Women 200lb+, Let's Have A Momentous May!!!
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@seltzer_lover - I just finished the Saint View Prison series by Elle Thorpe (woah - spicy). Darling Girl was my BOTM pick. I'm a huge Peter Pan fan (currently working on a side tattoo of Peter Pan). I skipped April, nothing really jumped out at me. I'm also read Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly during lunches at work. It's taking me a while since that's the only time I read it, I get a few chapters in a week. I think next will be The Paris Apartment from March, I haven't started it yet.
@Cluelessmama1979 - oh goodness, I would go insane with that kind of diet! Hangry wouldn't even begin to describe how I would be. I don't know how you lasted 2 weeks!
@RavenStCloud - it's so weird how our bodies just KNOW! I had a blood clot a few years ago & as soon as I woke up I just knew. Even before I went to bed the night before I had this weird feeling something wasn't right. I'm not an overly religious person but I remember praying to wake up the next day.3 -
Weigh-in Day: Sundays
SW (7/13/2021): 247
CW (5/1/2022): 194.8
GW (5/31/2022): 190
GW: 165
5/1: 194.8 (+/- 0 pounds)
5/8:
5/15:
5/22:
5/31:
Goals for May:
1. Weight lifting 1x per week
2. Run 1x per week
3. Trek with dog 1x per week
4. 50 sit ups in a row
5. 20 stair step push ups in a row
6. Get up earlier (~6:30)
7. Be more social on weekends
8. Study for exam 30 min per day
9. Eat out 3 meals per week or less
Maintenance month is over now. Time to get back at it!6 -
SW (Feb 3rd): 220
Feb: -6lbs
March: +3lbs
April: -10.2
5/1:206.8
5/7:
5/14:
5/21:
5/28:
May GW: 201
May Goals
Run-jog twice a week
Some more fasting
Work on my swimming
Thanks again Raven!
Best wishes all with another month. Thanks so much for the support so far.3 -
Glad to be back and Thank you @RavenStCloud for this thread. Great support here!
Mary from Pennsylvania 65 NOW! 5'4", Heaviest weight 255 lbs twice. :-(
UGW-122 lbs. I was there in 2009/10 and kept it off for 5 years then got lazy.
My goal is to continue with what seems to work for me. 1000-1200 calories, low carb 15 Net +/- 3(My body seems to not do well with carbs. It doesn't know how to burn them and hangs onto them way too much!), minimum 70 + oz of water, 2 meals/day on my days off(3) and 3 meals on my work days(which are long), exercise on my 3 days off. My weigh in day is Sunday.
9/14/20 SW-255 lbs
5/3/21-240.5 lbs Emergency Gallbladder surgery
5/14/21-232.2 lbs started MFP and Low Carb/1000-1200 calorie while recovering
6/1/21-228.8 lbs
7/1/21-222.2 lbs
8/1/21-212.0 lbs
9/1/21-200.0 lbs
10/1/21-191.4 lbs
11/1/21-181.8 lbs
12/1/21-176.2 lbs
12/26/21-165.6 lbs
1/1/22-168 lbs
2/1/22-157.4 lbs
3/1/22-155 lbs. Down 100.2 lbs so far!
4/1/22-156.4 lbs
5/1/22-158.8 lbs. :-( No way is this actual with all the Elliptical miles Friday, yesterday and stayed way under calories for what I was allotted. Hoping for a whoosh soon. Did Elliptical 300 minutes for 22.3 miles in first session and 54 minutes for 4.2 miles for 26.5 miles total today. Hopefully that gets me heading downward again. (Did long times on Friday 228 minutes and Saturday 240 minutes too.)
I wanted to reply separately because math/length...
From what I am reading, you've been eating between 1000-1200 calories for almost a year now, and losing anywhere from 4 - 10 lbs per month. Then the last few months that's been fluctuating.
I understand the need to lose weight quickly initially, and obviously post-op, you were working with medical professionals. I'm not concerned about the lower-than-minimum intake with your stats *then*.
But with your current stats and BMI, a more healthy, regular loss of .5 - 1lb per week is recommended. I wouldn't have commented on it except that you've hit a rough patch despite the increased activity, for longer than is common for activity-induced muscle build and water retention.
So the *cause* of the issue could be the very thing which worked so well before. A lot of times when I see people with similar struggles, actually increasing calorie intake ends up solving the problem.
So I did the actual math. Obviously any calculations are just estimates even with professionals, and I did drop off anything after 3 decimal places but...
Your BMR is somewhere between 1335 and 1416.
The absolute lowest your TDEE (maintenance calories) could be with your current activity level is ~ 1976 kcal per day. (Likely, it's closer to 2170, although the highest potential is 2509!) But lets go with 1976, cause I know eating *more* can be scary.
.5 lbs per week is going to be ~250 kcalories less than your TDEE, or 1726 kcal per day.
1lb per week would be ~500 kcalories less tgan your TDEE, or 1476 kcal per day.
Both are above your BMR which is good. Going below BMR for long periods of time can be extremely dangerous.
You're eating well below BMR, and even below my healthy-weight BMR and I'm way shorter, lol.
I wouldn't recommend continuing below 1200 kcal per day... or even *at* 1200.
I think if you ate between 1400-1500, giving your body a week or two to catch up, you'd start seeing numbers which make sense again.
You're an adult, and it's none of my business, so I won't mention it again, but wanted to put it out there in case you didn't know.
Ps: not even kidding about the math lol
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@swimmom_1 - I ditto Cluelessmama1979.
If I restrict too much I won't lose, and sometimes even gain weight. I am one of those people who HAVE to eat in order to lose weight. And after a while I'll have to change things up to basically "shock" my body into responding again. Weight loss is so frustrating for me because it's a constant guessing game of what is going to work for now. Monitoring/tracking. Making sure I'm eating enough but not too much. Ugh...
Maybe add back in some of those calories you're exercising off to help jump start things again. Can't hurt, especially if things are kind of stuck.4 -
@Cluelessmama1979 special macrofactor post, coming up!
(Quick note: this is not evangelism, I'm still seeing if this will work for me. I'm writing this so you have an idea of whether you think it would be helpful for you, since it's paid after the free trial period (two weeks instead of the one I did with an offer code you can find if you Google).
Screenshot heavy post tapped out on my phone, so spoilers for lots of pictures.
Alright so we start with the dashboard:
The things I like the most about this dashboard that MFP doesn't do are:
1. The expenditure number. You can choose to keep that static, or have the algorithm figure that out as you go, given weight and food logging inputs. It's supposed to function like a maintenance calorie number, but until it finds patterns in intake, it can be a little off. I still like it as a function, I just don't put much weight on it right now, while it's still figuring me out.
2. The weight trend line!!!! I love that this does what I was doing in my spreadsheet automatically.
3. They have a habit section, which can be motivating for some to log more. I don't care overly.
4. The calorie and macro counts are judgement neutral. Nothing changes colors if I go over the recommended amount, and the algorithm, on seeing I ate more or less this week, will adjust up or down based on my goals, not to exceed a calorie "floor" you set on starting up with the app.
5. I also really love that all the food entries are vetted, no random user inputs.
Okay! Let's dig in, first the weight trend, my favorite function:
The ghost line is my inputs, which I can also see in the green section from my dashboard.
Expenditure:
I'm unsure about this yet, as they have my expenditure pegged very low, likely because I've been the same weight across a week of low intake, lol (probs ovulation related). An algorithm is only as good as the information it's given, and a future feature they're planning accounts for cycles, which would be rad.
The straight weight log, which doesn't look exciting right now because, same weight for a week, lol.
The nutrition section. The rest of the week looks low rn because I prelogged my breakfasts and lunches.
And the food log: I like that it has a timeline style, and when I go to enter food, it offers things I often eat at that time of day as well as things I just recently logged. (Below my keyboard, you can't see it in this screenshot, apologies.)
The food database has been vetted, no other entries than verified ones. It is multi-add until you are done logging, which i find makes logging quicker.
Another thing I love about the food log is that the calorie count is only as big as anything else, again makes it feel like it's not a judgement, which is nice.
I can also collapse my food to look at macro breakdowns by meal if I want. And it allows me to copy days over, which makes it easy to prelog my breakfasts and lunches.
On Mondays, the algorithm updates given data from the last week, to update your weekly calorie budget. It just lowered mine, because the algorithm doesn't know me super well yet and I'm in a particularly stagnant weight period. It will adjust.
On the whole, I like it enough to pay $72 for a year of access. They offer shorter-term, I'm just like this, lol. And the dev team is very responsive, which is a thing I loved given... MFP lately, lol. They have a whole game plan with features they're currently working on as well as future features.
Do with all this... What you will, lol. Do I recommend it? Yes, for someone with a level head who's not going to blindly follow what the algorithm gives them. For someone who knows that part might not be the most accurate.
And for someone willing to, yes, pay money, which is not insignificant! I dithered about paying money to log, but I'm willing to see how much better this app can get as I use it.3 -
I’m reintroducing myself. I didn’t think to when I commented over the weekend. My name is Bonnie. I’m 33, dog mom, and aunt helping raise my two youngest nephews (10&9). I deal with chronic illnesses and pain, which I hope that weight loss and exercising will help.
I weigh in on Mondays.
Started 2/5/22
SW: 288.8
CW: 269.2
GW for May: 263
5/2: 269.2
5/9:
5/16:
5/23:
5/30:
Goals for May:
🍎 Keep eating 4-5 fruits and veggie servings per day, at least 5 days a week
🧘🏼♀️ Start Leslie Sansone workouts and work up to 8 minutes at a time by the end of the month (optimistic goal - apparently I can do 4-5 minutes okay)
💭 Start seeing new therapist -first appt is set for the 23rd
⬇️ Lose 6 pounds (but I’ll be happy with any loss)
🥳 Hopefully get myself some rewards that will help me continue to make healthier changes5 -
CupcakeCrusoe wrote: »special macrofactor post
That was very detailed lol, thank you! I'll check it out and use both for awhile to decide if I like it.
I like the concept of only verified foods, but I get a lot of barcodes which don't even come up on mfp, so I'm worried how macrofactor would handle that lol3 -
Cluelessmama1979 wrote: »CupcakeCrusoe wrote: »special macrofactor post
That was very detailed lol, thank you! I'll check it out and use both for awhile to decide if I like it.
I like the concept of only verified foods, but I get a lot of barcodes which don't even come up on mfp, so I'm worried how macrofactor would handle that lol
Curious about this too. This weekend I had ham. There was about 100 different results but all had different calorie amount. I don't know which one is right.2 -
Thank you @RavenStCloud
Happy May everyone!
Starting again weight and date with MFP: 282 10/21
May starting weight: 205
AGE: 33
HEIGHT: 5'11"
May 2: 203
May 9:
May 16:
May 23:
May 30:
May 31:
May Goals:
=> make it to wonderland (under 200)
=> make it to the gym 3 times a week (weight training)
=> tone down the cardio to 2 days a week
=> work on my body image/confidence
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48 yo 5’3” 6/2013 SW 277 ((in 2021 lost 57 lbs from May 1- Dec 31))
May goal: lose 1-2 lbs. Really, it will be more about fitness since I think I will attempt to build muscle. I don't know, I am totally freewheeling this because I never for one second thought I would be here.
Ultimate Goal weight: 141 (a normal BMI) No goal date, since the lower weights can take longer.
1/1 172.2
2/1 172.2
3/1 165.8 cycle
4/1 161.4
5/1 156.8 Hello May!
5/6
5/13
5/20
5/27
🌷Work in the ‘fitness lab’ every single day!
🌷Burn around 500 calories daily. The goal is to eat maintenance all the time at goal weight “1500 calories”. If I burn 500 calories from exercise a day I will lose around 1 pound a week, while eating the amount of calories I will need to eat for smaller me.
🌷Be patient! Remember that increments are where it is at, and focus on habits.
🌷Weigh the food in the ‘test kitchen’!
🌷Remember: Total loss of over 120 lbs!!
I need to learn more about maintenance stuff, because I am getting within spitting distance of it (less than 20 pounds away). Others have described it as “the painfully slow last 20 pounds” I mean, are they being dramatic? I just need more information on what is considered slow. One pound a month? I guess that would make the last 20 pounds about 2 years? I would like to aim for 2 pounds a month to be at normal BMI in one year, perhaps? I think that is doable, but again I am flexible. If I live that long, I got time for it.
In frustrating clothes news, when I went on maintenance for two weeks I lost a size on the top half. My body only has two speeds for size, top half bottom half. Because just because you weigh the same does NOT mean you will be the same size. OR my body was just being a brat because I went to a thrift store to get some colorful shirts to go with my resized skirts. I am in a size medium skirt, but have been a size large shirt (I got double D's I am working with). But, it turns out, my new shirt size is Medium (yes, my top was like: "oh? You want to buy some cute shirts? *immediately shrink top half of self due to maintenance") Stupid top. I am still glad to not be DDD's anymore. But that didn't happen until I hit 165 pounds. Then I finally made it to DD's. Not sure if that trend will continue, I would be very happy for that trend to continue personally. My shoulder's could use the rest!
@swimmom_1 Oh my goodness, you are going to want to rage quit this choir! But, I have been thinking about this because I am getting very close to goal range and am having a different experience than what I thought I would. I thought I would: plateau, quit losing, get frustrated with weight loss... etc. Why? Here is my theory. Just a theory mind you. When a person loses weight and goes for a 35% deficit of maintenance: You will lose muscle. When you get to said lower weight, you no longer have your muscle to "feed" (muscles take lots of calories to maintain). So many lose weight, lose muscle, and have a lower calorie need because of all the Lean Body Mass muscle loss. That is about 200 calories a day less (usually), for those who are counting. I say this because some Dr.'s put a lady on a diet shake for months, and she lost the weight, and then was 200 calories less than a person who did not lose weight would need. Yep, that is a sticking point for sure. The Dr's didn't posit why, or how long that would be, but all the maintainers were "Do weight lifting and you won't have to worry about it." Which tells me this phenomenon runs in the "build muscle category."
So, "at some random body point" if you keep the severe calorie deficit up, it isn't going to be your friend. Because you cannot keep the muscle, or build muscle while that amount of calorie deficit is happening.
I am not positive, but I think that is at least one reason why "maintenance" is recommended before going lower. Get your calories back up, so your body can go, "whew, I can build muscle now". Get those muscly "fat burners" up and running again, and then do a modest less than 20% deficit cut. Which I realize as smaller ladies is still a little tough. But is way better than being without your muscly fat burners and having to eat 200 calories daily less for life.
But you could literally just figure out what maintenance at your goal weight is (using Benedict Harris or whatever) and you would get there with TIME, no I don't know how much. Because that is what maintenance is, maintaining at said weight. Eventually it will all come out in the wash.
@kenziestabes I love that you want to be more social on weekends. Do you have any tips for others on how to get this done? I had to read less books, and I really struggle with socializing in general. If I put it on my list of things to do, I would be all like... how the heck am I supposed to do that? Is there like a "how to be more social" little steps to take website or something? Call a person every day, set a timer for 15 minutes so you don't rage quit the phone in general and turn off the ringer? I would really like to know!
@pamiede It is really good to see you again! Are you still in the wheel chair? I have a person on my thread who has an app for wheel chair exercises. I can ask him about it if you are interested. (((super panda hugs))) remember what your sister said, "Well, you have already lost weight so you know how to do it!"5 -
@CupcakeCrusoe So, how does the exercise work? I see that there is an expenditure? Is that you tracking exercise or is it using weight + calorie count?
@_manny_702 Onederland in your sights!! How exciting!! It could be this month, it could be next month, but it is coming soon!! Man, I won't forget showing up in Onederland for the first time in over 20 years. Things still look newer and greener!4 -
Hi all you wonderful, strong ladies. I haven't posted in awhile. And tonight I've been reading through your April comments. I have up for awhile, because in March, I got my AAA travel magazine in the mail and after seeing all the trips that I will never take with my husband. He passed away last June and it's been so hard. I still talk to my therapist and that helps. My brother is close by, so that helps too. But he has his family and grandkids so I try not to bother him too much. Then in mid-March, my 14 yr old kitty got sick (unexpectedly), and I had to put her to sleep. She slept with me every night so it was awful to lose her. I have the year and a half year old rescue kitty that my husband and I got last January. I think she's missing Marsha, so maybe down the road I may get her a buddy. Ok, so April comes around and its my 1st birthday without my husband. OMG.
I haven't gained weight but haven't lost any either and my knee is bad. I've had 2 injections but that only buys me time.
So I decided to start writing in MFP again and see if that helps. For those who don't know me, I'm 71, and current weight is 259. Have a ways to go till maybe 170. I guess I could start walking. And we have a great senior center close by.
I just feel tired and kind of beat up, handling bills, household stuff, etc. So, thanks for listening and I am with you all in spirit. XO14 -
Hi everyone,
I really need support and serious accountability so here it goes. I lost about 80lbs from May 2015- May 2017 with mfp (had a baby in that time also). I gained all of it back and here I am. I keep trying to keep up with logging and I just stop. I need to get back on board and take control of my health.
Goals:
Logging daily
Walking and other exercise 3x week
Better health
Height: 5'3"
SW: 220 lbs 5/2/22
CW: 220 lb (5/2/2022)
5/7:
5/14:
5/21:
5/28:9 -
Morning everyone,
I would say "good," but I am not feeling it, given the news. Remember, eating your feelings won't solve anything. Use your energy for more productive things. Or have a good time today and get back to it tomorrow, whatever way helps you cope best.
My weight has gone up a little, but again, meh, it's ovulation time- 189.6. I'm not worried about it. Even if it's true weight, which it's probably not. I've been travelling and haven't gotten a lot of sleep.
Tag party time:
@rockitwell86 Glad to hear you've figured out the way of eating that allows you to have a deficit without feeling deprived!
@JAC581 I like this:What I eat is up to me.
@biohazardinc I know this has already been covered, but I wanted to stress it: trust your lows. Your body can retain water to make your weight higher, but there's no such thing as a "false low." It's just your body weight without a lot of the water it normally retains (alcohol tends to dehydrate, etc.). So your body is 212, you're just seeing it with more water most of the time.
@seltzer_lover my place is also a hot mess, lol. I'm fine today, the shiner is turning pretty colors, but the thumb is feeling much better, and soon I'll be able to use it normally.
@EDTake2 maintaining without counting calories is incredible work! Well done! I'd love to be able to transition into that after doing maintenance for a while. Welcome back.
@RavenStCloud oh wow, that is too weird. I've never had anything that insistent happen, but I'm glad you listened.
@Cluelessmama1979Cluelessmama1979 wrote: »Would love any feedback to what yall think... did I hit the "eat at or under my calorie goal" if I stay in that range?
I think that range is a good starting point. Once you have a couple weeks of data, you'll be able to tell whether that's a quick or slow enough loss rate for you, and whether it might be worth it to raise calories to increase happiness, but slow down the loss. You've got this.
@kenziestabes I'm biased *glances at clock, lol* but I feel better when I'm up earlier. I feel like I get more done in the morning.
@porquenoirl I love your run-jog goal. Remember, no matter how slow you go: if you intend to be a runner, you are one. No barriers to the title.
@bonniemcc4 I love the idea of finding rewards! That is an area in which I have been slacking, but it would motivate me a lot.
@biohazardincCurious about this too. This weekend I had ham. There was about 100 different results but all had different calorie amount. I don't know which one is right.
for MFP, stick to entries that have a checkmark beside them. If you can't find any with a checkmark, google "USDA ___ calories" to give you an idea of what entries in the MFP database are closer. And, of course, choose foods in the database that are cooked if you're weighing cooked, or raw if weighing raw.
Macrofactor has this:
@_manny_702 I like this.
Mojo for your appointments this week!
@justanotherloser007 lol, sorry to hear about your clothes issues, it's funny though. Bodies are so weird.
Yes, in macrofactor I'm not logging exercise. They calculate expenditure based on rate of loss + food logged. You choose when you start up the goals (and can change them) how active you are week to week. Which, honestly, I like better than wondering how accurate the calories exercise gives me are.
Screenshot of the activity stuff:
For the body fat percentage, if you don't know it they have cartoon pictures, and you pick the one that looks closest to your body.
@finngirl61 I'm so sorry to hear about all that. This past year has really put you through the wringer. Welcome to the best thread on MFP, we're all here for you. I hope you're gentle with yourself, and that you can find comfort in movement and community (here, and irl). Welcome.
@FitnessGirl11mfp Welcome! I 100% have been where you are. Twice I had babies, lost weight, then gained it back as I struggled through breast feeding (I overate to try to make more milk). You've got this, welcome!
Have a good day, everyone.
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@CupcakeCrusoe "Forgot to mention yesterday, at my SIL's, I literally fell down her flight of stairs, lol. Luckily nothing seriously hurt, just a nice shiner on my eye and some rug burn, and my left thumb feels weird. But probably not broken, just doesn't like a lot of pressure put on it as yet. So I am Very Sore this morning" I am sorry that this happened. I am glad it isn't more serious. My grandfather died on stairs when I was 4, stairs are serious business sometimes. (((hugs))) I hope the shiner goes away sooner rather than later4
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@justanotherloser007 Lol, good question. A lot of it is trial and error. I have some friends from college in the area and a group of friends from my local church. So I guess text and ask if they want to grab brunch? Go bowling? If not that, then in my neck of the woods, young adult (under 40? Young at heart?) intermural sports are popular, and with my schedule changing to give me my evenings back, I might look into volley ball or something like that. Museums and parks, maybe. IDK
@CupcakeCrusoe I work in the evenings and don't get home until after 10:30 at night, so getting up early is a way for me to get stuff done before work rather than after. All I want to do when I get home is go to bed. lol.
Also, all my goals are null and void this week because I have COVID. yay5 -
@rockitwell86 I agree completely about finding what works for you. My husband loves paleo and my neighbor does good with Keto. I did really really good with WW but when they changed the program I just didn't feel it anymore and had to move onto something that would work for me. Now I'm on MFP. I've also experienced it too when I've restricted too much and gained weight. Bodies are so weird.
@seltzer_lover What kind of books are in this club? I was in a discord channel for the book club but then the discord group disbanded and the book club didn't even make it one week. I've really wanted to be part of one but can't find anything local.
@EDTake2 Good job on maintaining! I hope to get there one day.
@Cluelessmama1979 Congrats on making all your daily and stretch goals. I get confused on whether I should eat the daily allotment before or after exercise. I've heard both from different people. What do you all do? Also thanks for the advice. I weighed myself again today and am 213.8. I'll take that weight! And OMG the math you did. Makes me want to make a spreadsheet. I'm an accountant I like math but man is that way too much.
@kenziestabes & @porquenoirl @_manny_702 Good luck on hitting your May goals!
@bonniemac54 Hello! Good luck with your May goals.
@justanotherloser007 Your weights are very inspiring. I hope to get where your at. Even staying where you are at now would be wonderful. I hope the last 13 aren't too difficult on you. I can't wait to have smaller boobs although my husband always complains. He doesn't have to carry the things around!
@finngirl61 I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope your journey here is a good one.
@CupcakeCrusoe Thanks for posting that. I usually try to use the checkmarked ones but in contradicted with the amount that I googled.
HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY LADIES!4 -
biohazardinc wrote: »@seltzer_lover What kind of books are in this club? I was in a discord channel for the book club but then the discord group disbanded and the book club didn't even make it one week. I've really wanted to be part of one but can't find anything local.
Hey hey - it's more of a monthly book subscription (https://www.mybotm.com/0ixkthymctu), but I know there are FB groups (I'm not on FB, but have heard they exist), and at least one subreddit devoted to it that has discussions about the books. (https://www.reddit.com/r/bookofthemonthclub/) I also belong to a subreddit that is a large book club with different options each month (https://www.reddit.com/r/bookclub/) I don't always engage with the monthly picks, but I enjoy the conversation and I've definitely read along every now and then!
I also enjoy the book lists from Modern Mrs Darcy/What Should I Read Next podcast and often get ideas from there. She also has an active and engaged book club behind a paywall.
(I clearly love talking about books and reading!)4 -
@seltzer_lover @biohazardinc I have been meaning to read more for... ever, really. I guess I should make that another May goal - making time to read. I finally got around to finishing The Midnight Library after putting it down for a few months. There are so many books on my shelf that have just been sitting for so long. Never been part of a book club but I enjoy seeing what others are reading on Goodreads.2
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Going out for Girl's Night!! I was dreading this last week because that means eating out. And eating out means I can't control how the food is cooked and nutrition limits. Dinner is at Applebee's so I went online to pick my meal and get nutritional info now. I'm thankful Applebee's has a nutritional calculator although I don't know if whole heartily believe the calculations. Anyways!, holy moly the SODIUM in everything 😳. I'm allowing my self to go over in sodium today (only sodium and barely so) but I'll be so bloated tomorrow I just know it. Sometimes this being healthy thing is so inconvenient. 🤣🤣6
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seltzer_lover wrote: »biohazardinc wrote: »@seltzer_lover What kind of books are in this club? I was in a discord channel for the book club but then the discord group disbanded and the book club didn't even make it one week. I've really wanted to be part of one but can't find anything local.
Hey hey - it's more of a monthly book subscription (https://www.mybotm.com/0ixkthymctu), but I know there are FB groups (I'm not on FB, but have heard they exist), and at least one subreddit devoted to it that has discussions about the books. (https://www.reddit.com/r/bookofthemonthclub/) I also belong to a subreddit that is a large book club with different options each month (https://www.reddit.com/r/bookclub/) I don't always engage with the monthly picks, but I enjoy the conversation and I've definitely read along every now and then!
I also enjoy the book lists from Modern Mrs Darcy/What Should I Read Next podcast and often get ideas from there. She also has an active and engaged book club behind a paywall.
(I clearly love talking about books and reading!)
I will definitely have to look into these. I don't get to physically read a lot now days but I listen to audible A LOT. According to my Audible total time. I've listed for a total of 1 month 4 days 7 hours and 43 minutes. Or 834 hours.3 -
259.4! Up a bit from yesterday and the first, but I was expecting that due to uh... tummy troubles. Still under the 260 I'd projected for the first half of this week!
Met all my goals yesterday. Yay! And up to 5 days without mtn dew, and officially 3 weeks (21 days) without fast food today!
270's; 260's; 250’s; 240’s; 230’s; 220's;
210's; 200's; 190's; 180’s; 170's; 160's
SW: 273.0
HW: 274.4
Old SWs: 222.3/241.6
Former (dieting) LW: 161.8
May GW: 247?
UGW: 160 (then maintain 1 year, then we'll see)
May 1st: 259.2
Current weight: 259.4
May weight lost so far: 0.4 lbs
Weight lost this year: 15.6 lbs
Daily Focus:
🌼 Weigh in each morning
🌼 Eat at or under my calorie goal
🌼 Log honestly and consistently
🌼 Post each morning under this challenge
🌼 Move more each day than the day before
🌼 Avoid Mtn Dew
🌼 No fast food/Grubhub in May
🌼 Reduce caffeine intake from coke zero and coffee
Stretch Goals:
🌱 Reduce number of snacks to earn bigger meals
🌱 Plan meals and log in advance
🌱 Eat at least 2 full servings of fruits or veg per day
🌱 Cut down on coffee creamer
🌱 Keep a running total of weekly average calories for transparency.
May 01 - (goal 260) 259.2
May 02 - 258.8
May 03 - 259.4
May 08 - (goal 257)
May 15 - (goal 254)
May 22 - (goal 251)
May 29 - (goal 248)
May 31 - (goal 247)
@_manny_702 omg so close to Onederland! I'm jealous, lol!
@justanotherloser007 I'd be so stoked to lose a couple top sizes. I've wanted a reduction for years lol
@finngirl61 omg I'm so sorry to hear about your husband and your kitty! So much loss in a short time. You sound so strong, to me, already back into taking care of things within less than a year! I hope you get lots of support ❤
As far as the knee... I'm disabled and got a lot of suggestions for movements I can do even though I can barely walk at all. Not really exercises, but they might help? I don't know how to link posts on here, but I can tag you on that thread if you want?
@FitnessGirl11mfp welcome! I also lost a ton of weight like 5 years ago and regained it all (and then some). Don't worry, we're going to make it stick this time!
@CupcakeCrusoe sorry you're feeling down
I think you're right about the calorie range. I'm going to be lenient with myself this time!
@biohazardinc separate reply for you today cause math lol....
@JAC581 @seltzer_lover @biohazardinc I want in on this book club! I read mostly spec fic... fantasy, horror, sci-fi, alternate history, dystopian, etc, and used to write horror short stories
@Generic_Excuse I used to add 200 calories of "lies" every time I went to Applebee's or TGI Friday's... funny enough it always ended up reflecting accurately in my weight, that way lol. But... also remember that almost as important as losing weight is building a more normal relationship with food. Occasional dinners out are normal. It's okay to eat out as long as you're being sensible. If it messes with your calorie goals for the week, that's okay. If it's not all the time, it won't have changed things much in a year lol.6 -
Hello everyone!
Thank you again for another month of support. This is a wonderful group! I am sorry I don't do tagging parties but know I read each post and am cheering you all on and hugging you when you are down.
SW: 253 lbs
CW:225 lbs
UGW:150 lbs
The scale and I have been wrestling for a few months. I've been logging and exercising and putting in the work and not feeling like the results have been as fast as I wanted. It's been a lesson in patience.
I know I have always needed a lot of water (hello hyperhidrosis) so I decided to try to drink an extra 32 oz a day (now up to 128 oz). Wow did that ever make a difference! The weight came off this week in a woosh! I wish the scale was a little more steady for me rather than these wooshes but it is what it is.
I hit 225 lbs this morning! This is my pre-kids weight. I was this weight for a long time. Old-me would have been happy to stay here. But now I want more. I want to be able to do more than just go to work and come home. My 5 year old has a drive to climb a mountain (he talks about it all the time- He thinks it will happen when he is 10 or 11 years old). Dammit if he does it, I want to be able to do it with him! I don't want to hold him back or leave all the fitness stuff to his fit Dad. I want to participate. Maybe I won't actually climb the mountain (heights and all), but I want to be able to do challenging hikes with my family.
NSV!!! A couple of months ago I bought a 1X goal shirt. It now fits comfortably! I am wearing it to work today! I have two more goal shirts that are non-plus size (regular XL). I tried them on yesterday and they are tight but encouragingly tight. In one month they could fit! I'm very excited to get out of plus sizes. As much as the plus size industry has come a long way, the clothes are still way too expensive. I am looking forward to shopping at a consignment store!
Lets keep working towards our goals together! I look forward to reading about all your journeys!7 -
@biohazardinc I'm not who you were talking to but on the subject of your calorie allotment and exercise:
If you're using MFP as intended, you eat the number of calories that it tells you to - they've already accounted for your current stats (age, height, current weight, sex, activity level outside of purposeful exercise, desired rate of loss), so you can think of your calorie goal as a "budget" or "allowance" each day. If you do any purposeful exercise, you log that as well, and you "earn back" that many calories to eat for the day.
The idea is that you do not have to do purposeful exercise to lose weight - all you need is for your body to use more energy than you give to it in the form of food over a span of time, thus forcing your body to dip into its "emergency savings" (read: your stored body fat) to pay the energy bills. There are two ways to make that happen: (1) eat less, and/or (2) move more. Eating less is a far easier thing to do for most folks, especially folks who don't currently move much at all, for whatever reason.
MFP wants to help you see the connection between diet and exercise when it comes to weight management, and encourage you to build an exercise habit by giving you that immediate reward of "burned X more calories than normal, so can now have a little more food." On days when you are more active, you can eat more and still maintain that deficit. On days when you are more sedentary, you will need to eat a little less to stay in a deficit. For me, for instance, the last six-ish months have been a process of learning how active I need to be in order to eat the way that I want to and continue meeting my health goals, sort of looking at the CICO equation back-to-front. Having those numbers in front of you in the diary is meant to make the math clearer to folks who might not be as steeped in the theory of it all, because it can be overwhelming and there are PLENTY of entities out there with a vested interest in you not understanding it, so that they can sell you their "one weird trick."
If you get to the point where your exercise is part of your routine and you've gained some understanding of how much you can eat on workout days vs rest days, you can use a TDEE calculator like the one on Sailrabbit to figure out your allowance yourself rather than going with the guided setup (TDEE minus some amount depending on your desired rate of loss; ~250-500 off TDEE will get you down ~0.5-1lb per week on average).5 -
@CupcakeCrusoe I’m sorry to hear your not having a good day. If you need to talk you can always message me. But until then my thoughts are with you.2
-
biohazardinc wrote: »I will definitely have to look into these. I don't get to physically read a lot now days but I listen to audible A LOT. According to my Audible total time. I've listed for a total of 1 month 4 days 7 hours and 43 minutes. Or 834 hours.
I love Audible! I struggle with it for a lot of my book selections, but I've learned that I enjoy comedy and certain fiction via audio when I'm in the car. David Sedaris, PG Wodehouse, and the Stephen Fry Mythos series have all been good for me on audio and have gotten me through some 10 hour driving days.
2 -
@seltzer_lover @biohazardinc I have been meaning to read more for... ever, really. I guess I should make that another May goal - making time to read. I finally got around to finishing The Midnight Library after putting it down for a few months. There are so many books on my shelf that have just been sitting for so long. Never been part of a book club but I enjoy seeing what others are reading on Goodreads.Cluelessmama1979 wrote: »@JAC581 @seltzer_lover @biohazardinc I want in on this book club! I read mostly spec fic... fantasy, horror, sci-fi, alternate history, dystopian, etc, and used to write horror short stories
I think reading is like eating/losing weight - it's about a sustainable habit built around things you enjoy. It's why kids get turned off reading because "A Red Badge of Courage" in middle school is torture! How many of us had to read "Beowulf" in high school and wanted to climb out the window! AND I"M A DEVOTED READER.
I focus on the things I enjoy and while I do *occasionally* force myself into the reading version of a vegetable (The Grapes of Wrath, Walden, anything Hemingway), I very much try to stay within the genres and formats I find the most appealing so that I keep up the habit. Just like I eat chocolate on the daily!
@JAC581 - I couldn't get into The Midnight Library, so I'm interested if you enjoyed it? I ended up returning it to the library unfinished.
@Cluelessmama1979 - I'm sure there are groups for these specific genres all over the internet! They're not my usual choices, though, so I don't have any recs for you.
1 -
Keri
69 years old
5'6"
SW: 266ish
CW: 250.6 new scale weighs me 6 lbs heavier than old one so not sure about how much I have lost.
Halfway GW: 199.5
UGW: 150
May GW: get back into and stay in the 240s
5/2: 250
5/3: 249.6
🌻 May GOALS! 🌻
🟨 Log daily on MFP and track on my spreadsheet ✔
🟨 Keep making progress with walking longer and try to get to 6 days a week ✔ I seem to be consistent with 5 days a week of walking with varying lengths
🟨 Add strength training (weights, body weight and stretching) today?
🟨 plan and cook healthy meals at home ✔
🟨 Set a sensible deficit I set it and am eating at below my calorie goal
Today I got back down into the 240s. I have been hovering just above 250 but in the last week or 2 I have been losing. Yesterday I got to 250. Today I am at 249.6. Last month my low was 249.2 but that was after getting the 2nd booster and losing my appetite. My weight went back up soon after. This time I am down due to concerted effort to eat at a sensible deficit. So I may fluctuate but the trend will hopefully continue to go down. So I have achieved the 1st part of my goal for the month in getting into the 240's but to stay there I need to keep up this losing trend.
I just finished my online workshop for unemployment. Sometimes it is hard for me to get going after it. I often take a break. Today I plan to do some strength training which is a combo of warm up cardio, weight training, body weight training and stretching. I have to dig it up on my computer. I also want to get a few things for dinner etc, My meal planning and grocery shopping continued into this week so I just need to do a half week after today. 1st I will read your posts.4 -
@biohazardinc okay so ... math
Let's look at why you're getting different answers from different people.
As an example, let's say you've put your activity level at "lightly active" and your goal at "lose 1 lb per week".
The equations we will be using, the ones the calculators use, are to find your BMR, NEAT, TEF, and TDEE. (Your calorie burn is also affected by TEA, but calculators don't use that, so we'll also ignore it for now.
Your TDEE is the amount of energy your body needs to maintain your current weight, while going about your daily life. The formula to determine that is:
TDEE = BMR + TEF + NEAT + TEA
or in the calculators,
TDEE = BMR + TEF + NEAT
So, we just need to find your BMR, TEF, and NEAT.
BMR is part of the equations to find the others, so we start with that.
BMR is the amount of energy your body, at it's current size, needs to maintain basic life functions, regardless of activity level... even in a coma, and on life support.
There are 4 primary formulas for finding BMR, but one of them requires knowing your accurately measured body fat %, and one is... pretty outdated, so we look at the other two. Both are different based on hormone balances, because estrogen and testosterone affect your body differently (male vs female). We'll go with female in this example.
The first is the Harris Benedict equation (revised). This formula has been proven to be about 95% accurate within a range of +/- 201.
BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 × weight in kilograms) + (3.098 x height in centimeters) - (4.330 x age in years)
This equation shows that everyone with normal estrogen levels for a female of their stated age has a BMR which is equivalent to a base of ~447 as well as a given amount for each centimeter in height, and each kg of weight. And that their BMR decreases by the given amount for each year of life after puberty has finished.This equation is *not* appropriate for children or teens.
To solve for BMR, you simply plug in your stats and multiply, then add and subtract in order:
So, for example, I am 42 years old, weigh 117.4 kg, and 155.6 cm tall.
BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 × 117.4) + (3.098 × 155.6) - (4.330 × 42)
BMR = 447.593 + (1085.5978) + (482.0488) - (181.86)
BMR = 2197.0996
Most calculators will round that to the nearest whole number.
The Mifflin St Jeor equation assumes that each year/kg/cm burns a different amount on average given the average day to day life of people in our somewhat more modern society. It... I have found that the people who tend to find this more accurate are young adults, and people with thyroid issues or on medications which "slow weight loss". But that's just observation. It's always a lower total.
That formula for females/estrogen filled bodies is:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age in years) + 5
But we don't need 2 BMR calculations to answer your question, so I'll use the HB result.
Next is TEF, which is the amount of energy required to eat the average amount of food needed to reach your BMR.
TEF = BMR × 0.1
That one's easy, we just plug in my BMR. Because the calculators tend to round it, we will too:
TEF = 2197 x 0.1
TEF = 219.7
So now we have our BMR and our TEF, and we just need our NEAT.
NEAT is, essentially, the amount of energy our bodies need to perform our specific day to day activities. What's normal for me is not necessarily the same as what's normal for another woman my age at my same weight and height.
NEAT = BMR × activity level
So, first, ... calculators are all different.
Many use the equations above to find your TDEE. Others simply use TDEE = BMR x activity level. (Or (BMR x activity level) + TEF)
So here's the first problem.
If I was in a coma, not on life support. My activity level would be 0.1.
Plugging that in to our (accurate) equation would give us:
NEAT = 2197 (BMR) × 0.1
or NEAT = 219.7
My TDEE would be:
TDEE = BMR + TEF + NEAT
TDEE = 2197 + 219.7 + 219.7
TDEE = 2636.4
But if we use the formula some calculators use
TDEE = BMR x activity level
TDEE = 2197 x 0.1
TDEE = .... 219.7
So to correct the problem, they assign activity levels as 1 + the standard activity modifier. In my above example that's 1 + 0.1 or 1.1
If you use sailrabbit (by far the best calculator out there because it explains the activity levels and allows use of various formulas and specificity in measurements) you may have seen these adjusted modifiers next to the activity levels, ranging from 1.1 - 1.9.
TDEE = BMR × (adjusted) activity level
TDEE = 2197 × 1.1
TDEE = 2416.7
If we add in TEF, it's TDEE = 2636.4
Okay, so now that they add up the same, and we know what's involved in your TDEE, we can start to answer your question.
Also
TLDR for anyone who skipped the math, lol
Exercise is activity.
When you choose your activity level, some people default to "Sedentary" or "Not Very Active".
Most people don't. Most people don't think they are sedentary ("It's not like I sit around all day doing nothing") and attempt to choose an activity level they believe fits them.
Because this is self reported, it's seldom accurate.Most people overestimate their activity level.
But even when they don't... well...
At the start of this post I set our example to "lightly active"
Those *words* aren't regulated.
Different calculators assign them different modifiers. It could be anything from 0.3 - 0.5, or 1.3 - 1.5, depending on what calculator you were using.
Not only that...
Because you can see the descriptions there, we'll use the sailrabbit calculator, which uses 1.375
"Slightly Active, Exercise or Light Sports 1 to 3 days per week, Light Jogging or Walking 3 to 4 days per week."
So we say, "well I exercise a couple of times a week and I walk a couple times a week, and a lot of chasing after my kids, so that's me!"
Sailrabbit gives me a TDEE of 2521 with that activity level, because it doesn't account for TEF.
In our example, the goal is to lose 1lb per week, or about 500 calories under TDEE.
That means if I eat 2521 - 500 or 2021 calories, I should lose 1lb per week.
So I set my calorie goal to 2021.
Start eating in my limit.
Couple days later it's time for my walk. Remember I said I walk a couple of times per week? Well I go for a walk and synch up my data and the app says I burned 300 calories.
So... should I eat back the 300 calories?
In this case, the answer is no. I've already accounted for that walk:"Slightly Active, Exercise or Light Sports 1 to 3 days per week, Light Jogging or Walking 3 to 4 days per week."
So we say, "well I exercise a couple of times a week and I walk a couple times a week, and a lot of chasing after my kids, so that's me!"
That walk was already factored into our TDEE as part of our daily activity level. If we eat it back, we're counting the energy we burned *twice*.
Walking a couple of times per week, and exercising a couple of times per week, I need to take in under 2,021 calories per day to lose weight.
At "Sedentary", sailrabbit puts my TDEE at 2200. So 500 less than that, to lose 1 lb per week would be 1700.
That's without walking or exercising a coupke times per week.
I think to myself "I do a bit more than that, but my walking and exercising isn't really regular for me, so I will use this!"
So I set my calorie goal to 1700 and start eating within my goal.
Couple days later it's time for my walk. Remember I said I walk a couple of times per week? Well I go for a walk and synch up my data and the app says I burned 300 calories.
Should I eat an additional 300 calories? In this case, yes.
1700, plus the 300 from my walk.
I count 2 walks that week, 2 exercise sessions burning ~670 calories, and maybe another 300 burned throughout the week, and I eat back all the calories.
In my first, "Slightly Active" example, I am eating 2021 calories every day for 7 days.
Or 14,147 calories in a week.
In my second, "Sedentary" example, I am eating 1700 calories per day every day for 7 days.
Or 11,900 calories in a week, PLUS, 600 from walks and 1340 from workouts and 300 from other activities.
Total? 14,140 calories in one week.
Same results either way.
Both work, if used appropriately. It depends on what *you* chose to put in to the calculator.
So which is best?
That depends too.
Some people like to eat around the same amount every day, and eating back exercise calories will just confuse them or throw off their hunger cues or its just... not for them.
Those people should figure out their daily intake, taking into account their average activity level including workouts, and eat like in the first example. Same every day, no matter what.
Their exercise has already been accounted for.
Some people have active weeks and less active weeks. Or like "earning" more food. Or like the numbers to zero out.
Those people should figure out their daily intake at Sedentary activity levels (or, if like me, they are homebound and barely move, to "Constricted") and then eat back exercise calories as they are earned.
The second method is vastly more accurate, which is why people who eat back calories tend to be bigger proponents of this option.
People who fast one or more days per week should eat more on days they aren't fasting to make the weekly average balance out, and planning for that can be difficult with individual workouts so they often use the first method.
It's really about what works for the individual.
A few safety notes
Unless being monitored by a doctor or dietician (or a nutritionist with actual credentials), people of normal height (5'0" or taller for women; 5'7" or taller for men) who are 20 years or older, should not eat less than 1200 calories per day for women or 1500 calories per day for men. For children and teens, including adults under 20, or anyone who hasn't finished going through puberty, the minimums are 1500 for females and 1800 for males, regardless of height.
NO ONE should eat less than their healthy weight BMR, even if it's not under the above minimums.
Extremely short humans, (under 5'0" for women or under 5'7 for men) should not eat under 1000 calories per day for women or 1300 calories per day for men.
NO ONE should eat less than their healthy weight BMR, even if it's not under the above minimums.
Finally, your BMI is the best determiner of how much you should aim to lose per week.
If you're in a healthy weight range, that's less than 1/2 lb per week on average
If you're in the overweight category, 1/2 lb to 1 lb per week on average.
Obese category, 1lb per week is safest but up to 2lbs per week.
Morbidly (2-3 lbs per week) or Super-Morbidly Obese (3-5lbs per week) individuals can aim for bigger numbers *solely* because the health risks of morbid obesity sometimes outweigh the health risks of too-rapid weight loss. And that's *sometimes*.
Those numbers are to best figure out your *net* intake for weight loss.
If exercising takes you under the minimum or far below what you have set for a healthy rate of loss, *please* eat back your exercise calories either way.
Edit: spelling errors. Also, holy crap that was even longer than I thought.6
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