Can someone explain

JeanieWww

Age: 45
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 262
Goal weight:135
Activity level (as set in MFP): sed
pounds per week goal (as set in MFP):2 (though i would like more)

Do you log every bite eaten?: yes
Do you weigh and measure your food?: yes
How do you track exercise? (i.e. how do you determine how much you've burned): by the hours per mfp (for instance yesterday I did 60 min strength training with my trainer at the Y, then in the evening did an hour of water aerobics, and another 20 of regular swimming.

AliceDark

First, I'm impressed that you were able to do anything at all in the last few days. With what you've described, I would've hit the wall so hard that I would still be on the floor. It's great that you have so much enthusiasm, so just get it moving in the right direction and you'll start to see some results.

Like everyone else has said, you DON'T need to exercise off every calorie, and you DO need to stay above 1200 base calories + a portion of your exercise calories. (50%-75% of your exercise calories is safe, since any information you get on your calorie burn is just an estimate).

You also need to keep in mind that your body doesn't respond instantly to changes. You won't see losses every week, and you might even see the scale bounce up a little on occasion. The only thing that is important is the overall trend line. As long as the general trend is downward, you're doing well. When you do change things, make small changes and wait a few weeks to see the effects.

One last thing: new/increased exercise causes water retention, which can mask weight loss. We see people ALL THE TIME in here freaking out because they started going to the gym and their loss slowed or stopped. This is temporary, and you just need to wait it out. Give it another few weeks.

JeanieWww

Thank you all for being so helpful!!! I think I understand much better now. I do need to get my calories up a bit more. So I'll eat most of the 1200 and eat back 50-75% of what i burn off exercising. Oh and get more sleep somehow. That sound right?

JeanieWww

Still having trouble believing i can have carbs/ sugar, but you've done what I haven't, so ok. THat helps more than you know. I can have my oatmeal in the morning!

annacole94

You've got the general idea. A meeting with a dietitian might be really helpful for you to get some good, in-person advice.

KickassAmazon76

JeanieWww wrote: »

Age: 45
Height: 5'2"
Weight: 262
Goal weight:135
Activity level (as set in MFP): sed
pounds per week goal (as set in MFP):2 (though i would like more)

Do you log every bite eaten?: yes
Do you weigh and measure your food?: yes
How do you track exercise? (i.e. how do you determine how much you've burned): by the hours per mfp (for instance yesterday I did 60 min strength training with my trainer at the Y, then in the evening did an hour of water aerobics, and another 20 of regular swimming.

So... based on this site...
http://www.shapesense.com/fitness-exercise/calculators/daily-caloric-expenditure-calculator.aspx

you are currently burning around 2245 a day TO EXIST.

If you have your goal set to lose 2 pounds a week, MFP deducts 1000 cals per day from that amount and tells you that, to meet your goal... you should be eating only 1245 (give or take) a day.

THIS IS THE ABSOLUTE MINIMUM you should be eating. If you exercise... you ADD whatever you do to that.
If you exercise a LOT, you need to eat that back.

Less is NOT always more.

I think it's awesome that you're so determined and focused - and that is a good sign for your success... but you will be far better off to slow down a bit, eat more, and focus on putting healthy SUSTAINABLE lifestyle choices in place.

Do you think you can sustain your current lifestyle for 6 months? for a year?

If not, then I would respectfully ask you to consider allowing yourself more time to get to goal, and focus on making gradual lifestyle changes that you can embrace and be happy with for the rest of your life.

Thank you so much for reaching out and for asking!

KickassAmazon76

JeanieWww wrote: »

Thank you all for being so helpful!!! I think I understand much better now. I do need to get my calories up a bit more. So I'll eat most of the 1200 and eat back 50-75% of what i burn off exercising. Oh and get more sleep somehow. That sound right?

You need to get your NET calories up a LOT more. Eat ALL of the 1200 PLUS 50-75% of what you burn exercising.

GauchoMark

JeanieWww wrote: »

Still having trouble believing i can have carbs/ sugar, but you've done what I haven't, so ok. THat helps more than you know. I can have my oatmeal in the morning!

so, just a super high-level, quick nutrition lesson -

Your body needs protein. Protein is broken into amino acids which build and repair tissue. Some of the aminos are essential, which means your body can't make them, you have to eat them. Protein is most important that you get enough of. Like I said, about 1g/lb LBM while on a deficit.

Your body needs fat. Specifically, essential fatty acids from "healthy" fats. Again, your body can't make those, so you need to eat them. A good rule of thumb is about 0.35g/lb body weight.

For all intents and purposes, your body doesn't need carbs. It can make what you need from fat and protein plus you will invariably get tag along carbs in the fats and proteins during the day. This is why people tend to say to cut carbs and sugar. However, cutting carbs severely is unpleasant - foggy thinking, sluggish, etc. Cutting carbs and exercising heavy just plain sucks. So, eating carbs (but sticking to your calorie goals) will help you get through your workouts much better.

So, set up your macronutrient percentage split to meet those goals (or close to them) and then make up the rest of your calories as carbs.

JeanieWww

I think I'll just eat carbs in the morning then, to kickstart my day, like a bowl of oatmeal. Then for the rest of the day stick to meat/veggies/ fruit. I'll try to increase my water, too. Still going to keep going to the Y and working out, whether water aerobics, strength training or cardio (like i have been doing). I'm too determined to be defeated .. even by myself. lol

GauchoMark

JeanieWww wrote: »

I think I'll just eat carbs in the morning then, to kickstart my day, like a bowl of oatmeal. Then for the rest of the day stick to meat/veggies/ fruit. I'll try to increase my water, too. Still going to keep going to the Y and working out, whether water aerobics, strength training or cardio (like i have been doing). I'm too determined to be defeated .. even by myself. lol

If you see that your workouts are tough, eat about 20-30g of carbs about 30 minutes before. Like an apple or some bread or something. You'll see a big difference.

JeanieWww

OH thank you for that! I have my oatmeal and starting my day getting on the right track!

AliceDark

JeanieWww wrote: »

I think I'll just eat carbs in the morning then, to kickstart my day, like a bowl of oatmeal. Then for the rest of the day stick to meat/veggies/ fruit. I'll try to increase my water, too. Still going to keep going to the Y and working out, whether water aerobics, strength training or cardio (like i have been doing). I'm too determined to be defeated .. even by myself. lol

So, your three basic macros are carbs, protein and fat. Most foods are a combination of those three. You know that grains are carbs, but fruits and veggies are also carbs. You get different micronutrients from your oatmeal and from some broccoli (the oatmeal gives you things like folate, thiamin and riboflavin, whereas the broccoli gives you Vitamin C and Vitamin A), and they may give you different amounts of carbs and calories, but they are still both carbohydrate sources. If we're talking just about carbs, there's really not much difference between eating a bowl of oatmeal in the morning and snacking on an apple in the afternoon.

AnnPT77

GauchoMark wrote: »

JeanieWww wrote: »

Still having trouble believing i can have carbs/ sugar, but you've done what I haven't, so ok. THat helps more than you know. I can have my oatmeal in the morning!

so, just a super high-level, quick nutrition lesson -

Your body needs protein. Protein is broken into amino acids which build and repair tissue. Some of the aminos are essential, which means your body can't make them, you have to eat them. Protein is most important that you get enough of. Like I said, about 1g/lb LBM while on a deficit.

Your body needs fat. Specifically, essential fatty acids from "healthy" fats. Again, your body can't make those, so you need to eat them. A good rule of thumb is about 0.35g/lb body weight.

For all intents and purposes, your body doesn't need carbs. It can make what you need from fat and protein plus you will invariably get tag along carbs in the fats and proteins during the day. This is why people tend to say to cut carbs and sugar. However, cutting carbs severely is unpleasant - foggy thinking, sluggish, etc. Cutting carbs and exercising heavy just plain sucks. So, eating carbs (but sticking to your calorie goals) will help you get through your workouts much better.

So, set up your macronutrient percentage split to meet those goals (or close to them) and then make up the rest of your calories as carbs.

Really good advice. I'd add only two things:

1. If you don't know your LBM (lean body mass), as many of us don't, it's probably reasonable to estimate by using a protein goal of 0.8g per pound of goal weight (or conventionally healthy body weight for people who for some reason choose a goal weight on the high side). So, for you, something around 108g protein daily (0.8 x 135) would be a reasonable protein goal (more is OK for a healthy person, so that's more like a minimum).
2. You also need micronutrients (vitamins, minerals, etc.). I'd suggest targeting getting a minimum of 5 servings of fruit and vegetables daily, and more is fine. Eat a variety, and - just my opinion - don't fret too much right away about hitting exact targets for individual micronutrients, unless you have a diagnosed deficiency.

hookandy

It is a big change of mind set, you can eat carbs/sugars/fats/booze/pizza in fact anything you like, as long as the numbers work. There is no bad food or good food. Losing weight is not the same as eating healthily. (Doing both is good), but I had pizza at lunch, just restricted the amount and had 2 slices with loads of salad rather than a whole pizza.

Takes so much pressure off knowing I can have cake if I really need it, just have to make sure the rest of the day/week fits in.

Psychgrrl

You're on the right track--don't worry. Just treat your body gently. The weight didn't come on overnight and it's not going to come off that way. We all hit that wall where we were fed up and wanted those pounds off NOW! But the body doesn't work that way and you can't force it into doing it. Weight loss is a marathon not a sprint. A few things to think about (some of which may reinforce what others have said):

1. At the end of the day, you should have your calorie goal left (ish). You're not striving for a zero-sum game. The calorie deficit (your MFP calorie goal) sets you up so your body uses fat stores for energy. However, your body can only metabolize so much fat at once. Too few calories, and your body will go for lean muscle tissue. You want to preserve your lean mass as much as possible, and achieve nutritional (vitamin/mineral) needs, which is why you should have that calorie goal present at the end of the day and not hundreds of calories under.
2. Unless your doctor has told you to restrict carbs/sugar for medical reasons, you don't need to. Unless you want to. There are lots of WOE (Way of Eating) that can help you lose weight. All you need is a calorie deficit. You want to strive for the long term and doing something just to lose weight that you can't stick to over time, won't help you maintain the weight loss. It will take some time and experimentation to find the WOE (and combination of fat, protein and carbs) that works best for you regarding energy level and satiety.
3. The calories in part can be tricky. Be sure to use a food scale for all solids (including pre-packaged foods like yogurt, bread and eggs) and measure all liquids. Be sure to use correct entries in the database. Even scanning the bar code can lead to an off entry. It's good to develop the habit now as you get closer to your calorie goal as the logging needs to tighten. Compare the entry you're choosing to the label on the food.
4. Hypothyroid. The T4 (synthroid, levoxyl) that you're probably taking will take 8 weeks to fully integrate into your blood stream. The levels will likely need to be adjusted. And then another 8 weeks. See an endocrinologist if possible as most GP's aren't well versed in addressing hypos. There is a normal range for a reason. Just because your test results (and not just one, but several in a row) are "normal," doesn't mean you're where you need to be. Be sure you know what levels your doctor/insurance/lab are using to determine "normal"). Always get the number, don't just accept "OK, you're normal." If you are still experiencing symptoms, trust yourself and talk with your doctor. You may need T3 supplementation as well. Your body should convert T4 to T3. But sometimes the body doesn't do that well. Mine doesn't. Unlike the T4, the T3 is a 24 hour in and out kind of med. Studies show minimal impact on TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), but great impact on patient quality of life for T3 supplementation. For that reason, your doc should test for Free T3 and Free T4 in addition to TSH. Take the meds as far away from food as possible. I take mine in the middle of the night with my pee break (I drink LOTS of water).
5. Anemia. Vitamin C helps iron absorb. Calcium and iron complete for binders to absorb, so try not to eat that steak with a glass of milk. Too much vitamin C can cause bruising. Try to get your vitamin C from food sources as opposed to supplementation.
6. For your weigh-ins, consider a weight-trending app like Happy Scale (iPhone) or Trend Weight (Android). It will show the overall trend of weight-loss, maintenance or gain. It can be really helpful in understanding how your body works. Hormones, workouts, big meals. And it can help you get over the Fear of the Scale. It works better with daily data points.
7. Consider other NSV (Non-Scale Victories). Take your measurements. You can record those in MFP. Consider fitness-related goals. Length of time on the treadmill, faster mile times, achieving different yoga poses, weight lifted. They will help you keep going when the scale doesn't budge. That way you're still seeing progress.

The most important things really are patience and diligence. The human body does not always operate in entirely predictable ways. Just keep moving forward and the changes will come.

TheCupcakeCounter

You need a long-term plan that is realistic and something you can stick to. Right now you overdid the calorie restriction so you need to work on putting back the right kind of calories to sustain your new routine. I find smoothies are great way to get a lot of nutrients easily but you have to be careful because they can pack a lot of sugar in them. I usually have them for breakfast and make them myself with spinach (iron!!), frozen berries (high in nutrients and fiber but lower in sugar than many fruits), a quarter of a banana and a slice or two of avocado for creaminess and healthy fat, and then liquid (unsweetened milk or water). I also add flaxseed, a no sugar added protein powder, depending on the flavor I am going for some unsweetened cocoa powder, and a few other supplements to mine. Nuts are also a great add to get healthy fats, calories, protein, and iron.
I have little rewards built in to my plan to help keep me on track. At the beginning they were more frequent to help get into the routine and now they are spread out a bit more. Most aren't food related but for every 10 pounds I lose I get a food treat that I have cut out (such as sharing an ice cream sundae with my husband and son or going out and getting the dish I really want). A few examples are a new workout outfit after I worked out 5 days/week for 4 weeks, I'm getting a mani-pedi tomorrow for completing a 5K without walking, a massage or new pair of shoes.
As for water there are a few things you can do to up your intake. Mix 100% juice with half water to cut the calories, add sliced citrus fruits for some flavor, no sugar added teas count, try those flavor drops like Stur that are naturally sweetened with stevia. I usually alternate one glass of plain water with one with some flavor since some of those items have calories. Based on what you wrote above about your hydration I think dehydration is quite possible.

kshama2001

JeanieWww wrote: »

Thank you all for being so helpful!!! I think I understand much better now. I do need to get my calories up a bit more. So I'll eat most of the 1200 and eat back 50-75% of what i burn off exercising. Oh and get more sleep somehow. That sound right?

ALL of the 1290 calories plus 50-75% of what you burn off exercising.