If calories in-calories out is immutable...
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To several posters who asked--yes, I'm logging, I'm not using a food scale.
Freely isn't the best choice of words there...I'm logging on the non-fast days too. Just not with a calorie goal. I've been ending up around 1500-1600 on "free" days.
I know I need to stick with it longer. If you re-read my op, you'll see that I have stuck with programs longer, but I feel like I hit a hurdle around the 3 week mark every time. I'm afraid I'm just in that place I've been in before.
I also feel like I need a plan that I can adhere to on autopilot so that I can do it longer.
I don't think I'm really a yo-yo dieter--i haven't dieted enough for that! Last year I worked with a personal trainer for about three months. During that time (not the entire time, I worked up to this), I was restricting calories to 1100, lifting weights 2x per week, and doing 30min of cardio 3x per week. I consistently lost 1lb per week, sometimes more. But I can't keep that up! Ir at least I can't keep it up without a lot of disruption to accommodate my family's needs. (I work full time and I have 5 kids, ranging from 4-17).
Anyway--there is more backstory.
Thank you all for your input!!0 -
What helped for me was to once and for all very clearly, very cleanly, very dispassionately partition PROCESS (my work) from PRODUCT (my body's work). If my program is based on sound principles & I am consistently doing my work, I have to accept that my body will do its work on its own arcane terms. So far this has carried me through several bumps & skids.
This is precisely the mindset I need to get into. Thanks for sharing it so succinctly. I may print this off and hang it in my office to re-read!0 -
Thanks so much for all the info. Lots of people here think like I do!
My current weight is 192. Goal: 172 (to begin with, I'd love to lose this by March, for a trip I'm going on)
I'm eating 500 cal on "fast" days and freely on off days. So far, fasting is working well for me. I recently started a new job and found myself eating alot less by default due to a change in my daily schedule. It has actually been easy to incorporate the fasting. I feel like fasting functions as a behavior modification for me...just in 3 weeks I've noticed that I'm not as reactive to the feeling of hunger--which enables me to make a dispassionate food choice.
For me, eating 6x a day means 6x I have to make the right decision about what to eat. Meal planning is not my strong point. If I can not have to rely on it, I'm better off.
I'll stick with this for 3 more weeks and if I don't see a change over time, I'll make a drs appt and push to see if there is some other challenge.
Thank you all!!
You do not need a dr's appointment, you need to be patient, and consistent. In every new diet you will lose a few lbs the first couple of weeks. And then gain it back and a bit more if you quit.
In your current diet, what does eating freely mean? If it is eating at maintenance, great. If it means eating 5000 calories, you will end up gaining in the end.0 -
sweetie if you're not using a food scale you might be drastically underestimating your calorie intake and wiping out your defecit
something to think about if you continue to maintain0 -
You shouldn't be following a diet, you should start a lifestyle change. When your health, and healthier life is your goal, weight comes off as a really great consequence.
Also, as a lot of posters mentioned weight loss is not linear, you can lose a lot in the beginning, then nothing, then couple months later a bit more...you should be focused on big picture and don't get discouraged if you don't see a change on the scale.0 -
YouThanks so much for all the info. Lots of people here think like I do!
My current weight is 192. Goal: 172 (to begin with, I'd love to lose this by March, for a trip I'm going on)
I'm eating 500 cal on "fast" days and freely on off days. So far, fasting is working well for me. I recently started a new job and found myself eating alot less by default due to a change in my daily schedule. It has actually been easy to incorporate the fasting. I feel like fasting functions as a behavior modification for me...just in 3 weeks I've noticed that I'm not as reactive to the feeling of hunger--which enables me to make a dispassionate food choice.
For me, eating 6x a day means 6x I have to make the right decision about what to eat. Meal planning is not my strong point. If I can not have to rely on it, I'm better off.
I'll stick with this for 3 more weeks and if I don't see a change over time, I'll make a drs appt and push to see if there is some other challenge.
Thank you all!!
You say your eating freely on non fast days ? Are you still weighing and logging those days?
If not, you could be wiping out your own deficit causing you not to lose weight.
I've met lots of people who do diets like 5:2 that think just because they ate 500 cals the day before that they can eat whatever the next. That's not true at all.
If you are not losing weight its because your not consistently at a calorie deficit. You could be wiping out your deficit by eating " freely "0 -
20 pounds in that short of a time for your stats is pretty aggressive and likely not possible. Don't get discouraged and quit if you don't make it.0
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And hello, with five relatively young children?!? I think you probably are being overly aggressive in 3-week spurts and calling it 'quitting.' Go easier! Aim lower! Take half a pound of loss over a longer time... Find something that works within the current conditions of your actual life, not some ideal that collapses in a matter of weeks. xoL0
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You need a food scale, and to follow the MFP plan and let it work. Consistency is the #1 factor people fail at losing weight in my opinion (other than the obvious, overeating).
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If you're not using a food scale, your logging is inaccurate. We are known to wildly underestimate portions.0
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That's a really great perspective, thank you for sharing that insight.What helped for me was to once and for all very clearly, very cleanly, very dispassionately partition PROCESS (my work) from PRODUCT (my body's work). If my program is based on sound principles & I am consistently doing my work, I have to accept that my body will do its work on its own arcane terms. So far this has carried me through several bumps & skids.
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I needed accurate measurements to really believe that CICO was working. When I weigh all my solid food on a digital kitchen scale in grams and choose accurate entries from the data base, I insure the measurement of CI is as accurate as possible. When I used a Fitbit for measuring activity, I insure the measurement of my CO is as accurate as possible. When I know I am working with accurate data I can trust that the weight will come off. This allows me to have complete faith in the process even when the bathroom scale may not reflect that exactly on any given day. My strongest advise is weigh your food! Measure your activity accurately and trust the process0
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+1. People expect results from doing the same exact things every week. Unfortunately the body doesn't do the exact same things every week. Fluctuations in stress, hormones, water, nutrients, etc. are why weight loss isn't linear.Because weight loss isn't linear
Calories in vs calories out is immutable but you forgot the over time part
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You don't NEED a food scale or NEED to log daily. There is not only one way to diet. It sounds like you're roughly on Krista Varady's ADF plan. On that you can eat freely on your non-fast days (though logging them is fine, too). A pound a week is probably a reasonable expectation. Good luck!0
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WalkingAlong wrote: »You don't NEED a food scale or NEED to log daily. There is not only one way to diet. It sounds like you're roughly on Krista Varady's ADF plan. On that you can eat freely on your non-fast days (though logging them is fine, too). A pound a week is probably a reasonable expectation. Good luck!
This is exactly what I'm following.0 -
WalkingAlong wrote: »You don't NEED a food scale or NEED to log daily. There is not only one way to diet. It sounds like you're roughly on Krista Varady's ADF plan. On that you can eat freely on your non-fast days (though logging them is fine, too). A pound a week is probably a reasonable expectation. Good luck!
Agreed. You actually don't need to log ever. Most people have the ability to know when they are eating too much, they just ignore it. A human scale can work for weight loss just fine if used properly.
Looking at labels or logging food helps people understand the calorie dense stuff, the nutritional content, etc, but in the end being able to apply it is more important. A person could log everything and struggle if they don't figure out what keeps them full, gives them more energy, and gets them through the day.0
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