The most common mistake women make!

tlaker

gz he wasn't trying to offend anyone! people are so sensitive... maybe you do need a snack!!! he was trying to give some insight and motivation to make people feel better about their relationship with food!!!!

Newfiedan

lol, I love that statement about the relationship with food, it is do bang on.

hollyb9871

Ok, there are 9 pages worth of comments so far and I have only read through the first. I think you're points are well made and I agree that most women tend to make the mistake of exercising to the nth degree and eating as little as possible..I tend to be guilty of the afore mentioned crime.

I want to thank you for taking your time to write this out. I am not offended at the way it was written at all. People understand concepts at different levels. Some need it broken down into really basic info with something they can relate to, in this case it's a car. Others are fully capable of comprehending a more complicated explanation. With a medium such as this it's better to make it some more people are able to understand the points being made.

Again I say thanks!

Holly

Peanut1026

I am also one of the non-offended women, I find this information very helpful. And I love the penguin profile pic, makes me laugh evertime I see it..lol.

AlisonE76

like too!! well said!!

Newfiedan

Being shorter than most women, the calculator said I should only eat 1200 calories a day. UGH!

good things come in small packages, do not get discouraged. Eating more may not be a bad thing with proper application.

kelscot30

Come on girls, get over it! I'm not offended, I don't believe this is what he meant to do. I know I sometimes subscribe to that way of dieting so I thank you for your post!

soccermum75

I totally agree with your post. My car (body) started breaking down. I am sick all the time. As a side effect i have been losing weight because i can't eat. Not healthy and no fun. I have been pushing myself too hard, so i have to take it easy from now on.

sabvit

I agree, this was very well said and I liked the example. I unfortunately, am among the many (not all) women described here. I want quick results and then not able to stick to my diet. I know I should make changes that I can continue indifintely. I will read this post, and re-read to remind myself of this. Thanks for the words of wisdom!

Newfiedan

I totally agree with your post. My car (body) started breaking down. I am sick all the time. As a side effect i have been losing weight because i can't eat. Not healthy and no fun. I have been pushing myself too hard, so i have to take it easy from now on.

add cinnamon and honey to warm cup of tea or coffee, it will help you get back to health much faster.

diverchic73

I AM OFFENDED....


by all the people on here jumping all over someone who saw a trend and took the time out of their day to try answer some questions/give a different perspective. Not cos they don't like women or look down on them, but because they thought they could help.

Personally I will read Newfiedans comments in future much more than those of some of the people who couldn't look past the specific trees to see the forest. If he'd wanted to I am sure he could have come up with a much more offensive analogy... instead of being a typical bloke and making it about cars ;-)

Lanfear

For goodness' sake ladies, GROW UP. If you take offence at this how on earth do you get through your daily lives??? There was nothing offensive in anything in the opening post and if you chose to make it so - and take it so personally in a lot of cases - then you really need to get over yourselves and get a grip on things.

And as for generalising and "lumping all women into the same group" wasn't that exactly what one of the early FEMALE posters did by saying "YOU have offended 90% of women on this board" or similar? Talk about stereotyping everyone and assuming we'd all think this was personal and bad because it's a post aimed at mistakes women make. Jeez.

I'm definitely in the camp of "not offended" about the opening post. I have been 100% guilty of everything described in that post, in the past, because like a lot of ladies, I thought you had to eat less and work out more to lose weight. Now I know better - through sites and people like Newfiedan who are willing to give their time and thoughts to others. What worked for him MAY not work for you but at least he's giving help to those who need it!

My calorie goal is set at 1200 (MFP did it and it seems to make no difference what I set my weight loss per week to, and I don't have a huge amount to lose!) but I average around 350 calories per day exercising and I definitely make sure I eat them back. I suspect WHAT I eat could be better in a lot of cases but at the end of the day I'm only human!

Newfiedan

yep as am I which is why first thing I tell people is I am not dietary angel. I do not have to be, I am still succeeding, but we all need to find the formula that works for us. They all have the same factors but in different values.

daniran

I want to say that I read your post and many of the comments you received. I thank you for posting this information - I've heard some of it before, but needed to read it today. I'm like you - I don't get the "I'm offended." I found it helpful information. I'm one of those that sets the bar at 1200 calories, doesn't see any results fast enough and gives up. I've started and stopped so many times - too many to recall. Well, I'm hopeful this time. I'm not trying to starve myself (although I still have the bar set at 1200) LOL! Again, I found your post helpful. Thank you!:happy: :happy:

EmpressOfJudgment

Personally, I think you just posted this topic to get yourself alone in a room with a bunch of feisty ladies.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Although, I'd like a second opinion on the part about eating more than three meals a day not helping your metabolism. I've read in many different places and from many different people, including some doctors, that it's better to eat 5 small meals than just three "big" meals. Where did you get your information regarding that? If it's a myth, I'd like to know for sure.

sunshine79

Firstly I am NOT offended :laugh: :happy:

Thanks for a great post. I posted earlier about why I am at a total standstill with my weight/inch loss and even though I'm not on 1200 cals your post along with the advice of others has prompted me to try a new approach. I'm going to eat at maintenance for a while, keep up my weight training and intervals and hopefully I'll start to see some loss.

Thanks again:drinker:

Newfiedan

Personally, I think you just posted this topic to get yourself alone in a room with a bunch of feisty ladies.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. Although, I'd like a second opinion on the part about eating more than three meals a day not helping your metabolism. I've read in many different places and from many different people, including some doctors, that it's better to eat 5 small meals than just three "big" meals. Where did you get your information regarding that? If it's a myth, I'd like to know for sure.

http://www.intense-workout.com/small_meals.html
http://www.diet-blog.com/08/5_meals_a_day_does_not_help_weight_loss.php
http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=56254
there are numerous others, what it boils down to is finding what works for you, for some of us eating 5 or 6 small meals a day works for others 3 meals a day works. I just listen to my body as the needs can change daily.

Newfiedan

Firstly I am NOT offended :laugh: :happy:

Thanks for a great post. I posted earlier about why I am at a total standstill with my weight/inch loss and even though I'm not on 1200 cals your post along with the advice of others has prompted me to try a new approach. I'm going to eat at maintenance for a while, keep up my weight training and intervals and hopefully I'll start to see some loss.

Thanks again:drinker:

its a marathon not a sprint. glad to see you took good advice to heart.

fluffykitsune

just saying, i'm going to make myself a 1967 mustang. :blushing: thats better than any prius!

SheliaN1960

Thank you so much for that post! Everything that you said it exactly correct and I am living proof. If you were to look at my diaries you will see what I have been doing (along with other wrong things) and see why I have not lost a pound in the last two weeks. Thank you educating us and if I am not a friend to you I would love to be, because knowledge is power and power is what I need!! Thanks again, Shelia

Sammyk50

Bump

cayzee

I found this to be true. I joined a local gym in Feb and started a rigorous workout plan 6 days a week. I dropped my caloric intake to under 1000 cal/day and less than 20 carbs/daythinking this would give me a good start. I didn't lose anything! Finally, two weeks ago, I joined a weight loss challenge group and the trainer increased my calories to 1532/day and my carbs to over 200/day. I lost 7 lbs in the last two weeks! I feel so much better and have a lot more energy even though I work out from 1 to 3 hours at the gym 6 days a week.

foleykm22

AWESOME! I think if we all started looking at this journey as trying to get our bodies healthier, we would all be a lot more successful.

EmpressOfJudgment

there are numerous others, what it boils down to is finding what works for you, for some of us eating 5 or 6 small meals a day works for others 3 meals a day works. I just listen to my body as the needs can change daily.

Thanks! I think listening to our bodies is something most of us can work on. Good advice. And thanks for the links!

Albylulu

Oh goodness. I just started and read your advice and it made sense. Bottom line (for me personally) thank you girl!

emrogers

Ok people I decided to write this one for the women as they seem to make this mistake all to often as well as some men, but more so the women.
1) When they join regardless of how much they weigh or their stats they instantly go for that golden 1200 cal/day minimum.
2) They workout as much as possible and eat as little as possible.
3) They totally starve the body for fuel and nutrition this way and either have 0 weight loss or have a great start until the body adapts and then stops them dead in their tracks.

Now I know what you are thinking, less in + more out = greater fat loss and to some extent that is true until you factor in the bigger picture here. I also know that there are the naysayers who have lost lots of weight doing just that, well here is a news flash for those women I bet you may have lost fat but the bulk of what you lost is the muscle girls, slowing the metabolic rate down to a snails pace. Now I can sit here and preach all day long about diet and advice but I am not going to do so in this post, short and sweet I will give you the condensed version in an analogy that is deadly accurate and gives you a crystal clear overall picture.

Think of it like driving a car, you have a limited amount of gas before the car starts to break down. The calories or fuel that mfp gives you will get you to your destination driving at 80 mph. Now think of exercise as getting you there at 120 mph but not stopping for fuel means that the tires get worn down faster, the car will break down easier and in the end will explode. The body is the car, the calories are the fuel, the tires are your muscle without proper fuel they break down and in the end the body feeds off itself. The point of the exercise is to increase the metabolic rate (the speed at which you can safely drive) not to burn off the fuel (calories).

Cardio burns fuel off in the short term, weight training raises the overall metabolic rate and increases your fat loss but neither will do you any good if you are not fueling the body right. All that hard work, sweat, tears in the mirror when you are not seeing results are because you are your own worst enemy. Work with your body and not against it. You can choose to be a prius or a "insert fav exotic or muscle car here", does not matter which, but the "fav exotic or muscle car" is a lot more fun and that is the one who feeds their body right and rips down the road of fat loss blowing right by you like you are standing still.

guilty of both!!!
oh but you forgot one.
a lot of women belive in lifting small weights and more reps thinking that by lifting heavier they'll bulk up...negative. this one I'm actually not guilty of!
thanks for posting.

chickylet

When i read some of your topics yesterday, i thought you sounded like you had some good advice , now i'm not so sure !

YOU have just offended 90% of the female population on this site!

For starts "The most common mistake women make" Just as many men, work out to hard and eat to little..

secondly we are not GUYS!

Your welcome to look at my diary , i don't starve myself..

I go to body pump twice a week , i know i don't do cardio , but i think i should do some...

Please if you are going to write post , for or about women , speak to some first!

chickylet

I don't find this posting offensive at all. It's true, alot of women do starve themselves thinking it's going to help them lose the weight faster. I was one of those people until I joined this site. If you read most of the comments, there doesn't seem to be many people upset by this post other than yourself. Maybe you shouldn't speak for the other females that use this site!!!

kblue2007

WOW this is all getting pretty nasty....I say we let it go!

Newfiedan

WOW this is all getting pretty nasty....I say we let it go!

I do not get upset at what ppl post on here good or bad, I am hoping that others take it as lightly as I do.