Post what you did to make goal, benefits- lets make a guide for Newbies- all approaches...

I have been on the boards for years now, and I do not recall a thread being dediated to documenting what people did to make it to goal.  So first, goal is defined by you- and nobody else.  It is not about making it to a normal bmi, a certain eating plan, etc.  It is what you wanted to get out of the process.  Next, if you don't mind list off the benefits you experienced.  It is my hope that the thread will be a diverse collection of the strategies used to reach goal.  All approaches and strategies are welcome to post!

My goal: Normal bmi, improve health, stop sitting out of life events and lose the restrictions and negative emotional mindset attached to being morbidly obese, eliminate as much cancer risk as possible. Note: I still have some meat on me and many might say I should lose to a lower bmi- my daughter is my height and weighs 35 pounds less and looks awesome, but that is not my goal :)

How I made goal:

1. Measure, weight, and document everything. Used MFP to track carefully. Very consistent with this, but not perfect.

2.  First 2 months- under 800 cals and tried to stay under 40 carbs.

3. Month 3- 8, added calories a little each month and no longer under 40 carbs.  By month 5 1200 calories, ate 6 times per day, 30 net carbs at meals, 15 net carbs at snack. I am in the "moderation" camp here on the boards- but know I am also hypoglycemic and could not handle low carb. Know too I am 6'2'' tall, so 1200 calories for a 5' female would likely look very different. 

4.  Used the general rule of 1 gram of protein to every 10 calories, with this being balanced out by the end of the day and not necessarily choice by choice. Protein first.  Protein avergaed over 100 grams daily. Loads of fluids- at least 150 ounces a day.

5. Exercised 6 days a week, at least 1 hour daily.  Typically 1 hour elliptical or 4-5 mile walk.

6. Sought support.  Hubby went on the diet with me, motivated me to exercise frequently, daughters kept dad from cooking crap food, one daughter would not let me go to the grocery store without her to make it so I wouldn't buy crap food, etc. Went to support groups- hubby always went with me.  Listened to the NUT, went to my doc appointments, did the lab work, and followed recommendations of the bariatric team. (Follwed it even when I thought it was useless- my way had clearly failed, and committed myself to following the advice of the professionals.)

7.  Weighed a couple times per week.  Used the graphs on MFP to look for patterns to help me get through stalls.  For example, my weight spikes going into my period and drops rapidly right after. What I ate never seemed to impact that pattern.  Stair step loser- no loss for up to 21 days, then rapid loss for a few days.  Focused on monthly average loss and learned not to get hung up on daily or weekly loss.

8. Created a list of 100 things to do instead of eat, and used it when I found myself wanting to go off plan.  Was reflective when I did go off plan to learn what triggered it and how to avoid it next time. Learned to be gentle with myself and lose the pefectionist black/white thinking and replaced it with a mindset of" if you fall off the wagon, keep working to crawl back on" instead. 

9. Rid my home of trigger foods. (edit)

Benefits:

Very active physically, no longer sit on the sidelines, I look fantastic, closthes went from tight 28 to comfortable size 12, lab work is much improved, I get sick far less frequently, stronger, shoe size dropped from 12 to 10.5, I love to wear dresses now, no longer mortified to get up in front of a crowd, no longer camera shy, less social anxiety, more confident, hubby lost 100 pounds with me, whole family eats better, and in general I feel great! 

So what was your goal, your strategies, and your benefits?  If your new- please know that it can be done, goal can be realized, but it does not just happen.  Identify strategies that will work for you, make a plan, and work that plan :)

I think what's really needed is a basic collection of permanent stickies covering the usual list of newbie questions.

The first should be reassurances to the usual "I'm stalled at xxx weeks, this is going to fail, OMG the world is ending, now what..." posts.

Good subject.

My goal was to get my diabetes in remission, stop my body from hurting, bring the high blood pressure under control, stop the urinary incontinence.  Oh, yeah, and lose weight!  I didn't have any particular weight goal.  And I really didn't believe the whole weight loss thing was going to work, so that was at the bottom of my list of concerns.

What I did - followed my program's plan, which was protein forward, no drinking with or after meals.  Given my new stomach size, I'm not sure I saw a vegetable the first 6 months.  Everything was protein.  As a result, my carbs were naturally limited, although I was getting a fair amount through dairy. 

I tracked what I ate religiously, which was a valuable tool and a good way of learning to eyeball portions.  It became a game.  I'd put an amount on the plate, guess the weight, then actually weigh it.  You get very good at eyeballing over time.

At around 6 months, I figured out that I really was losing the weight (already lost the diabetes, hypertension, etc), and that I needed a more balanced plan.  My capacity increased.  So I started eating more veggies.  I hit maintenance at around 18 months.  At least, that's where my weight normalized and I was happy with what and how much I eat.  I'm normal BMI (for what that's worth).  Size 8.  I lost 160 pounds.

I exercise for mobility, not for weight loss.  I go to the gym because I'm an utter failure at exercising at home.  I take my dogs on long walks.

Strategies - I try not to put crap in my mouth.  I don't have any intolerances, but I still stick to primarily a meat and veggie diet, with a little fruit.  I rarely eat refined carbs - no pasta, very little bread.  And I don't miss it, which is a complete shock to me.  I drink diet soda, lots of coffee, iced tea, and water.  I eat until I'm full.  Trying to under-eat my sleeve just made me hungry sooner.  Eating until I'm full means that I'm done with eating until the next meal. 

My capacity is bigger than most folks will admit to - I can eat between a cup and a cup and a half of food, depending on what it is.  No one gives me a second look in a restaurant and I eat out quite a lot.  And, at the end of the day, it comes down to what you put in your mouth, not how big your stomach is.

I weigh in when I think about it - usually a few times a month.  My clothes will tell me before the scale will if I'm in trouble, and daily fluctuations would make me crazy. 

Oh my, i had completely forgotten about the urinary incontinence.  I was dealing with that also, and it was terrible being in a profession where you cannot use the bathroom when you need to.  Lord help me if I heard a bell ring.  Teacher disease- 

I love your comment about weighing and a game- I had the same approach.  I am surprised about your diet soda, but fully recognize that what you do works for you.  Everyone has their own private triggers, and soda is absoultely one for me.  But that is part of what I would like this post to bring out- that people will have different triggers and different challenges to address.  Hopefully if we have enough of a response people can collect the different strategies that applies to their situation.  

Thank you for the thoughful response!

I stayed away from sodas completely for 2 years.  Then started drinking sparkling waters.  Discovered that the bubbles don't bother me, other than a little burping.  So I keep a few bottles of Coke Zero and diet ginger ale at home, because sometimes I really crave the taste.  But they never triggered me.  Same thing with sugar.  I don't keep sweets in the house, but I'll usually coerce whoever I'm eating out with to get dessert so that I can have a bite.  And it still blows my mind that I'm satisfied with just a bite.  My taste buds have definitely changed for the better. 

Thank you for sharing!

Wow Happyteacher.... I'm a newbie and I'd just like to say thank you very much!!!! This post was extremely enlightening! !!!! 

Bookmarking!

This was a great post, thank you!!!

And you are a size 12?  I know you are tall.  You looked amazing in your TT pics, WTG!

Yes- I can wear a 10, but it is very very tight, and I am not a tight clothing type.  If I had more PS to rid myself of the extr skin without a doubt I would be a comfortable size 10, maybe even an 8.  But a 12 makes me happy. :)