Want to share my story, And HOPEFULLY INSPIRE

Treneaking

My name is Tiffany King and I am married to my awesome husband Dominique, who has been in the Marine Corps for almost 8 years. Most of my time is spent working, spending time with Dominique, going to school for accounting, and eating healthy and trying to reach my fitness goals. I started my weight loss journey at 5'4 and 194 pounds, I now weigh 132, YES I lost 62 pounds SO FAR, but I lost weight the wrong way, I ate at a low calorie deficit for almost 8 months to lose my weight, but come to find out it was way too low eating at below 1100, sometimes below 950 calories a day. That is how I did it, but if I had it to do over again I would do it a more healthy way.

But now my plans have changed. I learned why starving your self is so unhealthy and how eating too low for too long can mess up your metabolism, and in some cases force a person to gain weight because of "starvation mode". Not to mention, If you eat too low and not enough protein, you lose both fat and muscle. In my case, I lost ALOT of weight, but alot of muscle too, left with a "skinny fat" type of weight loss. I am small, but still have excess skin due to lack of muscle, and I am not near as strong as I used to be.

So, first off, in order to fix this, I have started eating clean, and eating the proper amount of calories. In other words, I found out what it takes for my body to run with light activity, which is around 1860, and in order to lose 1 pounds per week you are only supposed to subtract, i think 250 a day, and to lose 2 lbs per week you are supposed to subtract 500 a day. So I am trying to make sure and stay below 1500, but above 1300 per day, and I usually eat back half or all of my exercise calories, sometimes eatting almost 1600 calories, YES 1600 and still lose!!!! and I ALWAYS (now after being educated) ensure that I DO NOT DIP BELOW 1250, because I know how unhealthy it is to have too large a deficit.

Also, I have incorporated in eating clean and strength training. LADIES, I HAVE LEARNED YOU WILL NOT BULK UP FROM WEIGHT TRAINING, As a matter of a fact, that is how you get the toned look, and get rid of the stubborn fat areas. Incorporate weight training and the rest will fall into place, eventually if you have enough muscle, the metabolism from that alone will help you BURN the fat, so you can actually see your muscles, ie six pack and lean muscular legs.

So, I had to throw that out there, because i have learned so much, and I am hoping that others will learn it too. NOW, I will be honest, I have not seen the long term results YET, so I am by no means a pro, but I have seen and noticed a change in my stomach, butt, and from eating clean, my digestive system is on track. I have noticed these changes(even though small changes) in about a month. And I will stick with it.

So why am I eating clean? And what does it mean to me?
I am eating clean, #1 for health, and treating my body with what it NEEDS to work right, to be strong and feel good.
#2 because I have learned that this is what it takes to "put things where they are supposed to be, and to eliminate cravings. The thing is, if we eat processed food then we are getting calories, but they are empty calories, so our body still craves nutrients and energy, ie. causing us to crave things... give in... and fall off the wagon. and I am not sure about all of you, but I AM TIRED of falling off the wagon. I have been eating clean for about 3 weeks, and before eating clean I would have a cheat meal/day every sunday, but now I don't even want a cheat day because I feel GREAT, SPECTACULAR, AND FULFILLED from eatting clean, and my body has all the nutrients it needs so I don't "crave" the bad stuff.

What does eating clean mean to me?
NO PROCESSED FOODS, and organic if possible(but it is a bit more expensive so I usually get from the grocery store. BUT I do make sure my milk is organic because I found out that they add sugar to milk in the stores, YES SUGAR!!! So I switched to organic on that. Also, no more sugar in my coffee or added to my oatmeal, (I only use 1 tsp of light brown sugar to my oatmeal now, and that is my limit for added sugar for the day).

So in conclusion
~No saturated fat, only healthy fats from clean foods
~No processed foods, ensuring that the ingredient that I am buying is the only ingredient on the nutrition label, like rice, oats, chicken(with no extra preservatives), peanut butter (only ingredients is peanuts), all natural grape jelly (no sugar added, only ingredients are natural ingredients)
~LOW SODIUM, my biggest problem WAS water weight and it would discourage me, making me feel puffy, so I am now always below 1800mg of sodium per day, sometimes i will go higher on accidentlily, but always below 2500 no matter what.
~No pre-made foods, I cook one day enough for three days so I am the one making my food and I know whats in it. Tupperware is my best friend here, and I have taken over a shelf in the fridge, lol
~ No extra medicines, I try to fix issues with nutrition, for instance, I had some issues with my stomach and I fixed it with ginger, cilantro, chia seeds, and prunes, and it helps things move naturally, avoiding a dependency on medications, ie healthier
~ Not necessarily for eatting clean, but for metabolism, I ALWAYS eat every 2-3 hours, and once you get used to it, you actually want to eat that often, and it prevents your body from going into starvation mode, because it knows that you will keep giving it fuel, so it won't store fat. Your body will burn food faster, ie metabolism, if you feed it more often. Wierd how that works, your body needs food to burn food.
~ Stay focused and realize that it is not only good for weight loss and strength, but for good health and metabolism. If I take care of my body it will work the way it is supposed to, ie avoiding weight gain and other issues.
~ So what do my meals consist of?
-vegetables
-fruits
-nuts
-pb&j ALL NATURAL,
-only whole grains, ingredients must say whole, complex carbs keep you energized all day because your body takes longer to digest them and it keeps your blood glucose stable through the day, instead of processed carbs that make you spike and then make you tired, I am no longer afraid of carbs as long as they are the right kind
-fish, wonderful for healthy fats
-LOTS OF WATER 150 oz a day is my goal(you will get used to drinking that much over time, NO SODAS, NO PROCESSED JUICES sodium is horrible for water weight, especially with women who are smaller framed and water weight makes a huge difference
-chicken
-tuna
-homemade tomato soup
-lots of homemade omlets with fresh onions and baby bella mushrooms
- SO BASICALLY- Fruits Vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbs, and a crap load of water
AND I FEEL GREAT AND MY BODY IS HAPPY, and not to mention, I ACTUALLY BROKE MY PLATEAU, by eatting more, yes more, and feeding my body what it needs. Forget the word diet, I have made a lifestyle change.

Alot of my motivation for this comes from www.muffin-topless.com, this chick lifts weights and eats clean and looks freakin amazing. I always wondered why I was skinny, but things were still "not where they were meant to be" Thats because I didn't keep the muscles when I lost, leaving "saggy skin", and a "flat butt" It is great to be smaller now, BUT I want to see my true potential so I have cracked down on myself and I spend most of my down time reading forums, and looking at motivational images on google. I highly recommend for all of you ladies, type into "google", "motivation for eatting clean" and click on images, the quotes and the photos are amazing and truely motivating. ALSO: I highly recommend watching, "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead" and "hungry for change", AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME

I have heard, if you want something bad enough, you should think about it every day, so I do, I have decided that any time I have down time, to be more active in MFP forums, get more friends, and always read articles about motivation and health.

So my goal, to lose about 5-10lbs more, while eatting clean and lifting weights to "get things where they are meant to be"

I will measure not only by the scale, but with a tape measure as well. I am a month in, but on month 6 I will be getting a professional check on my Body Fat percentage, I have never had this done before, but would like to know how much eatting clean and strength chaining can lower that number. They always say the last 10 lbs is the hardest, and it is no joke, I have plateaued, lost a bit, plateaued again, gained a bit, got back down, and a little further, only by like .4 pounds a week am I making a difference, and some weeks no difference at all. But I have decided not to stop and that I can BE THAT GIRL, and I deserve to BE THAT GIRL, that everyone wants to be. I am 25 and I want to be young, sexy and youthful while I am supposed to be young sexy and youthful.

Why I want to get in shape
I want to be able to be healthy, fit and go to a dressing room and have clothes "just fit right". And I want to feel good in my own skin, and I want to WANT to undress for my husband, and truely be confident in my own skin no matter what. I want to heal my skin from the inside out with nutrition, and possibly try juicing to rid my body of toxins.

I JUST WANT TO BE YOUNG, HEALTHY AND SEXY!!!

And by golly, I won't stop until I'm done and I will then fight to keep it

My Inspirations
www.muffin-topless.com
bikini season
being confident
being healthy

If you are on a similar journey or want motivation, or are willing to give me motivation as well, please add me, I need more friends!!! I will be posting progress pics every few weeks

155lynnie

I really need help in understanding the calories. I am earning a lot back in exercise and when I'm finished for the day, MFP says I'm not eating enough! I am FAT I can't exercise and then eat, not when I'm trying so hard to lose this weight. I need a simple way of understanding this and what is right. Can you help me?

MissCamry

Thank you for your inspiration Tiffany. You remind me a lot of my mother who has been Vegan for a few years. I would love to start eating clean fully, but for right now I'm trying to cut out processed food and sticking to water as well. My income won't allow but so much for me to be able to purchase certain foods in my grocery list. But then again, I'm sure many others will say that it's all about priority. Thank you for posting this and giving me a little motivation throughout my day. I am a beginner in exercise, and love to hear that you are being realistic. I'm hoping my own positivity and dedication will help in paying off at the end of my journey. But it's never the end... If we want results, we also have to maintain them right? I have learned this from being a Type 1 Diabetic for 15 years and having a disability. Anything is possible, and what you allow will continue. Thank you again for being another person who wishes to inspire out there. I see so many complaints, but there is ALWAYS a positive side to everything.

Much love and gratitude,

Camry

donyellemoniquex3

For those TLDR folks:

"I started my weight loss journey at 5'4 and 194 pounds, I now weigh 132, YES I lost 62 pounds SO FAR, but I lost weight the wrong way, I ate at a low calorie deficit for almost 8 months to lose my weight, but come to find out it was way too low eating at below 1100, sometimes below 950 calories a day.

I have been eating clean for about 3 weeks, and before eating clean I would have a cheat meal/day every sunday, but now I don't even want a cheat day because I feel GREAT, SPECTACULAR, AND FULFILLED from eatting clean, and my body has all the nutrients it needs so I don't "crave" the bad stuff.

~ Not necessarily for eatting clean, but for metabolism, I ALWAYS eat every 2-3 hours, and once you get used to it, you actually want to eat that often, and it prevents your body from going into starvation mode, because it knows that you will keep giving it fuel, so it won't store fat."

Treneaking

For those TLDR folks:

"I started my weight loss journey at 5'4 and 194 pounds, I now weigh 132, YES I lost 62 pounds SO FAR, but I lost weight the wrong way, I ate at a low calorie deficit for almost 8 months to lose my weight, but come to find out it was way too low eating at below 1100, sometimes below 950 calories a day.

I have been eating clean for about 3 weeks, and before eating clean I would have a cheat meal/day every sunday, but now I don't even want a cheat day because I feel GREAT, SPECTACULAR, AND FULFILLED from eatting clean, and my body has all the nutrients it needs so I don't "crave" the bad stuff.

~ Not necessarily for eatting clean, but for metabolism, I ALWAYS eat every 2-3 hours, and once you get used to it, you actually want to eat that often, and it prevents your body from going into starvation mode, because it knows that you will keep giving it fuel, so it won't store fat."

May be a silly question, but what is TLDR?

donyellemoniquex3

For those TLDR folks:

"I started my weight loss journey at 5'4 and 194 pounds, I now weigh 132, YES I lost 62 pounds SO FAR, but I lost weight the wrong way, I ate at a low calorie deficit for almost 8 months to lose my weight, but come to find out it was way too low eating at below 1100, sometimes below 950 calories a day.

I have been eating clean for about 3 weeks, and before eating clean I would have a cheat meal/day every sunday, but now I don't even want a cheat day because I feel GREAT, SPECTACULAR, AND FULFILLED from eatting clean, and my body has all the nutrients it needs so I don't "crave" the bad stuff.

~ Not necessarily for eatting clean, but for metabolism, I ALWAYS eat every 2-3 hours, and once you get used to it, you actually want to eat that often, and it prevents your body from going into starvation mode, because it knows that you will keep giving it fuel, so it won't store fat."

May be a silly question, but what is TLDR?

Too Long; Didn't Read.

Treneaking

I really need help in understanding the calories. I am earning a lot back in exercise and when I'm finished for the day, MFP says I'm not eating enough! I am FAT I can't exercise and then eat, not when I'm trying so hard to lose this weight. I need a simple way of understanding this and what is right. Can you help me?

155lynnie, I understand you want to lose alot, but if you take the time to research what your body really needs in calories, i feel that you may find you are eating too little, in my opinion.

Just a few more questions, if you don't mind me asking, what is your height and weight and what do you do for work? Maybe I can help you calculate your BMR and your TDEE

BMR = what your body needs if you do absolutely nothing
TDEE= what you actually use based off of what you do daily, exercise, work, walking to and from the store or to run errands, ect. As I read from others, this may vary and the calculators that are avaliable are just an estimate. You want to figure out what you need, and go 500 below that per day to lose 2lbs a week (more than that is unhealthy), and 250 below to lose 1lb per week.

In conclusion, find your TDEE, and subtract 500 from the total calories you need per day to create a calorie deficit.

If you are eating too low then you could mess up your metabolism by creating a constant starvation mode, which will cause your body to reserve energy as much as possible, you need energy for metabolism to work properly. Also, if you are not getting enough protein you could start losing muscle mass with the weight you are losing, also hurting your metabolism, the more muscle a person has, the better their metabolism works at a sitting down, doing nothing pace. The lower your muscle the lower your metabolism. Keep it up though, and never give up on your self, You are the only one you can rely on to take care of yourself. It takes time and dedication, but treating your body right and sticking to your goals will pay off in self confidence, furthering your motivaion, furthering your happiness, keeping you positive and wanting to do better, and the cycle continues.

Check out the pic on this page for motivation

http://kimbaskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/10/still-mad-you-only-lost-1-pound.html

Every pound counts, look at the picture and picture it on your body, and look at if you only lost 1 pound per week. Keep it up and you WILL see results.

But remember DO NOT, I REPEAT DO NOT STARVE YOURSELF, YOUR BODY IS LIKE AN ENGINE THAT NEEDS FUEL TO RUN. Treat your body right and it will be great in return to you.

Treneaking

For those TLDR folks:

"I started my weight loss journey at 5'4 and 194 pounds, I now weigh 132, YES I lost 62 pounds SO FAR, but I lost weight the wrong way, I ate at a low calorie deficit for almost 8 months to lose my weight, but come to find out it was way too low eating at below 1100, sometimes below 950 calories a day.

I have been eating clean for about 3 weeks, and before eating clean I would have a cheat meal/day every sunday, but now I don't even want a cheat day because I feel GREAT, SPECTACULAR, AND FULFILLED from eatting clean, and my body has all the nutrients it needs so I don't "crave" the bad stuff.

~ Not necessarily for eatting clean, but for metabolism, I ALWAYS eat every 2-3 hours, and once you get used to it, you actually want to eat that often, and it prevents your body from going into starvation mode, because it knows that you will keep giving it fuel, so it won't store fat."

May be a silly question, but what is TLDR?

Too Long; Didn't Read.

Oh I gotcha!! Well I really like the points you chose to highlight, all very important!!! You are a smart woman!!

sloth3toes

You want to figure out what you need, and go 500 below that per day to lose 2lbs a week (more than that is unhealthy), and 250 below to lose 1lb per week.

One correction... 500 calorie deficit per day, = 3500 calories per week = 1 lb loss. 250 per day = 1/2 lb loss per week. 1,000 calorie deficit per day = 2 lbs per week loss.

And from Sarauk2sf

As a rule of thumb, the following weekly targets would give a balance between minimizing these negative side effects and seeing a reasonable weekly weight loss:

More than 75 lbs: 2 lbs/week
40-75 lbs: 1.5 lbs/week
10-40 lbs: 1 lb/week
Less than 10 lbs: 0.5 lb/week

giblerj27

That was a great story. Keep up the good work. Tell your husband thanks for his service. I was in the Army myself. I do admit I am having a hard time understanding why MyFitnessPal has set my daily Calories to 1280 Calories. I am a Male, 5'6", at 201 Lbs. I am a student so I have my activity level set on Sedentary, but I do add in my exercise. However for the days I don't workout, am I really only using up that many calories? I have it set to lose 2 Lbs per week. Just doesn't make sense.

sloth3toes

That was a great story. Keep up the good work. Tell your husband thanks for his service. I was in the Army myself. I do admit I am having a hard time understanding why MyFitnessPal has set my daily Calories to 1280 Calories. I am a Male, 5'6", at 201 Lbs. I am a student so I have my activity level set on Sedentary, but I do add in my exercise. However for the days I don't workout, am I really only using up that many calories? I have it set to lose 2 Lbs per week. Just doesn't make sense.

You have it set to lose 2 lbs per week, so there's a built in deficit of 1,000 calories per day. That means to maintain at your current weight, you'd eat 2280 calories per day. If you want to eat more, eat 1780 calories per day, and you should lose 1 lb per week. The most aggressive loss isn't always the best way. And thank you for your service.

giblerj27

Thank you very much for that advice! I will adjust accordingly. I just knew it seemed odd that I had to eat THAT much less.

Treneaking

That was a great story. Keep up the good work. Tell your husband thanks for his service. I was in the Army myself. I do admit I am having a hard time understanding why MyFitnessPal has set my daily Calories to 1280 Calories. I am a Male, 5'6", at 201 Lbs. I am a student so I have my activity level set on Sedentary, but I do add in my exercise. However for the days I don't workout, am I really only using up that many calories? I have it set to lose 2 Lbs per week. Just doesn't make sense.

You have it set to lose 2 lbs per week, so there's a built in deficit of 1,000 calories per day. That means to maintain at your current weight, you'd eat 2280 calories per day. If you want to eat more, eat 1780 calories per day, and you should lose 1 lb per week. The most aggressive loss isn't always the best way. And thank you for your service.

Thank you for the correction, i knew i might have been off with how many calories for how many pounds. and i agree with you, most people get automatically set to a 1200 calorie goal, or around there. but it is harder to maintain that goal, thats why it is better and healthier to eat a little more and lose a little more slowly, you are more likely to stick with the weight loss journey, you get more nutrients, so you have less cravings, and you will not gain it back nearly as fast as those who "starve themselves" to lose fast. Like I did, I lost my weight fast and the I would gain easily within just a couple of days of eatting bad, because my metabolism slowed so much when i was watching calories so low, that when i did start eatting again without calorie counting, my metabolism couldn't process it as fast, and i would store it because my body thought i was going to go back to eatting low calories.

But as i said, i have learned differently now, and i am eatting in a way that i can maintain, AND i broke my weight loss plateau by eatting more, YES more.

Treneaking

Thank you very much for that advice! I will adjust accordingly. I just knew it seemed odd that I had to eat THAT much less.

Great Great and Awesome, this is the whole reason I wanted to share, to tell people that you can eat more, and you don't have to restrict as much as you think you do to still lose weight. I am so so happy you are going to adjust. Happy Happy smiles coming your way. Just make sure to measure correctly so that you don't get too close to the maintain calorie count, and to make sure you are always at some deficit to keep weight loss going!!

Treneaking

That was a great story. Keep up the good work. Tell your husband thanks for his service. I was in the Army myself. I do admit I am having a hard time understanding why MyFitnessPal has set my daily Calories to 1280 Calories. I am a Male, 5'6", at 201 Lbs. I am a student so I have my activity level set on Sedentary, but I do add in my exercise. However for the days I don't workout, am I really only using up that many calories? I have it set to lose 2 Lbs per week. Just doesn't make sense.

Thank you for liking my story, and thank you for reading. I will tell my husband, and thank you as well for your service, and your family too. Please see other comment that responded to you for your answer, I agree with sloth3toes, had a great response for you, and nailed it. But if you want to look at what your body burns while doing absolutely nothing, research for a BMR calculator, but this does not tell you what you need for walking to and from class, doing homework, doing laundry, or house work, or anything, it all requires more calories than your BMR, This just tells you what yourbody needs to stay alive and do nothing, that will you give you roughly what you always need.

Treneaking

You want to figure out what you need, and go 500 below that per day to lose 2lbs a week (more than that is unhealthy), and 250 below to lose 1lb per week.

One correction... 500 calorie deficit per day, = 3500 calories per week = 1 lb loss. 250 per day = 1/2 lb loss per week. 1,000 calorie deficit per day = 2 lbs per week loss.

And from Sarauk2sf

As a rule of thumb, the following weekly targets would give a balance between minimizing these negative side effects and seeing a reasonable weekly weight loss:

More than 75 lbs: 2 lbs/week
40-75 lbs: 1.5 lbs/week
10-40 lbs: 1 lb/week
Less than 10 lbs: 0.5 lb/week

I agree with you and I am going to edit my profile where i have placed this same story in the about me column. Thank you for the edit, I thought it didn't seem right when I put it in there. I just knew that I personally try to stay between a 250-500 calorie deficit, because I don't want to lose more than a pound a week

SephiraRose

Thanks for sharing your story.

time4kim2014

Very inspiring, I am now going to start eating clean, I really needed some motivation!

Treneaking

Very inspiring, I am now going to start eating clean, I really needed some motivation!

That is awesome!! Let me know how it helps your energy, for me that was the best part!!

Holly_Roman_Empire

For those TLDR folks:

"I started my weight loss journey at 5'4 and 194 pounds, I now weigh 132, YES I lost 62 pounds SO FAR, but I lost weight the wrong way, I ate at a low calorie deficit for almost 8 months to lose my weight, but come to find out it was way too low eating at below 1100, sometimes below 950 calories a day.

I have been eating clean for about 3 weeks, and before eating clean I would have a cheat meal/day every sunday, but now I don't even want a cheat day because I feel GREAT, SPECTACULAR, AND FULFILLED from eatting clean, and my body has all the nutrients it needs so I don't "crave" the bad stuff.

~ Not necessarily for eatting clean, but for metabolism, I ALWAYS eat every 2-3 hours, and once you get used to it, you actually want to eat that often, and it prevents your body from going into starvation mode, because it knows that you will keep giving it fuel, so it won't store fat."

Thanks for the short version. :drinker: