How mfp works

Newfiedan

GNC carries the accumeasure calipers.

RadicalCharlie

Online or in stores? I'll check the mall when I go up to my school to see if they have calipers.

jessicafreake

bump

LisaKyle11

LOVE this post! Can it be bookmarked somehow (on clipboard)???

THANKS!

PS. I really think this is my issue.... not eating enough...therefore, not really moving the scale either.

RadicalCharlie

GNC was out of stock, so hopefully they will have them on Thursday when I see my main doctor. If everything goes as planned, I'll start the challenge that day or sometime next week.

Newfiedan

if you think that oscarboy then try upping it for a 2 week period by a few hundred, if your goal is set to a 1 pound a week loss then a few hundred will set you to a 1/2 pound a week loss rather than 1, at least then you are still in that losing range and eat back all the calories from exercise. Worst case scenario you have lost 2 weeks which can easily be caught up on.

mrs_mouse

it should be pointed out that while you will likely lose weight while on a restricted diet and working out like crazy, there's a medical term for that kind of "diet"...

It's called Bulimia.

Purging more calories than you eat is unhealthy, whether you do it by throwing up or by working out. You will lose weight, but you will also lose organ function, hair, energy, etc etc etc if you do it for an extended period. Trust me, I've seen someone go through it.

A healthy lifestyle should be sustainable and... well... healthy! Fat loss is a bonus.

mrs_mouse

oh, and no amount of "willpower" will help you if you pass out during your workout... lol...

ACCSanchez

ha You got that right!

Thanks for pointing out about that & bulimia, mrs_mouse!

---

Sorry, I was trying to reply directly to mrs_mouse's post, but I'm new here, so I guess I was supposed to click quote.

Anyway, thanks for explaining this Newfiedan! I need to get to exercising more b/c I laugh about not being able to eat 1200 calories. I am consistently over and trying to just eat 1200 calories without exercising makes me feel like I am starving. So I WISH I had that problem. I would never survive on a VLCD. Anyway, your post shows me that I can still eat (healthily) & that it's okay to eat back my calories and that I can eat more if I exercise more since the deficit is already built into MFP.

RadicalCharlie

You can't be obese and bulimic or anorexic.

It's EDNOS.

Newfiedan

this piece was perhaps one of the single most motivating ones I have seen on here for proper caloric intake and a must read of those whom are having trouble wrapping their heads around eating more to shed weight. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/3047-700-calories-a-day-and-not-losing

@accsanchez, is the 1200 a day what mfp recommended for you or one that you chose by design with a high goal of say 2 lb.wk loss?

RadicalCharlie

You must love to read a lot of blahblahblah.

All I can say is, "YOU'RE DOING IT WRONG!!" ;P

mrs_mouse

You can't be obese and bulimic or anorexic.

It's EDNOS.

I don't know what "EDNOS" means.... but the above comment that you can't be obese and bulimic/anorexic is absolutely untrue. It is actually quite common to have Bulimia and still be overweight. Bulimia and/or Anoriexia is the disease/mindset, not the end result.

I'm not trying to be accusatory or difficult, and it's none of my business if you choose to try out the idea of restricting calories and working out without eating the difference... I just don't want anyone who hasn't done their own research reading this thread and thinking "hey, great idea!" without understanding the risks.

Working out more and eating less is the basic math of losing weight, but there is a healthy way to do it (making sure you choose healthy food and eating enough calories to keep your metabolism chugging along efficiently), and an unhealthy way (eating as little as possible and pushing your body far past its limits until your organs shut down, your hair starts falling out, and you have to be hospitalized in order to a) get your body functioning again, and b) get your self-image back to a place where you are OK with a healthy weight and amount of food). I have literally SEEN this happen. It is horrible.

The other aspect to consider, is what will happen when you have reached your goal weight and want to start maintaining? How do you go back to eating a reasonable amount of food without your body packing the weight back on?? It's all well and good to jump start your weight loss by shaking things up for a week or two, but long term deprivation is a problem.

RadicalCharlie

It's Eating Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.

And since you don't even know what it is, you obviously don't know who it applies to.

If I were Bulimic, I would have be diagnosed with it a long time ago. kthx.

You've seen one thing, I've seen another. You cannot tell me that I'm wrong based on what you've only seen, so don't even try.

Maintaining is as easy is SLOWLY increasing your calories for a few weeks and keeping a simple exercise program. It's not rocket science.

mrs_mouse

I'm not saying you're bulimic... I've never met you, and I'm not a doctor, and I don't mean to offend. Sorry if it came across that way.

As I said, just felt like on a thread that will likely continue to be bumped as advice for beginners, that it should be mentioned that you have to be careful with any kind of extreme methods. No way is right for everyone, and if something works for you, by all means go for it, but you can't advise others who have found their own methods that they're doing it wrong any more than they can advise you that you are.

Keep talking to your doctor, and make a plan that works for you, and treat your body well... that's all.... I wish you luck!

RadicalCharlie

Okay, because I was talking about myself, not people in general.

I'm not going to tell someone it's okay to go on a VLCD. I'd tell them to talk to their doctor about it to see if that's a reasonable option.

Thanks.

nomex

You can't be obese and bulimic or anorexic.

It's EDNOS.

actually you are partially wrong there.... You can not be obese and be anorexic, HOWEVER it is rather typical for people with bulimia to be overweight.

RadicalCharlie

No, it's typical for people who are bulimic to have previously been overweight.
If they are overweight and suffer from purging episodes, they are EDNOS because their actions supposedly aren't a weight-related threat.

If I purge, why am I diagnosed as EDNOS and not bulimic?

cuz86

@SpaceCoconaut

just wanna let you know i did extreme dieting last year...lost a hugeeeee amount of weight ....and gained it all back in 4 months...no i didnt eat crap after i lost the weight i ate "normal" food for a regular person but i had ruined my metabolism soo bad that my body couldn't handle anything. You will lose weight but it will take a serious toll on your body on the inside parts that you dont see....i would really advise against this

wildside79

Can we sticky the first post of this thread and get rid of the rest of the bullst!t? When I first started I read through the newbie stuff and went online to independently research as well, but something simple like the first post would have allowed me to wrap my brain around it a bit quicker before digging more.

And as for this experiment.... what’s next, someone testing the crack cocaine or meth diet? The program this site was built around works... just watch the success forums. I'm not saying everyone has to follow it to the letter, and yes, something may work better for others, but arguing against it as a means to justify your poor or medically recommended dietary choices only helps to confuse people that just join. And if you think you're so different, get a doctor or dietitian to tell you that and give you a more personal recommendation.

As such, I cringe every time I see another "should I eat my exercise calories" post come up under recent forum topics.

So, rant over, great OP, maybe put something like it when people sign up?

mrs_mouse

Can we sticky the first post of this thread and get rid of the rest of the bullst!t? When I first started I read through the newbie stuff and went online to independently research as well, but something simple like the first post would have allowed me to wrap my brain around it a bit quicker before digging more.

And as for this experiment.... what’s next, someone testing the crack cocaine or meth diet? The program this site was built around works... just watch the success forums. I'm not saying everyone has to follow it to the letter, and yes, something may work better for others, but arguing against it as a means to justify your poor or medically recommended dietary choices only helps to confuse people that just join. And if you think you're so different, get a doctor or dietitian to tell you that and give you a more personal recommendation.

As such, I cringe every time I see another "should I eat my exercise calories" post come up under recent forum topics.

So, rant over, great OP, maybe put something like it when people sign up?

well said.

fteale

I lost fat and gained muscle eating 900 cals a day and rowing for between one and 2 hours 5 times a week, and doing weight training twice a week. For 2 years.

The starvation mode as touted on here is biological non-sense. The key is HEALTH and stripping your body of nutrients it wants and needs is unhealthy, and can lead to cravings and binge eating.

Newfiedan

we have had a few back and forth disputes over this before fteale, I totally disagree with you and you disagree with me the oirignal post was to set out how mfp is setup and how it works and it does so without fail for the majority of ppl, not all but most, so there are always exceptions to the rule, I still firmly believe that your way is unhealthy and we will just leave it at that as this post is starting to turn away from its original intention.

MyNameIsNotBob

The key is HEALTH and stripping your body of nutrients it wants and needs is unhealthy,

Yes, which is why it worries me to see all the "I eat under 1,000 calories a day and I'm fine" posts. We actually don't know that you're fine. What kind of a toll does it take on someone's insides to do that for a week, or two, or two months, or a year?

cuz86

I lost fat and gained muscle eating 900 cals a day and rowing for between one and 2 hours 5 times a week, and doing weight training twice a week. For 2 years.

The starvation mode as touted on here is biological non-sense. The key is HEALTH and stripping your body of nutrients it wants and needs is unhealthy, and can lead to cravings and binge eating.

do you think that feeding your body 900 cals a day is giving your body the nutrients it needs?? where did you read that starvation mode is biological non-sense ? no offense but i think your comment is very ignorant and someone who is new to this site might read it and actually believe depleting your body of its needs will work for them

Newfiedan

I hate that term starvation mode as sooo many confuse that with being hungry when that has nothing to do with it at all. I think it should be clarified and renamed metabolic starvation which is a totally different animal than being hungry.

cuz86

I hate that term starvation mode as sooo many confuse that with being hungry when that has nothing to do with it at all. I think it should be clarified and renamed metabolic starvation which is a totally different animal than being hungry.

your right...thats what i was referring to...thanks for clearing that up

MyNameIsNotBob

I hate that term starvation mode as sooo many confuse that with being hungry when that has nothing to do with it at all. I think it should be clarified and renamed metabolic starvation which is a totally different animal than being hungry.

I think "survival mode" is more accurate... your body will burn anything it can to survive. Including itself.

Newfiedan

I think "survival mode" is more accurate... your body will burn anything it can to survive. Including itself.

thank you that was the term I was thinking of. Just could not remember the term used that I had liked.

nomex

No, it's typical for people who are bulimic to have previously been overweight.
If they are overweight and suffer from purging episodes, they are EDNOS because their actions supposedly aren't a weight-related threat.

If I purge, why am I diagnosed as EDNOS and not bulimic?

my guess ould be that yu do not meet all the criteria for Bulimia which are:
1. recurrent episodes of binge eating (which means either a) eating within a 2 hour period an amount of food that is larger than most people would eat during a similar time period or under similar cicumstances OR b) a sense of lack of control over eating during the episode

2. recurrent compensatory behavior in order to prevent weight gain following the binge. such as self induced vomiting, laxative use, diuretics, enemas, fasting or exessive exercise.
3. the binge eating and inappropriate compensatory behaviors both occur on average at least twice per week for 3 months.
4. self evalution is undly influenced by body shape and weight.
5. The disturbance does not occur exclusively during episodes of Anorexia Nervosa.

For people who do not fit nicely into this category or that of ANOREXIA, but show several criteria of disordered eating...they will often recieve the diagnosis Eating Disorder NOS.

I hope that helps to clarify. Overweight vs underweight is NOT part of the criteria, but it is no uncommon for people with Bulimia to be overweight. This is not personal opinion, this is from the DSM IV.