Does anything truly work?
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What works is CONSISTENCY. If you're not consistent with ANY PLAN, you'll NEVER reach goal. Find a plan you can stick with FOR LIFE. For most it would be just being in control of their calorie intake. If you really want to do it bad enough and make it a priority, you'll do it. If not, then it will just be one of those things you'll put on the back burner.Hi,
My name is Elizabeth. I have tried everything you can think of to lose weight. Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, South Beach Diet, Adkins, Mediterranean, Advocare 24 Day Challenge, and logging my food here to stay within 1200 calories. It's so hard to stay under 1200 calories. I am a mother of six children ranging in age from 2 - 8, and although that isn't an excuse to eat unhealthy, it sure enough provides a ton of temptation with all of their cookies, chips, and carb-rich foods.
I am 5'4" and weigh 180lbs. I want to weigh around 150. I would be soooo happy with that weight. I exercise but not regularly enough. I like to swim, walk, and jog. I recently bought Garcinia Cambogia (not sure if that is spelled correctly) and I haven't tried it yet. Does anyone have anything negative or positive to say about it? Anyone have any suggestions for losing this weight once and for all?
Thanks,
Elizabeth
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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CICO works all the time. People who gain weight back do it because they STOPPED using CICO not because CICO was the issue.goldthistime wrote: »Your thread title caught my attention because I do feel like nothing truly works. No guarantees anywhere. I once read a quote from a scientist saying that studies prove that a good way to gain weight is to go on a calorie restricted diet for a period of time first. In other words, diets are a real problem in that we are statistically likely to regain the weight and then some. So, although CICO truly works initially, it only works for a limited period of time for many people. Obviously I'm here believing I can be a statistical minority. I have vowed not to let myself get overly hungry, or to take any other extreme measures to lose this weight, and I have vowed to pay attention to the quality and quantity of food I'm eating forever and ever amen.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
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IsaackGMOON wrote: »Mezzie1024 wrote: »Gross calories would be the total calories you eat in a day. For example, let's say my gross calories are 1600. But now let's say that I swam for half an hour, giving me a 200 calorie burn. That makes my NET consumption 1400 calories. If 1400 calories is what MFP told me to consume in a day, then I'm right on track because MFP uses a net calorie system. The more I exercise, the more I get to eat.
By the way, we're about the same height, but I weigh nearly 60 pounds less than you and I can lose weight without any exercise at all eating 1400 calories. What did you put into MFP to get 1200 as your goal? If you're struggling to meet that goal, you aren't going to be able to stick with this. Why not recalculate making your goal 1 pound of loss a week and reflecting your activity level (for example, with young kids, I doubt you are sedentary). Log your exercise and eat the calories you earn (some people will tell you to eat 50-75% of those calories. I eat 100% and I'm fine. I think the accuracy has to do with what exercise you choose).
I think I put that I wanted to lose 2 pounds a weeks. I will check it out and see if I need to recalculate. Thanks for your help. You are right, I am not sedentary. I am constantly cleaning the house when I am not at work and playing with my kids. I take about 30-45 minutes 3-4 times a week to dedicate to swimming, walking, or jogging.
You need to recalculate... set it to 0.5lb or 1lb loss per week.
+1
1200 is for the birds, forget it. -0.5lbs is totally, totally doable. Or TDEE - like 10-15%.0 -
I have young kids, too... its amazing the healthy choices they'll make when I don't keep cookies/chips/junk in the house. We eat a lot of apples/other fruit, boiled eggs, string cheese, etc., and they are happy and healthy. It benefits us (parents) to not have it in the house and it benefits them in building healthy habits.
I also second eating as many calories as you can to still lose. I'm losing a lb a week on 1500-1800/day. I'm female, 5'7", and 30 lbs from my goal weight. It helped me to find out my TDEE and my BMR. I'm trying to make changes that I can live with forever. I can't maintain 1200 cals a day forever, but 1700? I can average that, I think.
Oh - and one more thing - I've been lifting heavy. I've never done that before, but I'm very satisfied thus far. I'm losing a little slower than I would if I was doing 100% cardio, but my results are showing faster and my workouts take less time. Its a great workout plan for a busy mom of young kids. I've been following the book The New Rules of Lifting for Women. I also run, which is a very efficient calorie burner. "Efficient" things really help me because I feel guilty working FT and then going to the gym when I want to spend that time with my kids.
We agree that offering young children healthy snack options is best. However, we do let them have chips or cookies on occasion. They are in the house because we shop for groceries two weeks at a time, and refresh the dairy and fresh produce as needed. I think I do pretty good at not touching them except days that I have exercised. I am gonna take a look at TDEE because I don't know what that is. I go to the YMCA with my husband and he goes straight to the weights, while I go straight to the pool. I haven't given weight lifting much of a chance.
Probably the staff will give you a free orientation to the weight room and personal training there should be reasonably priced.
I love swimming, and love it even more with my new Sony water-proof MP3 player.
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You have had a lot of great suggestions. One thing that helped me too was purchasing a heart rate monitor, especially if you are following CICO. While a HRM is not totally accurate, its still a great tool when you are tracking calories you eat and calories you burn while exercising. Being over 40 now, I really had to up my exercise if I wanted to reach my goal. My heart rate monitor really gives me a better idea of what I burn while exercising and is a great motivator to do a little bit more, or push a little bit harder.
food scale, heart rate monitor and accurately tracking CICO. You don't have to eliminate anything from your diet. You can do it!
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Welcome aboard!
The reason so many of those diets fail is that they are designed to produce quick results as most people lack the patience to wait for long lasting results.
Several other members have given you some great advice on the CICO method, but I highly recommend that you develop a flexible plan for the long term and introduce small changes in your life that will have dramatic impact over time. Don't do anything you can't see yourself doing years from now, but set small goals, achieve them, and raise the bar for the next small goal.
Great that you're already working out - stretch out of your comfort zone and incorporate some resistance training. Meet some new people and build up a support network on and offline to talk about what's going on.
Incorporate your family. I've built calisthenics into our morning routine and my kids now drive me every morning and we motivate one another to push out more!
Don't get discouraged - focus on other positives when the scale doesn't move and log other health related items - your blood work, heart rate, etc. so you can see improvement.
You've got a great start, just be patient and think marathon, not sprint.0 -
@davis978 gave great advise. I also have found (CI-CO= weight change) very accurate at predicting weight loss. But it is only as accurate as the information you put in, thus the advice on weighing all foods on a digital scale and using some type of measurement for activity. The food scale is probably the best weight loss investment I ever made. Later I wanted a Fitbit. My weight loss rate didn't change after the Fitbit but I find it reassuring to have a reliable source of what my CO or TDEE number is. I have two teens at home, and my son especially eats like a horse and not all of it is healthy. I can't leave tempting foods on the counter or pantry with regular food. I put cookies, chips, crackers, and other treats in the china cupboard then I don't look there first. I keep carrots, peppers, cucumbers and other cut raw vegetables, fruit, & Greek yogurt at the front of the fridge.0
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. I think I do pretty good at not touching them except days that I have exercised. I am gonna take a look at TDEE because I don't know what that is. I go to the YMCA with my husband and he goes straight to the weights, while I go straight to the pool. I haven't given weight lifting much of a chance.
If you're going to eat back your calories with cookies on exercise days, it's a complete waste of time doing the exercise 0 -
Doing something to be able to eat cookies isn't a waste of time.. I think I do pretty good at not touching them except days that I have exercised. I am gonna take a look at TDEE because I don't know what that is. I go to the YMCA with my husband and he goes straight to the weights, while I go straight to the pool. I haven't given weight lifting much of a chance.
If you're going to eat back your calories with cookies on exercise days, it's a complete waste of time doing the exercise
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. I think I do pretty good at not touching them except days that I have exercised. I am gonna take a look at TDEE because I don't know what that is. I go to the YMCA with my husband and he goes straight to the weights, while I go straight to the pool. I haven't given weight lifting much of a chance.
If you're going to eat back your calories with cookies on exercise days, it's a complete waste of time doing the exercise
Not true. I eat back all of my calories, often in cookies or other "treat" foods and it did not stop me from losing weight or reaching my goals. If you are hitting your macros (i.e. getting enough protein, healthy fat, etc.) you can "spend" your extra calories on anything you want. The one exception is for people that have strong triggers - if eating a cookie is going to spur you to make a lot of other bad choices you probably shouldn't do it.
After you have met your nutritional needs, there's no extra credit. This type of thinking contributes to failure for many people. Yes, you need to give your body what it needs, as in, enough nutrients, enough fiber, enough protein, enough good fats. After you reach that point, it's no better (from a weight loss perspective) to choose cottage cheese over cookies. In fact, learning to eat a reasonable portion of cookies and fit it into your calorie goal is a very important skill that one should learn while they are losing weight - unless you never plan to eat a cookie for the rest of your life.0 -
DeguelloTex wrote: »
Doing something to be able to eat cookies isn't a waste of time.. I think I do pretty good at not touching them except days that I have exercised. I am gonna take a look at TDEE because I don't know what that is. I go to the YMCA with my husband and he goes straight to the weights, while I go straight to the pool. I haven't given weight lifting much of a chance.
If you're going to eat back your calories with cookies on exercise days, it's a complete waste of time doing the exercise
Totally agree with this. I exercise for many reasons, and one of them is to be able to eat more. Whether it is a cookie, mexican food, beer, chicken wings, or just food in general. I like to eat, so I like to exercise too.
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Hi,
My name is Elizabeth. I have tried everything you can think of to lose weight. Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, South Beach Diet, Adkins, Mediterranean, Advocare 24 Day Challenge, and logging my food here to stay within 1200 calories. It's so hard to stay under 1200 calories. I am a mother of six children ranging in age from 2 - 8, and although that isn't an excuse to eat unhealthy, it sure enough provides a ton of temptation with all of their cookies, chips, and carb-rich foods.
I am 5'4" and weigh 180lbs. I want to weigh around 150. I would be soooo happy with that weight. I exercise but not regularly enough. I like to swim, walk, and jog. I recently bought Garcinia Cambogia (not sure if that is spelled correctly) and I haven't tried it yet. Does anyone have anything negative or positive to say about it? Anyone have any suggestions for losing this weight once and for all?
Thanks,
Elizabeth
I am also a mother of 6, ranging in age from 11 down to 21 months. I have managed to drop 46 lbs in the last 5 months by eating healthy foods at a caloric deficit (I usually eat between 1200-1300 calories per day). If the crappy food you purchase for your children is inhibiting your progress, STOP BUYING IT AND BRINGING IT INTO YOR HOME. At least until you have developed a good amount of self control. When I first started, I had to stop baking and there were certain foods I just couldn't have in my house because I knew I couldn't resist stuffing my face. Now that I've developed good habits, I can have those things around and either not eat them or eat a small portion. Stop buying junk and the temptation is gone.
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. I think I do pretty good at not touching them except days that I have exercised. I am gonna take a look at TDEE because I don't know what that is. I go to the YMCA with my husband and he goes straight to the weights, while I go straight to the pool. I haven't given weight lifting much of a chance.
If you're going to eat back your calories with cookies on exercise days, it's a complete waste of time doing the exercise
There is more to life than weight loss. Exercise is never a waste of time.0 -
Even if you eat back every single calorie, the exercise will still do you good. It's good for you!. I think I do pretty good at not touching them except days that I have exercised. I am gonna take a look at TDEE because I don't know what that is. I go to the YMCA with my husband and he goes straight to the weights, while I go straight to the pool. I haven't given weight lifting much of a chance.
If you're going to eat back your calories with cookies on exercise days, it's a complete waste of time doing the exercise
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SergeantSausage wrote: »
uhhh what? You know what I am trying to say. Why do you have to be negative?
No.
I have NO IDEA what you are trying to say.
The two "facts" presented in the quoted text are what we call "mutually exclusive", right?
HINT: That means they can't both be true at the same time. That means the sentence is gibberish -- an absurdity.
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Hi,
My name is Elizabeth. I have tried everything you can think of to lose weight. Weight Watchers, Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, South Beach Diet, Adkins, Mediterranean, Advocare 24 Day Challenge, and logging my food here to stay within 1200 calories. It's so hard to stay under 1200 calories. I am a mother of six children ranging in age from 2 - 8, and although that isn't an excuse to eat unhealthy, it sure enough provides a ton of temptation with all of their cookies, chips, and carb-rich foods.
I am 5'4" and weigh 180lbs. I want to weigh around 150. I would be soooo happy with that weight. I exercise but not regularly enough. I like to swim, walk, and jog. I recently bought Garcinia Cambogia (not sure if that is spelled correctly) and I haven't tried it yet. Does anyone have anything negative or positive to say about it? Anyone have any suggestions for losing this weight once and for all?
Thanks,
Elizabeth
I'm 5'4" and I started at 180 lbs. I lost the weight really slowly but it was a very easy process because I did it in a way that was sustainable. During the first two years, I lost around 30 lbs and I was at around your goal weight of 150 lbs. All I did to get there was average eating around 1500 calories total per day and walking 3-4 times every week for 45 minutes to an hour. It was totally sustainable. You can totally get from 180 to 150 eating more than 1200 calories per day and not killing yourself. Best of luck to you!
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Hi OP,
I was in a really similar situation as you - started at 180, goal was 150. Like you, I had been on every diet in existence, and none of them "worked." I went on my first diet when I was 10. At 35, I joined MFP. I'm going to tell you what worked for me.
1. Figure out what your TDEE would be at your goal weight and start eating that TODAY and plan to eat about that every day for the rest of your life, more or less. I didn't have all your starts (like age) but my guess based on the info you provided is that your TDEE is between 1800 and 2100 per day. Why don't you start at 2000 and see how it goes? This way, you are not "on" a diet that you will eventually go off. It's just the new way you eat - today, tomorrow, and forever.
2. Accept that it's going to take a very long time to get to your goal weight. The closer you get, the slower the loss. It might take a year. But, how long have you been fighting this weight battle? A year isn't really that long.
3. Eat enough protein. When I started on MFP I was eating about 50 grams a day and was starving all the time. Then I tried to up my consumption to 110 - 125 per day. It made a world of difference. I am much less hungry than I used to me.
4. Make sure you get enough fiber in your diet, preferably from food, not supplements. Fiber also helps slow digestion of food and help you feel full longer.
5. Get a food scale and weigh EVERYTHING. You will be surprised at how much you were overestimating portions. Seriously, I used to think I was really good at estimating, and I found I was over by almost 50% on some things.
6. Consider doing a progressive weight lifting program. This will help you retain muscle mass as you lose weight. It will make you much happier with your body, regardless of the number on the scale. It will also help you feel strong and powerful, which can translate to many other areas of your life. I think Stronglifts 5 X 5 is a great program for beginners.
7. Try to be kind to yourself. You have a lot going on. There are a lot of demands on you. Try not to let losing weight be one more of them.
Feel free to message me if you want to chat more! Good luck. You CAN do this.
Thanks to everyone for all of your really great advice. I really love this post from davis978. I appreciate the positivity and supportive attitude. I will be sending you a message. It's great to hear that people have been in my shoes and have overcome the same obstacles I have. I should have came on the community site sooner.0 -
OP - TDEE is Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is an estimate of how many calories you burn in a day, based on height, weight, age, gender and activity level. Google TDEE calculator and you will find online tools. If you eat less than your TDEE, you will lose weight. How much weight depends on how much under you are. 1 lb. of fat equals 3500 calories, so to lose 1 lb/week, you need a 3500 calorie weekly (our 500 daily) deficit. The two caveats are: 1. it is only an estimate; and 2. It is only as accurate as your calorie measurements. Thus, some trial and error is involved. But it works.0
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I have my calorie goal set to 1200 a week. i know very well i will be eating more than that. I weigh my foods and make meals that are 400 max. (they are weighed, tho my breakfast is closer to 350)
when i had it set to 1500-1600 i was eating more than that, my weight loss stalled. i also gained around 5 lbs. but i lost it again and then some (down to 209!!!!)
make 3 400 calorie meals a day. make sure you have your carbs veggies and protein at each meal.
and allow for some fruits and veggies or protein shakes as snacks in between meals.
Basically what i'm saying is that my goal is 1200 calories but in reality i'm probably eating 1400.
It's works for me
*edit* i also go to the gym about 4 days a week and try to burn around 450 calories according to my fitbit. i know people say this is extra calories i can eat. but i look at is as helping my deficit.
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SergeantSausage wrote: »SergeantSausage wrote: »
uhhh what? You know what I am trying to say. Why do you have to be negative?
No.
I have NO IDEA what you are trying to say.
The two "facts" presented in the quoted text are what we call "mutually exclusive", right?
HINT: That means they can't both be true at the same time. That means the sentence is gibberish -- an absurdity.
basically saying that they stay at 1200 on the dot.0
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