Splashes of Sparkle

HisHunnyBun​(sub female){Taken} - I just walk daily once in the morning and again at night.
My neighborhood is very hilly.
I've been shrinking slowly.
I'll eventually lose my gut, hopefully I don't lose all of my butt.

HGB​(sub female){Scottish M} - Excited to see what people put. My words just aren't forming correctly right now.

SSG{ENM-TLP} - Learn about your body and how you gain weight. If you have PCOS or are insulin resistant, follow a plan that will limit your insulin spikes like a low glycemic index, Keto, Intermittent fasting etc. Our bodies are so different in how they use or store fuel that you truly need to know your body to know what will work best for you. Join one of the many support groups for whichever plan you choose on FB to be encouraged and continue receiving tips on how to be most effective. Proud of you for taking care of you!

HisHunnyBun​(sub female){Taken} - I'm currently trying the Atkins diet.
Hope it works!

Edmond Dantes​(dom male) - I heard some great advice that I thought was so simple anyone could do it and enjoy it.
For exercise this person walked listening to audio books. He would not listen to them unless he was walking. Incentive to finish a book!
For diet, he cut out one type of bad food from his diet per week and replaced it with something good. So a gradual shift to a good diet without the sudden shock.
I have not tried this, but the man who did it definately changed shape.

Bunnie - I really like his methods. It’s so important to not feel like we’re “missing out”... so the idea of “replacing” a not so healthy choice, with a healthier choice is awesome!

Bunnie - I focus on nutrition rather than specific “diets”... making sure my body is getting the nutrients it requires... both macro and micro. I have found that if I’m getting enough nutrients, I don’t have cravings, because my body is satisfied. I do this through a balanced diet (which I am pretty strict about), and supplements (as a helping hand). I also focus a lot on gut health... eating fermented foods (sauerkraut etc) and insoluble fibre (things that can be prebiotics)... and also take probiotic supplements.

My diet is probably described as a mostly fresh, whole food diet. I aim for less than 5g of sugar per day, and keep my intake of grains low and gluten-free. I also keep my caffeine intake as a treat... drinking mostly decaf.

Food allergies has really honed my desires to listen to my body and not use food for pleasure, but rather simply for what it’s for... fuel. I look for pleasure elsewhere in my life.

The mindset and connection and comfort you have towards and around food, I believe is a great place to begin when wanting to make changes in how you eat... especially in connection to good old sugar. It’s in everything... and our body easily becomes highly addicted to it because it hits all our feel good buttons... like a drug. Also like a drug... the high doesn’t last, and needs higher amounts each time to “get that fix.”

It’s all very interesting stuff. My advice would be to just start noticing how your body (truly) responds to the foods you put in it. Once you become attuned to it... it will tell you what it needs. And we all need different things, depending where we’re at in life... both age-wise, and health-wise. For example, where I’m at now, I’m beginning to look more towards hormone balancing and thyroid health.

Exercise, I love. I swim in summer, and go for beach walks every day regardless of weather (it’s the place that replenishes my soul), I do yoga, I do yoga style exercises. And recently (winter here) I’ve taken up mountain bike riding... and have gotta say... love it!!!!

I’ve found what works best for me, is a variety of things I love... anything less and I get bored and don’t do it... which perpetuates that sucky beating myself up for not exercising, cycle.

Good luck! Any change towards being positive towards yourself is great change. And keep in mind... baby steps are still steps... so be gentle on yourself :)

Bunnie - Another tip... make it yourself! If you want sweets, make them yourself... two reasons... you know what’s going into them... and you’ve really gotta want to have them, to put in the effort required to make them. Works well to help shift from looking for an easy junkfood fix. As others have also said... fruit (in moderation) can become your best friend for easy treats.

LaVieEnRose​(sub female){Kintsugi} - Don’t fad diet! Focus on healthy eating habits rather than a fad. Fresh fruits and veggies, protein source of choice, healthy non-refined grains/carbs. Still allow yourself a treat here and there and maybe slowly find alternatives, so maybe coconut milk ice cream instead of full dairy.

Start with simple exercises, I started with walking when I got my dog and we walk 2 hours a day most days and I try to do yoga as well. If you don’t enjoy the exercise you’re doing it’ll be easy to quit it.

Sweet Ginger​(sub female){⚓ } - I don't follow any diet fads and try to keep it fairly simple so that I stick with it! I do read labels and try to eat mostly organic foods.. I like popping berries in the freezer for a quick treat, that's high in antioxidants and I walk almost every day for about 30 minutes.. Best of luck to you!

zipties​(switch female) - I swim (and thank heavens my pool is open again!) Light weights. Home yoga, stretching, and dance.

Up for a challenge...search Michigan Marching Band opening as they take the field, Can you keep up with high step cadence? Every commercial break while your watching TV, get up and try!

I work nights, so I feel like I am eating all the time, to stay awake. Ironically, the worst food comes from the hospital, its all brown and fried.

When, I am shopping for food, I try to avoid the inner aisles, and processed food, if it comes in a box, its probably going to have hidden salt and sugar. The more you have to prepare the food, the better.

I have been shifting more to high quality protein and raw vegetables/ fruits.
Fasting periods.

I use my birthday every month, to treat myself. A slice of cheese cake and pedicure... for example.

My last piece of advice, is to listen to your body and not what society or some fruitcake from online thinks. Your beautiful inside and out, just way you are, Santa only cares if your naughty or nice.... so be nice to yourself and let that naughty kitten out to play.

Sunshinegirl​(sub female) - if you’re craving something sweet, eat fruit and/or fruit with peanut butter
trade in chips for carrots with low fat ranch dressing
Yoga- fucking amazing. Makes you relax, helps stretch you out, and burns calories especially as do more complex positions
Water > soda. If you’re anything like me and get bored with the lack of flavor in water, you can buy water flavor packets at the store. Buy this brand called True Lemon which doesn’t have any artificial sweetener and preservatives while still tasting good 😜

MstrJ​(dom male){~ENM~} - So I've tried all sorts of diets and different things, currently I'm on the keto kick. Technically I've been doing a Paleo diet for the last 3 weeks but have just shifted my portions to begin the keto diet. So I'm optimistic that I will find positive results for this.

As people have stated prior knowing your body is super important.

For me in my training I've begun calisthenics, and workout using interval training. So working in progressions of hardest difficulty exercises moving into easier exercises so that I can overload the muscles.

You want to cycle your time using 45 seconds on, 15 seconds of rest. Or depending where you are starting try 30 seconds on with 30 seconds of rest. Adjust it as necessary for where you are at. You can even work on trying whatever exercise 1 rep with perfect form on the minute for 15 minutes. Of course using your body weight for training you need to make sure you utilize proper form or else you can put strain on joints, and your workout will be less effective.

You also would want to use anywhere from 5 to 8 different exercises, depending on the type and what your goal is. You would want to give yourself 5 to 10 minutes of rest between sets trying to work up to getting 3-4 sets of the exercise cycle. So one set or cycle is all 8 exercises, give yourself some recovery time and do the set again. But you start with what's comfortable and you are able to accomplish while maintaining perfect form in your exercises. So if all you can do is one set to begin start there and try to work up from that point.

There are also ways of training where you don't want to go to beyond 70 percent of your maximum so you can train everyday, but there is also the belief if you are using your body weight that you should go to exhaustion because you aren't using any excess weight. Honestly I switch between both methods but I try to keep a consistent workout schedule. I was working out a little bit everyday at least 15 minutes but I haven't had as many opportunities so I try and get in at least 4 days in a week if I can.

I find just doing a little bit everyday can be helpful. But you have to find what works best for you. What you enjoy and can stay consistent with. If you don't continue with the meal plan, with the exercise then you won't see results. The biggest thing is remaining consistent in your effort however that may look for you.

Belladonna Dreams​(sub female){Phage'Hada} - I tell myself 10 mins. I know it's not much but it is more then I would have done otherwise. Most of the time I keep going after that. I limited my sugar intake as well.