Promise me?

FanTheFlame

Hello everyone! I have been struggling on here for over a year now, with a new account for this year. 1340 cals/day with 70-90 lbs to lose, set to 1.5 per week. Exercise 5x per week, Alternating days, 30-45 min cardio 3x , and circuit style strength 30 min 2x. I do fantastic all day and then eat another days worth of calories for supper. You're going to ask if I eat back my exercise calories, and the answer is yes, I do, when I go crazy at supper! I don't plan too, but I feel like I can't stop myself. And I get so confused and frustrated when those I know in real life think that this is stupid and the only way to lose / be healthy is keto/lowcarb/etc. I feel like I know if I really stick with it, this will work. I have read through all of the success stories so it appears so. But can you promise it will work for ME too? I'd really like to lose this weight once and for all. Tell me I'm not special, tell me it will work for me too!

Lounmoun

Yeah you are not special. Weight loss is about having a calorie deficit no matter what diet you do. It also requires patience and time. 70-90 lbs might take 2 years to lose.

With MFP you are supposed to eat some of your exercise calories. A lot of people don't eat the full amount because calories burned may be overestimated. Others eat all of them. Judge by your progress after several weeks. You should be netting 1200 calories though so do eat some.

What is your age, height, weight, gender and activity level without exercise?
If you have trouble sticking to your calorie goal is your goal too aggressive? Maybe change it to a slower rate of loss. 1 lb a week is generally pretty reasonable.
Are you getting enough protein, fats and fiber? Those things help people to feel more satisfied.
Bulk out your meals with low calorie vegetables.
Are you changing your diet a lot right away? Maybe eat normally and make smaller changes over time. Like increasing your protein or more vegetables.
Try prelogging your food for the day. If you are always hungriest later in the day reserve more calories for that time period.
Try to log as accurately as you can. A food scale is helpful.

You may find some of these threads helpful:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1234699/logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10084670/it-is-unlikely-that-you-will-lose-weight-consistently-i-e-weight-loss-is-not-linear/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10359984/women-menstrual-cycle-weight-and-fitness-matters/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10575000/water-weight-gain-stop-panicking#latest
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10532249/do-you-eat-what-you-want/p1
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10232335/list-of-higher-protein-foods

FanTheFlame

I do have a scale I use until supper time. I feel good until then. I'm my thirties, 220 pounds, 5' 5". I eat eggs, lots of veggies, a little fruit, all kinds of meat, and all kinds of garbage when I lose it. I haven't been logging lately because of all the junk and I don't have access everyday to log.

edited to add: Stay at home mom, activity level set at sedentary

TavistockToad

Try changing your deficit to losing 1lb per week so you can eat more?

ladyhusker39

Why would you particularly believe the promises of a bunch of strangers on the internet?

FanTheFlame

I can do that, but at my doctors advice this week, I upped rate of loss 1 lb to 1.5. I guess he thought 1590 calories was too much for me. I haven't been able to stick to my calories most days. I'm not trying to be difficult and makes excuses, I know I eat too much. Thanks for your answers, and I will read all of those links, and try very hard to stick to my cals.

apullum

You don't have to follow any named diet at all. If a diet works, it is only because you achieved a caloric deficit while on that diet. It does not matter at all whether that diet is low-carb, keto, whatever. You lose weight by taking in fewer calories than you burn. You stop losing weight when your calories eaten equal or exceed your calories burned.

Weight loss is math. Math works for everybody.

quiksylver296

A few things -

Do you eat breakfast? Are you hungry when you eat it? I found I am not hungry at breakfast, so if I skip it and save my calories for dinner, I can have a lunch, afternoon snack, a significant dinner and an after-dinner snack. I definitely prefer eating more calories in the evening.

1590 calories is most likely not too many. I'm 5'9, 177 lbs, and lose 0.5 lbs per week on 2000 calories. I prefer the slower loss and getting to eat more food. If I tried to lose 1.5 or 2 lbs per week, I'd have to eat 1500-1750 calories per week, and I get hangry on 1500 calories per day. 1750 might be doable, depending on the day, but I prefer 2000 for sure.

Do you use a food scale to weigh all your food/drink and enter into your food diary religiously, no skipping, forgetting or cheating?

TavistockToad

FanTheFlame wrote: »

I can do that, but at my doctors advice this week, I upped rate of loss 1 lb to 1.5. I guess he thought 1590 calories was too much for me. I haven't been able to stick to my calories most days. I'm not trying to be difficult and makes excuses, I know I eat too much. Thanks for your answers, and I will read all of those links, and try very hard to stick to my cals.

If you can't stick to the larger deficit, it'll work out the same over time anyway...

FanTheFlame

I mostly eat a late breakfast 10 am-ish. I definitely cheat , skip, forget-no hiding that fact . But if I didn't, it would work. Right?!

TavistockToad

FanTheFlame wrote: »

I mostly eat a late breakfast 10 am-ish. I definitely cheat , skip, forget-no hiding that fact . But if I didn't, it would work. Right?!

Yep

quiksylver296

FanTheFlame wrote: »

I mostly eat a late breakfast 10 am-ish. I definitely cheat , skip, forget-no hiding that fact . But if I didn't, it would work. Right?!

But do you use a food scale?

quiksylver296

Another thought

I pre-log my entire day in my food log before I have my coffee in the morning. I log my mid-morning meal (about 10:00, like you), my lunch, my afternoon snack, my dinner and my dessert. Maybe having it laid out like this before you start your eating day might help you stay on track?

88olds

Excellent question.

Don’t know how many WL posts I’ve read, been to 100s of WW meetings. You’re the second person I ever heard ask this question. I’m the other one. Turns out I could.

Agree that you should consider planning more calories. Weight loss is problem solving. You frame your problem as “crazy” “can’t stop” eating that leaves you confused and frustrated. The solution is to get control of the process. A plan you can’t live with is not an effective plan.

Put aside the long range plan, projections and calculations and find the calorie number you can live with. From that point forward you will have control of the process. The process is more important than the numbers. By process I mean- plan, eat, track, repeat.

All these gadgets and calculators give us the idea we can run WL like we’re machines. Can’t. Find your base number, track no matter what, find a downward trend and ride it. Like your question, there’s WL in theory and then there’s WL as it applies to you.

Separate issue- what do you eat pre-workout? At one point I was doing workouts that were not fueled and losing my mind at the end. Good luck.

FanTheFlame

Yes, for some of the day. Then at supper it all goes to hell and I don't because I'm so hungry all I want is more. And I usually have about 700 saved for supper, WHEN I track. Diary is so incomplete it doesn't pay to open it, nothing there to see. I am ashamed.

edited: my quote didn't take, so yes, I log some.

quiksylver296

FanTheFlame wrote: »

Yes, for some of the day. Then at supper it all goes to hell and I don't because I'm so hungry all I want is more. And I usually have about 700 saved for supper, WHEN I track. Diary is so incomplete it doesn't pay to open it, nothing there to see. I am ashamed.

Go back to 1590. Use those extra 290 calories at dinner.

Log everything. The good, the bad, and the ugly. After a week or two, look back over your food diary. Determine what foods kept you full and what foods didn't have any lasting power. Start swapping out the foods that didn't keep you full for those that did.

People find different things keep them full. I do best on a good amount of carbs and protein. Some people require more fats to keep them full. For some people it's lots of volume/fiber.

Weight loss is an experiment of sorts. You have to find the right combination of things that work for you.

FanTheFlame

quiksylver296 wrote: »

Another thought

I pre-log my entire day in my food log before I have my coffee in the morning. I log my mid-morning meal (about 10:00, like you), my lunch, my afternoon snack, my dinner and my dessert. Maybe having it laid out like this before you start your eating day might help you stay on track?

FanTheFlame

quiksylver296 wrote: »

Another thought

I pre-log my entire day in my food log before I have my coffee in the morning. I log my mid-morning meal (about 10:00, like you), my lunch, my afternoon snack, my dinner and my dessert. Maybe having it laid out like this before you start your eating day might help you stay on track?

I will try to do this. I have my tracking technology in the am, but not always all day, so it would be good to do it all before the day begins.

FanTheFlame

88olds wrote: »

Excellent question.

Don’t know how many WL posts I’ve read, been to 100s of WW meetings. You’re the second person I ever heard ask this question. I’m the other one. Turns out I could.


Agree that you should consider planning more calories. Weight loss is problem solving. You frame your problem as “crazy” “can’t stop” eating that leaves you confused and frustrated. The solution is to get control of the process. A plan you can’t live with is not an effective plan.

Put aside the long range plan, projections and calculations and find the calorie number you can live with. From that point forward you will have control of the process. The process is more important than the numbers. By process I mean- plan, eat, track, repeat.

All these gadgets and calculators give us the idea we can run WL like we’re machines. Can’t. Find your base number, track no matter what, find a downward trend and ride it. Like your question, there’s WL in theory and then there’s WL as it applies to you.

Separate issue- what do you eat pre-workout? At one point I was doing workouts that were not fueled and losing my mind at the end. Good luck.

Thank you for your advice. My works are sometimes afternoons and hour or so after breakfast or lunch, but mostly they are early in the morning on two cups of coffee.

FanTheFlame

ladyhusker39 wrote: »

Why would you particularly believe the promises of a bunch of strangers on the internet?

Because I believe some of you know might know what you are doing. And I KNOW my real-life people do not, so you're all I have left. Plus my doctor. Just trying to pool together some hope.

88olds

Easy for me to say but don’t be ashamed. Make this a thing to work on- track no matter what. Like quiksylver296 said, good, bad and ugly. Make a special point to do it. See what happens.

busyPK

I struggle in the evenings too. What has helped me is to stay busy so I have less "free" time to eat crap. I clean out a closet, vacuum, take my kids out and run around with them (weather permitting). Also, I limit or simply don't buy the food that I can't stop eating - if it isn't around I'm not tempted! I also leave 200 calories for an after dinner treat/snack as well. CICO can work for you, but you have to be honest with your food diary and give it time.

Lounmoun

FanTheFlame wrote: »

I do have a scale I use until supper time. I feel good until then. I'm my thirties, 220 pounds, 5' 5". I eat eggs, lots of veggies, a little fruit, all kinds of meat, and all kinds of garbage when I lose it. I haven't been logging lately because of all the junk and I don't have access everyday to log.

edited to add: Stay at home mom, activity level set at sedentary

You might find it really helpful to plan your eating for the day and log the night before or in the morning. That is what I do every day. You can log for as many days as you want in advance.
I don't call things junk just try to meet my nutritional needs before filling up on low nutrient foods. . Take a look through some other people's diaries. You don't have to win a perfect diary award. My diary is open
It is okay to eat what you like for weight loss as long as it fits your calories. Notice what fills you up.
You'd probably stick to 1500 calories better than 1300. Doing something sustainable is better than faster loss that you can't maintain.

NoxeemaJackson

I think the problem isn't your hunger, per se, it's your habits.
I am also an evening eater and could easily eat 1k calories at night.
Here are some strategies that helped me, and one or more of them may be of help to you.

1. Go to sleep. After 9 pm, my willpower for the day is done, I'm tired, my body wants to go to bed, and is saying "you want more out of me? Cool, give me more fuel" when what I really need to do is go to bed.
2. After you have eaten your calories for the day, make yourself some tea, or coffee, or even a clear broth soup, something very low or zero calories that you can sip on.
3. move yourself away from the food. Put away laundry upstairs, read a book in your room, knit in the living room, just stay out of the kitchen
4. If you can do a walk or a trip to the park with the kids, do that.

If you are eating when you aren't hungry, it's not hunger it's habit, so change those.
Good luck!