Going from getting no where to melting fat off.

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Replies

  • UsedToBeHusky
    UsedToBeHusky Posts: 15,228 Member
    This should be stickied!
  • Dre8604
    Dre8604 Posts: 61 Member
    Awesome Job... Congrats!! I think I've almost figured out what is going to work best for me on this journey. We shall see in a few weeks!
  • HappyMommy0403
    HappyMommy0403 Posts: 16
    Nice! Congrats on the progress!

    I've really gone back and forth about the scale. My husband has really been reluctant about me getting one because he doesn't want it to turn into an obsession for me, and he worries that I stress too much about my weight as it is. As for my own personal thoughts, I'd like the journey to be as natural and comfortable for me as possible, and I'm not sure where measuring everything fits into that. I DO have a tendency to over-obsess about these things, so that's a slippery slope.

    If I stop seeing results, however, you'll probably see me back here with a scale in my hand!

    In my previous weight loss journey I told myself that if I couldn't do it without a food scale I wasn't going to do it. I measured everything and typically would under measure just a bit to "be on the safe side." I hit a plateau and purchased a food scale. Turns out I was way off with some things---sometimes over, sometimes under. Once I started measuring I got over the plateau! I think of it as a good obsession!
  • sourmash1973
    sourmash1973 Posts: 149 Member
    Nice! Congrats on the progress!

    I've really gone back and forth about the scale. My husband has really been reluctant about me getting one because he doesn't want it to turn into an obsession for me, and he worries that I stress too much about my weight as it is. As for my own personal thoughts, I'd like the journey to be as natural and comfortable for me as possible, and I'm not sure where measuring everything fits into that. I DO have a tendency to over-obsess about these things, so that's a slippery slope.

    If I stop seeing results, however, you'll probably see me back here with a scale in my hand!

    In my previous weight loss journey I told myself that if I couldn't do it without a food scale I wasn't going to do it. I measured everything and typically would under measure just a bit to "be on the safe side." I hit a plateau and purchased a food scale. Turns out I was way off with some things---sometimes over, sometimes under. Once I started measuring I got over the plateau! I think of it as a good obsession!

    ^^^This 100%. I was doing the same thing. I'm so much happier now that I'm eating a full serving of peanuts instead of 1/2 thinking I was eating a full one. :)
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Teach yourself moderation. Depriving yourself of the things you love is only a road to failure (for most). Eat everything you love, just don't eat it all at once and eat smaller portions. I still have beer, pizza, chocolate, etc. and the Lbs are coming off. I just know how to control it.

    ^^^^ This

    Depriving yourself of things you enjoy is a sure fire way to set yourself up for failure, there are no bad foods........
  • sourmash1973
    sourmash1973 Posts: 149 Member
    Teach yourself moderation. Depriving yourself of the things you love is only a road to failure (for most). Eat everything you love, just don't eat it all at once and eat smaller portions. I still have beer, pizza, chocolate, etc. and the Lbs are coming off. I just know how to control it.

    ^^^^ This

    Depriving yourself of things you enjoy is a sure fire way to set yourself up for failure, there are no bad foods........

    Exactly!!! Foods can't make people fat without the people abusing them. Does that make sense? LOL :D
  • sk_pirate
    sk_pirate Posts: 282 Member
    This should be stickied!


    ITA^^^^

    Everyone needs to read this short, sweet and to the point post!!!!
  • sourmash1973
    sourmash1973 Posts: 149 Member
    Bump
  • SideSteel
    SideSteel Posts: 11,068 Member

    2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
    3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.

    Of course you wouldn't want to eat your calories back on TDEE -20%. Exercise is already factored into your TDEE. If you ate your burned calories back on top of that with the TDEE method you'd be adding them in twice and overeating.

    ^ This is actually a very important point to make because a new user who is on MFP's defaults (which may be fine), may read this and assume that eating back exercise calories is bad.

    Eating back exercise calories using a TDEE estimation from outside of MFP, would be bad (per reasons in the above post).


    Eating back exercise calories (some, at least) using MFP's defaults is expected and probably should be done by most people.
  • sourmash1973
    sourmash1973 Posts: 149 Member

    2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
    3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.

    Of course you wouldn't want to eat your calories back on TDEE -20%. Exercise is already factored into your TDEE. If you ate your burned calories back on top of that with the TDEE method you'd be adding them in twice and overeating.

    ^ This is actually a very important point to make because a new user who is on MFP's defaults (which may be fine), may read this and assume that eating back exercise calories is bad.

    Eating back exercise calories using a TDEE estimation from outside of MFP, would be bad (per reasons in the above post).


    Eating back exercise calories (some, at least) using MFP's defaults is expected and probably should be done by most people.

    Thank you for pointing that out. You are right. It just didn't work for me and I changed to the method I mentioned. But maybe I didn't set it up completely right either. Anywho, I have a good formula now. :)
  • kts3639
    kts3639 Posts: 188 Member
    Couldn't agree with you more!!!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I do use MFP's guestimate and also eat my exercise calories back. Lost a pound a week until I was almost to goal and then slowed down but am still losing (and am past my goal).

    You DO need to measure and log everything.

    Yep, people don't think that those little condiments and a small piece of hard candy here and there add up, but they most certainly do.

    If I've eaten out, especially, and start adding in mayo and a bit of butter and a little half and half in my coffee and a little bit of salad dressing and a dot of cheese and croutons . . . Suddenly I've got 300 calories added into my day.

    The devil is always in the details.
  • sourmash1973
    sourmash1973 Posts: 149 Member
    I do use MFP's guestimate and also eat my exercise calories back. Lost a pound a week until I was almost to goal and then slowed down but am still losing (and am past my goal).

    You DO need to measure and log everything.

    Yep, people don't think that those little condiments and a small piece of hard candy here and there add up, but they most certainly do.

    If I've eaten out, especially, and start adding in mayo and a bit of butter and a little half and half in my coffee and a little bit of salad dressing and a dot of cheese and croutons . . . Suddenly I've got 300 calories added into my day.

    The devil is always in the details.

    Well stated!
  • BikerGirlElaine
    BikerGirlElaine Posts: 1,631 Member
    Great post! And glad it is working so well for you. It's pretty much what I've found to work for me, too.
  • eazy_
    eazy_ Posts: 516 Member
    congrats on your progress! thanks for the insight.
  • sourmash1973
    sourmash1973 Posts: 149 Member
    Great post! And glad it is working so well for you. It's pretty much what I've found to work for me, too.

    Thank you! And yeah, people just need to realize it isn't rocket science and it's just all about changing your lifestyle and listening to your body.
  • sourmash1973
    sourmash1973 Posts: 149 Member
    congrats on your progress! thanks for the insight.

    Thank you and you're welcome.
  • Lmns218
    Lmns218 Posts: 155
    just got my scale and hrm yesterday and that was my problem as well!!! hopefully more changes will come now!!!
  • sourmash1973
    sourmash1973 Posts: 149 Member
    just got my scale and hrm yesterday and that was my problem as well!!! hopefully more changes will come now!!!

    Now that you are making sure you have it right, changes will definitely come. WOOHOO for getting a scale. :wink:
  • FittingIn
    FittingIn Posts: 162 Member
    Do you happen to recall a good post suggesting how to calculate TDEE?

    I'm targeting 1,900 calories a day as that seems to be a good general rule but I'm curious if I should be doing it differently.
  • sourmash1973
    sourmash1973 Posts: 149 Member
    I use this and it seems to work well for me. I have a desk job but I'm very active outside of work, so I set the exercise at "Little/No Exercise". Seems to be my magic number.

    http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/
  • Rilzy
    Rilzy Posts: 59 Member
    glad it worked and congrats!!

    personally, everyone I know OVER estimates their food calories and UNDER estimate their cardio/calories burnt through exercise.

    Yes, I do this to such a large extent.
  • Saucy_lil_Minx
    Saucy_lil_Minx Posts: 3,302 Member
    Nice congrats, just remember you need to recalculate your numbers every 10-15 lbs or so.

    I think this is why I have been in a holding pattern for the last 11 weeks. I have seen very little change in the scale. I did go in and changed my settings two weeks ago, and bought a scale. Going to see if the weight starts dropping off again over the next three weeks. If I don't get below 200 (currently 204). I think I am going to see a trainer for some advice. I am now also logging ALL exercise even strength training (something I was not doing previously). I want to have an accurate pattern in my routine "Just in case" I need to see the trainer.
  • sourmash1973
    sourmash1973 Posts: 149 Member
    Nice congrats, just remember you need to recalculate your numbers every 10-15 lbs or so.

    I think this is why I have been in a holding pattern for the last 11 weeks. I have seen very little change in the scale. I did go in and changed my settings two weeks ago, and bought a scale. Going to see if the weight starts dropping off again over the next three weeks. If I don't get below 200 (currently 204). I think I am going to see a trainer for some advice. I am now also logging ALL exercise even strength training (something I was not doing previously). I want to have an accurate pattern in my routine "Just in case" I need to see the trainer.

    Yep, it's a good rule of thumb to log everything.

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