Level Obstacles: Lose Weight, Target Fat! (EASY!!)
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This is how I lost 20lbs in 30 days, For starters be honest with yourself when it comes to portion control /calorie counting!
2 jumbo eggs 3 turkey sausage links Grape fruit 8oz of water and coffee
4hrs in between meals
6oz chicken breast cup of green vegetables and serving size of fruit to curb your sweet tooth
Snack 5 prunes
dinner 4oz of salmon,1 cup green vegetable, instead of starch add a serving of fruit
Weight watchers ice cream bar of your choice ( preferably after workout)
60min cardio a day whether jogging in front of tv
Strength training every other day!
Heaviest weight 230
Starting weight 03/20/13 203lbs Current weight 183lbs. 5"5 lost 5inches plus off waist and 4inches off hips
note: buddy system works wonders, if you follow this plan for 30 days I bet you will see great results and have lots of energy!
It does take true commitment but remember your mind is more powerful then you think!
Lose weight equals eat healthy lean meats green leafy vegetables and healthy fruits like prunes in limitation, grapefruit, strawberries, blueberries and apples are all good fruits for weight loss! Stay away from empty calories like white rice breads and white potatoes! artificial sweeteners are your enemy it causes health risk and food cravings! (Stevia is less of a health factor)
Good luck to everyone on there Weight loss journey!
I don't agree with some of the things you said. My heaviest was 245 and I am currently 174. I've gone from 22/24 to 14 (really close to 12)...and, being part Asian, never gave up (and never will) white rice.
I also eat white potatoes and bread occasionally, not to mention foods like pizza, burgers, and ice cream. I think moderation and fitting the foods you love into your calorie goals is better than trying to adopt an all or nothing attitude.0 -
2 jumbo eggs 3 turkey sausage links Grape fruit 8oz of water and coffee
4hrs in between meals
6oz chicken breast cup of green vegetables and serving size of fruit to curb your sweet tooth
Snack 5 prunes
dinner 4oz of salmon,1 cup green vegetable, instead of starch add a serving of fruit
Weight watchers ice cream bar of your choice ( preferably after workout)
This is 1100 calories of food per day.0 -
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Yea and being all healthy food and adding daily vitamin supplements have resulted in greater health all around!
YOU MUST LISTEN TO YOUR BODY that is key if you feel hungry still add 100 calories of healthy food because depending on your energy consumption on your days you may require more than other days!0 -
This is how I lost 20lbs in 30 days, For starters be honest with yourself when it comes to portion control /calorie counting!
2 jumbo eggs 3 turkey sausage links Grape fruit 8oz of water and coffee
4hrs in between meals
6oz chicken breast cup of green vegetables and serving size of fruit to curb your sweet tooth
Snack 5 prunes
dinner 4oz of salmon,1 cup green vegetable, instead of starch add a serving of fruit
Weight watchers ice cream bar of your choice ( preferably after workout)
60min cardio a day whether jogging in front of tv
Strength training every other day!
Heaviest weight 230
Starting weight 03/20/13 203lbs Current weight 183lbs. 5"5 lost 5inches plus off waist and 4inches off hips
note: buddy system works wonders, if you follow this plan for 30 days I bet you will see great results and have lots of energy!
It does take true commitment but remember your mind is more powerful then you think!
Lose weight equals eat healthy lean meats green leafy vegetables and healthy fruits like prunes in limitation, grapefruit, strawberries, blueberries and apples are all good fruits for weight loss! Stay away from empty calories like white rice breads and white potatoes! artificial sweeteners are your enemy it causes health risk and food cravings! (Stevia is less of a health factor)
Good luck to everyone on there Weight loss journey!
You do realize that most of that weight loss is water and food weigh, not fat I hope. There are many reasons not to keep a large deficit for any length of time, including hormonal, metabolic and maintenance of LBM.
Also, unless we are talking about ridiculous quantities or you have PKU or a sensitivity to them, there are no health risks to artificial sweeteners and food cravings are individual and they can help with food cravings for many.
And, how on earth are potatoes empty calories? One large potato contains 48% of the RDA for Vit C and 18% for iron.0 -
Who wants to live that way for their entire life? No thanks.2 jumbo eggs 3 turkey sausage links Grape fruit 8oz of water and coffee
4hrs in between meals
6oz chicken breast cup of green vegetables and serving size of fruit to curb your sweet tooth
Snack 5 prunes
dinner 4oz of salmon,1 cup green vegetable, instead of starch add a serving of fruit
Weight watchers ice cream bar of your choice ( preferably after workout)
60min cardio a day whether jogging in front of tv0 -
This is definitely some of the best advice around here.
It's difficult to get out of the set 1,200 cals a day mindset, but in the long run I know it will be important to go slow and steady.
I would love to lose a lot before my wedding at the end of July, but I'm more concerned with last results and creating habits that are meaningful and sustainable.
I'm really happy that I found this community
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Bump and thanks for reposting0
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Thanks!0
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This is definitely some of the best advice around here.
It's difficult to get out of the set 1,200 cals a day mindset, but in the long run I know it will be important to go slow and steady.
I would love to lose a lot before my wedding at the end of July, but I'm more concerned with last results and creating habits that are meaningful and sustainable.
I'm really happy that I found this community
Stuff like this makes my day!! It can get sad seeing folks chase lower and lower calorie diets, or abusing the their bodies to achieve simple aesthetic, rather than functional goals. So hearing someone say they're choosing to be healthy is a major victory-dance material.0 -
So... Where does BMR fit into this?
I am new to this TDEE method and many people have said to also calculate your BMR. What do I do with the info once I have it?
Thanks in advance!! 0 -
I should have been more clear. My TDEE is 1800. Consuming 1300 calories has made me maintain weight. Technically I am supposed to have 1200 calories a day right now but lately I have been eating 800 because I haven't been hungry for more. If my stomach doesn't growl, I'm not eating.
I meant I have eaten 1300 in the past, 500 below my TDEE, and it has not worked.
I'm afraid that one of us doesn't understand what the terms "TDEE" and "maintain" mean.
ETA: But I'll readily admit that it may very well be me who is misunderstanding.
Oh no, I get it. If I eat 1800 calories a day, which is my TDEE (according to the calculator in the original post), I am SUPPOSED to maintain my weight. But when I actually do that for a month, I end up GAINING weight. The weight on the scale goes up. When I eat 1300 calories, according to the original post I am SUPPOSED to lose weight. But in practice when I actually do that, I end up MAINTAINING. My scale doesn't bulge and stays right where it's at. I have patiently tried this for 2 months and it hasn't worked.
I understand the concepts. My point is that my body doesn't work the way the information provided says it's supposed to work.0 -
I have eaten 500 calories below my TDE and that maintains my weight.
800 calories a day keeps me full because I eat high volume, low calorie foods. It seems silly to eat more food and stuff myself when I'm not hungry.
I'm still sold on the 1200 calorie diet because I have tried this and it doesn't work for me.
This is confusing. If you are eating under your TDEE, you will lose weight - it's a simple reality of physics that you can't get more energy out of a system than you put in. In this case, you are either not calculating your intake or your output correctly.
You mention a 1200 calorie-per-day diet, and then you mention that 800 calories per day keeps you full... unless your calorie counts are wildly inaccurate, you are probably doing severe damage to your body and should stop immediately.
ETA: Out of curiousity I ran some numbers. A TDEE of 800 (what you say you're consuming daily to maintain your weight) is less than an 80 year old, three-foot, six-inch tall, 70 pound woman would need to sustain a sedentary lifestyle.
I should have been more clear. My TDEE is 1800. Consuming 1300 calories has made me maintain weight. Technically I am supposed to have 1200 calories a day right now but lately I have been eating 800 because I haven't been hungry for more. If my stomach doesn't growl, I'm not eating.
I meant I have eaten 1300 in the past, 500 below my TDEE, and it has not worked.
You joined this month. How have you tracked your intake before?
If you actually maintain at 1,300 calories, I would see a doctor as you have some metabolic issue going on. Or you could just not be accurately tracking your food.
Yes, I've been on diets and tracking intake on and off for ten years. It might be a metabolic issue, because I measure everything and I even have a food scale..0 -
I should have been more clear. My TDEE is 1800. Consuming 1300 calories has made me maintain weight. Technically I am supposed to have 1200 calories a day right now but lately I have been eating 800 because I haven't been hungry for more. If my stomach doesn't growl, I'm not eating.
I meant I have eaten 1300 in the past, 500 below my TDEE, and it has not worked.
Putting aside weight loss advice or who should eat what or when or whatever -- if you are seriously having trouble eating more than 800 calories per day, please, please see a doctor. The Mayo Clinic, NIH, American Heart Association -- there is absolutely no question amongst medical health professionals that an unsupervised, prolonged 800 calorie per day diet is extremely dangerous to your health - dangerous like dead dangerous.
I'm not assuming, inferring or implying that this is something you've chosen - I take you at your word that you feel full on 800 calories - but nonetheless, that way does indeed lie a premature death.
I have wanted to see a dietician but I can't afford health insurance. Looking forward to Obamacare kicking in Jan 2014!
I appreciate your concern and it is very frustrating for me. I'd love to lose weight on 1300 a day 0 -
I have eaten 500 calories below my TDE and that maintains my weight.
800 calories a day keeps me full because I eat high volume, low calorie foods. It seems silly to eat more food and stuff myself when I'm not hungry.
I'm still sold on the 1200 calorie diet because I have tried this and it doesn't work for me.
This is confusing. If you are eating under your TDEE, you will lose weight - it's a simple reality of physics that you can't get more energy out of a system than you put in. In this case, you are either not calculating your intake or your output correctly.
You mention a 1200 calorie-per-day diet, and then you mention that 800 calories per day keeps you full... unless your calorie counts are wildly inaccurate, you are probably doing severe damage to your body and should stop immediately.
ETA: Out of curiousity I ran some numbers. A TDEE of 800 (what you say you're consuming daily to maintain your weight) is less than an 80 year old, three-foot, six-inch tall, 70 pound woman would need to sustain a sedentary lifestyle.
I should have been more clear. My TDEE is 1800. Consuming 1300 calories has made me maintain weight. Technically I am supposed to have 1200 calories a day right now but lately I have been eating 800 because I haven't been hungry for more. If my stomach doesn't growl, I'm not eating.
I meant I have eaten 1300 in the past, 500 below my TDEE, and it has not worked.
You joined this month. How have you tracked your intake before?
If you actually maintain at 1,300 calories, I would see a doctor as you have some metabolic issue going on. Or you could just not be accurately tracking your food.
Yes, I've been on diets and tracking intake on and off for ten years. It might be a metabolic issue, because I measure everything and I even have a food scale..
If you can see a doctor, I would highly recommend seeing one. Print off your food diary and show it to him/her. Get them to do tests.0 -
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Repost:
This post is designed to level the obstacles between you and weight loss. The obstacles are confusing data, unnecessary details, etc. Folks with excess body fat can easily lose weight in a healthy, sustainable way. No fad diets, obscure research, or sales pitches; just practical, proven advice.
Important Background Information
Fat is energy, and calories measure energy. There are 3500 calories in a pound of fat, so if you burn 3500 more calories than you eat, you will lose a pound of fat. That can't be done in a day, so we do it over time.
For instance, if you eat 500 fewer calories than you burn each day, you have a calorie deficit of 3500 at the end of a week (500 calories x 7 days = 3,500 calorie deficit).
How Much Do I Burn in a Day?
Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is the number of calories you burn in a day - by circulating blood, brushing your teeth, looking at funny cat gifs, working out, etc. If you eat less than you burn, you lose weight.
Calculate your TDEE here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html Just enter your height, weight, age, gender and daily activity level. This will give you a good approximation of how much you burn in an average day.
How Much Less Should I Eat?
Like weight gain, weight loss doesn't happen fast. If your deficit is too small, you will lose weight slowly. But! Surprisingly, if your deficit is too large, you also lose weight slowly.
This may seem illogical, but if you under-eat by much for too long, you'll be more prone to binge-eating and more likely to experience health issues related to malnutrition. Believe it or not, under-eating is the most common problem on MFP.[1]
So what is the right deficit? A good calorie deficit is around 20% less than your TDEE depending on how much fat you have to lose. If you've got over 75 pounds to lose, go as high as 30% deficit. If you've got less than 15lbs to lose, go down around 10%.
Review:
1. Go find your TDEE here: http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html
2. Eat about 20% less than that number each day. Bigger deficit if you have more pounds to lose. Lower deficit if you have less pounds to lose.
3. Log everything you eat accurately - measure it with a scale (they're cheap!). Research has shown that most people eat more than they think.
Example:
You're lightly active, 26 year old, 190lb, 5'6" female. Your TDEE from the calculator is 2,300 calories per day.
According to the Leveling Obstacles approach, you would eat 20% less than 2300 (2300 x .80), or 1,830 calories per day. Stay relatively consistent in your logging and activity level, and you will lose approximately one pound a week.
Final Thoughts:
+ MyFitnessPal is great for tracking calories, but it is not great for setting targets. Regardless of how much or little you have to lose, it will let you say "lose 2lbs/week!" and drop you down to 1200 cals. That value is most likely not right for you.
+ Patience, you must have it. Give this time. Like a month at least.
+ Your weight can change several pounds from one day to the next. Two pounds in a day is water weight. Don’t weigh in daily, you’ll drive yourself nuts.
+ Food isn't evil. Clowns and authors of young adult fiction are evil. But not food! Eat healthy and indulge in treats as long as it’s within a few % of your calorie goal.
+ Try to hit your calorie goal. Going way under every day will not help you. 100 cals over or under on a given day is not going to hurt you. Take it easy, don’t sweat it.
+ Right now, don't focus on details like macronutrients (carbs, fat, and protein) or how much sodium and sugar is in your diet. First step is accurately measuring and tracking your food and hitting your calorie targets. When you are comfortable, there is an awesome thread about how to set optimal calorie and macro targets [2]
+ Cardiovascular exercise (running, stairs, aerobics, cat juggling) can help burn fat. Resistance training (lifting weights) will improve your physique and increase your body's resting metabolic rate (calorie burn).
I didn't create this information. This information existed before I learned it. I learned it from others here. Literally and figuratively this was written by other people. I'm just posting it. I didn't do this by myself, it is the compilation of direct collaboration and observation of ihad, davpul, angelamberl, loraf83, winnervictorious, codergal, zoelifts, serpwidgets, allonsytothetardis, cmriverside, sjohnny, jofjltncb6, lacurandera1 and others. It is also the product of indirect collaboration - i.e. learning by observation - from sidesteel, acg67, among hundreds of others on the site as well as groups like Eat Train Progress[3] and threads like IPOARM[4] which can take you to the next level when you're ready.
FOOTNOTES
[1] A few examples of under-eating being problematic can be seen at this thread: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/919346-still-think-your-1200-or-less-diet-is-a-good-idea
[2] This is a great thread about how to configure your macros. Once you’ve mastered measuring, tracking, and have a reasonable top-level goal, go here. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets
[3] http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/10118-eat-train-progress
[4] http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0
Just wanted to express my thanks again for providing this information laid out so simply. It's amazing that after figuring this stuff out I can actually eat a good amount of food and still make progress. We'll see how it goes!0 -
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Great post Thanks for the info and time you put in. Bookmarked with my other top threads on MFP
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937712-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/931670-bmr-and-tdee-explained-for-those-needing-a-guide
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/750920-spreadsheet-for-bmr-tdee-deficit-macro-calcs-hrm-zones
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/10589-for-those-confused-or-questioning-eating-your-exercise-calo0 -
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This is a simple and informative post...thank you!
This may have been answered along the way but I didn't see it. I get that I should eat at 20% below my TDEE, which in some way accounts for physical activity, but should I eat back my exercise calories? I'm about 5 lbs from my goal weight?0 -
Your TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure. You should set it up such that it includes your daily activity and your exercise. Therefore, you don't log it, because you would be logging it twice. Unless you just included daily activity without exercise (which is not your TDEE). Then yes, you log it. It depends on the way you have it set up.This is a simple and informative post...thank you!
This may have been answered along the way but I didn't see it. I get that I should eat at 20% below my TDEE, which in some way accounts for physical activity, but should I eat back my exercise calories? I'm about 5 lbs from my goal weight?0 -
Awesome post, thank you Burt! Bump for revisit later :happy: :flowerforyou:0
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Glad I came across this again ... I 'bump'ed it before and it didn't save it for me to read later.
Interesting info in here...trying to understand.0 -
So... Where does BMR fit into this?
I am new to this TDEE method and many people have said to also calculate your BMR. What do I do with the info once I have it?
Thanks in advance!!
Your Basal Metabolic Rate is a good floor. As the amount of calories your body would consume in a completely sedentary state, it is beneficial to consume no less than this level of sustenance. Keeping your circulation, respiration, toxin-processing abilities, etc, well-fueled is not going to hurt you. People with significant excess body fat can eat below BMR assuming they're careful with their macros and micros, and generally such a thing should occur under a doctor's supervision.
For the vast majority of people, however, I think BMR may simply be a confusing additional fact to remember . . . if you're already calculating a reasonable deficit from TDEE, then BMR becomes effectively irrelevant.0 -
So... Where does BMR fit into this?
I am new to this TDEE method and many people have said to also calculate your BMR. What do I do with the info once I have it?
Thanks in advance!!
I didn't see this until now. Your Basal Metabolic Rate is a good floor. As the amount of calories your body would consume in a completely sedentary state, it is beneficial to consume no less than this level of sustenance. Keeping your circulation, respiration, toxin-processing abilities, etc, well-fueled is not going to hurt you. People with significant excess body fat can eat below BMR assuming they're careful with their macros and micros, and generally such a thing should occur under a doctor's supervision.
For the vast majority of people, however, I think BMR may simply be a confusing additional fact to remember . . . if you're already calculating a reasonable deficit from TDEE, then BMR becomes effectively irrelevant.
So my tdee is 2539 so if I want to have a deficit of a 1000 a day should I eat 1539 cal a day0 -
So my tdee is 2539 so if I want to have a deficit of a 1000 a day should I eat 1539 cal a day
The relationship between cutting calories and burning fat is over-simplified in the OP in a way that may mislead you into believing that you can cut calories by 1K per day and automatically lose 2 lbs per week.
Your math is accurate to the extent that 2539 TDEE and a 1539 intake results in a 1,000 cal deficit. However there is only so much fat your body can process in a day. There becomes a point at which you start losing lean body mass as well. I believe that a 40% deficit of your TDEE would be well beyond this point.
Think of it another way - you could cut 1,000 calories for two pounds a week, and 2,000 calories for four pounds a week, and if you wanted to lose five pounds per week, you would have to eat nothing every day for a 2,500 calorie daily deficit. I believe that this illustrates that the relationship between deficit and loss is not perfectly linear, but rather it is a complex function with asymptotes.
Something along the lines of 1900 - 2100 would be more appropriate to optimize fat loss and minimize lean body mass loss. If you sacrifice a lot of lean body mass, your overall resting metabolic rate decreases, you will still look and feel flabbier than you would with retained muscle mass, and you will not be able to burn as much through exercise.0 -
Wow ok I'm barely meeting he 1200 cal a day mark I have major limitations due to food allergies you can see in my diary I eat the same thing almost every day in top of exercising I'm am trying to uptake my calories slowly cause I know I'm not consuming enough0
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