New To EM2WL? Introduce Yourself Here!

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  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
    edited November 2016
    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 moderator
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    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. :smiley:

    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.
  • gunnerslove77
    gunnerslove77 Posts: 299 Member
    Hi everyone I'm 39 :D 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 ) :p

    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..
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
    @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 moderator
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
    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 moderator
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited November 2016
    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.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited November 2016
    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.
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
    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 moderator
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    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.
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
    Good stuff @SusanMFindlay
    Notice any positive changes physically or mentally from eating more, more regularly?
    Ichel
    EM2WL ambassador and moderator
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    edited November 2016
    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. :smiley:
  • TBird135
    TBird135 Posts: 43 Member
    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.
  • Raynn1
    Raynn1 Posts: 1,164 Member
    welcome to the group @TBird135 !
    Please take a look at our stickies at the top of the message boards which are filled with all the information you need to get you started on your journey. We are here to help!
    Kelly
    EM2WL Ambassador and Moderator
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
    TBird135 wrote: »
    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 moderator
  • carlavaughan
    carlavaughan Posts: 8 Member
    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.
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
    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 moderator
  • annobrien6443
    annobrien6443 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi in Ann age 46 I weigh 164 pounds would like to get to 120 pounds
  • TeresaPhelps
    TeresaPhelps Posts: 1 Member
    Good morning. My name is Teresa. Glad to be hear! Ready to eat smarter to loss weight.
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
    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 moderator
  • jnttogether
    jnttogether Posts: 1 Member
    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.