Stuck in a moment that I can't get out of - intro
tiaredgypsie
Posts: 21
Hi all. I'm trying to get my head around this but I'm nervous. Here's a quick run down:
I'm 5' 6", 160 lbs; want to weigh about 142 and be lean and trim like I was a couple of years ago (feeling good in a size 6/8, muscular, training for sprint level triathlons)
I've been doing MFP for about 35 days. Started at "active" with about 1380 calorie allowance and my weight went up 4-5 lbs. Did that for 3 weeks; then dropped it down to "lightly active" at 1200 and stopped eating back workout calories. Weight stuck firm at 160 and won't move.
I'm beginning to figure out what's going on ;-). I'm a good faster. I'm trying to do weight loss this time long term so I don't deny any of my normal foods, just restrict portions. I am tired of yo-yoing over these same 20 lbs over the past 20 years. I eat a *mostly* whole foods diet that is varied and cooked at home. But the stats would say I am not eating enough.
Truth is, I'm afraid but interested. Numbers make my eyes blur over so I'm still a bit confused on BMR, TDEE, and all the variations. I could use some help there. I did see Lucia's video, which was great btw, and I understand the concepts just not what my numbers should be.
Next step will be to actually eat more because I'm never hungry. I eat several times a day and finding ways to eat more is going to take some effort.
Additional issue is a back injury that has stopped all work outs until I can get to the chiro on Tuesday. But the goal is to get back to tri-training.
I'm 5' 6", 160 lbs; want to weigh about 142 and be lean and trim like I was a couple of years ago (feeling good in a size 6/8, muscular, training for sprint level triathlons)
I've been doing MFP for about 35 days. Started at "active" with about 1380 calorie allowance and my weight went up 4-5 lbs. Did that for 3 weeks; then dropped it down to "lightly active" at 1200 and stopped eating back workout calories. Weight stuck firm at 160 and won't move.
I'm beginning to figure out what's going on ;-). I'm a good faster. I'm trying to do weight loss this time long term so I don't deny any of my normal foods, just restrict portions. I am tired of yo-yoing over these same 20 lbs over the past 20 years. I eat a *mostly* whole foods diet that is varied and cooked at home. But the stats would say I am not eating enough.
Truth is, I'm afraid but interested. Numbers make my eyes blur over so I'm still a bit confused on BMR, TDEE, and all the variations. I could use some help there. I did see Lucia's video, which was great btw, and I understand the concepts just not what my numbers should be.
Next step will be to actually eat more because I'm never hungry. I eat several times a day and finding ways to eat more is going to take some effort.
Additional issue is a back injury that has stopped all work outs until I can get to the chiro on Tuesday. But the goal is to get back to tri-training.
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Replies
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As with every suggestion I give, I begin by saying I'm certainly no expert! However, we are close in our stats, except age. I'm 51 and I believe you're 37, right? When I joined this group I had been low cal for over a decade (to keep off a 75# weight loss from 10+ years ago). On MFP suggested calories all I did was yo-yo. When I started following the advice of this group my weight initially went up slightly, then stayed the same (and I mean the exact same down to the 1/10 of a pound) for a long while and has just now started to drop. During that time however, I have receive many comments about how much weight I've lost (which is technically NONE), my measurements have gone down, my energy is through the roof, and my attitude toward food is healthy.
All that said, I ran you numbers on http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/ and here's what I got.
BMR = 1480
TDEE (light activity) = 2035
CUT of 15% = 1730
I heard Jillian Michaels podcast about vanity pounds (those last 10-15# that are so hard to lose). She said to eat 12 x your weight and get in 3-5 days of exercise. At her suggestion you'd be eating 1920 per day.
If I was you, I'd try eating 1730 every day for a month and stay off the scale (which I can't do, but I don't let it bother me). Take your measurements at the beginning and end and keep a journal of how you feel during the process.
In case you're interested, here are my numbers:
CW 164
GW 148
Age 51
Height 5.6"
BRM 1613 (it's higher than expected but I got this from an oxygen test so it's accurate)
TDEE 2500 (6 hrs/week of boxing, crossfit, weightlifting, running)
CUT 2125
I increased my calories gradually and for the past 2 weeks have eaten 1900-2100 calories a day and lost 1.4# last week. The first loss I've seen in a long, long while. The best part is I know I can eat this way the rest of my life.
Finally, welcome and I hope you like it here. Be kind to your body and it will reward you.0 -
Thanks! And I appreciate you took the time to look up my numbers in Scooby. I just did that a moment and came up with the same thing. I also did it for moderately active because once my back heals, I'll be consistently working out much more.
I'm only eating about half of what I need. Yikes!
It's good to have numbers to work from. They won't match MFP numbers, which is probably gonna bug my eyes, but I'll see how I can adjust it to find my balance. I'm going to print your suggestions and retrain my brain :-)0 -
I actually just use the MFP numbers but set my goal at losing half a pound per week. That gave me a net target of 1640 and to that I add my exercise calories, so I am eating an average of 2100 calories/day over the last 4 weeks. I've lost 7.4 lbs in that time
I'm actually a weight watchers convert. They wouldn't give me enough to eat
Edited to add: I'm 36, 5'7" and 172 lbs. Goal weight is 150.0
