Follow me if you fit this category please!
ehlexa
Posts: 5 Member
I would like to follow someone’s diet/exercise plan on here who has lost 15lbs and keeps it off. I’m female, 5’5 and currently weigh 146lbs. I would like to go down to a 115-125 with nice tone and definition. Whatever weight that might be that looks great in a bikini. Please recommend someone for me!
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Hello. I hope to fit this category. I have lost 15 lb since February 22nd. My lowest was probably 16 lb in August, so I'm struggling to keep it off.
Here is my weekly schedule
Sunday yoga
Monday 45 minutes circuit training (free weights)
Tuesday yoga
Wednesday rest day (but I walk the dogs most days for 45 minutes at a very leisurely pace)
Thursday yoga
Friday 45 minutes circuit training (free weights)
Saturday rest day
Last week I experimented with running on Wednesday. Of all the things I've done this made me the most ravenously hungry!!!
Diet plan (when I stick with it)
Breakfast - yogurt and blueberries or strawberries
(Or protein powder after exercising)
Lunch - protein with fruit or vegetables
Snack -100 calorie popcorn or fruit
Dinner - this is the only meal in which I can have bread or rice or grains. I discovered that you really do not need to eat bread. Is usually a normal meal in the 500 to 700 calorie range.
Keep in mind that I am 64 years old and I can hardly eat anything without gaining weight. I try to only lose about a pound a week and that is much more manageable for me.
I hope that helps. I think it fits with a lot of lifestyles because the big temptation is eating out in the evening and it's easier to control what you do until then. You can always have a salad at lunch if you are careful about where you order it and whether or not you have dressing. Also I often will split an entree with a friend.
Good luck!3 -
I should point out that I do a hot yoga flow and the circuit training really gets my heart rate up. A few extra calories get burned that way.0
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Breakfast: Berry smoothie with protein powder and almond butter.
Lunch: medium chicken breast with avocado oil spread and veggies, asparagus is my favorite.
Dinner: Fish & veggies, with low-sugar sauce.
Snack: I try to get a 100 calorie snack in every day but it is a challenge.
Beverage: Water or sugar-free iced tea (5 calories per 12 oz.).
No processed foods, cook meals at home, no added sugars (sugar from fruits ok). Cut out red meat.
I exercise 1-2 times a week, but am trying to increase it to 2-3 times. I take tennis lessons, group fitness classes, and have a personal trainer.
I'm 5'2" and weigh 135 pounds. I'm trying to get down to 115. I have lost a total of 165 pounds, and keeping it off. My biggest goal is to be healthy. I'm doing all this work to improve my health, then go outside and smoke a cigarette. Have to quit. But maybe that's a post for a different forum.0 -
I'm 5'4" (I SWEAR I used to be 5'5" but whatever) - other than pregnancy, I've been up to 165 and fluffy. I'm currently maintaining at ~150, so I'm a lot heavier than most people would consider ideal, but I stay pretty freakin' lean (for reference, the little avatar pic is from back in March, when I did a cut and got down to ~137). More than happy to discuss nutrition, training, or whatever if you are so inclined.
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@JBanx256. I have a bunch of questions. After I find some smelling salts and Clorox to wipe the envy-green off my face! My Goodness! 💪💪🙌🙌👏👏3
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@CeeBeeSlim thank ya
I don't know if it's still this way, but at one point I know that MFP wouldn't actually let you message someone not on your friends list (you could type out the message and hit send, wouldn't get any sort of error message, but...it just wouldn't go through). So I just shot you a FR 0 -
@JBanx256! Thanks so much! Just accepted!
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Questions r a comin, so don’t defriend me! I’m still learning! 😁
So question 1 - I think I unwittingly was bulking or maybe recompin (started a 12 week strength training program 8 weeks ago but have been sloppy with my eating). So - while the scale never budged, my clothes still fit - I was maybe just a lil more filled out in them.
Now that I’m serious about cutting, what’s the best way to do that if my stats says to lose a pound a week I have to eat a max of 1100 calories?
Stats - 58, 5’3, 129 pounds and sedentary. (From mfp)
Thoughts? No rush! Just my self-esteem waiting…🤣🤣. JK0 -
CeeBeeSlim wrote: »
Now that I’m serious about cutting, what’s the best way to do that if my stats says to lose a pound a week I have to eat a max of 1100 calories?
YIKES. YIKES AGAIN.
2 thoughts:
-Are you willing to go at a slower rate of loss? Half pound a week? That would not have you going QUITE so low in calories.
-Can you increase activity a bit - maybe increase step count? That would give you some more calories to play with too. Not a ton of course, but enough to be not quite so miserable and not so great a risk shortchanging yourself on nutrients?
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@CeeBeeSlim
and a bit more...(sorry I'm at work and the rookie is driving so I'm kinda all over the place here)
Thoughts on macros:
-any idea of your estimated bodyfat %? The reason I'm asking is for your macros, shoot for the neighborhood of 1g per pound of LBM. Or you can go with 1gr/lb of your target bodyweight.
-your fat consumption should not drop below 0.3gr/lb of bodyweight per day - you need dietary fat for hormonal support & other basic functions.
-whatever the remainder of your calorie allotment is, you can fill with carbs (or protein, or fats - your preference, but with calories that low, figuring out what promotes satiety for you personally will be a biggie. But you're gonna need to get some veggies etc in there for fiber, nutrients etc and the good thing about them is they aren't calorie-dense so you can eat a lot (VOLUME!) of them0 -
@JBanx256. Thanks so much. Hmmmm.
Yes - I could lose slower - I redid my goals in MFP and that gave me 1200 calories - but that’s the lowest MFP will give me, right? When I add in my stats in the other calculators (BMR, TDEE, etc - I’m only losing at around the 1150 daily calories mark - if not less). Ugh. Short, older, and sedentary - I guess.
BUT - I could increase my activity - even if I get some cardio in somewhere or my daily steps. My goal is minimum 7500.
From those body fat photos I would say I’m about 23-23 body fat. Most of that is 32GG boobs. Ugh. Others for reference say I’m fine where I am - I feel a bit fleshy and think a 10 pound loss would be a huge difference.
I’ve read about the benefits of protein but was so focused on scale weight - macros was secondary. Plus the LBM was confusing to me. So if I’m 129 - just estimating - would a minimum of 100g of protein be good? I’m getting better with my veggies. Haven’t even tracked fat or carbs (although being
more conscious of cutting out processed junk).
Thanks so much for the quick and thoughtful response. You should be a professional coach!0 -
@CeeBeeSlim
quick & dirty LBM calculations...
First, use bodyweight & BF estimate to calculate total BF in pounds:
(BW in lbs) X (est BF % / 100) = total BF in lbs
Then subtract total BF from your BW to get LBM:
(BW in lbs) - (total BF in lbs)
So, if you're 129 lbs and you're estimating your BF% to be in the neighborhood of 22%?
129 x (22/100) = 28.38 lbs bodyfat
I'm gonna round that to 28 lbs
so then
129 - 28 = 101 lbs LBM
So yeah, 100gr of protein/day would be hitting the nail on the head perfectly!
RE: coaching - I'm actually currently taking a course to become a certified nutrition coach. NOT a registered dietician (I have neither the funds nor time to enroll in college courses, unfortunately). It has absolutely zero to do with my actual career, but it's something I'm interested in and as much as I read about it etc, might as well do something with it, even if it's not accredited or anything, yano? Lets me feel like I'm being productive, I guess?0 -
@JBanx256 This is great! A round simple number I can strive for. I think you should for it! You could help so many people!
And another question - are there truly foods that increase inflammation. I want to try to eat more healthy - less processed crap and stuff like coffee mate. You think I’d see a benefit health wise if I cut these out - even if I reached my calorie and weight loss goal?0 -
@CeeBeeSlim - I'm sure that some foods do increase inflammation to some degree, but I really haven't taken a deep dive into it and I'm personally not at a point where I'm going to change my diet around that. I think it's one of those things where if there is a distinct health concern and there may be a benefit to some tweaks, go for it. And of course, if your doctor says, "hey, looking at your labs (or whatever), I really think that you may need to consider cutting out _______" then by all means! However, you & I both know GP's aren't necessarily at the pinnacle of the nutrition/diet game, but you know what I'm saying. I'd take a specialist's recommendations to heart for sure.
As far as processed foods go...how do you define "processed" and can you define why a processed food is "bad" (ok, I don't think any food is necessarily "bad," so let's go with, "less good")? What food do you eat that legitimately has not been processed AT ALL? I'm not gonna eat raw meat (with the exception of sushi, but even that's been processed to some minor degree); isn't cooking processing?
Now I understand where you're going though - Coffee Mate is most definitely not harvested directly from trees and available at the local farmer's market! But is it inherently health-demoting? When people say, "ew, I don't eat anything with chemicals!" they are showing an utter failure to understand that literally everything we consume is made of chemicals, right? Where's the line in the sand?
And yes, there's a big difference between basing your diet around lean proteins and fresh veggies and lots of fruits etc etc...versus the giant caramel triple mocha frappe extra whipped cream and a huge pastry on the way to work and then biggie sized burger/fries/soda/shake combo for lunch etc etc...
Is one way of eating more health promoting, because providing more nutrients etc? ABSOLUTELY.
Is one way of eating going to be beneficial for weight loss goals? ABSOLUTELY.
Did I eat a pizza and wings and drink beer last night because my kid had a sleepover and my house was invaded by a pack of middle schoolers & I wished to live to fight another day? ABSO-FREAKIN-LUTELY.
PERSONALLY - all the meals I prep for work are very "whole food based" - meat/veggie/grains/etc. I take some fruit to have as part of a snack (the other part of it is usually a protein bar - which is most assuredly processed!). When I cook for the family, it's a lot "looser" (my husband is NOT gonna eat anything that he perceives as "diet food" so like tonight, we're having Crock Pot Creamy Basil Pesto Chicken over Angelhair Pasta. The "healthiest" meal on earth? NOPE. But does it check a lot of boxes and make the family happy? YUP, so it's OK in my book. And I baked a cake yesterday. There are trade-offs that I consider worth it. Caveat - when I'm cutting...yeah, that ain't happening LOL).
OK, sorry, that kinda went a-rambling, didn't it? Believe it or not, I haven't had any caffeine today, which may actually be the problem here right now LOL...ANYWAY. Back to what we were saying. Yes, absolutely, buying "minimally processed" (however you want to define that) is probably going to help you as far as weight loss goes. Is it 100% necessary to stick to that 100% of the time, or you're destined for failure? NOT BY A LONG SHOT. Balance, trade-offs, etc are my way of living. Do I have to adjust and tighten things up when I get serious about something, of course, but it's a sliding scale, not a boat anchor, on the spectrum.
Not sure if this made even the first bit of sense; if not, feel free to send me a virtual smack upside the noggin & we will regroup
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@JBanx256 Wow. This is so so incredibly valuable
to hear. There’s some psychological term for this - what I do - get on the fitness bandwagon - and then get immersed in every facet - calories, macros, scale weight, body fat, no meat, vegan, fasting, OMAD, dumbbells vs barbells, best cardio - whatever.
Your approach is no nonsense, moderate, not stressful and easy to implement. I can definitely make better choices but not be consumed by them.
Get your coach on, girl! 👏👏❤️😁💪1 -
@CeeBeeSlim
It's very easy to get completely consumed by the details. "Majoring in the minors," so to speak.
I like this image a lot:
Make sure you address the big rocks before worrying about the pebbles, and most people really never get to a point where they need to lose sleep over the granules of sand.
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@ehlexa - I lost 15lbs about 2 yrs ago and have kept it off through good nutrition, watching my macros and staying active and fit. But I had gained the weight recently and I've always been a bit of a gym rat and athlete so it was kind of an easy loss as I was happily returning to my 'normal' state. That having been said, I'm 49yrs old (a strong 129lbs at 5'3") and every year I have to be more conscious about eating well and keeping up my fitness. You can send me a FR if you want to follow my diary etc.
@JBanx256 and @CeeBeeSlim I'm inspired by all this talk! And the frickin photos too of course. My life is a bit topsy turvy right now but i want to learn more. I'm sending you both FR, if I can figure out how. Hope that's OK!1 -
We pals now, @k8richly. 😀. JBanx256 is the real deal, ain’t she!
And thusly - next question!
If I continue to progressively overload, and I do love it - if I get a bit sore as expected - will the scale ever go down? As I’m always carrying the water weight for repair?
Or if the scale is not moving down - it’s time to stop kidding myself and say I’m overeating for my calories needs - full stop.
It seems like I’ve been 128-129 for literally months. Some I know is crap eating. But when I’m truly trying - still no movement. 129. 129. 129. I’m going to deliberately try a close to “perfect” day today. - under calories, lots of water, veggies and protein, a 10k steps and just see what the scale says
tomorrow. Soooo frustrating.0 -
@CeeBeeSlim yay for being friends! I've also been 129-130 for a year or so. I think it isn't just water weight when you are sore and overloading, it is new muscle which weighs more than and is replacing your old fluff. It's Magic.
You've noted some super NSVs about old clothes fitting etc - I try hard to focus on those like maybe almost seeing a six-pack, (but nothing like JBanx!) and not worry about the scale. When I'm into strength training I try to reframe my wins and not worry too much about the number because it isn't telling me the right or whole story. The definition of my triceps is way more fun than stressing about the .5lbs on the scale.....
Now that's not to say that crap eating is OK. You do need to watch intake of course. As soon as I started tracking my basic macros and upped my protein I started realizing what I needed to feel full and when a day was off balance. Also, simply, portion size. I realized I often only need half a hamburger or 1 piece of pizza instead of 2 (or 3). By watching my macros I don't seem to overeat as often and still eat mostly whatever I want ( I'm still a pretty clean eater but i have kids and a husband who love red meat and comfort foods). You can now see my diary if you want!0 -
@k8richly glad to have ya!
@CeeBeeSlim - Oh yeah, it's not a perpetual thing. That said, the day or so after a particularly nasty leg session, I'll see a good bump up in scale weight. I'm pretty comfortable with scale fluctuations in general - a couple/few pounds up/down won't send me into a tizzy (I've seen up to ~7lbs/day in maintenance, so it takes a lot to rattle me. Now if I were in a cut...ehhh THAT drastic of a jump might make me a little queasy LOL).0 -
Thanks J/K! Very helpful. Wish I could say I’m there about scale weight but tizzy here I come if the scale goes up. I’m workin on that and trying to find NSV!
@JBanx256 - Can you see my profile and diary entries? @krichly - I had my techy niece reset everything!
Do you think a 1k -1.1k calorie daily goal is too low (health wise) if only a few weeks/couple of months?0 -
@CeeBeeSlim I personally think that's a pretty low calorie intake. We are the same height and weight and MFP has me at 1,400 for a .5lb/wk loss. Even at 1400 I often eat over on busy cardio or strength days. I used to be at 1,200 but I was fooling myself and not really hitting it because I simply needed more room so that I could eat a variety of things in a day. If you are workout / lifting you will be burning and therefore hungry. And its ok to fuel your work!
More protein will add to your daily calories but it's worth it! Increasing your protein, IMO will be the number one thing to leave you feeling fuller and stronger. That having been said, if I'm hungry, I check my macros - if I'm low on fats, then I eat something like 1/2 an avocado. If I'm low on carbs, I eat toast. Low on protein, eat some chicken. It's amazing how tracking my macros lets me deal with cravings in an effective low-cal way.
Anyway, if it's a super short term cut then maybe 1k calorie goal is OK but for an active person like you, Id just worry that it wouldn't be sustainable or even advisable. Your muscles and brain need fuel!0 -
@CeeBeeSlim
TBH I don't like the idea...because what is going to happen when you increase your cals back up from poverty levels (and to be clear - "poverty macros" isn't supposed to be disparaging; it's a fairly common phrase in the BB/physique world. Absolutely not intended to be offensive, but apologies to anyone who found it so)?
100 g protein = 400 cal
40 g fat* = 360 cal
So that right there alone puts you at a bare minimum of 760, and that's with literally ZERO carbs. Where you're gonna be at there is going to be severely lacking in micronutrients, energy, etc. Is it "do-able" in the short term? Well, yeah. But I can also punch myself in the face; just because I CAN, doesn't mean it's a good idea, right? I mean you are gonna be MISERABLE. I have actually been down ~1100 calories when in contest prep, toward the veeeeeeeeeery end when bodyfat levels were well below essential levels. Lemme tell ya - you wake up hungry in the morning, you go to bed hungry at night, sleep disturbances, etc. I was never satisfied, not even close, after a meal - I'd be slightly LESS hungry, but still ravenous. Constant bad mood (my husband can verify). 0/10 would not recommend. IT SUCKED. And of course, the inevitable - when I was able to eat what I wanted again, BIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGE.
So, yeah, you CAN do it, but PLEASE don't do it beyond VERY short-term, and even then, make sure you have a plan of when/how to come out of it - don't be surprised if you rebound.
My $0.02 would be go into a maintenance phase, even if only briefly (maybe up to 4 weeks? If you have regular periods, this would also let you get a good graphing of weight fluctuations at that time), to kinda feel out the macros and maybe juggle your fats & carbs a bit to see what is most satiating etc for you. This will also give you some time to increase your activity level without feeling the punishment of calorie restriction at the same time? And THEN, after all that has stabilized and you've got a good base, start trimming some cals? But once again, just my $0.02 - your body to do with as you wish & will support you however I can whichever route you choose!
*using the 0.3gr/lb BW bare minimum for fats, yes I rounded your weight up to 130 and the gr up to 40 from 39 just to use round numbers0 -
@CeeBeeSlim - forgot to ask - do you use an app that shows weight trend? That may support your sanity in regards to fluctuations. Lets you separate the signal from the noise.0
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@JBanx256 - I defriended you because you rounded my weight up to 130! I’m 129.467!!!!!!! 🥹🤣🤣.
I hear you both. Not gonna do it. I will find a way to increase my activity. I’ve done the big calorie decrease, lose the weight, get cocky, start eating normally and gain.
Last year April I was 112 - doing just that. Became skinny mushy fat but tiny.
Now I’m doing this progressive overload ST program and just need to get my head out of scale weight - I figured I could be 112 and firm but nope I’m 129 and look pretty good and feel great and strong - just with a tad more lower belly pudge than
I’d like. And just flustered that the scale is literally staying at 128.6-129.8 for MONTHS. I use happy scale0 -
CeeBeeSlim wrote: »
Now I’m doing this progressive overload ST program
YESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
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@CeeBeeSlim can you share this ST program with me? I'd love to see how you're going about it. Sounds like it's really working for you! How many weeks are you in? As soon as I'm home and back to a routine (and my gym!) I'm gettin down to business.
And I still can't see your profile or pic (in fact it bugs up MFP for in weird ways if i try to open your page) but I saw your diary today. Nice one!0 -
Of course @k8richly. Caveats - I can’t stand the name of the book (Strong Curves). In fact I covered the book front with another photo - the woman on the cover has a “come hither” ish look. Lol. There are four 12 week programs in the book based on your ability and goals, and I’m doing the “gluteal goddess” program. See - hateful!
Other have reasons for not liking him but I like his programs - I see results and I don’t get bored. You may want to add some more upper body work (biceps, triceps).
This is among the programs in that list on the main site, and there used to be a MFP group (now defunct).
I’m not social media savvy at all, but if you go on Reddit, there’s a group - not sure if that’s what it’s called - where folks have listed actual spreadsheets detailing the moves with pics and videos.0 -
Did I dream someone sent me a message about triscuits? I saw it - walked away - came back - and it was gone?! 🤣0
