Going from getting no where to melting fat off.
sourmash1973
Posts: 149 Member
I started on May 13th at 227.2 Lbs and 30+% BF and I'm now 213.4 @ 23% BF in just two months. In the beginning it was going very slow because I was doing silly things like eating my exercise calories back and not weighing all my foods and drinks. (Guesstimating is the enemy.) In the last couple of weeks I have made some changes and the felt is just melting off now. Here are the changes I made. Just thought I might share to help you all out.
1.) I bought a digital food scale. I used to measure everything or guesstimate. This is a big NO NO. I now measure NOTHING and weigh EVERYTHING. Yes, even that serving of ketchup.
2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.
4.) Do weight training AND cardio. Cardio will burn those extra calories and weight training will maintain and in a few cases, build some new muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster the fat will come off.
5.) Teach yourself moderation. Depriving yourself of the things you love is only a road to failure (for most). Eat everything you love, just don't eat it all at once and eat smaller portions. I still have beer, pizza, chocolate, etc. and the Lbs are coming off. I just know how to control it.
I've started following these rules and it's the best decisions I have ever made in fat loss. I have total control over what I'm doing and there is no wondering, guilt or stressing (which can hinder fat loss) because I know exactly what and how much is going in my body. You can take this info or leave it. It's working for me is all I know. I'll be happy to answer any questions as well.
1.) I bought a digital food scale. I used to measure everything or guesstimate. This is a big NO NO. I now measure NOTHING and weigh EVERYTHING. Yes, even that serving of ketchup.
2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.
4.) Do weight training AND cardio. Cardio will burn those extra calories and weight training will maintain and in a few cases, build some new muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster the fat will come off.
5.) Teach yourself moderation. Depriving yourself of the things you love is only a road to failure (for most). Eat everything you love, just don't eat it all at once and eat smaller portions. I still have beer, pizza, chocolate, etc. and the Lbs are coming off. I just know how to control it.
I've started following these rules and it's the best decisions I have ever made in fat loss. I have total control over what I'm doing and there is no wondering, guilt or stressing (which can hinder fat loss) because I know exactly what and how much is going in my body. You can take this info or leave it. It's working for me is all I know. I'll be happy to answer any questions as well.
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Replies
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I started on May 13th at 227.2 Lbs and 30+% BF and I'm now 213.4 @ 23% BF in just two months. In the beginning it was going very slow because I was doing silly things like eating my exercise calories back and not weighing all my foods and drinks. (Guesstimating is the enemy.) In the last couple of weeks I have made some changes and the felt is just melting off now. Here are the changes I made. Just thought I might share to help you all out.
1.) I bought a digital food scale. I used to measure everything or guesstimate. This is a big NO NO. I now measure NOTHING and weigh EVERYTHING. Yes, even that serving of ketchup.
2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.
4.) Do weight training AND cardio. Cardio will burn those extra calories and weight training will maintain and in a few cases, build some new muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster the fat will come off.
5.) Teach yourself moderation. Depriving yourself of the things you love is only a road to failure (for most). Eat everything you love, just don't eat it all at once and eat smaller portions. I still have beer, pizza, chocolate, etc. and the Lbs are coming off. I just know how to control it.
I've started following these rules and it's the best decisions I have ever made in fat loss. I have total control over what I'm doing and there is no wondering, guilt or stressing (which can hinder fat loss) because I know exactly what and how much is going in my body. You can take this info or leave it. It's working for me is all I know. I'll be happy to answer any questions as well.
Congrats on figuring out where you needed improvement. I agree with most of your suggestions. as for #2, I don't agree that MFP is never right, I have always found that TDEE - 20% and MFP at 1 lb a week plus exercise calories puts me in pretty much the same place.0 -
Good job
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I started on May 13th at 227.2 Lbs and 30+% BF and I'm now 213.4 @ 23% BF in just two months. In the beginning it was going very slow because I was doing silly things like eating my exercise calories back and not weighing all my foods and drinks. (Guesstimating is the enemy.) In the last couple of weeks I have made some changes and the felt is just melting off now. Here are the changes I made. Just thought I might share to help you all out.
1.) I bought a digital food scale. I used to measure everything or guesstimate. This is a big NO NO. I now measure NOTHING and weigh EVERYTHING. Yes, even that serving of ketchup.
2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.
4.) Do weight training AND cardio. Cardio will burn those extra calories and weight training will maintain and in a few cases, build some new muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster the fat will come off.
5.) Teach yourself moderation. Depriving yourself of the things you love is only a road to failure (for most). Eat everything you love, just don't eat it all at once and eat smaller portions. I still have beer, pizza, chocolate, etc. and the Lbs are coming off. I just know how to control it.
I've started following these rules and it's the best decisions I have ever made in fat loss. I have total control over what I'm doing and there is no wondering, guilt or stressing (which can hinder fat loss) because I know exactly what and how much is going in my body. You can take this info or leave it. It's working for me is all I know. I'll be happy to answer any questions as well.
Congrats on figuring out where you needed improvement. I agree with most of your suggestions. as for #2, I don't agree that MFP is never right, I have always found that TDEE - 20% and MFP at 1 lb a week plus exercise calories puts me in pretty much the same place.
That's cool...It never seems to work for me for some reason.0 -
Good job
TY0 -
I started on May 13th at 227.2 Lbs and 30+% BF and I'm now 213.4 @ 23% BF in just two months. In the beginning it was going very slow because I was doing silly things like eating my exercise calories back and not weighing all my foods and drinks. (Guesstimating is the enemy.) In the last couple of weeks I have made some changes and the felt is just melting off now. Here are the changes I made. Just thought I might share to help you all out.
1.) I bought a digital food scale. I used to measure everything or guesstimate. This is a big NO NO. I now measure NOTHING and weigh EVERYTHING. Yes, even that serving of ketchup.
2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.
4.) Do weight training AND cardio. Cardio will burn those extra calories and weight training will maintain and in a few cases, build some new muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster the fat will come off.
5.) Teach yourself moderation. Depriving yourself of the things you love is only a road to failure (for most). Eat everything you love, just don't eat it all at once and eat smaller portions. I still have beer, pizza, chocolate, etc. and the Lbs are coming off. I just know how to control it.
I've started following these rules and it's the best decisions I have ever made in fat loss. I have total control over what I'm doing and there is no wondering, guilt or stressing (which can hinder fat loss) because I know exactly what and how much is going in my body. You can take this info or leave it. It's working for me is all I know. I'll be happy to answer any questions as well.
Congrats on finding the right combination for yourself! I'm about ready to look into the TDEE thing and I have a scale (just need to use it!!!) Obviously what I'm doing is working so far, but never hurts to try something else.0 -
I started on May 13th at 227.2 Lbs and 30+% BF and I'm now 213.4 @ 23% BF in just two months. In the beginning it was going very slow because I was doing silly things like eating my exercise calories back and not weighing all my foods and drinks. (Guesstimating is the enemy.) In the last couple of weeks I have made some changes and the felt is just melting off now. Here are the changes I made. Just thought I might share to help you all out.
1.) I bought a digital food scale. I used to measure everything or guesstimate. This is a big NO NO. I now measure NOTHING and weigh EVERYTHING. Yes, even that serving of ketchup.
2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.
4.) Do weight training AND cardio. Cardio will burn those extra calories and weight training will maintain and in a few cases, build some new muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster the fat will come off.
5.) Teach yourself moderation. Depriving yourself of the things you love is only a road to failure (for most). Eat everything you love, just don't eat it all at once and eat smaller portions. I still have beer, pizza, chocolate, etc. and the Lbs are coming off. I just know how to control it.
I've started following these rules and it's the best decisions I have ever made in fat loss. I have total control over what I'm doing and there is no wondering, guilt or stressing (which can hinder fat loss) because I know exactly what and how much is going in my body. You can take this info or leave it. It's working for me is all I know. I'll be happy to answer any questions as well.
Congrats on finding the right combination for yourself! I'm about ready to look into the TDEE thing and I have a scale (just need to use it!!!) Obviously what I'm doing is working so far, but never hurts to try something else.
Yep, the more safe and effective methods you can arm yourself with, the better. Keep up the good work.0 -
2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.
Of course you wouldn't want to eat your calories back on TDEE -20%. Exercise is already factored into your TDEE. If you ate your burned calories back on top of that with the TDEE method you'd be adding them in twice and overeating.0 -
2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.
Of course you wouldn't want to eat your calories back on TDEE -20%. Exercise is already factored into your TDEE. If you ate your burned calories back on top of that with the TDEE method you'd be adding them in twice and overeating.
Yep! This is what I was doing before, not really understanding the whole concept.0 -
Nice congrats, just remember you need to recalculate your numbers every 10-15 lbs or so.0
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Nice congrats, just remember you need to recalculate your numbers every 10-15 lbs or so.
Thank you and I actually recalculate every time I drop a whole Lb. I know, it may be a little obsessive but, well, I am a little obsessive...LOL.0 -
2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.
Of course you wouldn't want to eat your calories back on TDEE -20%. Exercise is already factored into your TDEE. If you ate your burned calories back on top of that with the TDEE method you'd be adding them in twice and overeating.
Yep! This is what I was doing before, not really understanding the whole concept.
Your TDEE is your required caloric intake to remain at your current weight based off of your current activity level and BMR. Since your BMR is what you need to live, you need to factor that number up to reach your TDEE. If you are using your TDEE - 20% to lose weight you are essentially using your (BMR + Calories burned) - 20% of that total. That is basically the same thing. TDEE is just a simple way to ball park your daily needs based off of your average exercise each week. If you want to be really exact about it you should use (BMR + calories burned) - 20%, but TDEE - 20% should work just fine.0 -
Congrats on finding what works for you. Keep going strong!!!!!0
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Nice! Congrats on the progress!
I've really gone back and forth about the scale. My husband has really been reluctant about me getting one because he doesn't want it to turn into an obsession for me, and he worries that I stress too much about my weight as it is. As for my own personal thoughts, I'd like the journey to be as natural and comfortable for me as possible, and I'm not sure where measuring everything fits into that. I DO have a tendency to over-obsess about these things, so that's a slippery slope.
If I stop seeing results, however, you'll probably see me back here with a scale in my hand!0 -
VERY happy to have read this....THIS is where I must be going wrong!
Thank you for the info. :-)0 -
Bump! Thanks a lot for sharing and congrats! :flowerforyou:0
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Good Job! I do the same to an extent. I still have my favorite foods, just not as often and not as much per sitting as I use to. I also do carido early in the morning, go to work, then towards the end of my day I go lift weights. I have noticed about a 7lb drop in the last week or so.0
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Nice! Congrats on the progress!
I've really gone back and forth about the scale. My husband has really been reluctant about me getting one because he doesn't want it to turn into an obsession for me, and he worries that I stress too much about my weight as it is. As for my own personal thoughts, I'd like the journey to be as natural and comfortable for me as possible, and I'm not sure where measuring everything fits into that. I DO have a tendency to over-obsess about these things, so that's a slippery slope.
If I stop seeing results, however, you'll probably see me back here with a scale in my hand!
Yeah, I'm a bit obsessive when it comes to these things. But I sooooo enjoy having control over it all. That way there are no questions left unanswered when I step on the scale.0 -
Congrats! I was stalling out, and found that doubling my water intake has caused a rapid drop (4 pounds in 3 days). It's awesome to figure all this stuff out!
As an aside, I did a double-take, because you strongly resemble my ex-husband. Ha! I had to check to see where you live!0 -
Good Job! I do the same to an extent. I still have my favorite foods, just not as often and not as much per sitting as I use to. I also do carido early in the morning, go to work, then towards the end of my day I go lift weights. I have noticed about a 7lb drop in the last week or so.
AWESOME...Keep up the good work. Be cautious if those kind of numbers persist though. You don't want to lose too much too fast. Not healthy...0 -
Congrats! I was stalling out, and found that doubling my water intake has caused a rapid drop (4 pounds in 3 days). It's awesome to figure all this stuff out!
As an aside, I did a double-take, because you strongly resemble my ex-husband. Ha! I had to check to see where you live!
LMAO...Glad I'm not. No offense to you, I just have one ex already and that's enough!!!0 -
Congrats! I was stalling out, and found that doubling my water intake has caused a rapid drop (4 pounds in 3 days). It's awesome to figure all this stuff out!
As an aside, I did a double-take, because you strongly resemble my ex-husband. Ha! I had to check to see where you live!
LMAO...Glad I'm not. No offense to you, I just have one ex already and that's enough!!!
*snickers* Seriously. :-D And no offense taken.0 -
I started on May 13th at 227.2 Lbs and 30+% BF and I'm now 213.4 @ 23% BF in just two months. In the beginning it was going very slow because I was doing silly things like eating my exercise calories back and not weighing all my foods and drinks. (Guesstimating is the enemy.) In the last couple of weeks I have made some changes and the felt is just melting off now. Here are the changes I made. Just thought I might share to help you all out.
1.) I bought a digital food scale. I used to measure everything or guesstimate. This is a big NO NO. I now measure NOTHING and weigh EVERYTHING. Yes, even that serving of ketchup.
2.) I found my TDEE and set my calories 20% below that, not my BMR. Don't eat at what MFP tells you. It's never right.
3.) I stopped eating back my exercise calories. People tend to under estimate their calorie intake and over estimate their calories burned.
4.) Do weight training AND cardio. Cardio will burn those extra calories and weight training will maintain and in a few cases, build some new muscle. The more muscle you have, the faster the fat will come off.
5.) Teach yourself moderation. Depriving yourself of the things you love is only a road to failure (for most). Eat everything you love, just don't eat it all at once and eat smaller portions. I still have beer, pizza, chocolate, etc. and the Lbs are coming off. I just know how to control it.
I've started following these rules and it's the best decisions I have ever made in fat loss. I have total control over what I'm doing and there is no wondering, guilt or stressing (which can hinder fat loss) because I know exactly what and how much is going in my body. You can take this info or leave it. It's working for me is all I know. I'll be happy to answer any questions as well.
Thanks!! You rock!0 -
glad it worked and congrats!!
personally, everyone I know OVER estimates their food calories and UNDER estimate their cardio/calories burnt through exercise.0 -
Thank you for posting! I'm switching to the TDEE-20% concept and slowly increasing my calories because I was not eating enough. I didn't know what to do with exercise calories, now I know!0
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Congrats! Thanks for sharing.0
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Congrats! I was stalling out, and found that doubling my water intake has caused a rapid drop (4 pounds in 3 days). It's awesome to figure all this stuff out!
As an aside, I did a double-take, because you strongly resemble my ex-husband. Ha! I had to check to see where you live!
LMAO...Glad I'm not. No offense to you, I just have one ex already and that's enough!!!
*snickers* Seriously. :-D And no offense taken.
I was trying to figure out who you remind me of. Has anyone ever told you that you look like Cate Blanchett with dark hair?0 -
I do use MFP's guestimate and also eat my exercise calories back. Lost a pound a week until I was almost to goal and then slowed down but am still losing (and am past my goal).
You DO need to measure and log everything. AND you need to recalculate whenever you lose so your calories are correct. Whenever I don't, I stall.0 -
I do use MFP's guestimate and also eat my exercise calories back. Lost a pound a week until I was almost to goal and then slowed down but am still losing (and am past my goal).
You DO need to measure and log everything.
Yep, people don't think that those little condiments and a small piece of hard candy here and there add up, but they most certainly do.0 -
Congrats! Thanks for sharing.
No problem! I know how hard this journey is and if my successes can help others out along the way, it's a win/win for me. I love losing fat and I love helping others.0 -
I follow much the same rules, I still have wings and drinks on fight night... it's a lifestyle, and I am not going to give those things up forever.... I also never eat back my exercise calories for the same reason, it offsets the overestimation, only time I eat back is if I'm starving after a workout, then it's usually a protein shake....
Great job!0
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