Hello.
do you know why you put the weight back on?
sometimes knowing why you put it can be a way to avoid it from happening again I think.
they say that having a meal plan and the same eating times daily routine is very important.
they say look at internal healing and this healing will in time, in the long term show clearly in our body image and general outlook on life.

for me:
I come from a family that has always had an unhealthy relationship with food.
I have my issues that I will not list or discuss today as you are looking for advice.

there is so much research out there that overall states that doing daily exercise is the best way to go. it doesn't need to be a "workout" everyday and the intensity of the workout must be adjusted to how you may feel your mind and body is coping on that particular day.

also studies show that if we follow the basic needs of our bodies then we would definitely look at sleep as a major component and impact on our weight and overall health and well being.

so sleep is essential.
maybe try for 8 good hours of sleep at a regular time as much as you can.

then they say a glass of water with a little bit of lemon in it as soon as you wake up.
and to eat half an hour after waking up as what we call "breakfast" is the fuel our mind and body needs to help itself feel positive and ready for the day.

I feel a little of a hypocrite right now. but its what I know, irrespective of what I actually do myself.

Hope that helps some

Cheers

Honestly, I just fell off of my diet around the holidays and couldn't recover. I probably could use better sleeping habits actually. I have 2 comp books, one that I'm starting to keep track of my intake in and the other to use as an exercise log. I weigh in weekly and allow myself one "cheat day" every other week. My biggest issues are lack of motivation and willpower. Though you would think living longer and feeling better would be motivation enough.

I know so far there has been a lot of "they say this is good" and "this is important", but it really isn't. Having meals at a certain time of the day spread throughout the day makes not one bit of difference in weight lose. There are people who do OMAD (one meal a day), or 16:8 (fast for 16 hours and eat the other 8 hours) and have tremendous weight loss success. It end up being what ever works for you.

The other thing is breakfast and lemon water when you wake up. Utter nonsense. Breakfast being the most important meal of the day was pushed on us by the cereal companies to make money. Their is not scientific evidence to prove this claim. Many people skip breakfast because they are not hungry or the fact that eating it makes them hungry for the rest of the day. The only reason to eat breakfast is if YOU are hungry and it makes you feel better to start the day. And lemon water....there is nothing magical about it. I drink a ton of water in the morning. Because I'm thirsty. Adding lemon doesn't do a thing.

@vsavior- I know you said you limit your calorie intake, but do you know how many calories you consume in the first place? Do you actually count your calories or do you guess how many calorie you consume? The only way to lose is to consume less calories than you burn, period. You should be really accurate about how many you are eating. Food scales make a HUGE difference. That was the only way I was able to take the weight off myself.

If you struggle with calorie control I recommend a low carb diet. While you are on it it is impossible to put the weight back on. You never go hungry on it either. I've lost over 120lbs on it in less than 18 months...something I never dreamed was going to be possible when I started at 268lbs.

Otherwise my advice would be to aim for slow but consistent weight loss...1-3lbs a week is plenty and quickly adds up. If you lose it slower it may be easier to keep off and gives your body time to adjust. Don't boom and bust with the weight loss...do it at a pace you can maintain.

I do not use a food scale, I basically just look at the content of ingredients and do the math. I limit it to between 1700 and 2000 cal a day. I also go to the gym 3-4 days a week. Plus I've started walking more instead of driving. This is the method I had success with before.

I'm not saying you have to use a food scale, but just an FYI, food package information can be off by as much as 25%. That was one way food got me. I couldn't believe how many extra calories I was consuming just by going by what was on the label. And the shame of it is..... that they are ALLOWED to do that.

I was not aware of that, thanks for the information.

Dear members,

An opportunity has come up to take part in some research looking at health and lifestyle attitudes and intentions. The research is being carried out by researchers at the Department of Behavioural Science & Health at University College London. For this study, you need to be female and aged 18 years or older. You can access the questionnaire using the link below. The questions will relate to your diet, physical activity and general health attitudes. It should take between 20-30 minutes to complete.

Please follow the link if you are happy to complete the questionnaire: https://opinio.ucl.ac.uk/s?s=48848

Feel free to email me with any queries and many thanks in advance for your time,

Ellen Lambert
e: rmjlerl@ucl.ac.uk