Need advice please...

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  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Ohhhh - so you are going to get some snow shoveling works in this winter then?

    Love how you can move from a cardio to a lifting focus on that, and engage muscles on almost all sides. I know it looks strange when I do it, but I normally get my driveway, and 90 yr old neighbor's, and heart troubled neighbor's, in the time others take for just theirs.
    Unless the 90 yr old gets up at 6am as normal and beats me to his, using a metal spade shovel! I should probably leave him the workout.
  • Sevio
    Sevio Posts: 181 Member
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    Hello,
    Just checking in before the Holidays.
    This past Saturday was a valid weigh in day and I dropped 3.2 lbs.
    Not sure if it was just a Whoosh or what. I Burned an average of 2220 per day and ate an average of 2154 per day.
    Also lowered my workout time especially the cardio and concentrated on rest and strength. And tucked the scale away. Have not broke it out since Saturday morning. Feels good to not even know what I am at right now.

    Doing all of this right now too. Trying to distress myself. Thinking I was burning the candle at both ends for far too long.
    Not sure if I am going to weigh in this week. Holidays at work has all kinds of sugary sweets coming in form vendors and clients. Can't help myself but grab that Italian cookie off that giant tray!! But I am eating in moderation and not feeling guilty about the extra treats in the office.

    Merry Christmas to all of you!



  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Much better results, and ideas for what you know is going to happen.

  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
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    This is such a great update!
    The fact that you are giving yourself so much less stress will be helping your progress in SO many ways too.
    Love it!
    Ichel
    EM2WL ambassador and moderator
  • Sevio
    Sevio Posts: 181 Member
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    Weighed in today. Wasn't going to do it. Scale back up now 3.9 lbs so much for that whoosh. I ate at about 2100 per day and TDEE was about the same. Measurements the same. This is so frustrating. Cut back on the gym to three days per week and cut down on Cardio. I did eat a lot of non nutritional empty calorie foods this week. All the cookies and candy and chocolate for Christmas at the office. I look in the mirror and feel I look better but then put on my clothes and pants are too tight to be comfortable. Thank god for Lularoe Leggings!! I have to figure all this out....
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
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    No doubt the upward scale is from the non usual foods.
    That will also account for the bloated feeling and tight pants.
    Don't jump ship! Stay the course!
    You need to keep consistently at your new calorie level in order to assess anything. Plus stop having non valid weigh in days!
    But you know all of this! I am just repeating what you have said yourself in your above post, am I right?
    You have the knowledge now you need the patience to stay consistent and implement.
    Enjoy tracking free time with your family over the holidays and don't stress over it or it will have the opposite result you desire.
    Just relax and live it!
    Ichel
    EM2WL ambassador and moderator
  • tj0861
    tj0861 Posts: 48 Member
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    Ladies, please define for me "non-valid weigh-in days." I'm not quite sure I know what that means. I've been struggling with the scale as well, @Sevio ... Up 15 pounds since I started increasing my calories in June 2016. Could be worse, could be better. But I'm committed to doing this thing, because I KNOW I felt terrible and was gaining weight on less than 800 calories a day. I'm up to 2200 easily every day now, and started a lifting program 2 months ago yesterday. I'm lifting so much more than when I started, especially lower body. Leg presses from 70 to 120 pounds; calves from 40 to 70. I have back and hip problems, so I'm not using the barbells, but the machines at the gym, so as to not fall over and hurt myself (as I am ever so graceful). Still, I have that urge to CUT, CUT, CUT!!!! These excess pounds are driving me nuts, on top of the regain I already had (from 300, bariatric surgery, down to 160, regained to 190, started EM2WL, now up to 205--let me tell you, seeing 200 again was traumatic). I'm assuming some of the gain is from lifting, but I'm thinking I may also be getting close to TDEE. My massage therapist told me 1 month into the lifting that she could tell a huge difference in my muscles already. Can't wait until this weekend when I go back and see what she has to say.

    My MD also applauds my choice, as she wasn't aware how little I was eating, and said I really SHOULD feel better, I've given my body what it needs to survive. So I'm feeling positive about it, except when I get on the freaking scale. I went out and picked up a few pair of jeans at Goodwill in 1 size larger, so I don't feel like a sausage, since I've learned that the muscle pushes the fat out (like when you're preggers) until it starts actually burning it off. So my next move may be to move the scale to the guest bathroom, where I won't see it.

    So hang in there, and help me hang in as well!!! As my granny used to say, "like a hair in a biscuit" --- as gross as that sounds.
  • scaryann1
    scaryann1 Posts: 259 Member
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    Non-valid weigh-in days would be the day after heavy lifting, the day after eating lots of salt, that time of the month, and even days where we didn't drink enough the day before. Any thing that affects water weight. I'm sure I've left things out so maybe someone else will chime in and help you out. Sometimes hiding the scale can be the best thing you do. I hid mine over the holidays and came back on the first to being a couple of pounds lighter.

    When I started eating more I was also eating less than 800 calories a day. After a year I'm finally up to 2000 calories a day consistently (okay, most of the time) I am also feeling much better. Now if only this stupid connective tissue disorder would disappear so I could lift more without dislocating joints. But I'll still take the positive changes I've made. I started out at 305 pounds and dropped to 279 just by increasing my calories up to 1200 calories a day. Then I stopped loosing and started gaining again, so I said if I'm going to gain anyway, I may as well have a reason to. LOL I'm now hanging right around 290, some days I'm higher and some days I'm lower. When I can hit 2400 calories a day for six weeks in a row, then I'll consider myself in reset. (I think... LOL)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    tj0861 wrote: »
    Ladies, please define for me "non-valid weigh-in days." I'm not quite sure I know what that means.

    Ditto's to @scaryann1

    Might view it this way, best valid day weigh-in to minimize known water weight fluctuations (minimize, not prevent totally):
    Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout.

    As a woman, you'll still need minimum a month's worth of data to figure out a trend even then.

    It would be like chugging a bunch of water and then getting on the scale, and thinking that number has any bearing on your actual body weight, which has little reflection on body composition, and potential healthy state (though it can for that obviously).

    If you normally go extreme on low sodium, because you think the body carrying less water than it desires is useful, and then day before weigh-in eat a Chinese meal - you'll have a big water weight gain.
    Same opposite direction, perhaps you eat at average level, and for some odd reason hit a really low sodium couple days before weigh-in. Big drop in water weight.

    Big cardio workout can have you drop stored carbs, along with attached water, so big drop.

    Or really sore from lifting, retain water to aid healing (the hurt can stop and the water for healing can continue though, hence rest day).

    If you have the mental state to purely view the numbers as stats, they can be interesting. And if it merely makes you curious what you did yesterday to cause a big swing, then fine.
    But if it starts to stress and worry you and make you question are you doing things right - then it's not useful info.

    And as mentioned - perhaps not even weekly valid weigh-ins are going to be useful, because there still will be some fluctuation.

    I can drop 8 lbs in a 3 hr bike ride during the summer - despite drinking 6 lbs of water & fluids on the ride.
    If I went into the next morning weigh-in thinking that was legit fat loss, and then be discouraged that I was up 4 lbs - then I'm viewing it wrong.
    If I view it as I have another 4 lbs of water to make up, probably with some more carbs - then I got it right.
  • tj0861
    tj0861 Posts: 48 Member
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    As I suspected. There's no such thing as a perfect weigh-in day. But I'm finally getting over those numbers and learning to gauge by how I FEEL. Thanks for the input!!
  • brileylmt
    brileylmt Posts: 199 Member
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    @tj0861 thanks for asking your question. It didn't dawn on me about valid weigh days. Yet another point I didn't know and glad someone asked.
  • tj0861
    tj0861 Posts: 48 Member
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    I figure if I don't know, someone else doesn't, either!
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
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    tj0861 wrote: »
    I figure if I don't know, someone else doesn't, either!

    Yes! If you're thinking it, 10 other people are too!
    That's why it's so helpful posting great questions like that on forums because it helps lots of people.
    Great question and @scaryann replied perfectly.
    Ichel
    Team EM2WL
  • FaithSevio
    FaithSevio Posts: 31 Member
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    Hi Everyone, I am back. I took a break from MFP, deactivated my account and went to My Food Diary for a couple of months which didn't help either...... started out at 150.4 on that site eating roughly 1800-1900 calories daily like it said with a pinch more on the weekends typically.

    Have not weighed myself since January 18th and at that moment I weighed in at 153.9 Just re-signed up for MFP weighed myself at 1:30 PM and it's 154.2 My clothes fit just alright Waist line in a lot of pants snug and I am up three pounds since Christmas.
    On My Food Diary to lose a lb a week I averaged around 1800 to 1900 calories daily during the week with more on the weekends typically. As you can see I didn't lose any weight but gained....
    So I think I am going to try a second time at this EM2WL and see what happens. This week start off slow and slowly add 100 calories to see what happens. Stick to it. If I can.
    I stayed off the scale for a month and felt pretty good about it. Wondering if I should just stay off until next month a this time as well?
  • brileylmt
    brileylmt Posts: 199 Member
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    Welcome back!! I missed you. Have a beautiful day
  • jvezzsb01
    jvezzsb01 Posts: 115 Member
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    You were missed! Welcome back. :)
  • FaithSevio
    FaithSevio Posts: 31 Member
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    Thanks ladies. I really need all the support I can get right now!
  • ibtmas
    ibtmas Posts: 111 Member
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    welcome back and stick to it!
  • empressichel
    empressichel Posts: 730 Member
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    Welcome back! Great to see you here!
    Ichel
    Team EM2WL
  • Raynn1
    Raynn1 Posts: 1,164 Member
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    Welcome back!
    Kelly
    Team EM2WL