7 Secrets From People Who’ve Lost Over 100 Pounds Page 2

4/7 Ditch the Scale When You Need To

Weighing in once a week can be a helpful tool to gauge your progress, but stepping on the scale too frequently can drive you crazy. “Try not to focus on the number on the scale too much,” says Noelia Beatriz Trujillo, who lost 43 pounds. “If I’m getting stronger and lifting more weight and my clothes are fitting better, that number on the scale could even go up a little and it wouldn’t be a bad thing.” When Pamela Kimbro, who dropped 150 pounds, hit the inevitable plateaus that come with weight loss, she put the scale away: “I only weighed myself every two weeks so that I wouldn’t stress over minor fluctuations,” she says. “I focused more on how my clothes were fitting than the number on the scale.”

5/7 Focus on the Finish Line

Another thing successful dieters know: You need to learn how to deal with minor setbacks along the way. At the beginning of her weight-loss journey Hannah Preston, who lost 110 pounds, would let one bad week completely destroy her motivation. “It was all a mind game, and it took some getting used to,” she says. “I trained myself to not record every pound I lost or gained. It sounds counter-productive, but it was so important to look at the bigger picture. You don’t need to count every pound. Base your success on how you feel.” Your energy levels, an increase in time or distance when exercising, and how your clothes are fitting are all great indicators of the progress you're making.

6/7 Drink Water — Lots of It

Once a soda fiend, Lorann Brown (who successfully lost 91 pounds) went from drinking no water at all to drinking about 150 ounces — or about 18 cups — per day. “Now, you’ll hardly ever see me without my water bottle,” she says. And she’s not alone: Kimbro, also a former soda addict, completely replaced her daily 12-pack with water before she shed half her body weight. Guzzling more H2O is one of Preston’s number one tips for shedding pounds: "I swear by this," Preston says. "If you think you drank enough water today, drink one more glass!” Not only does water protect the brain, aid in digestion, and help the body eliminate waste, but people often mistake dehydration for hunger, which can lead to overeating.

7/7 Think Beyond the Gym

People who have shed pounds know that exercise isn’t reserved for only one time or location — it’s something that’s integrated into a daily routine. “When exercise becomes a part of your schedule, it makes it much more enjoyable and it’s easier to lose the weight,” says Nick Guile, who used games on Wii Fit and daily walks to lose 130 pounds. Lugger swapped sitting down for a full hour at lunch for 30- to 45-minute walks around the neighborhood, while Preston took long walks with friends, played Zumba games on her Wii, and tried new exercise videos on YouTube. “Believe it or not, I still don’t have a gym membership,” Preston says. “At the very least, I try and walk a minimum of three miles a day.”  First Page