Back from my experiment!!!!

alf1163

Hello MFP Family!!!!! Some of you may have been wondering where I've been. Well, as some of you know me, I love experimenting and challenging myself. I chose October as the month that I was going to step away from this site and see how I can do without counting calories.

I weighed myself the morning of Oct 1. My weight was 127lbs. I continued eating pretty healthy as I normally do now. I was estimating some portions and some I was measuring such 1/2 cup of milk when making my oatmeal, etc. I did not stop working out of course, it is the only thing that keeps me sane. :laugh: I actually started going back to the gym once a week to do heavier lifting. I also signed up for a bellydancing class for 6 weeks. Unfortunately it ends this week FUN!!

It was sooooo hard in the beginning not coming on the site and logging in my food. And I did miss you guys!!! I was wondering how everyone was doing. There were times that I felt hungry and I was wondering if I had eaten enough to nourish my body. That was the hardest part. It was easy to know when I had splurged but it was very difficult to know when I have under eaten, especially on days that I had long workouts. After the second week I was feeling more comfortable with the thought of not being accountable for what I was eating since I was not logging it in. That is when it started getting dangerous. I found myself going to back to old habits such as overeating, snacking late at night or simply just eating mindlessly.

Well, I got on the scale the morning of Nov 1. I weighed 129.5lbs. Yes, I gained, 2.5lbs. No biggie, really. And in the back of my mind I knew that I was going to gain from this experiment. Maybe I set myself up for failure from the beginning...:noway: But I don't regret doing this. I have been a member since January and I really needed a break and needed to test myself.

I am now back. Not quite ready yet to start again but I will...I did not log in my food yesterday at all and have not logged in today either. I have gotten lazy...

I do not recommend this to those who just started on this site, unless of course, you need to go on vacation or away for a few days. You can do it!!! You can get to this stage and feel comfortable to take a break and not feel guilty for doing it!! And, WELCOME TO MFP!!!

:flowerforyou:

alf1163

Hello MFP Family!!!!! Some of you may have been wondering where I've been. Well, as some of you know me, I love experimenting and challenging myself. I chose October as the month that I was going to step away from this site and see how I can do without counting calories.

I weighed myself the morning of Oct 1. My weight was 127lbs. I continued eating pretty healthy as I normally do now. I was estimating some portions and some I was measuring such 1/2 cup of milk when making my oatmeal, etc. I did not stop working out of course, it is the only thing that keeps me sane. :laugh: I actually started going back to the gym once a week to do heavier lifting. I also signed up for a bellydancing class for 6 weeks. Unfortunately it ends this week FUN!!

It was sooooo hard in the beginning not coming on the site and logging in my food. And I did miss you guys!!! I was wondering how everyone was doing. There were times that I felt hungry and I was wondering if I had eaten enough to nourish my body. That was the hardest part. It was easy to know when I had splurged but it was very difficult to know when I have under eaten, especially on days that I had long workouts. After the second week I was feeling more comfortable with the thought of not being accountable for what I was eating since I was not logging it in. That is when it started getting dangerous. I found myself going to back to old habits such as overeating, snacking late at night or simply just eating mindlessly.

Well, I got on the scale the morning of Nov 1. I weighed 129.5lbs. Yes, I gained, 2.5lbs. No biggie, really. And in the back of my mind I knew that I was going to gain from this experiment. Maybe I set myself up for failure from the beginning...:noway: But I don't regret doing this. I have been a member since January and I really needed a break and needed to test myself.

I am now back. Not quite ready yet to start again but I will...I did not log in my food yesterday at all and have not logged in today either. I have gotten lazy...

I do not recommend this to those who just started on this site, unless of course, you need to go on vacation or away for a few days. You can do it!!! You can get to this stage and feel comfortable to take a break and not feel guilty for doing it!! And, WELCOME TO MFP!!!

:flowerforyou:

songbyrdsweet

Honestly, I don't think a month is enough for this experiment (which is an awesome one, by the way!). A small weight gain after a long deficit is normal...you've gone from a period of deprivation to a period of what may be maintenance or a slight excess, and your metabolism has slowed, so your body will easily store and build (so in this case, 1/2 lb of that COULD actually be muscle). It will probably take longer than 4 weeks to tell if you're truly maintaining or gaining, just like it takes weeks to see real fat loss. I think this was a great idea, and 2.5 lbs in 4 weeks may or may not be due to an excess of calories. If you don't want to come back to counting right away, don't rush it. Maybe eat just a tiny bit less--1 less cup of milk, for instance, and see what happens in another month. If you still haven't gone anywhere, you're maintaining. That's how they did it in the 'olden days' hehe :happy:

dewpearl

It is so nice to have you baaaack :flowerforyou:

Well, I'm using MFP and systematically snacking late... Wish I knew how to defeat this one, but I guess the first thing would be to step away from the laptop in the evenings and do anything else.

Weigh in next week and let us know if it was indeed a 2,5lbs gain or just watter weight .

Anyway, so good to have you back!

Healthier_Me

Hiya sweetness!!!!

We can get through this together!
I have not been using this site to track anything b/c... welp... I have not been watching what I eat nor have I been exercising and I've gained 5 pounds. I cannot remember when I worked out last. Yes, it's been THAT long.... I'd say about 6 months or so:indifferent:

So.... here's to us getting back on track mija!:drinker:

*hugs*

~Joanna:flowerforyou:

kjllose

What an interesting experiment. I agree one month is not long enough too. But I also stopped tracking food like healthier_me and have been exercising off an on, mostly off and I too gain 5-6 lbs. A little on the depressing side though was I gained in inches around my tummy. So it's back to logging and walking. Although this time I will be doing an upper arm video too. Good luck and glad to see you back.

Healthier_Me

A little on the depressing side though was I gained in inches around my tummy. So it's back to logging and walking.

Same here and it sucks. I have gotten back to cutting back on my portions and snacks.