New To EM2WL? Introduce Yourself Here!
Replies
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De_Little_Engine wrote: »Straight into a cut I guess. 15% off my DEEE?
Ok. Have you been dieting at all in the past few months/years?
Is your goal to lose weight? Fat? Change your body shape? Feel healthier? Stronger? Look good naked? All of the above?
Just trying to figure out the best advice to give you.
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator1 -
Hi! I'm Susan. Seven years ago, I lost 40 pounds and got a lot fitter and stronger counting calories and lifting weights (mostly NROLFW). Then I met Mr Right, got married, had two wonderful little boys and gained a pile of weight in the process. (Pregnancy really really doesn't agree with me.)
Baby #1 is now three and Baby #2 just turned one. I started calorie counting again at the end of July and have lost 25 pounds since then, getting me almost back to my pre-baby weight. I still have 5 pounds left from my first pregnancy then another 20 pounds to get to my goal weight (the weight I settled at last time).
I initially set myself as "lightly active" because I teach for a living, so that's what the instructions say to do. The site recommended I eat 1600 cals/day to lose 1 pound/week. I was still hungry and averaged 1750 cals/day while losing 2 pounds/week. I raised my intake to about 1900 cals/day, figuring there might be a bit of water weight in there and that my weight loss would reduce my daily burn. I still lost ~2 pounds/week.
About a month ago, my husband and I got FitBit Charge 2s. They confirm that my average TDEE is ~2800 cals/day. Apparently, I walk a lot. I'm slowly raising my calorie intake (up to ~2000 cals/day now) to try and slow the loss down to 1 pound/week. I'm fine with that going even slower as I get closer to goal, but I expect that to happen naturally as my burn drops with my weight. On the one hand, it's really motivating to see the weight fall off. On the other hand, I like food a lot.
Right now, I'm still taking my postnatal fitness class - which is best described as circuit training. It alternates cardio (walking or running, depending on fitness level) with bodyweight and resistance band work. What I'd really like to do is get a squat cage for our basement so that I can lift at home. Maybe I can swing that as either a Christmas or birthday present. Unfortunately, lifting at the gym during the hours I'm able to go can be difficult as there are only three squat cages and they're often all occupied. (Switching gyms is not an option. The only way I can possibly fit "going to the gym" into my schedule is using the one at work.) So, setting up a home gym seems like the best solution.0 -
Hi everyone I'm 39
I'm a mother of 6 beautiful children ages 3,6,12,14,16 &18
since marrying their dad 19 years ago I've got into a cycle of eat less move more after each baby ( I'd then loss 30 lbs of baby weight and get scared of food and get pregnant with the next child eat till happy then be left with another 30lbs to lose )
After baby no 5 I just kept the weight on and got pregnant with our last blessing.
Well this January 2016 I decided to sort my weight out ( 215lbs.) I did try low fat but and lost 20lbs but I started showing signs of being diabetes so switched to a ketogenic diet in June...ìt was good to eat and feel full. minimum calories a day was 1500/1770 .
I've since lost a total of 49lbs.. im 5ft 9 and now weigh 166lbs. Im looking to reach my pre pregnancy weight of 145 (or a waist measurement of 28in )
I've googled my TDEE from a few places and allthough they roughly agree my bmr is 1508 my estimated tdee varies.
Since june I've been eatting 15% of my TDEE (I go to the gym 3 times a week) but the last 2 weeks I've raised my calorie goal to 1900 /2300 (I'm guessing 5% of my TDEE ) depending on if it's a gym day as I had started to feel deprived and wanted to eat more..
I confess I'm a binger when I get the taste of chocolate it's hard to find the will power to just have the one treat. At least eatting natural foods and keeping sugar to a minimum help me keep on track.. if I need a treat I try to wait for bed time then I know I can't have a treat day
my diary is open.. and would love to make new supportive friends.. if I'm doing it wrong or have got my numbers mixed up feel free to tell me.. 0 -
@gunnerslove77
Welcome to the group!
The great thing about the EM2WL lifestyle is that you will feel less and less likely to want to binge as you eat more food consistently. No foods are forbidden! If you want to eat a bit of chocolate every day, you can. Just incorporate it into your daily calorie goals and macros.
Have you checked out your TDEE using our calculator and been really honest with your activity level?
http://eatmore2weighless.com/weight-loss-calculator/
I also thought no you would benefit from a metabolism reset, you can read all about it here;
http://eatmore2weighless.com/the-metabolism-reset-guide/
Let me know if you have any questions when you have read through everything.
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator1 -
Hi @SusanMFindlay
Great to see you here!
As I was reading through, I was thinking, yeah I bet you are more than lightly active! Two young children and being a teacher you are doing a lot before you even start working out!
I love having a home gym! Hope you can get that sorted out!
2000 calories is still a really steep defecit from your TDEE. We don't recommend taking more than a 15% cut which would give you 2380 so that's what you would need as a minimum. Ideally, it would be better if you started out with just a 5% cut which would give you 2660 to play with! Good news, right!
It's best not to pull out all the stops right at the start, in case you do hit a plateau, so start with a 5% cut and see how you go!
http://eatmore2weighless.com/workout-or-diet-plateau/
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator0 -
Yes, I know that 2000 cals is still a lot lower than my TDEE. I'm still increasing my calories but trying to be mindful that my TDEE ought to drop as my weight drops, and aiming to have them meet in the middle with a ~500 cal deficit (which is pretty close to the 15% cut). I expect that to happen roughly when I'm eating 2200 and burning 2700 (though my TDEE has oddly not been dropping with weight; maybe eating more gives me more energy? or being lighter gives me more energy? and having more energy makes me move more? so, if that keeps up, I'll be eating 2300 and burning 2800).
I'm more comfortable with the 15% cut until I get down to 150ish - and it's not like I'm not eating! I know from experience that once I start lifting again, I'll be a lot hungrier and the calories will naturally increase. My concern with the 5% cut is getting used to that many calories - which I won't get to have anymore once I get down to 150 or 140 (my goal weight).
My biggest challenge is getting enough protein. The foods I naturally gravitate toward are carb-based. And my body only gets "protein cravings" (which usually disguise themselves as salt cravings) if my intake is very low. I am currently trying hard to get at least 100 g/day.1 -
To clarify "won't get to have anymore": I don't want to eat more now than my TDEE will be when I get to my goal weight (which is only 25 pounds away). I suspect a 5% cut would put me over that threshold.
My personality is such that I find it much easier to raise calories than drop them. The initial 1750 was what naturally "fell out" when I started paying attention to what I was eating (i.e. logging and counting), eliminating "mindless eating" and cutting back substantially on restaurant meals. The climb since then has been a case of slowly adding back treats and consciously adding protein rich snacks (mostly "chocolate protein powder + milk" and protein bars). I'm now working on adding a few more calorie dense items and increasing portion sizes of certain items (e.g. 2 slices of buttered toast with my eggs on the weekend instead of 1). And I'm still working on protein.0 -
Awesome! Totally your life, your rules.
It's working out a way that becomes a sustainable lifestyle which you certainly sound like you are doing!
Have you had a look at our 7 day protein challenge? http://eatmore2weighless.com/eat-enough-protein/
This a can help kick start the habit.
Protein was my biggest blind spot. I just thought the rules didn't apply to me!
But yeah, they apply to all of us!
Great sounding plans you have in place!
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator1 -
Been averaging about 2300 cals/day for the last week (a couple of lower days; one superhigh one that counteracts them). I'm going to stick at this level for at least a few weeks and see how it plays out. I should now be in 15% cut territory.0
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Good stuff @SusanMFindlay
Notice any positive changes physically or mentally from eating more, more regularly?
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator0 -
Not yet, but it wasn't a huge jump. I think it's more likely I just avoided a drop in energy when the reserves ran out. (I'd only been calorie counting for 3 months anyway and never went down into 1200 territory.) I do notice that my body is *very* good at saying "okay; more food; keep doing that" in terms of making me hungry regularly. 2
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Hi, I'm Terri. I'm a working mother of two daughters who has been yo-yo dieting my entire life. To have been at this so long, you'd think I'd know how to do things right by now. I need help in finding a way to succeed at this and be a good example for my daughters while I'm at it. I appreciate any advice.
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Hi, I'm Terri. I'm a working mother of two daughters who has been yo-yo dieting my entire life. To have been at this so long, you'd think I'd know how to do things right by now. I need help in finding a way to succeed at this and be a good example for my daughters while I'm at it. I appreciate any advice.
Hi @TBird135
Welcome to the land of no yo-yo!
This is a sustainable lifestyle, so there are no all or nothing, binge/restrict cycles.
As you've come from a history of yo-yo dieting, you would benefit from a metabolism reset. You can read about it here.
http://eatmore2weighless.com/the-metabolism-reset-guide/
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator1 -
Hi guys! My name is Carla (obviously) and I'm new to all of this. I have always carried a bit of extra weight, but in the past few years following a difficult breakup I have gained around 4 stone. I have periodically tried to diet (eating around 1500 cals daily), but generally I have been overeating pretty consistently. Therefore, I don't think that I need to reset my metabolism.
I am really trying to reprogramme my brain, as all I have ever considered as a weight loss program is food deprivation and calorie cutting.
Can I just check one thing? After reading lots from the site and here I'm still unsure about this - if my TDEE is 2200 but I burn 500 calories in exercise that day, do I eat those calories too?
Really hopeful that this is the answer I've been looking for, as I've not had any longterm success cutting calories drastically.
Thanks,
Carla.0 -
Hi Carla @carlavaughan
You don't need to eat back any exercise calories, your workouts are taken into account within your TDEE.
Welcome to the group!
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator1 -
Hi in Ann age 46 I weigh 164 pounds would like to get to 120 pounds0
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Good morning. My name is Teresa. Glad to be hear! Ready to eat smarter to loss weight.1
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Hi @TeresaPhelps and Annobrien6443
So glad to welcome you to the group!
If you read through the stickies at the top of the page, it gives you lots of information to start off with.
If you find any of it overwhelming or confusing, feel free to ask any questions!
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator1 -
I was here once before under a different name. Lost about 50lbs found out I was still not a victoria secret model and got frustrated and gave up and went hog wild. It's about my health this time so hopefully I wont lose focus. I need friends for motivation please send me requests. Thanks.1
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Hey @jnttogether
Glad you made it back to us!
I will send a FR.
Surrounding yourself with the best support system is definitely a winning strategy.
I'm here to help and support and if you needs to ask any questions.
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator
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Hi I'm not new but I'm back after a long break. Looking for fellow eaters - need to see ppl who aren't surviving on 1,200 calories.
Would like some friends, please add me!0 -
Hi everyone. My name is Sherry. 37y/o stay at home mom. Love weight lifting. I'm not necessarily new to EM2WL but newly back to using MFP to stay consistent. If anyone would like to be friends here please add me. I need MFP friends and support. 0
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CamGoddess wrote: »Hi I'm not new but I'm back after a long break. Looking for fellow eaters - need to see ppl who aren't surviving on 1,200 calories.
Would like some friends, please add me!
Hi @CamGoddess
Good to see you made it back.
I will send you a FR. I probably eat about 1200 calories before noon most days!
Plus, right now I'm bulking so there is even more 'extra' in my diary than usual!
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator0 -
Sherry0479 wrote: »Hi everyone. My name is Sherry. 37y/o stay at home mom. Love weight lifting. I'm not necessarily new to EM2WL but newly back to using MFP to stay consistent. If anyone would like to be friends here please add me. I need MFP friends and support.
Hi Sherry
So good to have you here.
This is a great place for support.
Feel free to ask any questions you may have.
Ichel
EM2WL ambassador and moderator0 -
Welcome @CamGoddess and @Sherry0479 sent you both FR.
Like Ichel, i eat more than 1200 before lunch as well. We hope you enjoy your time with us!
Kelly
EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator1 -
Hi All. I'm Ruby. I've been working out off and on for years but this past September I've been more focused than ever to lose weight and eat healthier. I don't really like working out and although people tell me "the more you go, you'll get used to it and eventually will become excited about working out", that hasn't happened for me. I work out 4x per week consistently, but not because I look forward to it. I haven't found a class or PT yet that excites me. What DOES excite me and keep me going is the fact that since I've been counting my calories, I realize that if I work out, I get to eat more. And I like eating, so..... LOL. Anyhoo, hopefully I can meet new friends here and share ideas/ stories.0
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I'm averaging about 2250ish. My food diary is open to friends. Send me a request if you like.0
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@rubes002 welcome to the group. You may find you never "like" working out. Some people never get excited about hitting the gym and you might just be one of them. But hopefully you will be able to find what you can tolerate well enough to keep going and not dread the time there.
Do you lift weights, or just find classes? Lifting weights will help you to eat more food as well as change your body composition. win/win:)
We have some great beginner programs listed in the stickies on the forum page that might help you out:)
Kelly
Team EM2WL0 -
Hello , I'm Ashley and I'm a recovering eat-aholic . I wish I was kidding . But I love food. I read the description on the group and this sounds perfect . I'm 29 I have a 4 month old . I love her , but I put her before my eating habits . I need a radical Change . I looked in the mirror and don't recognize myself. I want to lose about 25 to 50 pounds . I want to change my life in the better for myself,and family ,and hopefully others:)0
