Tips for success??

For those of you who have done exceptionally well, what are your tips for success? I'm talking those who have lost 100lbs in 6 months, made it to goal after a year, etc (those are just examples I can think of). 

The reason I ask this is because I feel like anyone call lose weight with WLS - for a while - even if they're doing a half-assed job. Now if you're out drinking your calories with milkshakes or something like that, then yeah, you're not going to be successful. But I see people on here who have done an outstanding job compared to others, and I'd like to know what they did or did not do to really see those types of results.  

And I'm sure some people are going to raise a stink because of what I said, or that I'm singling out a group of people, but we all know that some people are more successful than others. And yes, I understand that everyone is different. Even if I follow all of the rules, I may not be quite as successful as Jane Doe from Timbucktu. I get it. I just want some info so I can really do well with this tool! 

Also - I'd like to add that I think everyone's success is great. This is and will not be an easy journey, and I don't want anyone to think that I'm unaware of that. 

Here's a god thread with a response from Elina that I book marked a while back - I hope she wont mind if I link it. 

http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/vsg/4590196/People-falling-back-into-old-habits/#38051591

Thank you for posting that!! She has some really good points! 

Well I'm not a popular kid around here because I don't conform to "the plan", but my journey of 163lbs lost in 8 months has been based one three things. Determination, Moderation and Balance.

For me, total calories and protein are king. I have 3 meals a day and aim for around 200-250 calories per meal. I read labels constantly and choose the best products in terms of nutritional bang for calorie buck, but many here would have conniptions if they saw what my diet includes. Protein is first, but I do have the odd vegetarian meal as I can still only eat around 2oz of dense protein and not much else, so need some veggies sometimes.

I have chosen not to do low carb because I don't believe in cutting food groups out of my diet and frankly, I need them. Im 6'1 and a large build, so too many days that have inadvertently been lower carb cause me to end up all dizzy and woozy. I actually get sad and a little annoyed reading people posting about stressing out about the fact that their vitamins have 1 carb in them, because they are convinced by what they read that carbs are the worst thing in the entire world.

I do 3 solid workouts a week, but found early on that too much exercise didn't work for me. As a non shake drinker, I was eating such low calories early out (sub 500 until about 6 months) that I couldn't function intelligently at work if I burned off everything I ate each day, so I had to find a level and balance that worked for me.

My advice to some starting out is read everything here as there is some great information and then find what works for your own body, as its not the same for everyone and not everyone's food "issues" are the same. For me, it wasn't gallons of soda a day, living on burgers, emotional eating etc. It was plain old bad habits of skipping meals constantly and massively over-eating when I did eat. I feel very lucky that I didn't have major emotional food issues and fully respect and support those who do and are smart enough to seek counselling for that part. They have a much tougher journey than I did

So for me, its Determination, Moderation, Balance....and don't stress the small things

Amazingly well said!! So happy for your success!!

So sorry to piggy back on your post but I have been looking out for the same feedback! So far the advice given by SuzyNZ resonates with me! Thanks so much!

My best advice to you is to educate yourself. Learn everything you can about nutrition and exercise. The more you know the better you can plan and the better decisions you can make. Listen to advice on here but also research it to validate it. I watch tons of YouTube videos, read lots of books and articles, and I test things out. 

As for eating and exercise there it a very simple template to follow that works quite well. There is no magic here. 

Great question! I'm 3 months out and still trying to figure out how some people lose so quickly!

You have to find what works for you and what you can live with for life. I followed my Doctor's plan for the first 6 months and did lose weight but as I wanted to get to goal I started to follow the 600 to 800 calorie plan with less than 20 carbs per day. I also joined a gym in month 7 and workout 6 days a week. In addition, I did a complete body scan, DXA scan and that measured my muscle, bone density and body fat. This scan gave me the tools to continue on my by knowing exactly what is going on in my body. Goal was reached in Month 10 and I have been maintaining ever since. I keep my calories now to under 1000 because at age 55 my metabolism is fairly low due to a combination of damage from chemotherapy for cancer back in 1989 and my MS treatment. But, I'm averaging 500 calories burned a day through my exercise, have arms of steel, and so much stronger and healthier. Again, find what works for you because you are unique and there is no "one size fits all" when it comes to losing and keeping your weight off for life.

 

Commitment and Compliance..........

Under eat your sleeve capacity......

WL slows for most and/or can stop after the first 6 months...... many (not all) on 1000-1200 cal plans tend to have less WL performance after the 6 month mark.

frisco