Looking for friends

JHart0816

Hello! I've been aware of EM2WL for a year or so now, but have just recently gotten more serious about tracking what I eat.

From December 2012 to April 2014 I gained 10 pounds, despite exercising daily (P90X, Focus T25, running, etc.). Being 5'3" tall, those 10 pounds really made a difference. My jeans are all too tight and most of my favorite tops are no longer flattering. Obviously I wasn't tracking what I was eating during this time, so I have no idea how out of control my eating habits were.

This April, I knew I had to make some changes. At first, I didn't even log what I was eating, just cut out some junk. Since April, I've lost 5 pounds and am now 131 pounds. Most of my clothes still don't fit so great, and I have a nice bit of flab around my belly and back. I am now tracking what I eat and am trying to determine about how much I should be eating each day to meet my goals.

I don't really care if the number on the scale changes. Overall, I really like my body. I think I have an athletic shaped body and generally look fit, as long as I'm not in a bikini However, I wouldn't mind rocking a bikini, considering I've always been active and work out regularly. It'd be nice to be more confident in my skin and be able to show off my hard work. I'd also love to wear the clothes in my closet that have been ignored for the past year and a half.

My TDEE is 2074. TDEE minus 5% is 1970. Not sure how accurate this could be, but the Scooby website states that if I ate 1970 calories from here on out, I'd be 124 pounds in 10 months. I'm totally ok with that slow of a weight loss, so I'm thinking about trying out that amount of calories for a month or two and seeing if anything changes.

My challenge now is trying to figure out how to use up all of those 1970 calories. I've been averaging 1750 to 1850 calories a day over the past month or so. And even with that amount of calories, I feel like I eat too much junk. And I feel like my main meals are too small, so I'm hungry most of the day. I'd love to see what others, especially women around my size, are eating to get a better idea of what to eat. I'd also love more interaction with others who have taken on the EM2WL lifestyle.

Jennbecca33

Hi JHart0816! Welcome to EM2WL!

You seem to have a good plan in place...the smaller the deficit, the better. Just be careful with that small of a deficit and make sure you are weighing and logging truthfully all your foods, as it's very easy to eat away a 5% deficit without really even being aware of it. You will want to focus on protein to help you feel more full and also to preserve muscle. You can make your main meals a bit larger so that maybe you don't find yourself snacking on those not so great items as much in between. Set your macros in MFP to 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat and try to adjust your foods to begin aligning with these. Eggs, meats, nuts, cheese, peanut butter, Greek yogurt, jerky, avocado, butter, milk, whole grain breads and pastas and rice, protein bars and shakes....all great to eat to help fill up your calories, meet protein requirement, and give you lots of energy.

I hope this helps!

JHart0816

Thanks Jenn!

I agree I need to focus more on protein. I've come to realize that I really need to plan ahead in order to ensure I get enough protein. This week has been terrible in that regard and I wonder if that's part of why I've felt so lousy.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'll be adding a lot of these things to my grocery list for next week

Sarahsteve7kids

I too am looking for friends who eat more! I had not previously ate low calorie but at almost 200 pounds on April 27 I cut my calories to 8400 per week. I quickly lost 40 pounds! I still want to lose about 30 more but have realized I need to do this healthier and slower. Three weeks ago I upped my calories to 1850 per day average (I still go by the week total) I gained at first and now only weigh .6 pounds less than I did 3 weeks ago toady. I lift weights (heavy for ME) and do HIIT 3 times per week. My TDEE is 2050! I want to stick this out but an freaking over not seeing scale changes.

Sarahsteve7kids

Hi JHart0816! Welcome to EM2WL!

You seem to have a good plan in place...the smaller the deficit, the better. Just be careful with that small of a deficit and make sure you are weighing and logging truthfully all your foods, as it's very easy to eat away a 5% deficit without really even being aware of it. You will want to focus on protein to help you feel more full and also to preserve muscle. You can make your main meals a bit larger so that maybe you don't find yourself snacking on those not so great items as much in between. Set your macros in MFP to 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat and try to adjust your foods to begin aligning with these. Eggs, meats, nuts, cheese, peanut butter, Greek yogurt, jerky, avocado, butter, milk, whole grain breads and pastas and rice, protein bars and shakes....all great to eat to help fill up your calories, meet protein requirement, and give you lots of energy.

I hope this helps!

I eat less carbs due to stomach issues! I try to stay under 75 grams per day. I make sure I'm getting 100-120 grams of protein. The balance is healthy fats. My TDEE is 2050, use said to keep a small deficit ! Do you think I should stay at 1840 per week??? Only been at this for three weeks?

Jennbecca33

Hi JHart0816! Welcome to EM2WL!

You seem to have a good plan in place...the smaller the deficit, the better. Just be careful with that small of a deficit and make sure you are weighing and logging truthfully all your foods, as it's very easy to eat away a 5% deficit without really even being aware of it. You will want to focus on protein to help you feel more full and also to preserve muscle. You can make your main meals a bit larger so that maybe you don't find yourself snacking on those not so great items as much in between. Set your macros in MFP to 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat and try to adjust your foods to begin aligning with these. Eggs, meats, nuts, cheese, peanut butter, Greek yogurt, jerky, avocado, butter, milk, whole grain breads and pastas and rice, protein bars and shakes....all great to eat to help fill up your calories, meet protein requirement, and give you lots of energy.

I hope this helps!

I eat less carbs due to stomach issues! I try to stay under 75 grams per day. I make sure I'm getting 100-120 grams of protein. The balance is healthy fats. My TDEE is 2050, use said to keep a small deficit ! Do you think I should stay at 1840 per week??? Only been at this for three weeks?

Hi Sarahsteve7kids, and welcome to EM2WL!

We recommend a 15% cut from your TDEE for weight loss. If your TDEE is 2050, a 15% cut from that would be around 1743 calories per day. If you have been eating 1840 per day, that is a very small deficit. You could try eating around 1743 calories per day and monitor your results. Remember, it takes time for your body to adjust, especially after increasing calories up from only 1200 a day. Try eating at 1743 for 6 weeks and monitor your weight loss. If you do not see a downward trend after 6 weeks, then be sure to post back here and we can help you adjust your numbers. If I read your previous post correctly, you only have been eating low calorie for the last 3 months, correct? Let's see how you do with eating about 1743 per day continuing with your current activity level. Just be sure to give your body time to adjust before you get discouraged by the scale not moving. There are lots of good things happening outside of the scale! I hope this helps! Feel free to add me for support!

Sarahsteve7kids

Hi JHart0816! Welcome to EM2WL!

You seem to have a good plan in place...the smaller the deficit, the better. Just be careful with that small of a deficit and make sure you are weighing and logging truthfully all your foods, as it's very easy to eat away a 5% deficit without really even being aware of it. You will want to focus on protein to help you feel more full and also to preserve muscle. You can make your main meals a bit larger so that maybe you don't find yourself snacking on those not so great items as much in between. Set your macros in MFP to 40% carbs, 30% protein, and 30% fat and try to adjust your foods to begin aligning with these. Eggs, meats, nuts, cheese, peanut butter, Greek yogurt, jerky, avocado, butter, milk, whole grain breads and pastas and rice, protein bars and shakes....all great to eat to help fill up your calories, meet protein requirement, and give you lots of energy.

I hope this helps!

I eat less carbs due to stomach issues! I try to stay under 75 grams per day. I make sure I'm getting 100-120 grams of protein. The balance is healthy fats. My TDEE is 2050, use said to keep a small deficit ! Do you think I should stay at 1840 per week??? Only been at this for three weeks?

Hi Sarahsteve7kids, and welcome to EM2WL!

We recommend a 15% cut from your TDEE for weight loss. If your TDEE is 2050, a 15% cut from that would be around 1743 calories per day. If you have been eating 1840 per day, that is a very small deficit. You could try eating around 1743 calories per day and monitor your results. Remember, it takes time for your body to adjust, especially after increasing calories up from only 1200 a day. Try eating at 1743 for 6 weeks and monitor your weight loss. If you do not see a downward trend after 6 weeks, then be sure to post back here and we can help you adjust your numbers. If I read your previous post correctly, you only have been eating low calorie for the last 3 months, correct? Let's see how you do with eating about 1743 per day continuing with your current activity level. Just be sure to give your body time to adjust before you get discouraged by the scale not moving. There are lots of good things happening outside of the scale! I hope this helps! Feel free to add me for support!

Thank you! I will do this!!! I'm thrilled I lost so fast but my skin needs to catch up and my goal is also health!! I think I will stay off the scale for the next two weeks, weigh in then, and then stay off for the next 4 weeks! That will give me 9 weeks at the increased calories! Thanks so much!