A Little disappointed-What could I do better?

elaineamj

Dean: a week's weight loss is not worth injuring your foot enough to impair months of progress. It really, really, really isn't. I have a bad tennis elbow injury that has been bothering me for almost 8 months now. I REALLY want to start playing badminton 2x a week. I love it, PLUS it is an amazing cardio workout. But it leaves me in pain for 2 days and if I play, I know I will be delaying my recovery for months. So I stay far away (and watch my DH and son go off to play every week ).

I'd also like to add the strength training everyone here raves about. But even using 1lb dumbbells for 5 mins will wreck my elbow for 1-2 days. So I've put those aside as well. It's not a frightfully painful injury - but I know if I don't start taking care of it, it is going to affect so many of the things I want to do.

Don't mess up your feet - go see your doctor/therapist and follow instructions. You can lose weight with just a calorie deficit alone, and given your current injury, it will likely be healthier (even if it is a bit slower) in the long run. Patience is the name of the game here.

And the 4.5 lbs wasn't "real" weight - it was all the extra sodium causing you to retain more water. You'd likely have seen the loss even without the extra workouts.

As for the huge meal, I get it - I really do. I struggle when i eat a big meal at a restaurant because my mind starts seeing the big red numbers on MFP. That said, if this is my life for the rest of my life (and not just a crash diet), I must have a way to deal with these types of social situations.

I do what other MFP'ers have recommended - count my weekly net calories. So my daily numbers are not my focus. I typically have a social meal 1-2 times a week where I will eat about double the calories I normally do (and no scale, no nutrition info - just guesstimating). So I bank calories for a day or two beforehand, eat very lightly during the day(stuff I find filling like plain chickpeas or plain hard boiled eggs are my faves). I also make sure I get my workouts in, maybe even an extra workout or two. 9 times out of 10, I can fit everything into my weekly net calories.

I also pay more attention to my trending average weight than my day to day fluctuations. I tend to yo-yo around the same numbers for about a week and then drop 1 lb or so suddenly in a day. I adjust my plans every 2-3 weeks based on what my weight graphs tell me. I've noticed it takes about a 1-2 weeks for any diet changes to affect my average weight (although I've only been at this for 7 weeks so still early days for me to tell yet).

chief3202

I went to the Doctors today and she told me to lighten up on the cardio workouts, stay off my foot for a week and prescribed an anti- inflammatory.

Can anyone recommend exercises that I can do that does not require too much weight on my foot? Is there a website that can show me the proper exercise techniques? Could I decrease my calorie intake from 1500 to 1200 to help with weight loss to substitute for the workout burn calories?

Within 8 weeks, my weight went from 291 to 267 and the 1500 calorie intake seemed to work for me, along with burning on an average of 500 calories per cardio workout.

I think I am doing fairly well and I do not want to gain weight back from being inactive because of my foot.

Any input is appreciated..
Thanks, Dean

dubird

chief3202 wrote: »

Hello everyone!

Today's weigh in showed that I gained a pound and I can explain why.

My wife wanted to have a romantic valentines day and we made reservations at McCormick and Schmick's. I was not allowed to take my scale with me (lol), and no accurate nutrition information was posted online. The waitress was dumbfounded. Not one employee could provide me with nutrition information about the food, except that "there is a lot of calories" in everything we serve.

My wife is very skinny and tall with a beautiful physique. She supports my diet project, but she is is like the devil making me take the apple. (lol) I ordered tilapia fish and lobster bisque soup. I took the first bite, and I could taste the grease. I knew in my mind that the calories were coming back and I felt uncomfortable. Of course I ate the entire meal, but who wouldn't for just spending $125 on a meal. We enjoyed ourselves and I stuck to drinking water instead of alcohol.

The following Monday, I weighed myself and found that I had gained 4.5 pounds. I was completely shocked and disappointed in myself for gaining that much weight within 2 days. I made a commitment and focused on going to the gym everyday this week and increased my workouts. It was very difficult for me with an injured foot, but I stuck to it bringing my weight back to 267.7. I am satisfied with today's weigh in, but it cost me a doctor's visit because my foot severely flared up to the point where I can hardly walk.

Have a great day everyone!
Dean

Chances are, that weight gain is water weight, not fat. You changed your eating habits for one evening, and probably ended up with a lot more sodium than you normally get, so your body was retaining water. Next time it happens, simply go back to your normal routine instead of adding a bunch of extra exercise. It'll even out and you hopefully won't have a flareup. ^_^

AnnPT77

chief3202 wrote: »

Hello everyone!

<snipped>

I ordered tilapia fish and lobster bisque soup. I took the first bite, and I could taste the grease. I knew in my mind that the calories were coming back and I felt uncomfortable. Of course I ate the entire meal, but who wouldn't for just spending $125 on a meal. We enjoyed ourselves and I stuck to drinking water instead of alcohol.

The following Monday, I weighed myself and found that I had gained 4.5 pounds.

<snipped>

+1 to the idea that most of that 4.5 pounds was water weight, if this was the only meal where you were off goal.

4.5 pounds equates to roughly 15,750 calories. Tilapia plus lobster bisque doesn't equate to 15,750 calories in excess of maintenance calories at your current weight. That would be ten times your current daily goal, over and above maintenance calories. Just no.

Use the arithmetic of weight loss to think about where you are; it helps.

One option, if you can't get precise nutritional info from a restaurant, is to mentally estimate your portion size, then (when you get home), go out to the MFP database and pick an entry for a similar dish, choosing one that's on the higher side of what's out there if there are multiples (because there are a lot of lowball entries), and use your estimated portion size compared to the database one. This will give you a general idea of the impact. Log it, and go on.

viblanco

Hi everyone. I've been reading the posts here and also share the same frustration. I have had a roller coaster kind of experience with my fitness goals and results.

Even to the point of even wanting to give up sometimes. I am self-taught (weight lifting, nutrition, etc) and I can't afford to shell out a ton of money on a personal trainer. I have made some strength gains but I am still not where I want to be physically.

I decided to start my own youtube channel in order to really hold myself accountable. The biggest issue has always been the nutrition. If you guys would like to support or even give some feedback or ideas I would really appreciate it. Even though I have been "working out" since about 2012 I feel like I am starting from square one.

www.youtube.com/attribution_link?a=-jhehwwkly8

meggy_182

Hi I too suffer with plantar fasciitis and it's a real pain! I see a physio one a fortnight who gave me lots of stretching excerises to do that have helped a bit. Also look into heel.cups they've been a life saver (I work in a shop so I have no chocie but to walk)
As for excerises that aren't weight baring I cycling you don't put pressure on your feet doing that or something like swimming is very gentle

FabianMommy

Hi Dean, remember weight loss really begins in the kitchen, please don't injure yourself further in a desperate attempt to damage control, it isn't worth it and it's what you eat that mainly causes weight loss in a calorie deficit. As long as you have a deficit, you will lose and right now, you need to concentrate on resting your foot. Put that meal behind you, it's what we do consistently that makes the difference, not the odd calorie splurge. It's early in your journey, go with the calories MFP calculates, rest your foot and heal and stick with it. As long as you have your calorie deficit, the weight will and IS coming off, be patient! Best of luck!

elaineamj

No - 1200 is TOO LOW.

I suggest u think about whether u want to keep the weight off for the rest of your life or go on a crash diet and then have a high possibility of regaining it all after u return to "normal" food.

I am on what MFP assigned to me but have been losing more than the 1lb a week though. I upped it 2 weeks ago and am still losing quickly so am planning to add more calories. It actually feels more sustainable since I have upped it. I can handle social meals, I can have treats, I can live more "normally" and that all makes this easier. Sure it will take me longer, but so am interested in the habits of a lifetime - not a short term fix.

Patience can be a very good thing

cafeaulait7

chief3202 wrote: »

I went to the Doctors today and she told me to lighten up on the cardio workouts, stay off my foot for a week and prescribed an anti- inflammatory.

Can anyone recommend exercises that I can do that does not require too much weight on my foot? Is there a website that can show me the proper exercise techniques? Could I decrease my calorie intake from 1500 to 1200 to help with weight loss to substitute for the workout burn calories?

Within 8 weeks, my weight went from 291 to 267 and the 1500 calorie intake seemed to work for me, along with burning on an average of 500 calories per cardio workout.

I think I am doing fairly well and I do not want to gain weight back from being inactive because of my foot.

Any input is appreciated..
Thanks, Dean

You won't gain weight on your calories. You just might not lose as much for one week. But can you get to a pool? That would be fun while your foot heals.

You could also try some floor work online, like Pilates or even a ballet thing called 'floor barre'. It's all tough enough and darned fun (I think), and I use it when my bad toes act up. There are also some yoga moves, but most practices won't be divided up into floor vs standing. Some might, so Google

Congratulations! Great job.

PAV8888

You know, I thought about it a bit, and I know I am going to come out of this looking a bit like an *kitten*; but other people are looking at these posts too.

Dean: you are losing weight in an unsustainable fashion as evidenced by your injuries, your overly onerous deficit, following a way of eating that you don't necessarily believe to be sustainable long term, and by your emotional reaction to scale weight and transient weight fluctuations.

So: take a deep breath. Clear your calendar. The next year is going to go by whether you are losing weight, gaining weight, or maintaining your weight. So will the one after that.

If you continue like this one of two things will happen: you will end up giving up discouraged when you become too injured to exercise, or you will succeed and achieve rapid weight loss based on an excessive deficit and have to deal with the excess lean mass you will have UNNECESSARILY lost, possibly end up with gallblader surgery due to gallstones, and definitely end up without the skills needed to maintain your weight loss long term.

So, based on your stats and desire to exercise set your weight loss to -750 Cal (for most people it would be -500, but you seem to be willing to exercise and as long as you're obese and your TDEE is over 3000 Cal, -750 is within the acceptable range for a deficit which I consider to be 20 to 25% off of your TDEE). Be prepared to drop that deficit to 15% to 20% of your TDEE when you move from obese into the overweight range.

Keep to your -750 or -500 deficit. Consider adding strength training to your fitness regiment. Exercise for health. Eat for weight loss.

Use a trending weight program so that you stop reacting to water weight variations that have nothing to do with your underlying weight level changes.

Enjoy your ON AVERAGE 1 to 1.5lb a week drop.

The changes at that rate of loss will already be almost too fast for your brain and body to keep up with!

BTW: if you do nothing else, really just start using a trending weight program and stop reacting to daily scale weight changes!

Libra-Android
Happy Scale-iphone
www.trendweight.com: requires supported scale or freely available (without a device) fitbit.com account to enable weight entry through integration.
www.weightgrapher.com: just like trendweight but also allows for manual entry of your weight.

Best of luck!

chief3202

Hello everyone!! I just wanted to check in and thank everyone for their kind words and advice that was posted last week. This week I could not sit still and went against my doctors advice to rest. After seeing how my stomach fat diminished, I could not sit stagnant and allow the fat to return. I pushed myself and suffered with the pain and continued working out until I reached my pain tolerance point. I decreased calorie intake to 1200 to substitute for the reduced workouts.

As of today, I lost 4 additional pounds, totaling 27.1 pounds since I joined MFP. My current weight is 263.3. It is very obvious from my appearance that my stomach shrank.

I am looking for opinions regarding me adjusting my calorie intake? Should I go back to 1500 or continue with 1200 since I cannot perform my routine exercising? I wear down when I am 20 minutes into the workouts, but other then that, I feel fine during the day.

Another question... Should I eat fruit carbs and protein before I work out to give me an energy boost? If so, how long should I wait for the food to digest before i begin the workout?

Thanks again,
Dean

3bambi3

chief3202 wrote: »

Hello everyone!! I just wanted to check in and thank everyone for their kind words and advice that was posted last week. This week I could not sit still and went against my doctors advice to rest. After seeing how my stomach fat diminished, I could not sit stagnant and allow the fat to return. I pushed myself and suffered with the pain and continued working out until I reached my pain tolerance point. I decreased calorie intake to 1200 to substitute for the reduced workouts.

As of today, I lost 4 additional pounds, totaling 27.1 pounds since I joined MFP. My current weight is 263.3. It is very obvious from my appearance that my stomach shrank.

I am looking for opinions regarding me adjusting my calorie intake? Should I go back to 1500 or continue with 1200 since I cannot perform my routine exercising? I wear down when I am 20 minutes into the workouts, but other then that, I feel fine during the day.

Another question... Should I eat fruit carbs and protein before I work out to give me an energy boost? If so, how long should I wait for the food to digest before i begin the workout?

Thanks again,
Dean

I am a 5'4" woman and I eat 1600 to lose weight. 1200 calories is far too low for you to be eating at your height and weight. I personally think 1500 is too low. You should follow your MFP calorie goal and add a bit back in for exercise. I don't think what you are doing is sustainable and, frankly, I think you need to take a step back and examine your emotional reactions to food and scale fluctuations, especially since you are deliberately disregarding the advice of your doctor and pushing yourself to the point of aggravating your injury.

Why are you not satisfied with realistic weight loss goals?

smotheredincheese

chief3202 wrote: »

I am looking for opinions regarding me adjusting my calorie intake? Should I go back to 1500 or continue with 1200 since I cannot perform my routine exercising? I wear down when I am 20 minutes into the workouts, but other then that, I feel fine during the day.

When you plugged all your stats in to MFP when you joined, did you select your activity level as 'sedentary'? if so, the 1500 you were given has already taken in to account your lack of exercise, you don't need to lower it any further.

chief3202

Thanks for the replies.

3bambi3, my goal is 220lbs by summertime. I just got back from the gym and weighed myself in. I lost over 2 lbs of water weight and my weight is now 261.5. I think I am going to increase my calorie intake back to 1500. I think 6.5 is much to lose within a week at my age of 48.

smotheredin, my activity level was originally set at sendentary, but i changed it a few weeks ago to Lightly Active.

Thanks
Dean

PAV8888

Have you signed up for your gallbladder surgery yet?

You are obviously losing weight by exercising to injury and (in your words as a recall) by choosing ways of eating you don't think are long term sustainable.

In the summer when you are 220lb and you go on your vacation/marriage/re-union/BIG EVENT that precipitated this weight loss... what are you planning to do about your eating and exercise?

When your lack of practice at your new way of eating results in a weight increase you don't expect... what skills have you learned that are going to stop you from giving up because things are not working, life sucks, and the big event is long gone?

You current approach reminds me of all the people who do quick diets to get quick results.

chief3202

Good morning everyone! Today my weigh in loss was .07. I must of hit a plateau. I exercised fairly hard this week and performed more cardio on the ellepitcal because of my foot. I was a little disappointed like others feel about the small loss, but I am over it and moving forward hoping for better numbers next week.

I bought one of those fitbits last week and used its information during this week period instead of me manually entering my workouts. Does anyone have opinions on the fitbit charged HR and its calculations? It determined that I have burned far many more calories for the day then want my cardio machines display. I ordered a garmin HR this week from QVC. The LED display is much larger and it seems to have more options. Any opinion to which one is more accurate?

Thanks
dean

sllm1

Stick with 1500.

Do you have access to a gym? (I haven't read every post thoroughly). I'm thinking a rowing machine would be great cardio without so much pressure on the feet. You do push with your legs, so I'm not sure whether it would bother your feet. If I were in your shoes, I would give it a shot.