What is the truth?

evergreenlakegirl

Background: I've just started with MFP and have a goal of loosing 10 pounds. Although this doesn't seem like much- it has always been difficult to loose that. I'm 5'3" and started at 128.8. In two weeks I'm down to 126.6. My calorie goal is 1200 because you can't have less than that.
That isn't difficult to maintain, if fact, it is difficult to reach since most of my eating was carbs and simple sugars.
Ok....so truth?....
It doesn't matter what you eat as long as I'm below 1200? (I'm talking weight loss, not nutrition)
Water is important. ---Why?
As long as I maintain the 1200 calories per day, I'll loose weight?
Exercise doesn't help to loose weight- just to allow for more calories to eat?
Can someone please point out the truth in these points.....as I read on the boards, I question these things.
Tnx

kami3006

Ok....so truth?....
It doesn't matter what you eat as long as I'm below 1200? (I'm talking weight loss, not nutrition)
As long as you are in a calorie deficit, you will lose weight regardless of what you're eating. Nutrition is important for health and satiety, of course.

Water is important. ---Why?
Hydration is important. Water helps some people stave off hunger longer. But you also get hydration from virtually all liquids and plenty of foods. As long as your urine is pale yellow, you're hydrated.

As long as I maintain the 1200 calories per day, I'll loose weight?
Yes, you should be losing weight on 1200 calories per day though you may be able to lose eating more depending on what your daily activity level is. I'm 5'3 and lost eating 1400 plus exercise calories and kept my activity level sedentary as I have been working a lot from home.

Exercise doesn't help to loose weight- just to allow for more calories to eat?
Exercise is great for fitness and body composition. It can be used to burn calories and contribute to your calorie deficit. But, if you're using MyFitnessPal's calculations then your deficit is already part of your calorie goal. Exercising makes your deficit larger which may sound good but too large a deficit can lead to fatigue, muscle loss, binges, and other health problems depending on how large the deficit is. So, adding in exercise calories helps you reach the goal you set with MFP, helps retain muscle as you lose, and gives you fuel for your workouts. The trick is to determine what your calorie burns actually are by evaluating your progress over 4-6 weeks as all calorie calculators are estimates.
This is an excellent video on exercise calories: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10503681/exercise-calories-do-i-eat-these-a-video-explanation/p1

I recommend reading the most helpful posts stickied at the top of each section:https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-health-fitness-and-diet-must-reads#latest

I've been her five years, and lost, maintained, bulked and cut by staying within my calories, considering my fat and protein as minimums and letting carbs fall where they may ( usually around 150g or more) and it's been quite easy. I also log and eat all of my exercise calories.

ETA: I also meant to say that with losing 10 pounds or fewer, your deficit shouldn't be any more than 1/2 pound per week. It's slow, and can be masked easily by normal fluctuations so you have to expect not to see the scale move every week.

evergreenlakegirl

Thank you so much kami for explaining all of this and so completely!! Good to know about watching the fat and protein in my diet... protein is always the hardest to get in....
Also thank you for the links.... I’ll check those out.
I appreciate the time you took to explain as I have never given these things much though- until I started to give them some thought 😊

garystrickland357

All of the above comments are solid advice. I’ll add one point to why we need water. Water is one of the necessary reactants for cellular respiration. Just like wood can’t burn without enough oxygen, cells can’t metabolize food for energy without adequate water. That’s among the reasons water is necessary for weight loss. It also helps us not drink our calories.

evergreenlakegirl

Thank you very much Gary- lots to learn 😊

spiriteagle99

Exercise is not necessary to lose weight, but it is very helpful in keeping it off. In the National Weight Loss Registry, which tracks people who have lost a lot of weight and kept it off, most of the successful maintainers have exercise as part of their daily activity. Exercise also allows you to eat a bit more food, which makes it easier to stick to a meal plan.

Zedeff

evergreenlakegirl wrote: »

My calorie goal is 1200 because you can't have less than that.
That isn't difficult to maintain, if fact, it is difficult to reach

This is commonly stated. Nobody needs to lose weight because they’re chronically under-eating though. When people say this they usually need to tighten up their logging!

evergreenlakegirl

Zedeff wrote: »

evergreenlakegirl wrote: »

My calorie goal is 1200 because you can't have less than that.
That isn't difficult to maintain, if fact, it is difficult to reach

This is commonly stated. Nobody needs to lose weight because they’re chronically under-eating though. When people say this they usually need to tighten up their logging!

Zedeff- because I track my food I’m more conscious of what I eat....so when I know I should eat something I usually don’t because I don’t want to eat something unhealthy or with extreme calories, or something that Is unappealing...hence.... I just don’t eat. I don’t have much food available in my house (not for monetary reasons).
At least 4-5 days I’m eating about 700 calories
Previous to tracking my food I’d consume calories with bread, cheese and random munchies

kimny72

evergreenlakegirl wrote: »

Zedeff wrote: »

evergreenlakegirl wrote: »

My calorie goal is 1200 because you can't have less than that.
That isn't difficult to maintain, if fact, it is difficult to reach

This is commonly stated. Nobody needs to lose weight because they’re chronically under-eating though. When people say this they usually need to tighten up their logging!

Zedeff- because I track my food I’m more conscious of what I eat....so when I know I should eat something I usually don’t because I don’t want to eat something unhealthy or with extreme calories, or something that Is unappealing...hence.... I just don’t eat. I don’t have much food available in my house (not for monetary reasons).
At least 4-5 days I’m eating about 700 calories
Previous to tracking my food I’d consume calories with bread, cheese and random munchies

If you are actually eating that low calories, that is VERY unhealthy and potentially dangerous.
If you are not using a food scale, don't have a medical condition, and aren't losing weight rapidly, you are most likely eating more than you think. Even eating "healthy" foods, 700 calories would leave an adult woman malnourished and hungry.

With so little to lose, exactness can help - Log accurately and consistently, weigh out your portions for as much as is possible on a food scale, double check that the entries you are using in the database are correct (many have been entered wrong by other users), and do a gut check to ensure you are logging everything (condiments, cooking oils, nibbles, cheat meals, etc). Best of luck

evergreenlakegirl

Thank you Kimi- I’ll try investigating why my logging may be off-.... I typically don’t eat a real breakfast- usually a reduced fat small yogurt- 90 calories.....I also don’t eat a typical dinner.... also low calories.....
I usually burn about 200 exercise calories
I’ll try to track better.... maybe knowing I can eat much more than I have been will help me realize I can afford to eat more

quiksylver296

Get a food scale. Check out this thread.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10634517/you-dont-use-a-food-scale/p1

spiriteagle99

Nothing wrong with eating bread and cheese when you're hungry.

evergreenlakegirl

I

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with eating bread and cheese when you're hungry.

I guess this is where I get confused..... I equate bread and cheese with weight in my belly....this is where I’m not sure about food choices
Heck.... I LOVE pizza- could eat it everyday
From what I understand, I can eat the pizza as long as it fits in my daily calories.
Today I had pasta (1.5 C) with a meatball but that pasta really put a dent in my calories.... now I realize it wasn’t worth it- especially because I played cards with my friends and didn’t get to the gym 😳

Tacklewasher

evergreenlakegirl wrote: »

I

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with eating bread and cheese when you're hungry.

I guess this is where I get confused..... I equate bread and cheese with weight in my belly....this is where I’m not sure about food choices
Heck.... I LOVE pizza- could eat it everyday
From what I understand, I can eat the pizza as long as it fits in my daily calories.
Today I had pasta (1.5 C) with a meatball but that pasta really put a dent in my calories.... now I realize it wasn’t worth it- especially because I played cards with my friends and didn’t get to the gym 😳

You've got it right. There is nothing wrong with pizza, pasta, bread and cheese as long as they can fit. But making them fit can be tough some days.

Some folks will plan ahead and save a couple hundred calories for a couple days and then use them for a decent meal, some just have a maintenance day or a re-feed day and don't eat in a deficit, but it all comes down to the numbers in the end.

evergreenlakegirl

Tacklewasher- your reply was extremely helpful in understanding how to work the calories!
I do like having a cheat day- a day I can have a glass of wine and an indulgent meal 😊

kami3006

evergreenlakegirl wrote: »

Tacklewasher- your reply was extremely helpful in understanding how to work the calories!
I do like having a cheat day- a day I can have a glass of wine and an indulgent meal 😊

Many of us follow a weekly goal so some days we're over, some under but it all averages out over the week. I'm hungrier on lifting days and less so when I do cardio, so I eat my cardio calories on lifting days. Or, as Tackle said, bank some for a specific meal or indulgence.

AnnPT77

evergreenlakegirl wrote: »

I

spiriteagle99 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with eating bread and cheese when you're hungry.

I guess this is where I get confused..... I equate bread and cheese with weight in my belly....this is where I’m not sure about food choices
Heck.... I LOVE pizza- could eat it everyday
From what I understand, I can eat the pizza as long as it fits in my daily calories.
Today I had pasta (1.5 C) with a meatball but that pasta really put a dent in my calories.... now I realize it wasn’t worth it- especially because I played cards with my friends and didn’t get to the gym 😳

It's good that you're having insights about how to achieve balance. When you're getting started, don't beat yourself up if things get a little sideways. (Actually, never beat yourself up ever, just learn from circumstances and persevere! ) Learn, make a plan for how to handle things more effectively in the future, log it, let it go.

You absolutely will lose weight if you eat fewer calories than you burn, even if you just eat sugar by the spoonful. Obviously, you're not going to do that because it wouldn't be filling, it wouldn't be tasty, it wouldn't be a balanced diet (i.e., wouldn't be healthy), etc.

So, overall, you probably want good nutrition, in order to feel full and satisfied, and to be healthy. Pizza can make useful contribution to nutrition: It has protein, fats, carbs, micronutrients, fiber. A piece or two of pizza, heavy on the veggies and good proteins, maybe with a hefty side salad, can be a really good meal.

If you like pasta, maybe mix in a big bunch of zucchini, onions, mushrooms, tomatoes (or whatever varied, colorful veggies you like), enough meatballs and cheese to get your protein (combo of lower fat cheese like part-skim ricotta or mozzarella, plus some tasty fresh-grated parmesan, say) . . . that's filling without being a megadose of just pasta.

What I always say: Reasonable calories for weight management + solid macronutrients and micronutrients for well-rounded nutrition + exercise for fitness = best possible odds of long term good health.

Give yourself some time to figure this all out, just try to keep evolving in a positive direction . . . you'll do fine. Perfection doesn't have to happen in an instant.

Best wishes!

evergreenlakegirl

Thank you Ann & Kami.... I really appreciate your guidance!
I was just looking through the recipes thread- pics of meals people cooked and was really surprised at the variety and so appetizing looking! I’m thinking they must work out a lot to be able to eat like that! 😊. I mean .... Mac n cheese ... pork chops..... a full plate of good food-
I searched vegetable pizza slice w cheese and 1 slice is about 350 calories....X 2 plus a salad.... at least 1/2 my 1200 calories 😳
Again..... a lot of sweat to earn that- lol

janejellyroll

evergreenlakegirl wrote: »

Thank you Ann & Kami.... I really appreciate your guidance!
I was just looking through the recipes thread- pics of meals people cooked and was really surprised at the variety and so appetizing looking! I’m thinking they must work out a lot to be able to eat like that! 😊. I mean .... Mac n cheese ... pork chops..... a full plate of good food-

Some people here work out a lot, that's true. But even if you aren't, chances are good that you'll be able to fit in reasonable portions of foods that you enjoy especially if you learn how to balance it out with portions of lower calorie food. So a dinner of a pork chop and mac & cheese could also include a big portion of salad or a bowl of a lower calorie broth-based soup.

collectingblues

evergreenlakegirl wrote: »

Thank you Ann & Kami.... I really appreciate your guidance!
I was just looking through the recipes thread- pics of meals people cooked and was really surprised at the variety and so appetizing looking! I’m thinking they must work out a lot to be able to eat like that! 😊. I mean .... Mac n cheese ... pork chops..... a full plate of good food-
I searched vegetable pizza slice w cheese and 1 slice is about 350 calories....X 2 plus a salad.... at least 1/2 my 1200 calories 😳
Again..... a lot of sweat to earn that- lol

Or, just eat a little less of it. For me, unless I've had a really big workout day, I don't do two slices of pizza or a salad -- I stick with just one slice, but it has to be *good* pizza.

It's all about the choices you want to make. I prefer to be a little more active, and reduce my portion size -- but I'm also not a volume eater. I'm about your size, and being active -- not working out a lot, but at least an hour a day -- lets me lose quite decently on 1600 calories a day, and having smaller portion sizes lets me have food that tastes good.

deannalfisher

being that you are already at a healthy weight for your weight - you might want to look at body recomposition in addition to just focusing on losing weight - recomp is a slower process where you focus on losing body fat while gaining muscle