Ask HN: How do you lose weight?

For me, it's counter-intuitively not been hard socially -- the office day has been a lot more difficult.

When out socially, I just eat the salad and the protein and politely pass on the bread. Hard alcohol without mixers also helps.

I would suggest working out (lift weights) if you aren't already doing it. I lost 50+lbs a few years ago with fasting and light cardio activity, and still don't have the body to show for it.

Every time you eat, take a moment and think about it, even photograph it if you wish. It's easy to eat well all day and feel good about it, to then just stand over the sink and eat 4 fun-sized Snickers as a snack at 4PM. (I've never done that of course)

As much as I hated to hear it a few years ago, it's a lifestyle choice. Within 10 months, I had wisdom teeth removed and a knee surgery. From this is developed a) portion control, and b) exercise habits (for rehab). I lost 75 lbs in ~18 months.

I found that calorie intake monitoring is a great first step. I used MyFitnessPal religiously because it helps with calories and really exposes nutrition to you in an accessible interface. It also allows you to set goals for weight loss and will adjust your daily calorie intake recommendations based on how physically active you are. It also "gives back" calories based on exercise (and will even count steps for you, or it can connect with your activity tracker, which I do not have), but I didn't consume more than my daily allotment, even if the app allowed me to do so.

With this app (and not eating solid foods for a few days), I've trained my brain to realize that it doesn't need as much food as I was eating. I learned portion control. The comment about nutritionally dense food is also great. Simple proteins and veggies were my primary diet for a long time. Finally, I didn't eat after a certain time (for me it was 20:00). Having that personal rule helped quite a bit.

My second overall strategy has been accountability. I hate "checking in" as accountability. It makes me feel like I've been a bad person if I gained a pound, or didn't lose, if that's my goal. The accountability I find works best for me is joining something active. Find something that appeals to you: indoor soccer, kickboxing, regular camping/hiking group, rock-climbing group, frisbee golf friends, etc. Something active that's scheduled that you can do with others. It's less checking in and more being active together.

Finally, and according to my spouse, most effectively, I gave up beer and other malted beverages.

Step on a scale daily at the same time in your routine, preferably one that tracks your weight. I have a year of daily data now, which I think is helpful for me to see progress.