TEAM: The Big Butt Theory (May)
Replies
-
@HASWLRS you're welcome! Hopefully my advice can help us all(and myself if I veer off track!)cmhubbard92 wrote: »
@brandi_84As I have looked back at the last 6 months I have been feeling very disappointed in myself. I am no where near the weight I wanted to be by now. In January I was at my heaviest at 188 and seem to be holding steady at 182. I have to remind myself however, that even though the scale isn't moving much I have had to buy new clothes a size down already, so some progress has been made.
I started out dieting really well In the beginning but it is so easy to get off track when days/life gets hard. I looked at trying something like nutrisystem so I would just already know what I could eat and wouldn't have to stress so much about it. As I researched and decided it was too expensive since I have other people to feed, I realized that the foods they have to offer are foods that I can easily cook myself. I also discovered that fresh veggies and fruits have to be added to the meal plans. I think That is where I keep going wrong. I'm eating main dishes (meats and carbs) and not adding the volume of veggies that are such low calorie foods. I end up feeling unsatisfied and mindlessly eat snacks later.
So I looked through the meals and checked the calories on the Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, and Lean Cuisine websites. I found recipes for similar meals with close to the same calories. I made a meal plan, bought the groceries and made sure to include lots of veggies - fresh and frozen. I am going to try this "DIY Nutrisystem" plan. Hopefully, I'll start losing some weight for real.
I would love to hear anyone's advice for successful dieting that I could add to this.
I'm in no means an expert in any of this, but here are some things I suggest/do:
1. I brought a food scale, and I weigh everything. It makes it easy to pre-portion bulk bags of snacks(I use almonds, kettle chips, and fruit on a regular basis for snacks) Examples for why:
a. I use Arnold sandwich thins for my lunches. Their serving size is 1 roll(57g). Some days I will weigh them and they'll be 53g, or 61g, and anywhere in between. Depending on the calorie count, that can be a HUGE difference. (This applies to any slice of bread or prepackaged "single serve" item.
b. Eggs. Your regular large egg averages 70 calories. I generally eat 3 boiled eggs after my workout. When weighing(and using USDA for search result) my 3 eggs can have not 210 calories(as expected) but between 220-250 calories based on the weight!
c. Condiments. The only one I dont measure is ketchup, because i use it once in a blue moon, and not enough to throw off my day. But mayonaise(or oil) is a huge culprit for sneaky extra calories. I would go way over a serving if I had the chance!
2. Log everything! Be honest with yourself. Even if you have a bad day and go over calories, chances are you can still remain in a deficit throughout the week! You can lie to yourself if you have a few bad days, but the scale will show you if you've been on the right path. I have some days(rare but it happens) I forget to log(due to travel/life) but I always try to put it in at some point so it is still there.
3. Somewhat underestimate your exercise calories. If you go for a 30 minute walk, and you log it on MFP, chances are it will credit you way more than you earn. I've logged 20 minutes of strength training, and it has given me up to 170 calories(and I don't even burn that many walking for 20 minutes!). For a few weeks, eat back 50% of your exercise calories. If you are losing too quickly, eat 75%. Adjust until you get close to the rate of loss you're aiming for! I use a Fitbit, and it does all the math for me, but I still don't eat all the calories back because I know somewhere I may underestimate in my food, or it may overestimate my activity.
4. If you add in new exercise, it is super possible to retain water for some (possibly long) length of time. Keep your water intake up, to aid in muscle recovery. It will help you I the long run!
5. Remember that weight loss isn't linear. I can be precise in every way that is humanly possible, and not lose. For me, my body has been telling me "we only like to lose fat when it's that time of the month", and I will "woosh" off a few pounds within a few days. I also recommend the Libra app(android) or happy scalr(iPhone) if you weigh daily and would like to see the trends/progress. It won't show much of a reliable trend until you have quite a few weigh ins logged.
6. Make sure that whatever calorie goal you set is right for you. I have realised(and mentioned it a few times here and there) that I need the extra calories, so while I *could* be fine to set myself up for a 2lb/wk loss, it is not in my best interest. I was developing headaches and slight dizziness, and knew I had to increase calories. I have myself now set up for 1lb/wk and can eat close ~1800/day without exercise.
7. Adjust your weight loss goal on MFP as you go. As you lose weight, your calorie needs will lower if you don't increase your activity level. If you hit a stall, it could be because you need to reset your goal.
Hopefully some of these tips help you(or any of my fellow TBBT friends here). I am no expert in this, but these are some things I have learned that help to keep me positive along the way! Hope something I've mentioned will help in some way!
@cmhubbard92, thank you for sharing all you have learned so far in your six month journey!! I would like to second your practice of weighing things that are prepackaged and supposed to be a certain weight! I weigh my bread and my turkey bacon, but I have never weighed eggs! I have never seen them listed with a weight, only a graded size. I shall have to look into that!!
A lot of items have a gram option, you just have to do a little digging!
For example, eggs I would search "eggs g" so the option is likely available. Another thing I do for fruit, vegetables, or meat is "broccoli USDA" or "chicken USDA" so I can track down one entry that will be most similar to actual calorie count.
Oh and a couple other things!
If you are eating rice, make sure the weight you log is put in the right entry-log it as cooked or uncooked. That can bring a huge difference in calories!
If you are eating meat, weigh and log it raw(if you can, I often don't remember) as a lot of them will lose weight during whatever cooking process, but the calories will be roughly the same as it was raw!
I would like to second your comment about keeping a snack! I have dove mini ice creams most nights as my "reward" for the day, and it keeps me on track!
Also, veggies are awesome for filling you up! I agree with that as well. I've been experimenting a lot with baking and sauteeing vegetables. Yesterday's took 2 eggs, and sauteed some veggies (eggplant, tomato, zucchini, onion, green pepper, garlic), threw in less than half an ounce of cheese and scrambled it. It was super filling and ~230calories. It was so good!5 -
Hey Brandi!
Ive started this journey a million times so don’t feel bad. The good news is that your are losing inches and you’ve held steady and not gained weight!
What works for me is consistency. I workout and eat right every day. I got rid of cheat days/meals. I meal prep every week. Unless I’m sick or hurt I workout. No excuses.
I read something that says it takes 21 days to create a habit 90 to build a lifestyle change. I’m at 71 and 25.7 lbs down!As I have looked back at the last 6 months I have been feeling very disappointed in myself. I am no where near the weight I wanted to be by now. In January I was at my heaviest at 188 and seem to be holding steady at 182. I have to remind myself however, that even though the scale isn't moving much I have had to buy new clothes a size down already, so some progress has been made.
I started out dieting really well In the beginning but it is so easy to get off track when days/life gets hard. I looked at trying something like nutrisystem so I would just already know what I could eat and wouldn't have to stress so much about it. As I researched and decided it was too expensive since I have other people to feed, I realized that the foods they have to offer are foods that I can easily cook myself. I also discovered that fresh veggies and fruits have to be added to the meal plans. I think That is where I keep going wrong. I'm eating main dishes (meats and carbs) and not adding the volume of veggies that are such low calorie foods. I end up feeling unsatisfied and mindlessly eat snacks later.
So I looked through the meals and checked the calories on the Nutrisystem, Jenny Craig, and Lean Cuisine websites. I found recipes for similar meals with close to the same calories. I made a meal plan, bought the groceries and made sure to include lots of veggies - fresh and frozen. I am going to try this "DIY Nutrisystem" plan. Hopefully, I'll start losing some weight for real.
I would love to hear anyone's advice for successful dieting that I could add to this.
4 -
May 27
Tracking- yes
Calories- yes
Exercise- yes ( 35 min brisk walk)
May 28
Tracking- yes
Calories- yes
Exercise- yes ( 20 min brisk walk)2 -
Sorry guys been on call all week& weekend it was very busy when I wasn’t working I was sleeping plus back to full duty finally after my assault last July 2018
I’ll start again tomorrow morning
Hopefully all is well2 -
Weigh in:
PW: 222.1
CW: 223.3
Up a little...not surprised. I have had many events and busy nights so eating out and eating on the run. I need to plan my food better. I will be ready for June. Sorry team.2 -
Mini challenge
May 28
Tracked-yes
Under yes
Exercise yes
20 mins turbofire. Just about dying at the end but got 20 minutes in, plus 19,230 steps today.2 -
Message to all Team Members:
@HASWLRS.
@pkg1998.
@Jl20alon2564.
@Krysless2.
@Missyms740.
@Susanpiper57.
@brandi_84.
@countrycreek.
@heaz10.
@Lozenger1984.
@miakelaa.
@cmhubbard92.
@drea2011.
@eatingfoodles.
@24blfn.
@Prehistoricmoongoddess.
@cossmoss15.
@EnyaGoBoom.
@mickey10111.
@Nicoletime4me.
@abowersgirl.
@Bradleys8299.
@erikNJ.
@ForLangston.
@jlbtnc.
@murdog3t.
@swauters.
@thedestar.
@Tracie_Lord.
@kc9agz.
@my3boys424.
This is the last week of the May Challenge. After this week, all members will be rolled over automatically into the June Challenge.
The June challenge thread is:
TEAM: The Big Butt Theory (June) https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10746093/team-the-big-butt-theory-june#latest
If you wish NOT to participate next month, please message me or tag me @AB0215 or your team captain.
Please view your team thread and post a brief introduction so others in the team can know who you are.
When viewing the thread, please "bookmark" the thread by pressing the "star" icon (it should turn yellow).
This way you can be notified whenever someone posts to the thread (your "bell" icon on most forum headers will show if there are any notifications).
0 -
Weigh in Wednesday
Starting weight: 170.0
Current weight: 149.6
Goal weight: 126.0
Last week 151.6
Almost made it back to pre-holiday weight HASWLRS. Just half a pound to go now.
I will weigh in again on 5th June and then my final one for a long time on 11th June (a day early) as I am once again on my holidays until the end of July.
1 -
cmhubbard92 wrote: »
Hopefully some of these tips help you(or any of my fellow TBBT friends here). I am no expert in this, but these are some things I have learned that help to keep me positive along the way! Hope something I've mentioned will help in some way!
@cmhubbard92 WOW - what great insight into how to work the plan correctly for positive results. I’ve been quiet on the team lately because I have not been focused (and making excuses about it) and I have not been doing what I know I need to do in order to succeed. Your recommendations are INCREDIBLE and I’m going to use them to start to work harder and focus on what needs to be done.
Thanks for being such an inspiration and a huge part of the TBBT team.4 -
cmhubbard92 wrote: »
Hopefully some of these tips help you(or any of my fellow TBBT friends here). I am no expert in this, but these are some things I have learned that help to keep me positive along the way! Hope something I've mentioned will help in some way!
@cmhubbard92 WOW - what great insight into how to work the plan correctly for positive results. I’ve been quiet on the team lately because I have not been focused (and making excuses about it) and I have not been doing what I know I need to do in order to succeed. Your recommendations are INCREDIBLE and I’m going to use them to start to work harder and focus on what needs to be done.
Thanks for being such an inspiration and a huge part of the TBBT team.
@pkg1998 thank you for your kind words. I truly hope my "advice" helps. I hope that you can pick that motivation up that you have somewhere and push forward! Just stay honest with yourself, and you will find the scales moving again once you put things into action!
Your kind words really mean a lot this morning! I'm happy I have been put in TBBT with you all!4 -
Sorry guys been on call all week& weekend it was very busy when I wasn’t working I was sleeping plus back to full duty finally after my assault last July 2018
I’ll start again tomorrow morning
Hopefully all is well
@murdog3t, thanks for checking in, Tami!! You may be a little worn out, but you are still here!!1 -
Weigh in:
PW: 222.1
CW: 223.3
Up a little...not surprised. I have had many events and busy nights so eating out and eating on the run. I need to plan my food better. I will be ready for June. Sorry team.
@heaz10, at least you know why you had this little up, and what you need to do differently. You'll turn things around in June....I have no doubt!!1 -
Tuesday, 5/29 mini challenge
Tracked-yes
Under calories-yes
Exercise-3 mile run
Steps-15,750
I got in my first run since last Tuesday when the mastitis really hit. It felt decent. Last week was a rough one for me, because of the illness and the antibiotics. I'm going to do my best to make this week a good one!2 -
5/28/2019 Mini Challenge
Tracked: Yes
Under: Yes
Exercise: Yes, 20 minutes walking, 30 minutes cleaning
2 -
prehistoricmoongoddess wrote: »Weigh in Wednesday
Starting weight: 170.0
Current weight: 149.6
Goal weight: 126.0
Last week 151.6
Almost made it back to pre-holiday weight HASWLRS. Just half a pound to go now.
I will weigh in again on 5th June and then my final one for a long time on 11th June (a day early) as I am once again on my holidays until the end of July.
@prehistoricmoongoddess, very nice loss this week!! Congratulations on getting (almost) back to your pre-holiday weight! And the second number is a four again....it looks so much better that way!!!
Okay. So here is how I think we should handle your holiday schedule. You will be part of the June Challenge until you leave for vacation. Once you leave, I'll have you removed from the official spreadsheet. Since you don't come back until the end of July, I'll have you re-register for the August Challenge, if indeed, that is your intention. I feel you'll be gone too long to just roll your weight over. That being said, if at any time you find yourself with internet, or when you come back while it is still July, feel free to jump onto the current thread for a quick update or even an unofficial weigh-in. The thread is always open to you...it's just the spreadsheet that makes it official. Does that sound reasonable to you?1 -
susanpiper57 wrote: »Tuesday, 5/29 mini challenge
Tracked-yes
Under calories-yes
Exercise-3 mile run
Steps-15,750
I got in my first run since last Tuesday when the mastitis really hit. It felt decent. Last week was a rough one for me, because of the illness and the antibiotics. I'm going to do my best to make this week a good one!
@susanpiper57, nice job on getting in a run!!1 -
May 28
Tracking: yes
Calories: yes
Exercise: yes
60min yoga & meditation
Step: 8982
Water: 88oz
Hump day 🐫2 -
@cmhubbard92
Thank you for taking the time to share some of your wisdom. Thanks for bringing up bread and eggs. I just logged those as the package says.And probably other similar items.
I have Tupperware that has measurements on the bowls that I had been using to measure food. I am switching to a food scale as some things don't fit.2 -
@HASWLRS
Thank you for your support and advice as well. Those snacks sound really tasty. I may have to try them.
It sometimes really hard to deal with the cravings because my husband loves for me to bake him sweet snacks. I used to not enjoy them but a couple of years ago I developed a sweet tooth. I am trying to find better snacks for myself and leave his alone.2 -
@brandi_84 you're welcome 😊 it may seem like it takes more time to use a food scale, but it gets pretty easy after a while!@cmhubbard92
Thank you for taking the time to share some of your wisdom. Thanks for bringing up bread and eggs. I just logged those as the package says.And probably other similar items.
I have Tupperware that has measurements on the bowls that I had been using to measure food. I am switching to a food scale as some things don't fit.
It can be also super surprising using the food scale. Some things(like strawberries) I can have way more of without sacrificing a bunch of calories 😊 I'm happy you have asked for tips/advice! We all struggle sometimes!4 -
Username: brandi_84
Starting: 184
Week 1: 182
Week 2:. 182
Week 3: 182
Week 4: 182
Week: 5 184
I'm back up a couple which puts me at no loss for this month. I began my new meal plan yesterday and I am back to exercising as well.
I also think the weight is due to some water retention.1 -
With a 7 pound gain last week I felt like I needed to get my head back in the game!
I haven't weighed since that terrible scale incident last Friday, so lets see what happens in a couple of days. 2 -
Mini Ultimate Accountability Challenge - May Week #4 (Sun the 19th to Sat the 25th)
Winner's Circle - 6 or 7 days:
@cmhubbard92 (7) - 16th week IN A ROW in the Winner's Circle!!
@drea2011 (6) - improved on her Notable Effort to land in the Winner's Circle this week!!
Notable Effort - 4 or 5 days:
@abowersgirl (5) - puts in another Notable Effort!!
@countrycreek (4) - only attempted last week; this week puts in a Notable Effort!!
@enyagoboom (4) - puts in another Notable Effort!!
@heaz10 (4) - fell out of the Winner's Circle but still puts in a Notable Effort!!
@jlbtnc (4) - fell out of the Winner's Circle but still puts in a Notable Effort!!
@murdog3t (4) - fell out of the Winner's Circle but still puts in a Notable Effort!!
@Nicoletime4me (4*) - only attempted last week; this week puts in a Notable Effort!!
Attempted:
@erikNJ (3)
@susanpiper57 (3)
@HASWLRS (1)
I think the long weekend at the end of a long month messed up a lot of people. We only had 12 participate this week, down from 16 the week before and we only had two in the Winner's Circle, down from from five the week before. @cmhubbard92 was joined this week by @drea2011 in the Winner's Circle!! Congratulations, Christine (ALL SEVEN DAYS!) and Drea for an outstanding week!!6 -
Username: brandi_84
Starting: 184
Week 1: 182
Week 2:. 182
Week 3: 182
Week 4: 182
Week: 5 184
I'm back up a couple which puts me at no loss for this month. I began my new meal plan yesterday and I am back to exercising as well.
I also think the weight is due to some water retention.
@brandi_84, there's a positive attitude!! Yes, it could be water. Regardless, it's almost a new month and a fresh start with your new meal plan and daily exercise!! No looking back....only forward!!3 -
5/29/2019 Mini Challenge
Tracked: Yes
Under: Yes
Exercise: Yes, 10 minutes walking, 30 minutes cleaning
Finally got in to see the orthopedic doctor! He said the clinic I went to shouldn't have told me to use a sling, it only created more stiffness in my shoulder. Based on my symptoms and the location of the pain, he told me I have some type of tendonitis(I can't remember). I declined the cortisone shot, but made an appointment to get it on Friday, in case the anti-inflammatory he prescribed doesn't help. If all goes well, I will be able to get back to the gym and work on Monday! *happy dance*
For now, I'm just taking it easy!6 -
Weekly Challenge
Day: Wed
Tracking: Yes
Calories: yes
Exercise: yes 60 min walk/jog. The new shoes make a huge difference!3 -
Tracked, under, n walked a lot today4
-
May 29
Tracking- yes
Calories- yes
Exercise- yes ( 20 mins strength training and 10 mins brisk walk away the pounds)3
This discussion has been closed.