Seriously CONFUSED.

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  • Carmenbraun55
    Carmenbraun55 Posts: 50 Member
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    I see you got the sexy pants link, there is also "in place of a road map", they have a very helpful spread sheet. I think its on the IPOARM group. Just look for it. I was confused with all of the numbers but after reading IPOARM and sexy pants it all made sense. And the spread sheet does all the work for you :)
  • nikkihk
    nikkihk Posts: 487 Member
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    I am not a professional!!!! I am just passing on what I have learned from seeing a dietitian for the past 3 weeks. I am 5'9" I am currently 169 pounds. And my goal is 150. I am also in the 20 to 25% range... I don't mind being here. I am "moderately lean" and I am ok with that. I was doing low cal 1300 a day. I wasn't losing. I bumped up to 1800 for a month or so.... I started to lose again. Then it stopped... again. That is when I went to a registered dietitian. I obviously can't type all of her advice here but to keep it simple. 40/30/30. I am currently eating 1450 a day. I don't eat back my exercise calories. She claims this NET thing is just another fad that she believed started with the Adkins net carbs concept. I was doing the "if it fits in your macros" and I was stuck for more than a month. I started to eat more "clean", fresh fruits and veggies and gave up some of the low-cal tasty stuff that "fit in my macros" I drink at least 100 ounces of water a day and this week I FINALLY had a 2 pound loss. I lift with a small cardio session M/W/F and do a heavier cardio sesson on T/TH/Saturday I do fun activities like hiking, skating and cycling with my kids. Eating at a huge deficient will prevent muscle gain. She said the best plan is something you can LIVE with long term.

    ***Edit to add*** when I was eating 1300 I was eating back exercise calories. At 1800 I was not. ***

    Thank you for your story... that will help me if I hit my own road blocks. <3
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    The system seems a little fad-like which is what you say you are trying to avoid. I don't know that it would be harmful or send you into starvation mode, but it doesn't really seem like it aligns with your goals. My main concern is that on 1,000 calories per day, you aren't going to have enough energy to complete an effective workout. And, if you want to reduce body fat, you will absolutely need plenty or exercise and protein. It seems like it would be a lot less complicated to just figure out maintenance calories and cut 250-300 calories off that.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    If you eat at a deficit, you will lose weight. It's as simple as that.

    I use the MFP protein & fiber goals as minimums and ignore the rest. But if you ask 100 MFPers, you'll get 100 different opinions. Everybody's different, and it will take trial & error to find what works for you.

    Read this: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • subsonicbassist
    subsonicbassist Posts: 117 Member
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    Try IIFYM.com calculator. This is a bit more accurate than MFP and you can only figure out specific target numbers for fats/protein/carbs instead of percentages. You shouldn't aim at much more than .5-1 pound of weight loss and mix in some heavier days when trying to maintain muscle (can't grow muscle size while losing weight except noob gains). Try doing compound movements like squats, deadlifts and overhead presses with high weight and lower reps (3-5 sets of 5 is common). You can do it, just don't believe anything that is a "magic ingredient" to weight loss. It is simple to lose weight, but not easy if that makes sense ;)
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    I am not a professional!!!! I am just passing on what I have learned from seeing a dietitian for the past 3 weeks. I am 5'9" I am currently 169 pounds. And my goal is 150. I am also in the 20 to 25% range... I don't mind being here. I am "moderately lean" and I am ok with that. I was doing low cal 1300 a day. I wasn't losing. I bumped up to 1800 for a month or so.... I started to lose again. Then it stopped... again. That is when I went to a registered dietitian. I obviously can't type all of her advice here but to keep it simple. 40/30/30. I am currently eating 1450 a day. I don't eat back my exercise calories. She claims this NET thing is just another fad that she believed started with the Adkins net carbs concept. I was doing the "if it fits in your macros" and I was stuck for more than a month. I started to eat more "clean", fresh fruits and veggies and gave up some of the low-cal tasty stuff that "fit in my macros" I drink at least 100 ounces of water a day and this week I FINALLY had a 2 pound loss. I lift with a small cardio session M/W/F and do a heavier cardio sesson on T/TH/Saturday I do fun activities like hiking, skating and cycling with my kids. Eating at a huge deficient will prevent muscle gain. She said the best plan is something you can LIVE with long term.

    ***Edit to add*** when I was eating 1300 I was eating back exercise calories. At 1800 I was not. ***

    It could be a little dangerous to suggest that NET calories is a 'fad.' Taking this literally, would mean, that if someone's maintenance calories were 1600, and they burned up 1,000 calories ( or more ) daily... doing massive cardio, that 600 NET calories would be acceptable. Which, I'm sure you'd agree would not.

    It's great that your dietician has the scale moving for you again, but I don't think that NET calories is a 'fad.' So, what is your average calorie burn per day, or over a week? Would it happen to be around 500 calories per day, or 3500 per week? :wink:
  • nikkihk
    nikkihk Posts: 487 Member
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    Try IIFYM.com calculator. This is a bit more accurate than MFP and you can only figure out specific target numbers for fats/protein/carbs instead of percentages. You shouldn't aim at much more than .5-1 pound of weight loss and mix in some heavier days when trying to maintain muscle (can't grow muscle size while losing weight except noob gains). Try doing compound movements like squats, deadlifts and overhead presses with high weight and lower reps (3-5 sets of 5 is common). You can do it, just don't believe anything that is a "magic ingredient" to weight loss. It is simple to lose weight, but not easy if that makes sense ;)

    This is great stuff, thanks!! I'll try a combination of high weight/lower reps and mid weight/high reps without long pauses (ie. no more then 60 secs between exercises to keep hart rate up) I may be wrong? But it feels like it mimics cardio to some degree and I'm no fan of the treadmill.
  • Briargrey
    Briargrey Posts: 498 Member
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    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

    This. Truly. This :)
  • Mellyajc
    Mellyajc Posts: 142 Member
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    If you're not good at diet stuff, then don't do it.

    I'm not being snarky..just keep it simple and not go with any complicated system like that. Yes there are a million answers..there are also a lot of different body types and what works best for you may not be in any of that research. Your body knows stuff. Listen to it. We devise all these fancy systems to try to make things simple but they only get more complicated. Eat healthy, and exercise. That's it on a base level. Will it be the fastest? Maybe not, but it might be the most effective because it's something you can stick with.

    All the time spent researching a diet that will give me as much protein as certain plans say I need..doesn't mean it's workable in my lifestyle, and that's time I'd rather be out running.

    I've been logging my calories on MFP and doing 6 minute abs every day (not my only exercise, but to keep it simple, that's my daily dedication). And I'm down an inch and a half on my belly in less than a month. That's what I have the mental bandwidth for right now, and it's working for me.
  • JustJennie13
    JustJennie13 Posts: 218
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    I am not a professional!!!! I am just passing on what I have learned from seeing a dietitian for the past 3 weeks. I am 5'9" I am currently 169 pounds. And my goal is 150. I am also in the 20 to 25% range... I don't mind being here. I am "moderately lean" and I am ok with that. I was doing low cal 1300 a day. I wasn't losing. I bumped up to 1800 for a month or so.... I started to lose again. Then it stopped... again. That is when I went to a registered dietitian. I obviously can't type all of her advice here but to keep it simple. 40/30/30. I am currently eating 1450 a day. I don't eat back my exercise calories. She claims this NET thing is just another fad that she believed started with the Adkins net carbs concept. I was doing the "if it fits in your macros" and I was stuck for more than a month. I started to eat more "clean", fresh fruits and veggies and gave up some of the low-cal tasty stuff that "fit in my macros" I drink at least 100 ounces of water a day and this week I FINALLY had a 2 pound loss. I lift with a small cardio session M/W/F and do a heavier cardio sesson on T/TH/Saturday I do fun activities like hiking, skating and cycling with my kids. Eating at a huge deficient will prevent muscle gain. She said the best plan is something you can LIVE with long term.

    ***Edit to add*** when I was eating 1300 I was eating back exercise calories. At 1800 I was not. ***

    It could be a little dangerous to suggest that NET calories is a 'fad.' Taking this literally, would mean, that if someone's maintenance calories were 1600, and they burned up 1,000 calories ( or more ) daily... doing massive cardio, that 600 NET calories would be acceptable. Which, I'm sure you'd agree would not.

    It's great that your dietician has the scale moving for you again, but I don't think that NET calories is a 'fad.' So, what is your average calorie burn per day, or over a week? Would it happen to be around 500 calories per day, or 3500 per week? :wink:

    I specifically asked about this today because it worried me that I have been NETTING around 800 to 900 calories a day. Mon-Fri my daily calorie burn averages 450 to 500 a day. I don't work out on Sunday and Saturday is a "kid" friendly activity that I typically don't count the burn on. I use a heart rate monitor to give my burn rates and if it matters it is the Polar HRM. That is when she told me that the "NET" is a fad and as long as I am eating nutrient dense foods that I will be ok. If it comes to a point where I am sluggish, lethargic, or excessively tired I am supposed to report back and have my food logs looked at and possibly increase my calorie amount. I am glad the scale is moving again as well but as I noted earlier... My desire is to find a lifestyle I can LIVE with which is what I have stressed to her. I can eat clean and restrict everything but will I live that way forever to maintain it??? I doubt it. As you know this is a process... I have one more class and then I will be sent in for blood work and have her plan reviewed by my doctor to ensure that I am in fact getting all that I need. I understand that this is not something that is afforded to everyone but for me... I am in the military and the classes are free. Obviously I was not doing something right if I continued to stall with the TDEE and Standard MFP guidelines. I was using a food scale (as recommended when I stalled before) and got the HRM because it was believed that I was over-estimating my calorie burn. After 2 months with weighing and HRM I was still stuck which led me to the Registered Dietitian and headed to my doc.
  • Keliandra
    Keliandra Posts: 170 Member
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    More than 75 lbs: 2 lbs/week

    I don't agree with that. I didn't put ON 2 pounds a week to become 115 pounds overweight. Those 115 pounds went on over a period of 728 weeks (14 years), and personally, I think that losing the weight in anything LESS than 2 years will just cause me to rebound and put it right back on again. That works out to a pound a week or a 500 calorie deficit a day.

    Too many people want to lose weight NOW. I know I did. I went on Medifast for 6 months. I lost 72 pounds. I couldn't sustain it and ended up gaining back the 72 plus another 12. Now I'm diabetic. I'm going slow and I will be patient. In spite of taking insulin daily, I have managed to lose 3 pounds since Jan 2.

    This time it's not just my appearance and self-esteem that depend on my weight loss, it's my health and my life at stake.
  • nikkihk
    nikkihk Posts: 487 Member
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    More than 75 lbs: 2 lbs/week

    I don't agree with that. I didn't put ON 2 pounds a week to become 115 pounds overweight. Those 115 pounds went on over a period of 728 weeks (14 years), and personally, I think that losing the weight in anything LESS than 2 years will just cause me to rebound and put it right back on again. That works out to a pound a week or a 500 calorie deficit a day.

    Too many people want to lose weight NOW. I know I did. I went on Medifast for 6 months. I lost 72 pounds. I couldn't sustain it and ended up gaining back the 72 plus another 12. Now I'm diabetic. I'm going slow and I will be patient. In spite of taking insulin daily, I have managed to lose 3 pounds since Jan 2.

    This time it's not just my appearance and self-esteem that depend on my weight loss, it's my health and my life at stake.

    I'm 99% sure the original poster wasn't saying "Shoot for these numbers" they were saying don't expect more then... It's not about going fast, just a general rule of thumb for what to expect. However, people who are incredibly obese can lose much faster then people who are only 20-30 pounds over weight because of how our body responds. I don't feel like researching the science of it right now, but just wanted to point out that there was nothing right with that chart of expectations.
  • nikkihk
    nikkihk Posts: 487 Member
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    *I meant nothing WRONG with* ...opps.
  • sloth3toes
    sloth3toes Posts: 2,212 Member
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    *I meant nothing WRONG with* ...opps.

    It certainly can be an individual thing... I wanted to make sure that you knew that it's certainly not necessary to shoot for mega-deficits, or mega losses... But, you certainly already seem to grasp that. :smile: Many newbies come, and just arbitrarily pick goals of 1200 calories per day, because that's as low as MFP will go.

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