Im not a real happy camper tonight as I read some info

keiko

There are other variables to consider. Are you only watching the number on the scale? Are you doing measurements? Do you notice a pair of pants/jeans fitting differently.

The scale can be deceiving. Especially for women. We retain water at different times of the month or because of changes in what we are eating. I might weigh 117 one day and the next 119, I did not gain 2lbs in one day, it's just part of normal fluctuations. I had to learn not to worry about them, just continue on eating healthy and exercising.

At one point I only lost 3lbs on the scale but the difference in how my clothes fit was amazing. I started running at 48 and within a few months my stomach got noticably smaller. But it was only a 3lb loss, not as much as what I had wanted to lose but it was the result I wanted, a smaller stomach.

NWCountryGal

Yes I've been keeping track of the inches and no I haven't lost anything significant. In fact, I have gained weight back. Today I will weigh and measure. I know the scales are deceiving but I want to start over and do this thing right. Listen to my own body, not just look at the numbers that pop up on here or anyplace. I feel I have be overeating, not under. I haven't understood a lot of what I read on here and there isn't anyone to blame but myself. But Im not gonna play that game either. I am gonna get back on the horse and go for it!! Today is my birthday. An easy date to remember:laugh: The day I quit eating ALL my exercise calories. I will either cut them in half, so's not to go under my 1200 and see how my body feels with that. I walk 6 days a week, 4.2 miles on a regular basis so I know that is burning a bit. I also know that I would be hungry on only 1200 calories(after the exercise sucking about 400 out of me). Thank you for your input:drinker: and have a great day! denise

There are other variables to consider. Are you only watching the number on the scale? Are you doing measurements? Do you notice a pair of pants/jeans fitting differently.

The scale can be deceiving. Especially for women. We retain water at different times of the month or because of changes in what we are eating. I might weigh 117 one day and the next 119, I did not gain 2lbs in one day, it's just part of normal fluctuations. I had to learn not to worry about them, just continue on eating healthy and exercising.

At one point I only lost 3lbs on the scale but the difference in how my clothes fit was amazing. I started running at 48 and within a few months my stomach got noticably smaller. But it was only a 3lb loss, not as much as what I had wanted to lose but it was the result I wanted, a smaller stomach.

NWCountryGal

Hi Jackie, I have to get my "ticker" changed and am weighing this morning, when my neighbor is up aso I can borrow her scale Also, do my measurments again. So that isn't accurate. I pigged out over Christmas so defeated what little progress I'd made. I just have to pay attention to my own needs, not just read the numbers here and figure they are right for me. I need maybe half of what I've been eating(I have been eating 100% of my exercise calories):laugh: :bigsmile: :drinker: Party is over though and I am going to get on with my goal. I have learned a lot the hard way as usual, lol!! thank you much for your reply sis, denise

well i noticed that you only have 23 pounds to lose... generally the 2 pound per week goal is only for the people that are obese, it doesnt come off so fast when you dont have as much to lose. So my suggestion first of all is to set your weekly goal at 1 pound per week.
As for eating exercise calories I have a heart rate monitor and i have always burned way more than the site gives me credit for... so if you can afford a HRM i would suggest getting one. And yes i eat my calories, well as many of them as i can:laugh: i usually eat about 75% of them...
I hope this helps.
jackie

NWCountryGal

Each person has to find what works for them. I can see that now. I was so busy following "someone elses numbers" that I gained weight even when I knew something wasn't right, I stuck to it. I don't doubt folks know what they are talking about, things they've learned from someone else and so on. But it does boil down to what works for an individual. These "calculators" can only guesstimate for us. And I was following them exactly. My fault, I don't blame anyone else. I got angry and wanted to cast the blame on others but that was short-lived. I understand that it was my own laziness that has caused my problems. Not researching and making sure I understand what I read. And when something isn't working, try something different. Not just blind faith in something that has worked for one person, assuming it will work for me. I see many of you are eating "part" of your exercise calories. I have a base of 1200 and know that taking that down to 8 or 900 with exercise would be unhealthy without replacing them with healthy foods. So I won't do that. I'l try eating just half or so and see how it goes:) Just been a lesson for me:) Thank you for your reply, denise:happy:

You should look up all the posts by Banks and TamTastic. They know their stuff!!!! That said, i don't eat all my exercise calories back -- I only do about 70-75% of them, because i am not sure i believe the totals the equipment at my gym gives me. I want to get an HRM; if i had one of those, i would feel more comfortable eating all my exercise calories back; i would trust those numbers more. That said, 2 lbs a week is a LOT of weight to lose. I know it doesn't sound like it, and it doesn't feel like it, but it is. Some people will lose more than that in the beginning, but is mostly water weight coming off. My suggestion is this: work with the 1 lb per week loss for a couple of weeks, eat your exercise calories and see what happens. If you're happy with those results, stay there. If not, or you don't get results, move on to the 1.5 lb per week loss for a couple of weeks, eat your exercise calories and see what happens. Then, depending on how your body reacts, you can move to the 2 lb per week loss setup or not.

Heres what i found personally. For starters:
1) i LIKE to eat, and when i get to feeling like im "depriving" myself, i will binge.
2) at the 1 lb per week loss, i didn't feel like i was getting anywhere. The weight was not coming off fast enough for me to see weekly or bi-weekly results and that was discouraging. Also, it was easier to skip exercising because i had "enough" calories, and i NEED to exercise. Diet alone is NOT the way to lose weight.
3) at the 2 lb per week loss, i was constantly worried about eating more than my allotted calories, and trying to push myself to get a hard workout. My body hated it. I have enough stressors in my life and don't need my diet and exercise program to be an additional negative. So this one was just too hard and too much work for me.
4) the 1.5 lb per week loss seems to work well for me. No matter what i have done or not done, food or exercise wise, i seem to be losing at around 1.5 lb per week on average. After 6 months, this is what seems to work the best and the easiest for me. I don't feel "deprived" of food and i don't feel like i have to kill myself in the gym to get enough to eat. I enjoy my food and my workouts at this level --- and that's what its all about.

Remember, this is a journey, not a destination. If you don't learn new things along the way, if you don't have your eyes opened for you many times over, well, then, you're just not doing it right, lol. The people here are a great group. They will support you, they will hold your hand, and they will tell you the truth. GOOD LUCK!!!!!

NWCountryGal

Well I think you must get enough exercise, SAHM, lol!!! No one works harder than a mom I doubt, 24/7 right Thank you for your reply and congrats on your weightloss:) You are right, everyone is different and my body doesn't coincide with the numbers on that food diary but that's ok, I have learned a lot and will do better now:happy: :drinker:

denise in Sams Valley

Hi

I think, once again, everyone is different
I think it depends on your body...how much u want to loose, your metabolism and how hard/how much you are exc
When I started this site I was told to eat roughly 1200+ cals....I immediately bumped it up to 1490..DID NOT work out and lost weight
I'm a SAHM to a 3 1/2 and 5yr old
I lost 27 pounds in 4-5 mnths
Only when I started maintaining because I wanted to bump up my cals, I started working out...
I know TRY to work out at least 1hr 15min per day...sometimes 1hr 30min (combo of the treadmill and yoga)
I've bumped my cals up to 2000

I think you need to find what works for you...my hunch is that some people may over estimate how many cals they burn working out (I know I've heard the machines aren't very accurate)
I think a good place to be would be to try and eat HALF of your exc cals and adjust your cals based on how much/how fast you are loosing

I think if you are eating right and working out and NOT loosing something is working right for you!

Kim

NWCountryGal

This is nuts, the scales say 132.6 this a.m. Anyone want to have a scale-burning party???:explode:

That's ok, Im just going to eat part of my exercise calories as planned and hope I've learned something.

denise

Fitness_Chick

Hey Denise:smooched:
I believe Tam was referring to machines used at the gyms...where you put your info in them and it tells you how much you've burned on any particular machine....if I understood her post correctly....:drinker:

FC

Hi Tam, do you mean on "check in"? Put 10 lbs less weight than I am, and then at then when I enter my exercise cal. burned, eat 10% of those?? Thank you tam, denise

I would like to add, I read an article in either Self or Fitness I think and it was saying how to get a more accurate calorie count when on the machines at the gym or at home if you don't have a heart rate monitor. That is:

When asked to enter your weight, enter in a weight that is 5-10 lbs less than you are and then from the final total burned, deduct about 10-15%. That is what I do! Granted, I don't eat all mine back but I eat enough back and leave enough (Just in case). I don't own a heart rate monitor and this method has worked well for me.

TamTastic

Hey Denise:smooched:
I believe Tam was referring to machines used at the gyms...where you put your info in them and it tells you how much you've burned on any particular machine....if I understood her post correctly....:drinker:

FC

Hi Tam, do you mean on "check in"? Put 10 lbs less weight than I am, and then at then when I enter my exercise cal. burned, eat 10% of those?? Thank you tam, denise

I would like to add, I read an article in either Self or Fitness I think and it was saying how to get a more accurate calorie count when on the machines at the gym or at home if you don't have a heart rate monitor. That is:

When asked to enter your weight, enter in a weight that is 5-10 lbs less than you are and then from the final total burned, deduct about 10-15%. That is what I do! Granted, I don't eat all mine back but I eat enough back and leave enough (Just in case). I don't own a heart rate monitor and this method has worked well for me.

Yes, that's what I meant. When the elliptical or something asks for your weight, enter in a weight 5 to 10 lbs less than you are. And from the final calories burned, deduct 10-15% to get your final number.

NWCountryGal

Ok, I see now:) I feel pretty good now. I just panicked over all the eating on the holiday and because of the water I drank, I came out smellin like a rose, LOL!! My sisters scales were messed up. Im pretty certain and I let that discourage me so I ate more "goodies" than normal. So I "assumed" I had gained back all my weight. Some of you will start to understand why I live alone. Who could put up with me and my "mood swings" LOL!! Well, thats gonna get better too, I just know it:) God bless and ty sis, denise

Hey Denise:smooched:
I believe Tam was referring to machines used at the gyms...where you put your info in them and it tells you how much you've burned on any particular machine....if I understood her post correctly....:drinker:

FC

Hi Tam, do you mean on "check in"? Put 10 lbs less weight than I am, and then at then when I enter my exercise cal. burned, eat 10% of those?? Thank you tam, denise

I would like to add, I read an article in either Self or Fitness I think and it was saying how to get a more accurate calorie count when on the machines at the gym or at home if you don't have a heart rate monitor. That is:

When asked to enter your weight, enter in a weight that is 5-10 lbs less than you are and then from the final total burned, deduct about 10-15%. That is what I do! Granted, I don't eat all mine back but I eat enough back and leave enough (Just in case). I don't own a heart rate monitor and this method has worked well for me.

crystal_sapphire

Ok, I see now:) I feel pretty good now. I just panicked over all the eating on the holiday and because of the water I drank, I came out smellin like a rose, LOL!! My sisters scales were messed up. Im pretty certain and I let that discourage me so I ate more "goodies" than normal. So I "assumed" I had gained back all my weight. Some of you will start to understand why I live alone. Who could put up with me and my "mood swings" LOL!! Well, thats gonna get better too, I just know it:) God bless and ty sis, denise

scales can defintely vary from scale to scale. if you were using your sister's, that may have been why there was a difference as well

Fitness_Chick

............ Some of you will start to understand why I live alone. Who could put up with me and my "mood swings" LOL!! Well, thats gonna get better too, I just know it:) God bless and ty sis, denise

ah hah!! This must be why we get along so well!!:smooched: Sis!
hahah oh I sooo hear ya on the mood swings....:grumble: :noway: :sad: :bigsmile: :laugh: :mad: :embarassed: :sick: :brokenheart: :yawn: :blushing: :drinker: :flowerforyou: :laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :bigsmile:

ohthatbambi

I just sent you a message!

chrissyh

Jillian Micheals kick starts metabolism with increased exercise and increased calories - I'd say she knows her stuff so it only makes sense to keep your metabolism up there you have to do it.

ohthatbambi

Everyone is different. What works for one person may NOT work for everyone else.

My advice, and I learned this the hard way b/c I took everything I read here so seriously at first, is read things here and other places. Try different things and see what WORKS FOR YOUR BODY! Just b/c someone said they ate every single exercise calorie and lost weight DOES NOT mean that you can do the same thing.

I tried it for a month and I gained weight. I had my thyroid tested to be sure that wasn't the problem...it is fine. Eating those calories does not work for me. On some days when I do long rides etc I do eat a little more than 1400 calories b/c I have to or I will pass out. Find what works for you and ROLL with it!

kylie541

I don't tend to use mine unless I have a naughty day like today, where i've eaten prawn crackers:embarassed: but then i've only gone 6 into my 230 exercise calories. I can't see the point of exercising to loose weight if you eat what you have burnt? I've lost 24 pounds in 4 months too.

Anna_Banana

Okay, I hate to break this to you, but since you have so little to lose and don't weigh that much to start with, you are probably not going to lose 2 pounds a week. In fact, I bet if you go back and re do your goals, when you hit the "get started" button the screen will tell you what your goals are and at the bottom it will tell you that if you follow everything your projected weight loss will be something like .8 pounds a week.

I've lost up to 4 pounds a week eating my exercise calories, but that was when I first started and had a ton to lose. Now I'm thrilled with a half a pound a week. The smaller you get the slower the weight comes off. But also, the slower you take it off the slower it will come back on.

iftcheiaf

Thank you all for posting. I have been doing this since May and am today at exactly the same weight I was then. And nope, didn't lose inches either.

Of course, half of it is my fault more for the types of food I eat I think more than just the amount I eat. So I'm going to change my diet once again, and just set a certain goal each day for calories and see what happens.

Thank you all for your truthful and friendly insight.