BrainyBurro's October 2013 Challenge
BrainyBurro
Posts: 6,129 Member
major goals:
1) to eat at least one slice of pizza every day this month.
2) to meet my daily/weekly/monthly macronutrient goals by choosing other foods to complement the nutritional content of the pizza.
3) to lose 10 or more lbs during the month.
minor goals:
4) to help demolish the silly myths about weight loss perpetuated by clean eaters, orthorexics, and food shamers.
5) to demonstrate that eating adequate protein and strength training to muscle failure will help preserve LBM while losing fat on a significant calorie deficit.
6) to show that you can still enjoy foods you like while losing weight.
1) to eat at least one slice of pizza every day this month.
2) to meet my daily/weekly/monthly macronutrient goals by choosing other foods to complement the nutritional content of the pizza.
3) to lose 10 or more lbs during the month.
minor goals:
4) to help demolish the silly myths about weight loss perpetuated by clean eaters, orthorexics, and food shamers.
5) to demonstrate that eating adequate protein and strength training to muscle failure will help preserve LBM while losing fat on a significant calorie deficit.
6) to show that you can still enjoy foods you like while losing weight.
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Replies
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starting on October 1st, i'll begin to list my dietary intake, "calorie in", and "calorie out" totals for each day, as well as my cumulative progress each day. i'll weigh in periodically so that members of the group will be able track my "paper" loss against my actual loss. i'll also answer any questions about my specific challenge on this thread. i may even post pictures of pizza.
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Thanks for starting this BB! Im not sure if i can eat pizza daily, but a couple times a week might be ok, right?0
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Thanks for starting this BB! Im not sure if i can eat pizza daily, but a couple times a week might be ok, right?
my personal challenge is to eat 31 pieces over 31 days, so 1 per day. if i lose 10 or more lbs, i'm pretty sure that deflates any argument anyone can ever make about pizza "preventing" weight loss.
if you want to do a shorter challenge while still working pizza into your macros, go for it! what about 1 piece per day for a week? or whatever you can come up with that sounds like a challenge for you. the goal is to make people actually sit down and double check their macro settings and then take the time to figure out how they can adjust/plan their meals so that there is room for something like pizza as often as they want it to be in their diet. that, in a nutshell, is how one transitions from "dieting" to making a "lifestyle change". i know that's a cliche, but delicious food is one of the great pleasures of life and nobody should reasonably expect that they can just eliminate a food they love from their diet for the rest of their lives, just because somebody else tells them it's "bad" or "unhealthy".
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my personal challenge is to eat 31 pieces over 31 days, so 1 per day. if i lose 10 or more lbs, i'm pretty sure that deflates any argument anyone can ever make about pizza "preventing" weight loss.
if you want to do a shorter challenge while still working pizza into your macros, go for it! what about 1 piece per day for a week? or whatever you can come up with that sounds like a challenge for you. the goal is to make people actually sit down and double check their macro settings and then take the time to figure out how they can adjust/plan their meals so that there is room for something like pizza as often as they want it to be in their diet. that, in a nutshell, is how one transitions from "dieting" to making a "lifestyle change". i know that's a cliche, but delicious food is one of the great pleasures of life and nobody should reasonably expect that they can just eliminate a food they love from their diet for the rest of their lives, just because somebody else tells them it's "bad" or "unhealthy".
I may try it for a week or two ;-). Im in NYC so great pizza is abundant 0 -
I ate tons of pizza last fall while rapidly achieving my ideal weight for long distance running, I have been able to maintain 10% body fat levels all year while eating more pizza than anyone I know. My cholesterol, blood pressure and blood sugar levels remain perfect.
For me the secret was tracking my calorie and macro targets (I track fiber and a few other micro nutrients as well) on a WEEKLY basis. One bad day wont hurt you so long as you remain on track to hit your weekly goals.
I am joining this group to support others. Pizza (as part of a balanced diet) along with aerobic exercise and strength training is all you need to achieve your goals!
Run (or swim, cycle, etc), Lift and Eat Pizza!0 -
I love pizza and I love a challenge!! However, I'm bulking, so no intention of losing weight this month, but I'm certainly in as a spectator. I'm sure I will eat my share of pizza this month and look forward to seeing you break that myth. :drinker:0
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You go! I have pizza at least once a week, and am losing weight : ) I don't choose to have pizza everyday, as I love variety, but I know that I can eat anything I chose and still lose weight by making good and balanced choices. Logging and being purposeful and accountable about my food choices and my activity is so important!0
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I am quite willing to try to eat ice cream everyday. With the occasional side of Halloween candy, after all, 'tis the season. This is the best group idea ever!0
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OK... I am in ... i started my own sub thread so you all can follow along.
Here is the tantalizing excerpt:
Major Goals:
1) to eat pizza every week this month. I will actively seek out places that sell slices!
2) On days I don't eat pizza I will try to regularly eat the following foods:
- Plate of Bacon
- Pop Tarts
- Cheese Popcorn
- Biscuits with real butter
- Hushpuppies
- Ice Cream
- Peanut butter spread on dark chocolate
- Kettle Cooked potato chips - the high fat version
- A Real Mountain Dew - not sugar free0 -
ok, i did my weigh-in and i'm at 260lbs. meh. it's been an up and down kind of year so far. my new goals for the month according to MFP are:
1590 calories (for a 2lbs/month lass rate)
53g fat
139g protein
139g carbs
i have my ratios set at 35%p/35%c/30%f
according to the standard rule, my fats are a little low but i just don't eat that much fat in my diet and i'm willing to be a bit under the 0.35g/lb of bodyweight recommendation (91g)
however, my protein is right in line with the standard recommendation of 0.8g/lb of LBM which calculates out to about 135g if i use my estimated BF% as 35%.
in a nutshell, that's how i set my goals and also how i sanity check the MFP numbers (their default macro ratios are way off in my opinion)
also, i checked my BMR with an outside BMR calculator and come up with 2721, so -1000 for my daily deficit, yields 1721 calories as my goal. i actually trust this outside calculator more than MFP's, so i'll use that number for my spreadsheet that i fill out each day in conjunction with my MFP diary, but for purposes of this challenge, i'll aim for eating right around the MFP number of 1590 calories.0 -
Well... you know.. most people who do challenges expect to lose 20 pounds a month. I'll shoot for 2 pounds. I eat some form of yummy "unhealthy" food each day. Yesterday it was a cheeseyburger.0
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one other thing... i try to do a 7.3 mile walk every day for cardio/calorie burn purposes. that's about 1021 calories burned. because of weather and time constraints, i seem to only end up doing the walk about every other day, so on average, i add 510 calories to my TDEE each day as a result. i don't eat back these calories per MFP's suggestions. with ~75lbs still to lose, a 3lb per week loss rate is fine for me right now. thus, my real goal for the month is about a 12lb loss. if i am able to do the walk a few more times than usual, perhaps 13-14lbs. the challenge goal was stated as 10+lbs for the month. if i stick to my usual walking schedule, i should meet that goal with a little extra to spare... :drinker:0
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Well... you know.. most people who do challenges expect to lose 20 pounds a month. I'll shoot for 2 pounds. I eat some form of yummy "unhealthy" food each day. Yesterday it was a cheeseyburger.
#winning #yesiusedthatdatedmemeasahashtag
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Brainy - I hear you. There are a bunch of challenges that came out in September saying that they were going to lose 40 lbs by new year. These people will all be back whining that MFP doesn't work!
I just checked my Scooby's calculator (I do some others too:)
My TDEE is 2375
My BMR is 1727
Daily Cals no Ex: 2019
Projected weight loss .7 lbs per week
I guarantee you I will be eating "Bad" stuff and I will show pictures!0 -
You know why this challenge really "speaks" to me.
I was on another challenge and someone "chided" me for eating too much fat even though I was under calories. She just looked at the number and "judge"
That Day I had eaten:
4 tablespoons of olive oil
Almonds
Avacaodo
Peanut butter
OK - I am now in a "judgement free" zone
I suspect that we are not going to see any "I am proud of myself because I ate 150 calories under my 1200 goal" people here either!0 -
Brainy - I hear you. There are a bunch of challenges that came out in September saying that they were going to lose 40 lbs by new year. These people will all be back whining that MFP doesn't work!
it's *possible* to lose 20lbs in a month, but it's basically a deprivation diet and even if you can stick to it for a month (being miserable), once you finish, you'll almost certainly binge and gain most (or all) of it back. this is the sort of mindset that leads to yo-yo dieting. i try to help those people in the forums when and where i can, but they won't listen... so i resort to posting funny gifs instead.
there's no point in rushing this if the end result is getting to your goal and then putting all of the weight back on plus a little extra. i wish people could understand that, but many of them don't. that's what Dr. Oz counts on for getting ratings and that's what the weight loss industry counts on for getting $$$.
MFP works, but only if people are informed and have sober expectations about how long it will take. if it took 10 years to put on 100lbs, it's not going to come off in 6 months. and if it does, odds are that person will gain it all back and then some as soon as they "relax" from their stringent diet.0 -
there's no point in rushing this if the end result is getting to your goal and then putting all of the weight back on plus a little extra. i wish people could understand that
^^ This!0 -
Yes, that's what used to happen to me and it's what is still happening to many people I know. A few of my friends have given up entirely as they have decided that diets don't work, so why even try? We are bombarded with quick fixes, so these simple, sustainable methods get overlooked.. even disbelieved outright. A few months ago, a customer at my workplace asked me if I had been taking green coffee beans to achieve my weight loss. I told him no, that I was just eating at a calorie deficit and exercising. Then he asks me if I had seen a doctor because, according to him..... "Eating at a calorie deficit and exercise DOESN'T work ". :noway: Therefore, I must be sick. :laugh:there's no point in rushing this if the end result is getting to your goal and then putting all of the weight back on plus a little extra. i wish people could understand that
^^ This!
How did we get to the point where losing weight using green coffee beans is more believable than calorie deficit? Are people really believing all that Dr. Oz nonsense on their Facebook feeds everyday?0 -
How did we get to the point where losing weight using green coffee beans is more believable than calorie deficit? Are people really believing all that Dr. Oz nonsense on their Facebook feeds everyday?
Love it! :drinker:
Back in May... a Really good friend of mine who is very smart just lost about 15 lbs. I asked him how did he do it? He said "Raspberry Ketones and Green Coffee bean extract" - then he laughed and said that he "didn't even have to exercise".
The sad thing is that I went out and bought some at GNC. I started to take them for a week and I got so jittery that I was shaking. Then, for some strange reason I really started to read the posts on MFP and "learn".
For three straight years I would eat 1200-1300 calories and starve myself down about 30 lbs and gain it all back in 2 months!
This time I am taking it slow and steady and going to eat Pizza! 0 -
Yes, been there a few times. I tried this one shake based one back in the late 90's that called for a shake in the morning, a can of tuna for lunch and a chicken breast and broccoli for dinner, so probably what? 500 calories? Lost about 60lbs in two months. Gained it all back over the next year. Plus some. Undoubtedly I lost muscle during that stupid stunt as well.How did we get to the point where losing weight using green coffee beans is more believable than calorie deficit? Are people really believing all that Dr. Oz nonsense on their Facebook feeds everyday?
Love it! :drinker:
Back in May... a Really good friend of mine who is very smart just lost about 15 lbs. I asked him how did he do it? He said "Raspberry Ketones and Green Coffee bean extract" - then he laughed and said that he "didn't even have to exercise".
The sad thing is that I went out and bought some at GNC. I started to take them for a week and I got so jittery that I was shaking. Then, for some strange reason I really started to read the posts on MFP and "learn".
For three straight years I would eat 1200-1300 calories and starve myself down about 30 lbs and gain it all back in 2 months!
This time I am taking it slow and steady and going to eat Pizza!
Coming here last year was the smartest thing I ever could've done. I was all motivated to do a bunch of cardio and eat 'clean', no more junk food, do it right and meet like minded people on here... And then I start reading the posts and peeking in diaries. These IIFYM people were eating stuff like ice cream, pizza and pop tarts everyday and were not only losing weight, but thriving! They're saying there is no such thing as junk food. Some of them go to McDonalds everyday. That had be too good to be true, but I was willing to check into it further. I read the posts by Sara and Sidesteel, peeked in more diaries, read Ed Davenport's success story... It was enough to convince me and now I've had success with it too. This challenge will be fun, but it will also be meaningful to say, "I had ice cream everyday for a month and lost 4lbs." Maybe we can convince a few more people about how easy and painless this can really be.0 -
Coming here last year was the smartest thing I ever could've done. I was all motivated to do a bunch of cardio and eat 'clean', no more junk food, do it right and meet like minded people on here... And then I start reading the posts and peeking in diaries. These IIFYM people were eating stuff like ice cream, pizza and pop tarts everyday and were not only losing weight, but thriving! They're saying there is no such thing as junk food. Some of them go to McDonalds everyday. That had be too good to be true, but I was willing to check into it further. I read the posts by Sara and Sidesteel, peeked in more diaries, read Ed Davenport's success story... It was enough to convince me and now I've had success with it too. This challenge will be fun, but it will also be meaningful to say, "I had ice cream everyday for a month and lost 4lbs." Maybe we can convince a few more people about how easy and painless this can really be.
I absolutely hate the whole "clean eating" thing. I almost died of boredom (seriously) because of it. No thanks! :grumble:
I've been dealing with health issues on and off for a while (mostly exhaustion, but figured out the root of it) and a friend of mine (who is of the 'shake and supplement cult'. I won't mention which one) said "well it's because you eat like crap!". UM EXCUSE ME?
When i'm at my goal and i can prove IIFYM works, I'm going to rub this in her face. Bish. :devil:0 -
Coming here last year was the smartest thing I ever could've done. I was all motivated to do a bunch of cardio and eat 'clean', no more junk food, do it right and meet like minded people on here... And then I start reading the posts and peeking in diaries. These IIFYM people were eating stuff like ice cream, pizza and pop tarts everyday and were not only losing weight, but thriving! They're saying there is no such thing as junk food. Some of them go to McDonalds everyday. That had be too good to be true, but I was willing to check into it further. I read the posts by Sara and Sidesteel, peeked in more diaries, read Ed Davenport's success story... It was enough to convince me and now I've had success with it too. This challenge will be fun, but it will also be meaningful to say, "I had ice cream everyday for a month and lost 4lbs." Maybe we can convince a few more people about how easy and painless this can really be.
I absolutely hate the whole "clean eating" thing. I almost died of boredom (seriously) because of it. No thanks! :grumble:
I've been dealing with health issues on and off for a while (mostly exhaustion, but figured out the root of it) and a friend of mine (who is of the 'shake and supplement cult'. I won't mention which one) said "well it's because you eat like crap!". UM EXCUSE ME?
When i'm at my goal and i can prove IIFYM works, I'm going to rub this in her face. Bish. :devil:
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i created a general chit chat thread for the challenge so that these sidebar discussions can be had there, instead of on individual challenge threads. i think it's perfectly fine to have discussions in here about all sorts of related issues, but it'll work best to have a separate thread for those running discussions.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1109045-eplwe-general-chit-chat-thread0 -
Day 1
cardio: 7.3 mile walk (1021 calories)
strength: none
TDEE using MFP #'s: 3611 calories
today's deficit: 1986 calories
cumulative deficit: 1986 calories
today's pizza... Papa John's large slice (italian sausage, banana peppers, pineapple)
*note* - MFP scales your daily macronutrient goals as percentages of your TDEE. this is wrong. fats and proteins are fixed numbers that you need to meet or exceed based on bodyweight and lean body mass (LBM). for this reason, i will take snapshots of my diary BEFORE logging my exercise. the numbers are more meaningful then. i only track fats and protein. tracking carbs is irrelevant to me. also, i didn't drink any today, but i'll be drinking Diet Pepsi (caffeine free) on and off throughout the month. it has no calories, so there is no point in logging it. but i mention this fact because i am NOT on board with the anti-aspartame or anti-diet soda movements that have sprung up on MFP recently. in fact, i started making an effort to drink soda just to include aspartame in my dietary intake! ...otherwise all i drink is water, milk, and occasional iced tea these days.0 -
Good work! - like the charts!0
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i'll be drinking Diet Pepsi (caffeine free) on and off throughout the month. it has no calories, so there is no point in logging it. but i mention this fact because i am NOT on board with the anti-aspartame or anti-diet soda movements that have sprung up on MFP recently. in fact, i started making an effort to drink soda just to include aspartame in my dietary intake!
I agree with you about aspartame! The only difference between us is that I drink the caffeinated diet soda because I love caffeine as well!0 -
Day 2
cardio: none
strength: Incline Bench Press, Shrugs, Dorsi Bar Pulldowns, Military Press, Squats, Tricep Press
TDEE using MFP #'s: 2590 calories
today's deficit: 765 calories
cumulative deficit: 2751 calories
today's pizza... Papa John's large slice (canadian bacon, banana peppers, pineapple)0 -
Day 3
cardio: 7.3 mile walk (1021 calories)
strength: none
TDEE using MFP #'s: 3611 calories
today's deficit: 1041 calories
cumulative deficit: 3792 calories
today's pizza... Papa John's large slice (canadian bacon, banana peppers, pineapple)0 -
Great day -
The Kindergarten Cop Avatar is priceless!0
