Help a dummy? I cheated myself today :(

NotQuiteNorm

Today is a week from me starting and I am just going to say it how it is: I'd gained 2 lbs. I felt bad and succumbed to my usual emotional eating. I went to Morrisons intending to shop and ended up with their cafe apple crumble.

Can I ask for some help?

I am measuring all my foods and actually tend to put 100g turkey but actually weigh out less than logged: 98g/99g, never more is eaten than what I log. I also try to get all my macros about right and with most foods being healthily home made (steamed turkey; soups; chili prawns+veg; baked potatoes with haricot beans and tomato paste instead of Heinz beans). Even if it's not I've tried to make healthy choices like having a few dates when I crave chocolate.

I am going out for 1-3hr walks daily and although not every day I went to gym twice (10min rowing, 30min spinning, 30 minutes breaststroke and 2 x 20 minute walks (to the gym and back home). I'd like to do more, but for this week my bad knee has been playing up.

My current intake goal is 1,380 (and I have never been over it until today - unless I don't eat any dinner) which is a deficit of about 200-300 calories as I am only 4ft9 and other than exercises logged don't do a lot of activity. I had a day where I only logged about 1200, but otherwise I've made it work.

Please could someone tell me what I should be changing or if I just need to wait it out. I felt terrible and wanted to quit, but halfway through I realised that eating the crumble felt worse so I want to reevaluate and continue. I did say no more excuses: a minor setback like apple crumble isn't stopping me.

***Please try not to be rude as I actually feel a bit intimidated to ask questions with the way some people respond. You don't need to treat me like an idiot: I already know I am because I was silly enough to get overweight!***

NotQuiteNorm

It's a 250kcal deficit. Should I go lower or burn more? I'm a little lost

My needs are so low because I'm only needing to lose about 20lb at most and I'm so short I know this makes it harder but I still worry I'm doing something wrong

sodakat

You did not gain weight from eating that crumble. More than likely you have a bit of water weight today and within a couple days you'll be down.

With such a small deficit of only 200-300 calories a day, you will have to weigh and log very accurately. Don't guess at all. Be sure the entries you pick in the database don't have an asterisk in front of them. The asterisked items were entered by members and are often incomplete or inaccurate.

If you are off 100 calories on some of your entries your entire deficit will be gone.

maidentl

Trying to completely cut out all of the "bad" stuff can lead to a pig-out session for some of us. So stop trying to ban all "bad" foods and have that little bit of chocolate when you crave it, instead of forcing yourself to eat dates. If you have eaten well all day long, there is absolutely no harm in having a small treat.

brightsideofpink

Keep this graphic as a good reminder for how to deal with future disappointments. Trust me, you will have them. Remember that the downward trend is what is important, and is created only with a large enough sample size. When that happens, the little blips won't be noticeable. I've lost 60 lbs and I can't even tell you the number of times I've had unplanned dessert, pizza, ice cream, etc. Pick yourself up, find your resolve, and keep trucking.

kozinskey

Patience is key. 250 cal won't give you drastic losses, which is totally a healthy way to go, but it can be hard mentally. A lot of us can fluctuate several pounds between days (or even within a day) so it's much more important to look at an overall trend rather than a weight on one particular day. Also, clothes, fluid intake, and bathroom use can all affect your weight a surprising amount. I like to WI every morning naked, pre coffee, post bathroom so that there's less fluctuation. Keep at it and good luck!

mccindy72

maidentl wrote: »

Trying to completely cut out all of the "bad" stuff can lead to a pig-out session for some of us. So stop trying to ban all "bad" foods and have that little bit of chocolate when you crave it, instead of forcing yourself to eat dates. If you have eaten well all day long, there is absolutely no harm in having a small treat.

QFT.

quiksylver296

Be patient. You will get there. Give it 6 weeks. If it isn't working at that point, tweak it. I use an app called Happy Scale on my phone. I weight myself daily and enter it on the app. It charts my weight and I can see my progress, even if I have one day that shoots up for some reason.

Also, I gain about 4 pounds during PMS week and lose it all again after TOM is gone, if that could be an issue for you.

TavistockToad

Eating a portion of apple crumble wont have made you gain 2lbs of fat...

snowflakesav

Weight loss can be frustrating. It is hard to have a good relationship with food and your body when you are trying so desperatly to change what you don't like about it.

I think you might be weighing yourself at a time of the day when you are heavier. Get a scale and practice with it until you find the right time of day to weigh yourself to get a good baseline estimate of your weight without a belly full of food and water.

mccindy72

TavistockToad wrote: »

Eating a portion of apple crumble wont have made you gain 2lbs of fat...

Unless it was a 7,000 calorie piece of apple crumble.

Out_of_Bubblegum

Consistency, Patience and perseverance are keys to defeating the #'s on the scale. ..

You are off to a good start, and it is PERFECTLY NORMAL to retain some water at the beginning of an exercise program or because it's your lady time of the month, or because you at a bit too much salt, or haven't been drinking enough water...

Keep going - it works - make sure you aren't eating back all your exercise cals (eat back half or less), keep up with your logging, and be patient.

- You got this.

TavistockToad

mccindy72 wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

Eating a portion of apple crumble wont have made you gain 2lbs of fat...

Unless it was a 7,000 calorie piece of apple crumble.

That's a good crumble.... :laugh:

suebu7

Be good to yourself and don't fret so early! It's ok to enjoy food- just be responsible for what and how much. Have you tried the 12-14 hour fasting?

NotQuiteNorm

TavistockToad wrote: »

mccindy72 wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

Eating a portion of apple crumble wont have made you gain 2lbs of fat...

Unless it was a 7,000 calorie piece of apple crumble.

That's a good crumble.... :laugh:

It was something ridiculous like 580 or so

CrabNebula

mccindy72 wrote: »

TavistockToad wrote: »

Eating a portion of apple crumble wont have made you gain 2lbs of fat...

Unless it was a 7,000 calorie piece of apple crumble.

That sounds so good right now. I can feel my pancreas packing its bags to gtfo of my body before the shtf right now.

mccindy72

suebu7 wrote: »

Be good to yourself and don't fret so early! It's ok to enjoy food- just be responsible for what and how much. Have you tried the 12-14 hour fasting?

for a first post, I really want to just give you a big WTF.

Lounmoun

It has been one week? I would be patient and stick with your plan at least 3 weeks before making changes.
2 lbs could be you retaining water.

NotQuiteNorm

Thanks everyone. I knew to some extent that it's just how weight loss works, but I kind of scared myself into over thinking and thought it would be more helpful to ask for advice than to continue fretting. If I'm honest I'm not really used to healthy weight loss so it's hard to continue being so unsure if you're doing it right

MireyGal76

You are 4'9"... what is your age and current weight? What is your goal weight?
If you put your stats into the calculator here:
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/daily-caloric-expenditure-calculator.aspx

and leave it as sedentary... what does it say your daily caloric expenditure is?

If you look at the chart I made below... it'll show you a visual on how MFP kind of works - in that being as tiny as you are, with likely a low daily expenditure, it will probably a longer process to lose those pounds - especially when it's generally accepted that 1200 is a floor for how low you should go.

NotQuiteNorm

MireyGal76 wrote: »

You are 4'9"... what is your age and current weight? What is your goal weight?
If you put your stats into the calculator here:
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/daily-caloric-expenditure-calculator.aspx

and leave it as sedentary... what does it say your daily caloric expenditure is?

If you look at the chart I made below... it'll show you a visual on how MFP kind of works - in that being as tiny as you are, with likely a low daily expenditure, it will probably a longer process to lose those pounds - especially when it's generally accepted that 1200 is a floor for how low you should go.

I should add I'm only really looking to lose around 20lbs - where I am a happy UK size 8

astrampe

One week..... Did you gain the weight in one week? And if I remember correctly, someone mentioned this in another one of your threads...Any new exercise program will make your muscles retain water to help with repairs - therefore the 2lbs gain. I can gain 2 lbs overnight from two small glasses of red wine during TOM, so have patience and take measurements

TavistockToad

The other say you were struggling to eat more than 900 cals, so a day going over with 600 cals of crumble evens it out, no?

MireyGal76

NotQuiteNorm wrote: »

MireyGal76 wrote: »

You are 4'9"... what is your age and current weight? What is your goal weight?
If you put your stats into the calculator here:
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/daily-caloric-expenditure-calculator.aspx

and leave it as sedentary... what does it say your daily caloric expenditure is?

If you look at the chart I made below... it'll show you a visual on how MFP kind of works - in that being as tiny as you are, with likely a low daily expenditure, it will probably a longer process to lose those pounds - especially when it's generally accepted that 1200 is a floor for how low you should go.

I should add I'm only really looking to lose around 20lbs - where I am a happy UK size 8

1677, that's not too shabby! That gives you some room to breathe, and with 20 pounds to lose... here's what I'd recommend.

1380 would see about a 0.5 pound loss per week.. I'd encourage you not to try for less calories than that, and also to eat back about half of what you exercise (if not more).

Look at trying to incorporate some form of strength training into your routine... cardio is great for the heart and for calorie burns - but body weight exercises will help strengthen your body. If you are interested in lifting... look into that too.

I found that yes, I lost weight with running... lots of running... but I lost dress sizes and found the shape I love with boxing, body weight training, and as of late, lifting heavier stuff.

And give yourself time. It took me about 3 years of dedicated effort to lose the last 20 pounds... but I've managed to keep it off for two, because of the lifestyle I fought to change.

NotQuiteNorm

astrampe wrote: »

And if I remember correctly, someone mentioned this in another one of your threads...

I've only had 2 other discussions, one about IF because I wanted to know what it was etc, the other being about whether it's better to have a snack like pb with crackers or just leave it as not hitting my 1380

I guess I'm scared to move around my calories because people keep saying to stay over 1200, but also scared that it's not deficit enough for me personally

MireyGal76

astrampe wrote: »

One week..... Did you gain the weight in one week? And if I remember correctly, someone mentioned this in another one of your threads...Any new exercise program will make your muscles retain water to help with repairs - therefore the 2lbs gain. I can gain 2 lbs overnight from two small glasses of red wine during TOM, so have patience and take measurements

This too... My goal weight is around 165lbs (I am 6'1")... but my day to day weight is more like this...


this isn't even a daily record... I may sit nicely at 165 for a week, then spike to 168, then drop to 163, then hover around 167, back to 165...