You're not "special"

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Replies

  • dltaylorii
    dltaylorii Posts: 132
    You mean eating less and working out more will make you lose weight? Shut the front door!
  • ChaseAlder
    ChaseAlder Posts: 804 Member
    No, no, no. This is all wrong. Surely there is a pill I can take instead?
  • harphy
    harphy Posts: 290 Member
    I know, there MUST be a fairy godmother with magic wand somewhere!
    It's INHUMAN to force me doing harsh workouts with empty tummy!:sad:
  • EnviousDan
    EnviousDan Posts: 107 Member
    You mean I can ignore all those "Use this ONE secret to lose 400lbs in 7 seconds discovered by a MOM is Utah! Fitness experts HATE her!!!! CLICK HERE TO LEARN THE TRICK TO FLAT ABS AND SUPERMAN'S POWERS"?
  • whiteheaddg
    whiteheaddg Posts: 325 Member
    I am asked frequently if I'm on some type of special diet (paleo, primal, low-fat, low-carb, etc.) To a person they are visibly disappointed when I tell them I count calories daily and subscribe to a balanced diet - to include treats - while exercising more. This approach has taken me from ~200 lbs down to 155@10% BF and through one intentional bulk/cut cycle. I owe it all to MFP, a food scale, and a gym.

    I'm currently in maintenance and tweaking numbers because we all do have different metabolisms. That doesn't mean in/out is flawed - it just needs to be adjusted to fit your needs. There isn't a calculator on the web that will spit out your TDEE down to the exact calorie. They are designed to get you in the ballpark and you need to do the rest through tracking and modification.

    Note: assumes no underlying medical condition or medications are affecting weight. IANAN.
  • kathyvstephan
    kathyvstephan Posts: 41
    "special" bump
  • Lyerin
    Lyerin Posts: 818 Member
    I am super special, and I totally agree with the OP. :)
  • beachgod
    beachgod Posts: 567 Member
    cartoon_exercise.jpg
  • seryph_alethea
    seryph_alethea Posts: 16 Member
    SImply keeping an eye on my caloric intake and trying to move more = 10lbs of weight loss in a month. I know the loss will slow down soon, and yes I put a couple of lbs back on over the past week because BF graduated from uni and his parents took us out loads. But still, I'm below 15 stone for the first time in two and a half years, I can still have the odd McDonalds or whatever, and I feel awesome because I'm eating better the rest of the time.

    I have serious mental and physical health problems, including issues maintaining a healthy relationship with food, and because of medication and the wrong diagnosis (not to exercise to save my joints! Utter madness!) I gained nearly 5 stone in three years. Now, with MFP, and some will power I'm making myself feel like me again.
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
    I'm so glad to hear! This means -

    i dont have to spend $9.00 per frozen meal (jenni craig) which is not as good as real food;
    I can have my low fat blueberry muffin which is my one decadent thing;
    I can eat fruit (not ok on a low carb diet (Atkins?)
    I can eat this way the rest of my life, not just temporary and then regain the weight when i start eating again;
    I dont have to deny myself a slice of cheese pizza once in a whle;
    and if i do eat that slice, it wont kill me nor my way of eating;
    i can enjoy food that really is tasty once i find some recipes :) which i have! YAY!
    I dont have to go on weird food restrictive things which will drive me nuts (forget about the cabbage diet - no way do i want to endure that long term)

    I do want to add - i have to watch my sodium because that seems to hurt me and my efforts. thats it!
  • toutmonpossible
    toutmonpossible Posts: 1,580 Member
    I agree with the basic premise of if you have a calorie deficit, you will lose weight. Beyond that, I think different things work for different people. LIke more exercise or little, low carbs or not, weighing daily or not, etc...

    Mfp has been a life saver in helping me lose weigh(by creating a caloric deficit):)

    Exactly, if it were that easy, and there were only one behavioral route there would be no need for this website. I am not someone who's ever had a weight problem, but I know plenty of people who do and even maintenance for me now requires some effort.

    People should do whatever they think will help so long as

    1) It's not unhealthy (and please educate yourself about what is unhealthy, e.g., 1200 calories is not unhealthy);

    2) They'll learn something from it.
  • manique45
    manique45 Posts: 99 Member
    I have noticed how disappointed people are when I tell them I lost weight by eating less and exercising more. I know they wanted me to tell them some magic diet I went on. They also don't like it when I say it took me 3 years to lose 40 pounds. They want to lose 40 pounds in 4 months.

    It boils down to this ^^^^^ People dont want to stick it out... I was that way... I want fast results... Going on 7 months now and I feel that its so slow... BUT I have lost tons of inches and nearly 20 pounds... I also feel great :o)
  • mcflat29
    mcflat29 Posts: 2,159 Member
    If I could smack all my female friends that yell out, "OMG You can't order a cheeseburger, you're on a diet!!" I know they're trying to be helpful and just don't understand. I'm doing something I can stick with for the rest of my life with my goal being that I am healthy and happy in my skin, whatever size it wants to rest at. I didn't set myself a weight or a size goal because, in all honesty, those really don't determine your health.
    One friend took it a step farther on an outing recently. "Oh, you want ice cream? Do you have the caloric room for that today??" I smiled and simply said, "I guess if I want the ice cream, I can take the long walk or do some aerobics to make up for it. Her response, "I didn't know you could exercise to eat more food." *sigh* Another I have to starve myself and not eat anything good mentality shattered.
    I also know it will take time, so I have a few of my mini goals set years out. This is called the long haul, permanent path. Move your yo-yo magic diet off my highway. :laugh:
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 49,024 Member
    bump because some need to hear it again
  • Cindyinpg
    Cindyinpg Posts: 3,902 Member
    bump because some need to hear it again
    Amen! Thanks again for posting this.:flowerforyou: It's threads like this that have kept me on the right track this time! Long live common sense.:drinker:
    th_i-love-this-thread-so-much_zps5bbad4d5.jpg
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
    today since I have been eating healthy, I decided to go to Boston Market, they have nutrient info.. I was able to eat the BEST rotisserie chicken dinner and i didn't hurt myself. I was thinking this tastes too good to be diet, however, i thought, I'm in for the long haul, not just a diet, and I enjoyed my food immensely. It was so good! Thats what I do too like the lady above who posted that. its a relief that we can enjoy good food that tastes sinfully delicious and it fits our MFP numbers! makes me think i can do this for the long haul.
  • JenMaselli
    JenMaselli Posts: 83 Member
    Yes! The shake thing drives me bonkers. Don't they realize it's just empty calories?
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
    ...
    One friend took it a step farther on an outing recently. "Oh, you want ice cream? Do you have the caloric room for that today??" I smiled and simply said, "I guess if I want the ice cream, I can take the long walk or do some aerobics to make up for it. Her response, "I didn't know you could exercise to eat more food." *sigh*
    ...

    So what would be the answer for those who don't want to take a long walk or do some aerobics to make up for indulgences? This is a sincere question ;)
  • jenifr818
    jenifr818 Posts: 805 Member
    ...
    One friend took it a step farther on an outing recently. "Oh, you want ice cream? Do you have the caloric room for that today??" I smiled and simply said, "I guess if I want the ice cream, I can take the long walk or do some aerobics to make up for it. Her response, "I didn't know you could exercise to eat more food." *sigh*
    ...

    So what would be the answer for those who don't want to take a long walk or do some aerobics to make up for indulgences? This is a sincere question ;)

    Then don't take the long walk or do aerobics :-) You can always adjust throughout the week. For example, lets say your calorie goal is 2000/day. You eat 3000 on Monday, cuz you rock it out like that. On Tuesday, eat 1800. On Wednesday, eat 1700. On Thursday, eat 1800. Friday, eat 1700, and on Saturday and Sunday, you can eat normal again ;-) Whittle it away day by day throughout the week.
  • flitabout
    flitabout Posts: 200 Member
    That is the beautiful thing about logging you can look at it see what you have left and then decided if you want and extra work out, a little less calories for a few days or that it might not be worth it at all! We have choices and that is what is making this work! Not a fad diet or a special pill. just simple easy common sense and hold myself accountable.
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
    ...
    One friend took it a step farther on an outing recently. "Oh, you want ice cream? Do you have the caloric room for that today??" I smiled and simply said, "I guess if I want the ice cream, I can take the long walk or do some aerobics to make up for it. Her response, "I didn't know you could exercise to eat more food." *sigh*
    ...

    So what would be the answer for those who don't want to take a long walk or do some aerobics to make up for indulgences? This is a sincere question ;)

    Then don't take the long walk or do aerobics :-) You can always adjust throughout the week. For example, lets say your calorie goal is 2000/day. You eat 3000 on Monday, cuz you rock it out like that. On Tuesday, eat 1800. On Wednesday, eat 1700. On Thursday, eat 1800. Friday, eat 1700, and on Saturday and Sunday, you can eat normal again ;-) Whittle it away day by day throughout the week.

    Yea, okay, I see how that'd work, Probably wouldn't be worth it *to me* to indulge where it was gonna cost me all week to make it up.

    In which case it wouldn't seem such an awful thing for a good friend to remind me "you sure you want that ice cream? It could mean feeling a bit hungry all week".
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
    That is the beautiful thing about logging you can look at it see what you have left and then decided if you want and extra work out, a little less calories for a few days or that it might not be worth it at all! We have choices and that is what is making this work! Not a fad diet or a special pill. just simple easy common sense and hold myself accountable.

    Yes, I do work foods in to my diary all the time, that does work nicely.
  • jenifr818
    jenifr818 Posts: 805 Member
    ...
    One friend took it a step farther on an outing recently. "Oh, you want ice cream? Do you have the caloric room for that today??" I smiled and simply said, "I guess if I want the ice cream, I can take the long walk or do some aerobics to make up for it. Her response, "I didn't know you could exercise to eat more food." *sigh*
    ...

    So what would be the answer for those who don't want to take a long walk or do some aerobics to make up for indulgences? This is a sincere question ;)

    Then don't take the long walk or do aerobics :-) You can always adjust throughout the week. For example, lets say your calorie goal is 2000/day. You eat 3000 on Monday, cuz you rock it out like that. On Tuesday, eat 1800. On Wednesday, eat 1700. On Thursday, eat 1800. Friday, eat 1700, and on Saturday and Sunday, you can eat normal again ;-) Whittle it away day by day throughout the week.

    Yea, okay, I see how that'd work, Probably wouldn't be worth it *to me* to indulge where it was gonna cost me all week to make it up.

    In which case it wouldn't seem such an awful thing for a good friend to remind me "you sure you want that ice cream? It could mean feeling a bit hungry all week".

    To me, it'd totally be worth it :laugh: better add hot fudge and whipped cream!!

    Another thing to keep in mind is that depending on your settings, you'll still be at a deficit even if you do eat over your calorie goal. I have mine set to lose 1 lb a week/500 calorie deficit a day. Yesterday I ate 500 over. No biggie, just means I ate at maintenance and not at a deficit. I won't gain anything. I probably won't lose a full pound this week, but that's no sweat. I'll still rock out a .4 or .5 lb loss and be happy about it, because damnit, I love my brownies, ice cream, and hash brown casserole!
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
    ...
    One friend took it a step farther on an outing recently. "Oh, you want ice cream? Do you have the caloric room for that today??" I smiled and simply said, "I guess if I want the ice cream, I can take the long walk or do some aerobics to make up for it. Her response, "I didn't know you could exercise to eat more food." *sigh*
    ...

    So what would be the answer for those who don't want to take a long walk or do some aerobics to make up for indulgences? This is a sincere question ;)

    Learn to eat within your nutrients allowed. If you do go over, record it, and then begin again next day, even if you go over your numbers. but,, this is where we learn how to eat within our numbers is the ideal answer, imo.
  • action_figure
    action_figure Posts: 511 Member
    no garb is also not healthy for me

    Yeah. You could totally die of exposure.
  • NonnyMary
    NonnyMary Posts: 982 Member
    ...
    One friend took it a step farther on an outing recently. "Oh, you want ice cream? Do you have the caloric room for that today??" I smiled and simply said, "I guess if I want the ice cream, I can take the long walk or do some aerobics to make up for it. Her response, "I didn't know you could exercise to eat more food." *sigh*
    ...

    So what would be the answer for those who don't want to take a long walk or do some aerobics to make up for indulgences? This is a sincere question ;)

    Then don't take the long walk or do aerobics :-) You can always adjust throughout the week. For example, lets say your calorie goal is 2000/day. You eat 3000 on Monday, cuz you rock it out like that. On Tuesday, eat 1800. On Wednesday, eat 1700. On Thursday, eat 1800. Friday, eat 1700, and on Saturday and Sunday, you can eat normal again ;-) Whittle it away day by day throughout the week.

    Yea, okay, I see how that'd work, Probably wouldn't be worth it *to me* to indulge where it was gonna cost me all week to make it up.

    In which case it wouldn't seem such an awful thing for a good friend to remind me "you sure you want that ice cream? It could mean feeling a bit hungry all week".



    To me, it'd totally be worth it :laugh: better add hot fudge and whipped cream!!

    Another thing to keep in mind is that depending on your settings, you'll still be at a deficit even if you do eat over your calorie goal. I have mine set to lose 1 lb a week/500 calorie deficit a day. Yesterday I ate 500 over. No biggie, just means I ate at maintenance and not at a deficit. I won't gain anything. I probably won't lose a full pound this week, but that's no sweat. I'll still rock out a .4 or .5 lb loss and be happy about it, because damnit, I love my brownies, ice cream, and hash brown casserole!

    Your kind of thinking keeps someone from freaking out when they do overeat, either by accident or on purpose. I think your idea is exactly what we need to keep going for the long haul. Your not letting the scale numbers dictate to you, but learning how to choose to eat better.
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member
    ...
    One friend took it a step farther on an outing recently. "Oh, you want ice cream? Do you have the caloric room for that today??" I smiled and simply said, "I guess if I want the ice cream, I can take the long walk or do some aerobics to make up for it. Her response, "I didn't know you could exercise to eat more food." *sigh*
    ...

    So what would be the answer for those who don't want to take a long walk or do some aerobics to make up for indulgences? This is a sincere question ;)

    Learn to eat within your nutrients allowed. If you do go over, record it, and then begin again next day, even if you go over your numbers. but,, this is where we learn how to eat within our numbers is the ideal answer, imo.

    Yes, I have no problem eating within my 'mumbers'. My question was about long walks and aerobics making up for over indulgences.
  • action_figure
    action_figure Posts: 511 Member
    ...
    One friend took it a step farther on an outing recently. "Oh, you want ice cream? Do you have the caloric room for that today??" I smiled and simply said, "I guess if I want the ice cream, I can take the long walk or do some aerobics to make up for it. Her response, "I didn't know you could exercise to eat more food." *sigh*
    ...

    So what would be the answer for those who don't want to take a long walk or do some aerobics to make up for indulgences? This is a sincere question ;)

    There are only three answers. Exercise (or cut calories somewhere else) to make up for the indulgences. Don't have the indulgences. Get or stay fat. Choose the answer that makes you happiest.
  • lindustum
    lindustum Posts: 212 Member
    I just want to share my feeling I had when MFP showed me how ordinary I was and how others had made it.


    IT IS LIBERATING.


    Being normal means that what helps others also helps you. I don''t need a super-special diet, lots of money or time- it was relieving and finding out to be normal was actually the moment that made me go 'Yes I can do this'.
  • rosemaryhon
    rosemaryhon Posts: 507 Member


    To me, it'd totally be worth it :laugh: better add hot fudge and whipped cream!!

    Yup, I'm sure plenty would ;). Me personally? As I said, probably wouldn't be worth having to restrict calories by hundreds each day for every day all week as was detailed. I'd probably choose to fit it in to that same day, like skip a couple of snacks or something.

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