Surprises so far

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hollyyblack
hollyyblack Posts: 3 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi! I'm Holly and I'm very new to MFP! I'm a nursing student in Massachusetts and I have about 100 pounds to lose!

...That's way too much. I can't even think about that. Even though it's down to 90 pounds already after less than a month (yeah, I know that's the water weight and the easy stuff), it still seems like a huge mountain to climb.

But I want to climb real mountains someday soon, and the fewer pounds I have to carry uphill the more likely I'll make that a reality, so I'm keeping at it. And I'm finding MFP an incredibly useful tool and supportive community for losing weight and building fitness.

Some things that have surprised me so far about the low-calorie lifestyle:

1) It's so cheap! I hadn't really added up how much I was spending on junk food before. Now that I'm actually making meal plans and shopping lists for the first time in my life, I'm probably spending half as much on food as I used to.

2) I'm eating so much! 1500 calories of vegetables and lean meat means much bigger meals than 2500 calories of carbs and grease. I was very afraid that I'd have to eat tiny meals and leave the table hungry all the time, but the fact that I can eat basically infinite amounts of salad is a huge comfort on that front.

3) I didn't plan on learning how to cook, but I am. I have some really bad "making food means heating it up" habits, but with junk food off the table, I'm learning how to do things like roast and season my food, and it's really pleasant.

What have you found surprising about changing your lifestyle?

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  • F00LofaT00K
    F00LofaT00K Posts: 688 Member
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    What have you found surprising about changing your lifestyle?

    I'm glad you found MFP, it has been very helpful for me and I hope it will be for you as well. The most surprising thing I've discovered is that I can easily eat every single food that I like and continue to lose weight while eating PLENTY of food (1800 cals). I focus on fitting each thing into my macros. For example: a cupcake is mostly carb, lots of fat and a tiny bit of protein. I can fit that in almost any day if I choose to.

    I focus mostly on trying to hit my macro targets while staying close to my calorie goal, though not all days are perfect. I'm really just surprised that I can eat cupcakes and chocolate, feel satisfied with my food choices and continue to drop weight at such a steady rate. I love it!

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