New and need a few points of advice...

nettasaura

I feel awkward posting this, but..... :embarassed: :blushing:

Ok...so...we've been eating clean for the last two months and absolutely LOVE it. I was concerned about whether I was getting proper nutrition, so I started logging food on MFP about a month in. Now that I've been reading, reading, and reading more in the forums, I think I'd like to try EM2LW.

A few things - #1 - I've already lost 32 pounds since cutting all the processed crap out of my diet (in just two months). #2 - I am still obese and will be for quite a few more pounds of loss. #3 - on the few days I have eaten up around 1800-1900 calories, I am ravenous by bed time...this is a good metabolic sign, yes?

I do have a few questions though.....

First - my numbers according to Scooby:
BMR - 1943
TDEE (Desk) - 2331 - For the most part, I haven't been exercising because my current net cals wouldn't be enough to keep a fly alive with exercise added in.
TDEE (Light) - 2671 - I would LOVE to be exercising, so I guess I should shoot for this one at least...but holy crap that's a lot of food.
CURRENT net intake - Approx. 1400

Questions:
#1 - Since I am still obese and will be for a while longer, can I safely take a bigger than 20% cut to start (maybe just BMR?)?
#2 - Food is a money issue for us, especially whole foods (it really IS cheaper to eat off brand processed food ya know).....almost doubling my current intake WILL put a strain on our budget. Can I start at my cut just to see if I don't need a reset at this point?
#3 - Any suggestions for cheaper, calorie dense, whole foods that I can add to the shopping list to help up the calories without breaking the bank?
#4 - Any other tips or pointers you want to throw in?

P.S. - I'm scared. :frown:

jmelyan23

Bump

planetsparky

I am not an expert but I think the golden rule is don't net below your BMR. With the numbers you posted your 15% under your TDEE (desk) is 1981 cals (slightly lower than your BMR). You do not want to go 20% under your TDEE or you will be breaking that golden rule right?

If you want to eat more to weigh less you would be not doing that if you go below your BMR.

Sounds like you have been eating below your BMR for months.

Give it a try. It actually works!

Regarding your budget brown rice should not cost a whole lot more than pasta. The thing about whole food is that it takes more effort to prepare right?

Sure meat is expensive so buy the cheaper stuff like extra lean ground beef and pork instead of chicken. Veggies can be cheap too. Super Walmart sells produce at a really reasonable price.

If you can't handle the leap to whole food right now take it one step at a time. Start with eating your BMR. You will be happy you did.

Watch the videos on youtube. Do what they say and things will work

Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eYi9xjIRvbY&feature=g-all-u

Part 2
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKQF3_8LVI8&feature=plcp

josephinabonetto

I would start with 15% less than your TDEE and see how it goes for a month. If you lose on 15% why go for a 20% reduction? I suppose it also depends how hungry you are though.

Zylayna

You have not mentioned a plateau/stall in weight loss yet, so I'm assuming you are still losing just fine? If so, then I don't think you necessarily need to jump up to a full reset yet. We can do that later if the time comes. :happy:

For now, based on the numbers you have given us, you have a very small window between desk job and your bmr. I would highly recommend adding in some lifting at this point and get started in some exercise. (we recommend 2 -3 days lifting and 1 - 2 days light cardio, but many choose their own exercise path). You don't have to exercise for EMTWL to work, but you will likely find yourself happier with the results. The exercise is good for your mental as well as physical health so if you are ready for it, go for it!

Once you've decided on an exercise plan, you should find that it gives you a little more wiggle room in between tdee and the 15% cut so I would say, just go with the 15% cut at that point IF YOU ARE EXERCISING during the week. Use the scooby calculator and rerun your numbers before moving on: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

IF YOU DON'T EXERCISE, then I'd like to see you do a cut of TDEE - 10% instead. That will keep you above your BMR (very important) but still allow you to lose just fine.

If you find you stall on your weight loss, then I'd like you to take a diet break (eat at maintenance for a week or two) and then drop back into your cut.

In regards to the foods. The cheapest and easiest way to get your calories in, is to aim for FULL FAT versions of foods (avoid low fat salad dressings, sour cream, etc...) They usually cost the same, but add in a few extra cals and some of the fat you need! Also adding oil to your cooking helps. You still need to watch your macros, but that will definitely help a bit. Tuna is an inexpensive and easy way to get protein.

I hope that helps. Just ask if you need more help...that's what we're here for!

nettasaura

Ok...so up until this point, I have been only been exercising on the days I have gone above the 1400 cals...and then only enough to get the net back to 1400 by using a HRM. And no, I haven't stalled yet, but it is slowing down. When I first started logging, I was alarmed to see that I was barely getting 1200 a day......and I started bumping immediately.

I would LIKE to add in regular exercise, so with that in mind, I'd be aiming for the TDEE (light) number instead of the desk number......does it matter if I can easily burn 800 calories in an hour (per my HRM)? I LIKE working out and I sweat like a pig lol.

As for the food, I can open up my diary real quick for you to take a peek, but since going clean, whole food, we are already eating full fat everything, whole grain everything, natural sugar (honey, maple) type everything, leaner grass-fed and free range meats, lots of fruits and veggies, no GMO products....basically I am cooking almost everything from scratch, including all of our bread type foods. I don't think I could eat processed food now without getting physically ill. And we meal plan, so I am able to enter things up to a week's worth all at once....which let's me see where I need to add or cut calories.

nettasaura

Ok...nobody yell at me. I just reset my goals to just a smidge above my BMR (1943) to 1950.

Then I added some stuff to get me up there - messed with my pasta recipe for dinner, added some avocado, green beans, chocolate (no, you CANNOT take that little treat away lol), and some peanut butter to take care of the extra calories for today. Going to have to work on the protein, but for now, I am working with what's available in the kitchen (and yes, I do keep one of those Trader Joe's 72% Cacao Fair Trade Organic chocolate bars on hand for choco attacks, but never eat more than two squares cuz those suckers are RICH)!

I'm going to roll with this goal for a week or two and see how it affects the food budget and hopefully get used to the extra amounts in my tummy. Hoping I can up it even more and start exercising regularly soon!