Does this really work?

Charlito29

kschramm7 wrote: »

Yup, I already have a food scale and weigh/measure/count just about everything I eat. Since WW works on a points system (30 points a day) and not calorie counting, I just wasn't sure if 1420 net calories a day was really reasonable to lose 1/2 pound a week or not. I guess I'll just have to eat them and see where I stand in a couple weeks.

I'd be thrilled to be able to eat 1400 net calories and maintain AND get to have a treat once in a while that WW has made so oppressively pointy, you feel guilty for even considering it.

Your pictures are GREAT. You look wonderful.

ryry_

kschramm7 wrote: »

New to MyFitnessPal but not to dieting. I've lost 80 lbs using Weight Watchers and am at a healthy weight for the first time in my adult life (and I just turned 50!). I go to the gym 3+ x a week, take spin and Ab & Glut classes mostly but just started working out with a trainer (just once a week for now). If I can't get to the gym, I have a treadmill, stationary bike & elliptical at home to use.

So I'm 5'6", 152 lbs and 50 yrs old. I work as a programmer so I'm on my butt most of the day. Weather permitting I do go for a pretty good walk at lunch. MapMyWalk calculated it at 3.75 miles at 15.4 mph, with a 300 foot change in elevation and said I burned 697 calories, which I find REALLY hard to believe.

I wear a pedometer daily and make sure to get in at least 10,000 steps a day also, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not a couch potato.

When I entered my stats, and that I wanted to continue to lose 1/2 pound a week, it calculated my "net calories" at 1420 a day.

Really? Lets forget the "net" part. Can I really eat 1400 calories a day and lose weight? Or have you found that your real calorie intake has to be lower than the app calculates?

I am also a programmer. I set my activity level at sedentary and it gives me about 2100 calories to lose about 1 lb a week without exercise. I log all of my excercise from walks and working out. Didn't seem possible but it definitely is. If anything it underestimates my calories a little.

With any estimate there is variability. The beauty of MFP is give it 4 weeks and do what is recommended. If the desired results are not being acheived then adjust accordingly.

agbmom556

BiggDaddy58- love the statement "Nothing works ..unless you want it to work..and you do the work..then anything will work. " It is so true.

Kschramm7-Congratulations on your weight loss.

nancybuss

You've had plenty of advice so I'll just add CONGRATS on your progress!!!!!
I also just hit that 50 year mark. Glad you found us

kimberlyblindsey

What fabulous progress. How much more weight do you want to lose?

kschramm7

Thanks everyone.

kimberlyblindsey wrote: »

What fabulous progress. How much more weight do you want to lose?

Not sure to be honest. I've never been this thin before (at least in my adult life). I got down to 147. something lbs toward the end of last year, but have gained a few pounds back (4 lbs now) with the program changes Weight Watchers has made, so I'm thinking 10 lbs then re-evaluate. Stuff still jiggles, so hopefully with a few less pounds and a bit more muscle stuff will stop jiggling a bit

kschramm7

Well, just finished week 2 and lost 0.8 lbs. more! So 1420 daily calories and eating back a few of my exercise calories seems to be the right formula so far. Pretty thrilled to see the scale trend significantly downward for 2 weeks straight. It's been a while since I've seen that.

This week MAY be a challenge. I have a mini vacation where there will be 2 HUGE parties. I'm bringing a taco salad 1 day, and a light spinach dip another day, plus I'm loading the trailer with good foods...fruits & veggies, chicken, fish, salad & sandwich fixings that I can eat for breakfast, lunch and before the parties.

I also made diet appletinis (skinny mixes...zero calorie drink mixes), and regular ones. Hopefully 1 regular one and I'll be happy with diet ones thereafter.

Anyway, happy to report 2 weeks, 2 losses in excess of the 1/2 pound a week I wanted!

leajas1

kschramm7 wrote: »

New to MyFitnessPal but not to dieting. I've lost 80 lbs using Weight Watchers and am at a healthy weight for the first time in my adult life (and I just turned 50!). I go to the gym 3+ x a week, take spin and Ab & Glut classes mostly but just started working out with a trainer (just once a week for now). If I can't get to the gym, I have a treadmill, stationary bike & elliptical at home to use.

So I'm 5'6", 152 lbs and 50 yrs old. I work as a programmer so I'm on my butt most of the day. Weather permitting I do go for a pretty good walk at lunch. MapMyWalk calculated it at 3.75 miles at 15.4 mph, with a 300 foot change in elevation and said I burned 697 calories, which I find REALLY hard to believe.

I wear a pedometer daily and make sure to get in at least 10,000 steps a day also, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not a couch potato.

When I entered my stats, and that I wanted to continue to lose 1/2 pound a week, it calculated my "net calories" at 1420 a day.

Really? Lets forget the "net" part. Can I really eat 1400 calories a day and lose weight? Or have you found that your real calorie intake has to be lower than the app calculates?

My guess is that if you added up the actual calories of what you were eating on WW it would be close to 1400 (including fruit, veggies, sauces that you were eating that WW Points/Points + doesn't really account for). I'm 5' 6" and was about 150 when I started and I lost consistently with a daily target of 1400 plus one meal where I went drastically over (planned cheat meal, which isn't for everybody, but in the WW world that would basically be a meal where you used all your flex points).

LeslieB042812

@kschramm7 Way to go!!!!

CincyNeid

kschramm7 wrote: »

Really? Lets forget the "net" part. Can I really eat 1400 calories a day and lose weight? Or have you found that your real calorie intake has to be lower than the app calculates?

MFP works off lowering your required caloric intake. 1400 is already lower than what you are required in accordance with your BMI.

As far as does it work? Yes. From June of 2014, to June of 2015 I went from 326 pounds down to 217 pound. And I've been maintaining right at 235 pounds for about a year or so now. These pictures were taken every 2 months apart over that first year.

LeslieB042812

@CincyNeid Wow!!! That's fabulous!!!!

cwolfman13

kschramm7 wrote: »

New to MyFitnessPal but not to dieting. I've lost 80 lbs using Weight Watchers and am at a healthy weight for the first time in my adult life (and I just turned 50!). I go to the gym 3+ x a week, take spin and Ab & Glut classes mostly but just started working out with a trainer (just once a week for now). If I can't get to the gym, I have a treadmill, stationary bike & elliptical at home to use.

So I'm 5'6", 152 lbs and 50 yrs old. I work as a programmer so I'm on my butt most of the day. Weather permitting I do go for a pretty good walk at lunch. MapMyWalk calculated it at 3.75 miles at 15.4 mph, with a 300 foot change in elevation and said I burned 697 calories, which I find REALLY hard to believe.

I wear a pedometer daily and make sure to get in at least 10,000 steps a day also, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that I'm not a couch potato.

When I entered my stats, and that I wanted to continue to lose 1/2 pound a week, it calculated my "net calories" at 1420 a day.

Really? Lets forget the "net" part. Can I really eat 1400 calories a day and lose weight? Or have you found that your real calorie intake has to be lower than the app calculates?

Considering that on average women maintain at around 1800 - 2000 calories per day...of course it would work...provided of course that you are accurate and consistent with what you're doing.

Personally, I found my initial calories to be low...I was trying to lose about 1 Lb per week and was losing closer to 1.5 - 2 Lbs per week so I ended up bumping my calories up from 1800 to 2100-2200 calories per day and lost about 1 Lb per week.