Progress is slow and steady, but it is progress!
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empressichel
Posts: 730 Member
Hi there
Thought I would jump in to let you know my personal experience of upping cals so far as I know from some posts on here that it is a tough ride!
My history of the eating and exercise thing is a whole other book and goes back 30 years so I will just deal with the time I came to MFP around the end of May.
I started on the 1200 calorie as recommended and got in as much cardio every day as I could possibly manage. I am vegan and cut out any processed vegan proteins, white carbs etc so was basically eating fruit, vegetables and beans with the odd handful of nuts. I was losing weight, quickly, 3 or 4 pound a week. Great! I felt good as I was having a lot of nutrient dense food. After a couple of weeks the weight loss slowed. I wanted this weight off fast, I am fed up with being this weight I want it gone like now!
So what do you do? What I have always been taught, eat less exercise more. Calories dropped to 700 calories burns were at over 1000 every day! I stopped enjoying my exercise, as it got harder to do the same thing. Fell asleep on the sofa every night. Got snappy with my children :noway: dreaded the scale as the amount of effort I put in was not showing.
Luckily this only went on for a few weeks when a fabulous woman on my friends list messages me to say ' girl, you need to eat more!' and sent me in the direction of this group.
I was sceptical, I mean come on, I was supposed to eat that much? No way! I spent any spare time reading up, researching and it all made sense to me so I thought well why not give it a go :happy: I upped my calories gradually, but have gone from sub 1000 to around 1900! That was a huge leap of faith for me, I am still playing around with the numbers to find what works for me.
Importantly, at the same time I changed my macros to increase protein ( from maybe 40 to 140!) and started lifting heavy 3 times a week, sometimes NROLFW sometimes Cathe. My weight went up, came down a bit, up a bit, don't care so much now.
The best thing is I have learned not to be so hard on myself. I have learnt patience. I don't have to lose x amount of pounds by x date there are other more important things. Sure, I am still too heavy :blushing: but that is not my only focus. It is just part of the picture.
So since I increased my calories and started lifting heavy about 8 weeks ago have I noticed any changes? On the scale, not really.
Anywhere else? Absolutely yes :bigsmile:
My body is changing shape. I have delts and biceps! I can feel and see my quads! I have lost 2% body fat! I have gone down 2 dress sizes! My cardio workouts are on fire!!! I eat the same food as my family, and I don't get bad tempered at meal times. Food is no longer the enemy, it is my fuel!
I know I am in for a long journey because I am doing it the slow way and that's not for everyone, but any progress is just that - progress!
I don't just want to lose weight, I want to be strong and lean for the rest of my days. I love lifting heavy and I love kickboxing.
For me, patience and finding what works for you is the key
Thought I would jump in to let you know my personal experience of upping cals so far as I know from some posts on here that it is a tough ride!
My history of the eating and exercise thing is a whole other book and goes back 30 years so I will just deal with the time I came to MFP around the end of May.
I started on the 1200 calorie as recommended and got in as much cardio every day as I could possibly manage. I am vegan and cut out any processed vegan proteins, white carbs etc so was basically eating fruit, vegetables and beans with the odd handful of nuts. I was losing weight, quickly, 3 or 4 pound a week. Great! I felt good as I was having a lot of nutrient dense food. After a couple of weeks the weight loss slowed. I wanted this weight off fast, I am fed up with being this weight I want it gone like now!
So what do you do? What I have always been taught, eat less exercise more. Calories dropped to 700 calories burns were at over 1000 every day! I stopped enjoying my exercise, as it got harder to do the same thing. Fell asleep on the sofa every night. Got snappy with my children :noway: dreaded the scale as the amount of effort I put in was not showing.
Luckily this only went on for a few weeks when a fabulous woman on my friends list messages me to say ' girl, you need to eat more!' and sent me in the direction of this group.
I was sceptical, I mean come on, I was supposed to eat that much? No way! I spent any spare time reading up, researching and it all made sense to me so I thought well why not give it a go :happy: I upped my calories gradually, but have gone from sub 1000 to around 1900! That was a huge leap of faith for me, I am still playing around with the numbers to find what works for me.
Importantly, at the same time I changed my macros to increase protein ( from maybe 40 to 140!) and started lifting heavy 3 times a week, sometimes NROLFW sometimes Cathe. My weight went up, came down a bit, up a bit, don't care so much now.
The best thing is I have learned not to be so hard on myself. I have learnt patience. I don't have to lose x amount of pounds by x date there are other more important things. Sure, I am still too heavy :blushing: but that is not my only focus. It is just part of the picture.
So since I increased my calories and started lifting heavy about 8 weeks ago have I noticed any changes? On the scale, not really.
Anywhere else? Absolutely yes :bigsmile:
My body is changing shape. I have delts and biceps! I can feel and see my quads! I have lost 2% body fat! I have gone down 2 dress sizes! My cardio workouts are on fire!!! I eat the same food as my family, and I don't get bad tempered at meal times. Food is no longer the enemy, it is my fuel!
I know I am in for a long journey because I am doing it the slow way and that's not for everyone, but any progress is just that - progress!
I don't just want to lose weight, I want to be strong and lean for the rest of my days. I love lifting heavy and I love kickboxing.
For me, patience and finding what works for you is the key
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Replies
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L.O.V.E.
It's all mental, baby! When we get the mentality under control, we.are.good.0 -
Love your story..... Your doing so well!0
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Love it! Thanks for sharing. So happy to have you as a friend.
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You are so awesome and I love your story.0
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Thanks for sharing. Very inspiring :flowerforyou:0
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AWESOMENESS !!!!
Bam!0 -
love it! thanks for sharing!!!0
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Thanks for sharing! Friend request coming your way
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SO STINKIN' FANTASTIC! Fabulous, fit and free from the chains of the scale. It's go time!0
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What a great story! It shows your very good sense and your commitment to health and fitness as well as purely aesthetic considerations. It also serves as an example of why I like MFP so much; it's truly educational and inspiring. On your own, who knows, you might have continued on 700 calories, got ill and given up. But because you are here, you can hear what other people say, read about recent research etc. And you, in turn, inspire me, so thank you for this very positive contribution!0
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Thanks for sharing your story.
You are one great and inspirational woman and I am glad to have you as a friend. You are always supportive to others and you are genuinely concerned about your friends on here.
Love your attitude towards food and exercise. Keep it up0 -
:flowerforyou: :flowerforyou: Love your story and love being on this journey with so many inspiring people. :flowerforyou: :flowerforyou:0
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You guys are all just fabulous!
Have a tear in my eye :smooched:
Your support just makes me stronger and more determined.
This is a journey for life not just to 'ideal goal weight'
Thank you all :flowerforyou:0 -
Great post! Great mindset and congrats to you !!!!!!0
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Encouraging post, thanks. It truly is a mental game. As Rastaempress says it really is a journey for life. I am constantly assessing what works and what doesn't without the pressure of deadlines and numbers.0
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This is exactly what I need to hear. Thank you for sharing. Your post made my day. 0
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I can only echo what's been said already....great post...very inspirational...and you're a great friend to have :flowerforyou:0
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Thank you so much for sharing! You are helping others just by speaking your truth!0
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Food is no longer the enemy, it is my fuel!
For me, patience and finding what works for you is the key
Great post! I love the above two quotes. This site can truly be a domino effect of inspiration. We are all continuously learning more about health, nutrition, exercise, and most importantly OURSELVES. Way to pay it forward and share your story with others. Congrats Ichel!0
