Give me strength, oh wise ones of the message boards....
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[*] Repeat this process until you're in a reasonable calorie deficit.
What is this? I have seen it many times on here. ..
Do you mean what is a "reasonable calorie deficit"?
"Calorie deficit": Eating fewer calories than you burn (via BMR, daily activities, exercise). It's how you lose weight.
"Reasonable": Losing no more than about 1% of your body weight per week, and less if you're within 25 pounds or so of goal weight. There's potentially more to it than that, but that's the basic idea.
So, if I eat 1500 calories, I would have had to burn off more than that to lose weight? How would I know?
No. Your body burns a certain amount of calories per day...let's say 2000. If you eat less than 2000 calories per day, you will lose weight. If you eat 1900 calories per day, you will lose weight more slowly than if you ate 1200 calories per day.
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It actually sounds like you are doing a lot of good things this time.
- Taking it slow
- committing to a level of exercise you can maintain
- Making small changes
- asking for advice
- not waiting for it to be perfect to start
You can always learn more and get better at losing weight and getting healthy, there isn't a need to lose it all at once. Listen to the people that are successful here.
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The key is to stop thinking of this as a diet. Diets are temporary and you won't stick with it. Think about this being the first day of the rest of your life. If you are doing something you can't do the rest of your life then you are wasting your time. That's why calorie counting works because there are no foods you can't have, you can have whatever you like. You just need to make the numbers fit. If you don't like the way a food tastes, don't eat it. Find something you like that still fits your nutrient and calorie goals. Same with working out. If you don't like a certain activity don't do it. Find something you enjoy. Yes I agree there is a trial period with things. The first time working out sucks no matter what your doing but if you are still loathing doing that activity after 2-3 weeks find something else. This is for life so don't waste your time doing something that makes you miserable.
I agree with the food scale suggestion. This will help portion control without the dishes and be more accurate. Look at the success stories and really listen to what they are saying. Anyone can loose weight most struggle with is keeping it off so listen to stories of people who have a few years under their belt.
Log everything the good the bad and the ugly. You aren't helping yourself by lying. (It is so tempting sometimes but I have to remind myself how stupid it is)
Just keep going. You can do it. It's not about will power as much as changing habits.9 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »[*] Repeat this process until you're in a reasonable calorie deficit.
What is this? I have seen it many times on here. ..
Do you mean what is a "reasonable calorie deficit"?
"Calorie deficit": Eating fewer calories than you burn (via BMR, daily activities, exercise). It's how you lose weight.
"Reasonable": Losing no more than about 1% of your body weight per week, and less if you're within 25 pounds or so of goal weight. There's potentially more to it than that, but that's the basic idea.
So, if I eat 1500 calories, I would have had to burn off more than that to lose weight? How would I know?
No. Your body burns a certain amount of calories per day...let's say 2000. If you eat less than 2000 calories per day, you will lose weight. If you eat 1900 calories per day, you will lose weight more slowly than if you ate 1200 calories per day.
Got it!
I am old school when it comes to 'dieting'. When I first started I didnt know any of this stuff. Just learned to write down how many calories i ate, or two shakes and a sensible meal...or how many 'points' I've tallied.
Thank you!0 -
Thank you so much for the wonderful info and support! This is great!1
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mdrichardsons wrote: »The key is to stop thinking of this as a diet. Diets are temporary and you won't stick with it. Think about this being the first day of the rest of your life. If you are doing something you can't do the rest of your life then you are wasting your time. That's why calorie counting works because there are no foods you can't have, you can have whatever you like. You just need to make the numbers fit. If you don't like the way a food tastes, don't eat it. Find something you like that still fits your nutrient and calorie goals. Same with working out. If you don't like a certain activity don't do it. Find something you enjoy. Yes I agree there is a trial period with things. The first time working out sucks no matter what your doing but if you are still loathing doing that activity after 2-3 weeks find something else. This is for life so don't waste your time doing something that makes you miserable.
I agree with the food scale suggestion. This will help portion control without the dishes and be more accurate. Look at the success stories and really listen to what they are saying. Anyone can loose weight most struggle with is keeping it off so listen to stories of people who have a few years under their belt.
Log everything the good the bad and the ugly. You aren't helping yourself by lying. (It is so tempting sometimes but I have to remind myself how stupid it is)
Just keep going. You can do it. It's not about will power as much as changing habits.
I agree with most of this.
I had trouble with "this isn't a diet, it's a lifestyle" posts in the beginning because I found the concept of being in a calorie deficit for the rest of my life to be ridiculous. I'd starve to death eventually. But I've slowed down the diet considerably, I aim for a small deficit most days, some days I eat at maintenance and some days I overeat. I expect that the rest of my life will be somewhat like it is now. I try to reduce that hungry feeling by eating more protein than I had been (I aim for 20% of calories), eating more fibrous fruits and veggies and keeping a lid on my sweet and starchy ones carbs. I expect to maintain that style of eating for the rest of my life. I exercise because I like the way it makes me feel (physically and mentally) and I expect to keep exercising until it becomes physically impossible. I recognize that the more I try to hurry the process, the harder it is and the more likely I am to walk away from it all at some point.
As to using a food scale regularly and logging even the bad days, I don't disagree, but I also don't always do it, and I'm still fine.
I'm a huge fan of "Just keep going" thinking. If it's too tough, make it easier, but keep going.3 -
I don't think you even have to clean out your fridge. If you have it in there, it is obviously food you like. Just try eating the amount suggested for a serving and log it.6
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Added: There is no need to change what you eat right away. Down the line, you may make different choices. Not all of us here subsist on salads (I have one every week or two), chicken breast (I never eat this, I don't like chicken), brown rice, greek yogurt, etc. Eat food you LIKE. Find out how big a portion of these will meet your calorie and nutritional needs.3
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You do not NEED a fitness tracker to lose weight (thought I'd say that right from the start), but I have found wearing one to be helpful for weight loss. I've lost 35 pounds and pretty much at goal now.
I wear a Fitbit, and I like how my activity goes directly to MFP without me having to add it in manually. For example, I start each day with 1200 calories to eat, but if I take a long walk, a corresponding number of calories gets added to the original 1200. If it gets to be late in the day, and I'm looking at only 200 calories for dinner, I lace up my walking shoes and take a long walk/get on the elliptical/whatever. And boom--now I can have a decent dinner.
As I said, you don't need a fitness tracker to lose weight, but I'm glad I have had mine. I also second the recommendations for using a food scale. If I had to choose which device helped me the most in losing the weight, the food scale would be the winner.
Good luck, and remember, it's just math. CICO all the way.3 -
I would second the fitbit tracker, best thing I've ever got.1
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You do not NEED a fitness tracker to lose weight (thought I'd say that right from the start), but I have found wearing one to be helpful for weight loss. I've lost 35 pounds and pretty much at goal now.
I wear a Fitbit, and I like how my activity goes directly to MFP without me having to add it in manually. For example, I start each day with 1200 calories to eat, but if I take a long walk, a corresponding number of calories gets added to the original 1200. If it gets to be late in the day, and I'm looking at only 200 calories for dinner, I lace up my walking shoes and take a long walk/get on the elliptical/whatever. And boom--now I can have a decent dinner.
As I said, you don't need a fitness tracker to lose weight, but I'm glad I have had mine. I also second the recommendations for using a food scale. If I had to choose which device helped me the most in losing the weight, the food scale would be the winner.
Good luck, and remember, it's just math. CICO all the way.
I do have a Fitbit. I have been averaging about 6500-10000 steps a day without going the extra mile. but since I've been walking on my breaks at work, I have been going over 10,000. I never knew how to use the calories burned.
So, as of now, it says I have 2150 calories burned. If I stay under that in calories eaten, I lose the weight, right? (I'm such a noob when it comes to this..the only thing I use my fitbit for is step counting)0 -
To your last post--yup! So the rule of thumb is to create a deficit of 3500 calories a week to lose one pound a week. So if you burn 2150 calories every day, you could eat 1650 every day (500 under what you burn) and average one pound lost a week, which is great and sustainable! (That's assuming that the calorie-burned number is accurate. I don't use a Fitbit, so I can't speak to that!)
Also have you used MFP to figure out a calorie goal yet? That would be helpful to know!
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I found MFP a little wonky for setting calorie intakes and deficits. It may be worthwhile to find a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator for a second opinion on where to set your calories for the day. If they don't agree and have a significant disparity, I'd go with the TDEE calculator over MFP personally.1
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To your last post--yup! So the rule of thumb is to create a deficit of 3500 calories a week to lose one pound a week. So if you burn 2150 calories every day, you could eat 1650 every day (500 under what you burn) and average one pound lost a week, which is great and sustainable! (That's assuming that the calorie-burned number is accurate. I don't use a Fitbit, so I can't speak to that!)
Also have you used MFP to figure out a calorie goal yet? That would be helpful to know!
How do you figure your calorie goal? I think I did it when i signed up.0 -
born_of_fire74 wrote: »I found MFP a little wonky for setting calorie intakes and deficits. It may be worthwhile to find a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator for a second opinion on where to set your calories for the day. If they don't agree and have a significant disparity, I'd go with the TDEE calculator over MFP personally.
Just did it. I think I am a little under according to MFP, but I think it is working for me. Thanks tho! I have learned sooooo much today!!0 -
Let MFP do the work for you. No need fir calculators, blah, blah. Plug in your current weight at least once a week, set to Lose 1 pound a week and do what it says. Be patient. Best wishes on your journey!4
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A calorie deficit is as follows: You have to eat to stay alive. Food provides fuel to your body for everything you do. Every calorie you eat is fuel and is used by your body for one of 2 purposes. Purpose 1 is when it is burned as energy in your daily activities, metabolic, exercise, whatever. Purpose 2 is when it is stored as fat for later use. In truth, you always do both with the calories you eat every day. A Calorie Deficit is when the energy you consume in a day is less than the energy you use in a day. That Purpose 2, 'energy stored as fat for later use' comes into play here and some stored fat is converted to energy and used. That, when done day after day for extended periods of time is called "weight loss".[*] Repeat this process until you're in a reasonable calorie deficit.
What is this? I have seen it many times on here. ..
A "reasonable" calorie deficit is one calculated to cause you to lose no more than 1% of your body weight each week. I'm going to suppose that you weigh 200 lb. If it's really 190, I consider myself slapped. 1% of 200 lb is 2lb. A pound of fat contains 3500 calories. Two pounds of fat contains 7000 calories. For you to lose 2 lb of fat each week, you need a weekly calorie deficit of -7000 calories, which is a daily calorie deficit of -1000.
When you created your myfitnesspal user id, you told the website your weight, gender, age, height and activity level. You should have been truthful. The web site uses that information to calculate your NEAT number. That number is the number of calories you should eat to maintain your weight. The web site also asked you to chose your weight loss goal. Most people people are aggressive and choose 2lb/week, which is too aggressive for most people. Still, if you had chosen to lose 2 lb per week, the web site gave you a daily calorie goal which is 1000 calories below your NEAT number. Hit that daily calorie goal every day for an extended number of weeks and you will eventually lose just as much weight as your cumulative calorie deficit deserves.
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
A calorie deficit is as follows: You have to eat to stay alive. Food provides fuel to your body for everything you do. Every calorie you eat is fuel and is used by your body for one of 2 purposes. Purpose 1 is when it is burned as energy in your daily activities, metabolic, exercise, whatever. Purpose 2 is when it is stored as fat for later use. In truth, you always do both with the calories you eat every day. A Calorie Deficit is when the energy you consume in a day is less than the energy you use in a day. That Purpose 2, 'energy stored as fat for later use' comes into play here and some stored fat is converted to energy and used. That, when done day after day for extended periods of time is called "weight loss".[*] Repeat this process until you're in a reasonable calorie deficit.
What is this? I have seen it many times on here. ..
A "reasonable" calorie deficit is one calculated to cause you to lose no more than 1% of your body weight each week. I'm going to suppose that you weigh 200 lb. If it's really 190, I consider myself slapped. 1% of 200 lb is 2lb. A pound of fat contains 3500 calories. Two pounds of fat contains 7000 calories. For you to lose 2 lb of fat each week, you need a weekly calorie deficit of -7000 calories, which is a daily calorie deficit of -1000.
When you created your myfitnesspal user id, you told the website your weight, gender, age, height and activity level. You should have been truthful. The web site uses that information to calculate your NEAT number. That number is the number of calories you should eat to maintain your weight. The web site also asked you to chose your weight loss goal. Most people people are aggressive and choose 2lb/week, which is too aggressive for most people. Still, if you had chosen to lose 2 lb per week, the web site gave you a daily calorie goal which is 1000 calories below your NEAT number. Hit that daily calorie goal every day for an extended number of weeks and you will eventually lose just as much weight as your cumulative calorie deficit deserves.
Thank you. You are actually being very kind regarding my weight. ;-) My Fitbit and MFP is making more sense now that I know what that means. I never really used it for other than tracking food and steps.0 -
Thank you. You are actually being very kind regarding my weight. ;-) My Fitbit and MFP is making more sense now that I know what that means. I never really used it for other than tracking food and steps.
Just remember, if you link your Fitbit to your MFP account - set your activity to SEDENTARY and ALLOW negative calories.
I start my day with 1600 calories a day. When I get to work to log my sleep - I usually have -35 or so calories (1565 calories allowed) to eat at that point - because I have not done much walking to give me extra points.
Throughout the day my calories will go UP. 1600 + exercise calories (calculated from fitbit automatically) = NEW CALORIE TOTAL.
I make sure whatever # is showing in the + exercise section I don't eat back more than 50% and I have been fine for loosing.
If I go for a walk TO exercise, then I will use my MapMyWalk app on my phone - it will calculate the distance, speed and time walked, and synchronize that to MFP AND FITBIT and add those as exercise calories to my day also.
I have 22lbs left as of this morning to get to my first goal (I set mini goals which seem to be easier for me to work to) and have lost 13lbs so far.
I like using them together, because it removes all the guess work. I just do what I do - and eat what MFP tells me to (minus the 50% exercise calories)!
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I'd like to add a note when it comes to exercise. Options to consider. I see you're close to my age... I'm 47. In middle age it's all too easy for us to lose muscle mass as we work to lose the fat. Muscle keeps you strong and attractive, and affects how many calories you burn in a day. If you keep your muscle, you burn more calories than if you lose a lot of it. Therefore, weight bearing exercises are desirable because they help you preserve muscle. Some people lift weights at the gym; some people buy weights and lift at home, some people do yoga, or pushups and squats, or various exercises that use their own body as the weight. Those are called "bodyweight exercises" and there are lots of videos on youtube for people who are interested. I go lift weights at the gym because I like it, but there are plenty of different ways to achieve this goal.2
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