university but after graduating and working full time I completely dropped it and need to get back into it without getting injured.

On top of that I swim laps with my brother once a week and I have copied a couple of strength training routines from youtuber Whitney Simmons that I do when I feel confident enough but I really need to work on getting more of that in. I find myself feeling a bit silly if there are too many people in the gym which is ridiculous really! Totally need to get over that because I enjoy strength training when I actually do it.

My mother was very much a fan of affirmations, but she would avoid ones like "I am getting thinner and thinner" in favor of ones like "I nourish my body with healthy food" "I exercise daily" "I deserve to be healthy and happy."

I still have a magnet she gave me: "I deserve to be happy and successful." At one point I felt silly saying that, but my new perspective is "We all deserve to be happy and successful" and that really works for me.

In other weight loss news, I almost didn't step on the scale this morning, because I knew I was retaining water and food from yesterday's Thanksgiving, but I decided that was silly thinking. I knew if the scale showed a gain (it did) that it didn't reflect real weight gain as I was still around my calorie maintenance level, so why avoid the scale that I step on every day? I'm striving to build a lifetime of healthy habits, not get wound up over any given number on any given day.

Yes, I might be best creating my own set of affirmations. Agree about the phrasing, much better (and in line with my aspirations and beliefs).

Good for you re: the scale - I do exactly the same thing. I check my weight every day, just as a way to keep me mentally on track Studies have shown this works to help manage weight even without any other interventions:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-st...-a7899401.html

Sometimes there's an increase sometimes a decrease in weight, but that doesn't concern me, it's the long term 'trend' that I'm more interested in tracking and that is slowly going down. In fact I'm half a pound heavier today than I was yesterday. But it's no big deal. I take in a lot of fluid and fibre, and because my calories were in (modest) deficit yesterday, I know it's that making up that half pound.

Yes, the scale can really mess with your head if you let it but so important to not give it more power over you, your self worth or your mood than it deserves. I also try to not be so scared of the number it tells me, but instead see it as just one of many indications of how I'm doing and after salty food or a big holiday like Thanksgiving it's of course going to reflect the temporary water gain. Definitely no reason to feel bad.

I have limited myself ot only weighing in on Fridays because I know I have grown too obsessed with the scale in the past. It's worked really well so far.

This week I included a fast on Sunday. I've done a full day of water fasting (roughly 36 hours from evening meal to breakfast) quite a few times now and don't really find it all that challenging to be honest; the key for me is to simply not start eating. That and drinking plenty of pure water. While I find a full day not too hard, I don't know if I could easily do those half day fasts that are popular to the 5:2 IF pattern of eating.

I also try to avoid being around the smell of cooking food! I think I'm going to continue to do this as I also quite enjoy having the odd 'free' day where I don't count calories.

As well as contributing to weight loss (through increasing your calorie deficit) it's also supposed to be great for health; helping the body to destroy cancer cells and all sorts. If curious, see this BBC Horizon documentary that came out a few years ago:

Eat, Fast & Live Longer







(Note: obviously it probably wouldn't be a good idea to explore fasting if you've got a disordered relationship to food, eating or body-image)

It does sound relaxing not to log for a day. Wouldn't work for me as my meds make me subject to dizziness when my blood sugar gets low, but I might try a day (when I'm not working) of eating just fruits and veggies, under the assumption that it's unlikely that I'd exceed my calorie targets on fruit.