But what did you really do to lose weight?
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how do i find out how many calories i need to lose weight? I'm super overweight, so i'm sure even just your average 2000 calorie diet for a few weeks would have me lose some weight just because i was tetering more towards 3000-4000 calories a day for a while right after i had my baby, but calories in vs calories out? all i know is that i burn 400 or so a day during my workouts.... so im supposed to eat less than that?? i know our bodies burn so many calories just being alive lol but how do i figure it out?!0
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Signed up for MFP when I first heard about it and then didn't use the account for like two years. Finally started using it and it was set to lose one pound per week at 1310 cals per day or some such. I couldn't eat that little and failed each day, so I came to the forums to read up on how the hell people did this??? From what I read I decided I needed more foodz and changed account to half lb per week. This suited my lifestyle nicely. Somewhere along the way I got a heart rate monitor to record my Les Mills Fitness workouts. Even prior to MFP and still now, I do a lot of their classes for exercise. I did pick up jogging for a bit when the classes were being annoying. It was nice to have something I could just open the door and exercise, not be tied to anyone's schedule, track/music selection, etc
I use the MFP iOS app to view the weekly calorie histogram --> net calorie average and calories remaining for the week . Even though so days I would eat/exercise way more, some days less, so long as I was somewhat close to my weekly target (over or under), I knew I was okay.
I actually ate a lot of fast food, simply because I didn't much like cooking, meal planning or that sort of thing or do it often enough. I didn't and still don't exercise daily, but at some point was doing up to three hours of cardio classes back to back because I liked them and wanted the calorie burn
Oh and food scale of course. I remember one of the first things I learned when I got the scale was that I could eat WAY more chicken!
Do you have like the "premium" mfp or the regular free one?
Also, I feel like I need to eat more. I'm in a dilemma though cause I don't get paid till the end of the month and I'm trying to make the food I have last for like 2 more weeks.
Premium MFP only came out fairly recently. I have never been a paid subscriber
Unless you're very very active and/or just not eating a lot, I wouldn't say you have to eat more food. My >2000 cals per day were because I didn't know and/or wasn't willing to put in the effort to figure out how to eat less. The exercise portion (calories out) just came a bit easier for me. I didn't have to fix everything about myself all at once, but yet was able to lose weight0 -
and like some of these other posters. I don't like health food. I won't eat it. I won't stick to an exercise regimen. I know myself. I won't do those things. So I had to make my existing diet work.0
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It's CICO... but I know that's not the answer you wanted, so here's an overly detailed breakdown of how I've made it work for me:
Meal planning is key for me. Google "Skinnytaste meal plan", and there's a post where she lists weekly meal plans for like 10 weeks, and all the meals are about 300 calories or less. Every Sunday I sit down and copy the recipes into ChefTap (recipe organizing app that syncs across devices) and make a grocery list. Each week's plan is just 6 dinners, but I'm only cooking for hubby and me so we usually have leftovers for lunch the next day. I'll double some of the recipes, like soups, and freeze half for weekend meals or when I don't feel like cooking. Invest in some good-quality tupperware in several sizes that can handle being frozen/microwaved over and over.
Breakfasts are usually light -- I try to stay around 200 calories or I end up going over my daily allotment. My go-to's are overnight oatmeal (around 250 calories, less if I don't add milk), or 2 turkey sausage links and a piece of dry toast (150 calories).
Snacks -- I use Graze (www.graze.com), a healthy snack box that is automatically delivered weekly. They're individually portioned and between 100-250 calories each, and they have over 100 options.
Edit - the rest of my post got cut off
the above covers most of the important stuff though! 0 -
tara_means_star wrote: »I put my stats in MFP and I count every calorie. I choose not to eat breakfast so that I can eat more of the foods I enjoy even if they are higher calorie while still staying in a deficit. I want to exercise more, but I really like being lazy. Occasionally, and I mean every once in a while, I do yoga or walk around the park. I've lost 35 pounds.
That's almost exactly me, too. I'll go for a week exercising 3-5 days, and then do nothing but count calories for a couple months. I've lost 18lbs since August on 1480-1600 calories.
Yes! I walked today and did an easy yoga routine earlier this week but before that it had been like 2 months since I exercised. I eat 1550 as a target. Most days it's a little less than that, occasionally, I have a meal that I don't log (one of those have been a while).0 -
healthymissfit wrote: »how do i find out how many calories i need to lose weight? I'm super overweight, so i'm sure even just your average 2000 calorie diet for a few weeks would have me lose some weight just because i was tetering more towards 3000-4000 calories a day for a while right after i had my baby, but calories in vs calories out? all i know is that i burn 400 or so a day during my workouts.... so im supposed to eat less than that?? i know our bodies burn so many calories just being alive lol but how do i figure it out?!
Like, 3000-4000 calories is like eating 2 days worth of food in one day. 2000 calories is basically what you need average for a day to maintain a weight if you're active. To loose weight you need to consume less of that but no less than 1200 calories cause then you're starving yourself and your body will be like "nah." Depending on how active you are, weight, gender , how much you wannw lose and stuff you'll be able to determine how much less you need to be eating. For example if you need to be eating 500 less, you'll be eating 1500 calories.
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healthymissfit wrote: »how do i find out how many calories i need to lose weight? I'm super overweight, so i'm sure even just your average 2000 calorie diet for a few weeks would have me lose some weight just because i was tetering more towards 3000-4000 calories a day for a while right after i had my baby, but calories in vs calories out? all i know is that i burn 400 or so a day during my workouts.... so im supposed to eat less than that?? i know our bodies burn so many calories just being alive lol but how do i figure it out?!
Put your stats in MFP (this site/app) and eat the amount that it tells you to0 -
healthymissfit wrote: »how do i find out how many calories i need to lose weight? I'm super overweight, so i'm sure even just your average 2000 calorie diet for a few weeks would have me lose some weight just because i was tetering more towards 3000-4000 calories a day for a while right after i had my baby, but calories in vs calories out? all i know is that i burn 400 or so a day during my workouts.... so im supposed to eat less than that?? i know our bodies burn so many calories just being alive lol but how do i figure it out?!
The simple answer is put your stats and calorie goal into MFP.
It will tell you how many calories you may eat.
For a more detailed response make your own post so your question gets answered and this thread doesn't get de-railed.
Cheers, h.
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healthymissfit wrote: »how do i find out how many calories i need to lose weight? I'm super overweight, so i'm sure even just your average 2000 calorie diet for a few weeks would have me lose some weight just because i was tetering more towards 3000-4000 calories a day for a while right after i had my baby, but calories in vs calories out? all i know is that i burn 400 or so a day during my workouts.... so im supposed to eat less than that?? i know our bodies burn so many calories just being alive lol but how do i figure it out?!
MPF has a thing you can use to figure it out, but their estimate is usually really low. Whatever it says, you could easily add 200-300 more calories and still lose weight.0 -
I've lost 31 lbs. in the last ten weeks (245 to 214). I started at 1800 cal/day and dropped to 1400 cal/day, without eating any exercise calories back. I log every day and almost always pre-log anything I eat, unless it's routine like my standard breakfast. I do a 1.5-mile dog walk at a leisurely pace every day and, whenever possible, another 50 minutes or so on the treadmill at not-very-challenging speeds, keeping my heart rate above 110. I shoot for 7 days/week on the treadmill, but I've had 2-3 weeks on the sick list when I couldn't do itl; that's when I got used to the 1400-calorie limit and learned I could live with it long-term. I've done a very minor amount of strength training. I don't eat anything special, just my usual food in smaller portions. I do tend to crank down the meat dish portions and pay more attention to getting a lot of fiber, mostly vegetables, so I'll feel more full. I'm retired and eat mostly at home, but when I'm out I stick to things like fish.0
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Started in Oct. 2014 and much preferred the idea of a static calorie goal to one that fluctuation with exercise so I used this http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/to figure out my TDEE. My calorie goal was around 1700 for a while and I was losing steadily. I never thought that was possible and that made a big difference to thinking I could do this.
The downside to being successful eating more at the start is that I've been really reluctant give up any of those calories even though I knew I would need to as I lost weight. I've lost over 25 lbs. since I started, Because of this stubborness and some problems with adherance I've had long periods of intentional and unintentional maintenance for the past six months. I've recently lowered my calories to just under 1500 calories most days, with one higher day for the weekend. That seems to be helping and I'm losing again. I run or play tennis about 3-6 hours a week , but I really intend to stick to a strength program this year because ultimately I want to look good, not just weigh less.
ETA: I recently started to use my fitbit to figure out what my TDEE is now and learned it was lower than I thought when I was calculating my activity level grossly so my new calorie goal is more in line with what I actually burn. When I was eating 1600-1700 calories and then going over too often I was constantly erasing my small deficit.0 -
I like this thread! I agree, I want the minute details, the filler information.0
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I have been on this weight loss journey for 12 years now. I have kept most of it off. I have to say the biggest thing for me is my mindset. I'm going to be watching my weight for the rest of my life. Some weeks it will be great. Some weeks I'll fall of the wagon. But I just keep going. I never quit. I know other failures will come sometimes. But I just get on the wagon and keep going. The other thing is trying new recipes that taste great but still healthy. Because I love to eat!! I also eat treats and I don't deprive myself. But I stay within my calorie goal. But again it's my mindset. It's your mind! You can think what you want. You can't think 2 thoughts at the same time. If a thought of doubt comes replace it with another thought! Even if it 50 thousand times a day. Eventually you'll change. But to recap......
Its my mindset!
And trying new foods and recipes!
Sometimes completely changing from the normal foods I eat helps me to stay on the wagon other than eating the same foods all the time. When I change my foods around and I'm not familiar with them, it gets me back on the wagon for tracking and what not. Just creates a whole new experiance, almost like the experience when you first started your journey. Sometimes rekindling that experience helps us get out of that plateau.
I really hope this somewhat helps.0 -
Calorie deficit is how you lose weight, so it is important you track the calories of everything you consume. Many people don't count properly so be careful of that. Exercise will also speed up your weight loss. Consistancy is key to losing weight though so make sure that you stick and avoid overeating.0
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I started by making small changes. Less oil in my food, brisk walking for 5-10 minutes a day (all I could do at the time)...etc, then my doctor put me on a very low calorie diet because he wanted me to lose as much weight as possible as fast as possible due to a recent blood panel. I struggled with it.. I was very tired all the time and did not even go for my 5 minute walks so I told the doctor I wanted to do it my way. I had blood sugar issues and PCOS, so a very low carb diet was the next logical step. I was even more miserable on that than I was on VLCD. I was constantly hungry and depressed and didn't walk. I decided, screw that, I'm just going to eat whatever I want but for less calories and whatever happens happens. That's when I found MFP.
My strategies evolved over time the more experience I gained. I learned what foods make me full and what don't. I experimented with food combinations, learned portion sizes, and gathered as much data as possible about my preferences, food effect on me, calories in my favorite foods, when I tend to eat more..etc (I'm a data junkie) and put it to use.
Some time later I discovered keeping a weekly deficit and found it easier to bank/borrow calories depending on my appetite. I then experimented with intermittent fasting (every other day diet) and found it to be a great fit for me so I now alternate between a flexible weekly deficit and IF depending on my mood, with maintenance periods whenever I don't feel like dieting. I eat like I used to eat before, only less. The only thing I changed was switch from regular soda to diet soda and I can't tell the difference in taste. I average about 1500 calories a day. My blood sugar is now normal.
Exercise-wise I started walking again, and was able to improve my endurance to walk a full hour a day split into two 30 minute sessions, morning and evening. I then got interested in running, and slowly but surely taught myself to run using various modified running plans 3 times a week. I tried weight lifting but hated it, so that was out, but I still wanted to develop some strength, and although I hated body weight training too it was more tolerable than lifting and easier to do in short sessions, so I started doing a 5-7 minute near-daily sessions of each major muscle group exercise, a different muscle group each day 5 days a week because I did not want to suffer through a full 30 something minute session. I do experiment with yoga every now and then and I do enjoy it, but I found that doing it often overwhelms me and makes me feel like I'm overdoing the exercise part of my weight loss. On a good week I still run/walk for 30 minutes 3 times a week and do short resistance training sessions 5 times a week. I don't feel I can sustain more than that, so that's where I settled.
Nearly 100 pounds lost so far.0 -
When I first started out trying to lose weight, I didn't use MFP, but I understood that I needed to eat less and move more. The two simple things I did were start swimming three times a week and cut out eating something sweet after dinner every night.
Later on came MFP, a gym membership, more understanding of food choices etc., but those were the two changes that got me started.
thats kind of a neat way to look at it/ rephrase it.... what really got you started?
for me, that would be i started taking a walk every day and cut out soda. from there, it just kind of snowballed because i felt GOOD making little changes.0 -
I gave MFP my information and that I wanted to lose 1 lb a week. I was given a calorie goal.
I logged everything I ate and drank honestly. Pretty early on I started pre-logging my whole day and I found that really helpful to making sure I stuck to my calorie goal but also getting enough protein and such. It has helped me to learn what portion sizes work well.
I have a food scale which is also helpful.
I chose to drink water or unsweetened tea most of the time and save my calories for food.
I did not eliminate foods from my diet. I did not radically change the foods I eat. I have changed portion sizes. I have noticed that if I'm sticking to my calorie goal I am naturally eating more vegetables and protein foods rather than using so many of my calories on bread, rice, pasta, or crackers that don't fill me up. They aren't gone from my diet but definitely reduced.
I do not exercise for hours. I do low to moderate exercise.
I weigh once a week. I don't freak out over the number. This is about more than a number.
I did not set a deadline. I am patient. I am approaching this as it takes as long as it takes and I am better off than I was when I started.0 -
I started logging all my food at 1st of October 2014. Logged all my food and calculated and weighed it. Every single bite
Created a deficit. Ate everything ( except salt and added sugar for medical reasons) but ate balanced
Cooked fresh foods ( you can eat more of those lol)
Didn't deprive myself of anything when i wanted pizza i ate pizza...but just one slice and it got weighed and logged. Or chocolate or ice cream.
I am a volume eater so lots of veggies and fruits. and every evening a huge bowl of popcorn about double the size of the movie big ones lol.
After the first months i started some walking and exercise and kept it up 6 days a week.
And yes some days i went over my calorie allowance but i never sweat it. i ate what i wanted just in moderation.
I went out to dinners or parties I drunk wine beer and champagne and margarita's
What i did was normal living and eating, but i just counted to keep my deficit.
Now that i am maintaining weight i do the same, eat it all same things..little bit bigger portions but i count and log every single day.
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To lose about 2lbs per week, I currently have a calorie limit of 1810. Some days I eat 1100 calories. Some days I eat 1500 calories. On the weekend, If I have extra calories from the weekdays, I eat them (usually) and can consume up to 2500 calories. Over time, it just averages to 2lbs per week. I don't REALLY focus over macros but I try to get more protein and fiber than I did before (which is easy when I was consuming basically none before).
Right now, I just have a goal of exercising for 30+ minutes one day per week and don't eat back any calories.0 -
I ate less and moved more. I was pretty much completely sedentary and I ate way too much. I started by just eat less and limiting stuff like cookies, treats, etc. I also started exercising, bit by bit. I didn't calorie count at all for the first 30 pounds. Then I got stuck and started counting using MFP to track. Lost 22 more pounds that year, maintained last year, and now I'm trying to lose more. Right now I just cut my food intake. I'm equally active while cutting or maintaining at this point (lifting or cardio 5-6 days a week.)0
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