I think I may have messed up.....

gypsybug

I posted this in the new forum on the EM2WL.com site as well....sorry if you read it twice.

Okay, I first discovered EM2WL back in April. At that time, I decided to go for the TDEE - 250. I have a BodyMediaFit so for me it was easiest to go for a flat 250 off to equal a 1/2 pound a week. I made this change on April 11, my TDEE was 2273 and I was aiming for about 2020 per day. I did adjust now and then if I was having a very low day, but for the most part I stuck to it. My workout program at that time was a hybrid of TurboFire (HIIT workouts and cardio) and Chalean Extreme (weights three times a week).

In May, I got married. I took an entire week off of tracking on MFP and I ate a LOT of cake. I figured I was likely eating at or above TDEE, but now I'm not sure. My wedding was May 19th and I was not tracking for about 8 or 9 days.

Post wedding. I got back on track. But I wasn't great and I couldn't seem to muster the energy and enthusiasm I had pre-wedding for my workout. Had an epiphany! I realized that I had been doing Turbofire for over a year as my main workout!!! By June, I decided time to change it up. Enter Insanity.

I am now in the 3rd week of Insanity. My husband is doing it with me. I do not burn as much as I did with my prior workout, and it's a mix of Interval Training and Strength that uses your body mass, not weights. Since I don't burn as much, I recalculated my average burn on BodyMediaFit and it dropped to about 2100 for a TDEE. So I've been aiming for 1850ish in calories these days.

Here is what my body has done in response to ALL of this. When I first went up in cals, I gained about 8 pounds total. I lost it by the time my wedding came plus about 1 additional pound. Post-wedding, I have regained 4 pounds and I've been holding steady, only bouncing by ounces, for 3 weeks.

I am not the cleanest eater, but I do pretty good. I have treats, but not excessively. I try to hit my protein every day and keep my sodium within reason.

So what do you all think? Do I need a full reset? Should I have done that from the start? I did do two years of WW then another year of SparkPeople where I averaged 1400ish a day.

Or do I just need a week of TDEE then a cut? Will that kick the body into gear? Do I just need to keep on keeping on realizing that by introducing a new workout I could very well be retaining water etc?

My body confuses me. I'm a fairly patient person and I'm happy to trudge along. But this time I think I need some input and quit being a loner lol!!!

Thank you!

Zylayna

If tdee - 15% results only in gain, or staying steady and no inches lost then you may need to do a reset. Sounds kinda like you did some yo-yoing, and some VLCD'ing.

If I was you, I would just aim for some consistency right now, whatever that may be. Figure out your tdee that you will maintain for the next 8 weeks. If you decide to do tdee - 15%, see where you are at in about 6 weeks, if no results, then bump up to tdee, do a reset for 8 weeks and then resume your cut. Or, if you think you would like to just do a reset and give your body a fresh start, then do the 8 weeks at tdee and drop to cut.

It really just comes down to which path you want to take first.

Oh, and Congrats on your marriage!!! :drinker:

Gizziemoto

Would someone please explain VLCD?

Zylayna

Would someone please explain VLCD?

Very Low Calorie Diet.
Lots of new terminology to learn....lol!

gypsybug

VLCD means Very Low Calorie Diet. Basically what many of us have done for years prior to EM2WL.

Thanks for the congrats.

I've been pretty consistent in maintaining a TDEE - 250 cut since I started EM2WL in April, with the exception of that one week for the wedding. So 11 weeks. And honestly I'm not sure I went all that crazy that week. I tend to eat the same stuff all the time and I think I actually might undereat a bit when I don't log. The cake may have just put me back on track in reality lol! I guess I'll never really know though.

But with doing a cut, before ever doing a reset, for 11 weeks straight with lots of nsv's but no measureable results I'm wondering if I made a mistake going this route first. Do I need a total reset or do I just need a week at TDEE? That....is the question (said in my best Hamlet) That's why I'm kind of confused. If I decided to do TDEE-15% I would actually just be doing exactly what I am now, with a slightly deeper cut.

Ugh why can't my body just suck it up and accept what my brain is telling it!?

Gizziemoto

That was me. Over the last 7 days I have managed to get it up from 1100 to just over 1400. Slowly adding food in. Will admit skipping on weekends.

Zylayna

VLCD means Very Low Calorie Diet. Basically what many of us have done for years prior to EM2WL.

Thanks for the congrats.

I've been pretty consistent in maintaining a TDEE - 250 cut since I started EM2WL in April, with the exception of that one week for the wedding. So 11 weeks. And honestly I'm not sure I went all that crazy that week. I tend to eat the same stuff all the time and I think I actually might undereat a bit when I don't log. The cake may have just put me back on track in reality lol! I guess I'll never really know though.

But with doing a cut, before ever doing a reset, for 11 weeks straight with lots of nsv's but no measureable results I'm wondering if I made a mistake going this route first. Do I need a total reset or do I just need a week at TDEE? That....is the question (said in my best Hamlet) That's why I'm kind of confused. If I decided to do TDEE-15% I would actually just be doing exactly what I am now, with a slightly deeper cut.

Ugh why can't my body just suck it up and accept what my brain is telling it!?

If it's been 11 weeks and no results, then definitely do a full reset. Sounds like your body 'reset' at cut, and that's what we need to change. It'll suck doing a reset, but it's worth it once you go back to cut after 8 weeks and your body is able to RECOGNIZE tdee - 15% as a cut...right now it doesn't know it is...

Edit: I reread through your initial post a bit. You did lose after initially going up in cals, so there is a chance that you could do a diet break of 1-2 weeks, or even a mini-reset for 3-4 weeks, and then go back to cut. Of course, no guarantee that will work for sure, but based on the losses pre-marriage, I'd say you are a good candidate for taking that chance if you so choose. You may still find yourself doing a Full Reset of 8 weeks, but you could try it...

Gizziemoto

Good luck gypsy and congrats on your wedding. Your picture is beautiful.

gypsybug

[
If it's been 11 weeks and no results, then definitely do a full reset. Sounds like your body 'reset' at cut, and that's what we need to change. It'll suck doing a reset, but it's worth it once you go back to cut after 8 weeks and your body is able to RECOGNIZE tdee - 15% as a cut...right now it doesn't know it is...

Edit: I reread through your initial post a bit. You did lose after initially going up in cals, so there is a chance that you could do a diet break of 1-2 weeks, or even a mini-reset for 3-4 weeks, and then go back to cut. Of course, no guarantee that will work for sure, but based on the losses pre-marriage, I'd say you are a good candidate for taking that chance if you so choose. You may still find yourself doing a Full Reset of 8 weeks, but you could try it...

Ugh. I wonder if I should take it in stages then? Maybe go for the mini-reset of 3-4 weeks and see if I stabilize? If I stabilize early in it then maybe go back to cut at the end of four. If I don't stabilize until the end or at all then I'll just keep going to the full eight weeks? Am I pulling an idea out of my bdonkadonk or does that make sense....I think my frontal lobes just crossed.



Hey thanks for the compliment Taz! It was a good day.

Zylayna

[
If it's been 11 weeks and no results, then definitely do a full reset. Sounds like your body 'reset' at cut, and that's what we need to change. It'll suck doing a reset, but it's worth it once you go back to cut after 8 weeks and your body is able to RECOGNIZE tdee - 15% as a cut...right now it doesn't know it is...

Edit: I reread through your initial post a bit. You did lose after initially going up in cals, so there is a chance that you could do a diet break of 1-2 weeks, or even a mini-reset for 3-4 weeks, and then go back to cut. Of course, no guarantee that will work for sure, but based on the losses pre-marriage, I'd say you are a good candidate for taking that chance if you so choose. You may still find yourself doing a Full Reset of 8 weeks, but you could try it...

Ugh. I wonder if I should take it in stages then? Maybe go for the mini-reset of 3-4 weeks and see if I stabilize? If I stabilize early in it then maybe go back to cut at the end of four. If I don't stabilize until the end or at all then I'll just keep going to the full eight weeks? Am I pulling an idea out of my bdonkadonk or does that make sense....I think my frontal lobes just crossed.



Hey thanks for the compliment Taz! It was a good day.

I think that sounds fine. Often, it's pretty cut and dried regarding a reset, but every so often it's a bit more of a guessing game. You may find that 4 weeks into your reset, even if you do stabilize, you might want to just finish out 8 weeks and get them done.

jackiecroberts

Just was wondering if you still wear or use your Bodymedia?? I just got one and am very curious to see what my actual numbers are for the day. Just was wondering if you do wear yours so you know your true burn.

gypsybug

Just was wondering if you still wear or use your Bodymedia?? I just got one and am very curious to see what my actual numbers are for the day. Just was wondering if you do wear yours so you know your true burn.

Yes I wear mine religiously. I run my average reports weekly so I get a good idea of where my burn is at. I'm pretty consistant, depending on my workout routine. That seems to be my biggest variable. It's also helped me see that if I don't get at least 6 hours of sleep a night, my cravings for junk and comfort food are crazy the next day.

That's why when I switched my workout from the TurboFire/Chalean Extreme Hybrid to Insanity, I made the appropriate adjustments in my daily goals. Because my average daily burn, or TDEE, had dropped lower. So to maintain my cut amount I had to lower my daily goal.

It's very handy for keeping a handle on yourself. And the numbers it gave me were quite close to the fitnessfrog.com calculators.

EDIT: Lol actually if you zoom in on my picture you can see the faint tan line/dent in my arm from it. HAHA

Jenny

Zylayna

EDIT: Lol actually if you zoom in on my picture you can see the faint tan line/dent in my arm from it. HAHA

Jenny

Lol! I keep trying to wear shirts that cover it because I'm afraid I'll get that tan line!!! :laugh: Not always possible though...I figure by the time summer is over, it'll be fairly prominent.....

Gizziemoto

I am amazed that I found people who have the body media. I have been reading post and it seems a lot of them go with FitBit. I love my body media and now that I am starting to eat food again, will get a better idea of how I am doing.