I am stoked, now! A while back, a fitness website featured me on their blog. I lost over 50 pounds. They wrote about my up-and-down dieting bouts. Until I saw it in writing, I didn’t realize how many different diets I’d tried. I have removed the links to that Fitness on Demand service because I no longer recommend them after I had to cancel my membership due to a customer service fiasco.
The author, mentions my battle with agoraphobia and how that hindered my fitness goals. She mentions some of my tips. However, I want to detail better some of the tools that helped me to set those goals and reach them.
Get on Track to Weight Loss Success
“If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” ― Yogi Berra
Before you can reach your goals, you have to make them. Then, you must monitor your progress. If you don’t evaluate your actions, how do you know how if you are progressing?
I love MyFitnessPal.com. While they do offer a paid version, I found it wasn’t worth the investment when I took their free trial. MyFitnessPal’s free version includes both the website and app access.
Tracking your exercise and food intake with MyFitnessPal is easy. It syncs with several major fitness trackers and imports your calorie burn to your daily values. At a glance, I know how many calories I’ve eaten, burned, and what nutrients I am missing.
MyFitnessPal analyzes your recipes’ nutritional content, as well. You can import your favorite recipes from several cooking websites or enter them manually. I derive all the nutritional data I list on the recipes I’ve posted from MyFitnessPal.
The app, available for both iPhone and Android devices, includes a bar-code scanner. Just scan the item you ate and quickly add it to your food diary. If you eat at restaurants, “check-in” and access the menus of many restaurants, taking the guesswork out of restaurant meal nutrition.
MyFitnessPal includes optional social features. You can support your online friends. Add me to your friend’s list so we can help each other.
Plan Your Meals
“Nearly everyone wants as least one outstanding meal a day.” ― Duncan Hines
I used to hate cooking, mainly because I have inadequate meal planning skills. I had a few recipes in my repertoire, but even stand-by favorites become tiresome. I love trying new foods, but when I try creating meal plans, the meals rarely share enough common ingredients, and I end up with food waste.
Most of the time, I’d just get frustrated. I’d have a whole freezer and pantry full of overly processed, dull food.
The fix: I stock my fridge and pantry with healthy snacks, fruits, whole grain cereals, and nuts for easy breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.
And, I subscribed to a low-cost meal planning service (no longer available). Every week, I receive complete meal plans with recipes, shopping lists, and weekend prep tips. You can choose original, gluten-free, paleo, or vegetarian versions of each recipe. I like to mix and match.
Developed for fast, healthy, weeknight meals, most recipes require 30 minutes or fewer to prepare. The never-boring recipes have our family trying things that normally aren’t on our radar. I’ve learned how to cook fennel!
The meals work in tandem using leftover ingredients in later meals. Sometimes, you make a double batch of sauce for use in a second recipe in the week. We’ve noticed a dramatic reduction in food waste.
Every recipe includes basic preparation instructions, right down to videos on how to slice a carrot! I think it’s a great site for the novice to intermediate home cook.
Move Your Body
“Dancing every night enhances a positive energy.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita, Think Great: Be Great!
For the same reason that I love meal planning services I also love fitness on demand. I’m a lazy planner. I can’t let that stand in front of my weight loss success, though!
I began using fitness on demand in January 2015. Do you want to break out of your fitness rut? On Demand services do that. They have many different complete programs featuring 100’s of individual workouts in multitudes of difficulty.
Most of them offer everything from basic kickboxing, yoga, dancing, HIIT, Tabata, Pilates, and more. Some even offer live classes if that’s your thing. Every day, you get a brand new workout with a new trainer.
They are usually cheaper than a gym membership (and you don’t have to worry about someone turning you into an internet meme). You can try it free for one month. If you sign up for a free month, I get a free month, too. However, I love this program and have been using it religiously for over a year.
Your Turn
So, do you have any weight loss success tips you want to share?
Alicia Taylor
We enjoy hosting parties and my husband and I are both avid gamers. You can find me on PS4 as SunshineFlaGirl. We also play tabletop RPGs and eurogames.
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23 Comments
mya k
May 17, 2016 - 3:00 pmwow, you are doing awesome! 50 pounds is def a fantastic goal! I find if I plan my meals I stick to them better and also if I write down all my intake.
Kristina
May 15, 2016 - 7:50 pmCongratulations on such a great accomplishment! That is amazing motivation and a great goal in your life to achieve. I love all the tools out there available to people to coach them into eating health and weight loss. At my job we have Everymove where we can record our daily activities and exercise for points for our health incentive to earn a cash bonus the following year in March.
amittenfull
May 13, 2016 - 4:35 pmI have used Fitness Pal in the past and I will say it is a great app. Congrats on your weight loss success!!
Rosey
May 13, 2016 - 2:36 amI like that you can use it to help with weight loss. I like to see exactly what’s going on. Makes it easier to adjust habits.
Carol Bryant
May 12, 2016 - 11:40 pmI so agree with you. I lost and then gained and need to get back in the movement!
Alicia Taylor
May 13, 2016 - 2:20 amGood luck 🙂
KimCDickerson
May 12, 2016 - 11:18 pmCongratulations! Losing 50 lbs is an amazing feat! I used to be able to lose weight on the Atkins diet but since I’ve passed 40, the pounds don’t want to leave. I really like the idea of MyFitnessPal…may give it a try.
Alicia Taylor
May 13, 2016 - 2:21 amI know – 40 was like the downhill slope for me, too.
Donni
May 12, 2016 - 10:40 pmCongrats on your success. I’ve just started using MyFitnessPal and I love it. These are great tips and resources.
Alicia Taylor
May 13, 2016 - 2:21 amThere are just so many great options with MFP!
Helene Cohen Bludman
May 12, 2016 - 6:09 pmCongrats on your weight loss! You look amazing!
Alicia Taylor
May 13, 2016 - 2:21 amThank you!
Bri
May 12, 2016 - 6:09 pmCongratulations on maintaining your weight loss. Having my meals prepped for the week has really helped me lose weight.
Alicia Taylor
May 13, 2016 - 2:22 amYep – me too! I love CookSmarts for helping me with that.
Rebecca Bryant
May 12, 2016 - 4:33 pmwow you look amazing. I need to be better about the meal planning myself. I get the exercise in then ruin it by eating unhealthy. Going to check out your meal planning site.
Alicia Taylor
May 13, 2016 - 2:22 amLet me know if you sign up for it! It’s an awesome site – and THANKS!
Karissa @WithOurBest (@withourbest)
May 12, 2016 - 4:21 pmSo impressive! Wow that photo – you look 10 years younger now!
Alicia Taylor
May 13, 2016 - 2:23 amThank you! I feel 10 years younger, too!
Lisa
May 12, 2016 - 3:23 pmThese are really great tips for weight loss. I love that they come from experience. That’s amazing that you were featured on your favorite fitness website! Such great accomplishments!
valmg @ Mom Knows It All
May 12, 2016 - 2:51 pmLosing weight can be challenging for sure. Congratulations on your progress!
Alicia Taylor
May 13, 2016 - 2:23 amThank you 😀
nlampert
May 12, 2016 - 1:12 pmGood for you that’s a huge accomplishment! I love using MyFitnessPal even when I’m not trying to lose weight. It’s so great for keeping me on track with healthy eating and exercise!
Alicia Taylor
May 13, 2016 - 2:23 amI use it even on days I’ve splurged. Having all that data really helps you see patterns.