I have no idea what I am doing...

minnesotablu · August 2014

Hey there,

I've been a mfp user for quite some time, but I don't think I've ever posted in the forums before. I'm here to admit something: I have absolutely no idea what I am doing!

I'm 5'6 and 230 pounds (gross). I'm almost back to my peak weight of 240 lbs which is super frustrating. A couple of years ago, I started eating healthy and exercising like crazy and managed to get down to 207 pounds (my lowest since my jr year in high school). Needless to say, after a stressful 9 months of moving, gaining/losing jobs, financial struggles, depression, etc, I've managed to stress eat my way back up to 230 pounds.

Now, I'm approaching more big changes in life and I want to make a permanent change in my health simultaneously. As I get started though, I just want to do things the right way!

I don't just want to start eating healthy and going for walks a few times a week. I'm motivated, and I want to hit this thing hard. I'm stubborn and dedicated and super competitive (even against myself) so I know failure isn't an option.

If I cut down to a 1200 calorie diet, is my body going to angrily shut down? I keep reading horror stories about your body going into "starvation mode" when you eat below your BMR (basal metabolic rate), but with my fat stores in tact, eating 1200 calories should be sufficient right? (I'm planning a high protein, low carb, lowish fat diet.)

I eat a lot of carbs now (pasta with extra bread sticks anyone?!) so I know my body is going to be in a bit of shock at first... I'm a total apple shape and carry ALL of my weight around the middle, which I know is because I get too much sugar (all through carbohydrates! I'm not a "sweets" person at all... But I'll down a bag of potato chips in no time flat.)

I'm going to start pretty easy on workouts. I'm planning on walking 30 minutes every morning, and some evenings I will be doing 30 minutes of cardio (C25k to be exact) for the first 2 months. In November, I'll step up my game to include longer morning walks, increased cardio, and weight training for toning. I will likely have to increase my calorie intake when this happens (you know, so I don't pass out! Haha).

Does this seem like a doable approach? Should I be doing more? The biggest change will be in my diet for sure (I'm fairly active as is), but I don't know if it's enough? Or too much?

My New Years resolution was to lose 50 lbs this year, so I'm still slightly hopefully I'll hit that goal by the end of the year. There are twenty weeks left of the year, so 40 lbs (2 a week) is my ultimate goal. If I get to 50, I'll probably jump for joy and maybe pee my pants! Haha!

Any tips/suggestions as I start this new adventure? Anything is helpful because again, I have NO idea what I'm doing!

Sabine_Stroehm · August 2014

Do you want to start eating healthy? Or do 1200 calories?

alyssamaryw · August 2014

Hello! I'm not an MFP expert by any means, though I have been here a while and I lurk on the forums frequently. I would say you should consult your physician to see if a 1200 calorie diet is right for you. If you get the ok, then you should be fine. Just be sure that, as you mentioned, when you increase your activity level that you also increase your calorie intake proportionately!

gypsy_spirit · August 2014

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-path-of-success-631437

Read, read, read. Learn all you can about how to do this once and for all in a healthy way. Then let the information in these links guide you to make a plan that will help you lose the weight and keep it off.

Build strong habits around your eating and training. This is what will carry you through the days you have no motivation. It's all up to you - if you are as committed as you say - you'll be on your way to losing that 50 pounds.

Best of luck! :drinker:

diannethegeek · August 2014

If you haven't found these guides yet, I always suggest starting with these links:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1296011-calorie-counting-101
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1365345-getting-started-a-marine-s-perspective

And then read these when you're ready to take your logging accuracy to the next step:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1290491-how-and-why-to-use-a-digital-food-scale

MissMissle · August 2014

Unless you are seriously starving yourself, like trapped on an island living off a coconut a day, starvation mode isn't going to happen.

I would figure out how much your body needs to burn per day, then set a defecit. I stick around 1200 calories, but I think if I was 230 pounds, I would want to eat more than 1200, with the idea that the closer you are to hitting your goal weight, the less calories you will need to consume.... so if you start with 1200 calories - where do you have to go from there? As long as you are at a defecit, you will lose weight. And as super freaking frustrating as it is, you didn't gain all that weight in a month, so don't expect it to come off in a month.

Im no professional at this. ive bene trying to lose weight for a long time now and am behind my goal, and actually gained 3 pounds over a weekend a few weeks ago that I can't seem to get rid of, but what i can tell you, is that there are LOTS of people on these forums that know what they are taking baout. There are lots that don't too... and a lot of the people that know what they are talking about sound pretty f-ing rude, but generally, its worth heading their advise...because - well - they know what they are talking about. My guess is 99% of them are going to tell you you can eat alot more than 1200 calories a day, and still lose weight at a great rate thats sustainable.

skullshank · August 2014

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-path-of-success-631437

Read, read, read. Learn all you can about how to do this once and for all in a healthy way. Then let the information in these links guide you to make a plan that will help you lose the weight and keep it off.

Build strong habits around your eating and training. This is what will carry you through the days you have no motivation. It's all up to you - if you are as committed as you say - you'll be on your way to losing that 50 pounds.

Best of luck! :drinker:

5stringjeff · August 2014

First, go here and figure out your BMR and TDEE:

http://www.fat2fittools.com/tools/bmr/

Punching in your data (26, female, 5'6", 230), the tool shows a BMR of 1844. (This does not take BF% into account, so your actual BMR may be a bit lower). Regardless, you should not eat less than your BMR for extended periods of time. Your TDEE looks to be around 2200 at sedentary activity levels. So you should eat less than your TDEE, and more than your BMR. You will find very few people on the MFP site who recommend eating at 1200 calories, for this very reason.

Your workout plan sounds reasonable enough. I lost my first 20 pounds doing no exercises except walking around the neighborhood. You should be more focused on what you eat. Log everything you eat and make sustainable changes to your diet.

Finally, don't be too discouraged. A lot of people gain weight when they go through tough life experiences. I gained 15 pounds earlier this year when I got hit with divorce papers and had some major life adjustments to make. The fact that you've recognized that you have changes to make is the first step in the right direction.

Good luck!

Sabine_Stroehm · August 2014

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1175494-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/872212-you-re-probably-eating-more-than-you-think

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/ihad/view/the-path-of-success-631437

Read, read, read. Learn all you can about how to do this once and for all in a healthy way. Then let the information in these links guide you to make a plan that will help you lose the weight and keep it off.

Build strong habits around your eating and training. This is what will carry you through the days you have no motivation. It's all up to you - if you are as committed as you say - you'll be on your way to losing that 50 pounds.

Best of luck! :drinker:

Hideous, hideous gif, but yes. ACCURATE

Ali_momof2 · August 2014

I'm always wary posting on here because ppl like to attack which you will sson find out, I'm sorry some ppl are *kitten* and just can't be helpful nicely.
I wouldn't necessarily go down to 1200 calories. I eat a bit more than that but I'm a tiny little thing, just 5ft and I'm only looking to lose a few lbs. Also on days that I weight train I eat more. Figure out your TDEE and all the other fun numbers that I'm sure someone will post on here if not I just googled it and went to several different sites, and did several different equations. They will all give you a different answer just like you'll get many different ones here. Once you get your estimate calories, eat you deficit and see how you feel. Everyone is different, there is no magic number, eating 1200 won't kill you like some suggest however 5' 6 I wouldn't recommend it. I love your high protein diet idea, I do the same. It fills me up longer than when I eat the carby stuff. I keep my diet around 35% protein and I think I set my fat 30%& carbs to 35% but thats me ( I also don't care of others opinion on this).
I've added strength training along with cardio or HIIT. Heavy lifting sounded really intimidating when I started for I found out I'm good at it, but I don't know what access you have to weights. I have stuff at home I don't go to the gym. I also youtube the hell out of workout so I don't get bored and I can try lots of difference things.
I could go on & on but you'll have plenty of other postings so I'll cut it short here.
And you can do this, its not easy but its totally doable. We've all got to start somewhere.

minnesotablu · August 2014

AHHHH... Thanks so much for all the great info!

Honestly, I've been reading thread after thread after thread and I'm always thinking, "This is great info!" but then I read the next one and it counters what the last said. Haha The Internet is a confusing and contradictory place so I'm grateful for the advise. I'm also totally aware that everyone's bodies are different and I will need to do some trial and error to figure out what works for me. (I'm just impatient and I hate trial and error. Ha!)

I've now read a few more of the links on finding my TDEE and my understanding is still short.

The reasoning behind my 1200 calorie choice, is currently I'm eating just above that (1500-1800 most days)... Granted, I only eat once a day and usually what I'm eating is terrible for me. (What can I say, I've been in the process of moving for the last month and have all my kitchen wear packed so pizza or a burger it is!) I figured if I shrank it down to 1200 calories, cut out the crap, and ate chicken and enough veggies as I could get my hands on, the weight would start coming off. And this is why I asked for advise... Haha!

2,000+ calories seems like so much to eat? I can't imagine eating more than I am, and losing weight. The fear of gaining more weight also lingers in the back of my head.

Like I said, I am a fairly active person... So the fact that I gained as much weight as I have in recent months is super frustrating. I'm an avid softball player, I go hiking/camping all the time, and horseback riding is a twice a week endeavor. Heck, I just went white water rafting this weekend! I usually lose a few pounds in the summer, but gaining is nuts and the summer is almost done! I'm sure stress has something to do with it as cortisol levels rise and what not.

Once my move is complete (September 1st!) I'm hoping things will level out and I'll have a chance to relax again. I also haven't been sleeping well which doesn't help anything.

You guys about have me convinced though, so I'm considering starting at 2,000 calories a day (not as high as it's saying, I want to say the calculator said something like 2,200?), but it's more than my initial plan. I'll see if this does anything and come down 200 calories at a time as needed.

Do you think 2 weeks is long enough for my body to adjust and show progress? Or should I be doing each calorie trial at a month at a time? Does that even make sense?

lavaughan69 · August 2014

When you filled in for MFP and put in your current weight and that you wanted to lose 2lbs a week how many calories did MFP suggest you eat? I would just go with that number to start with. That's what I did. If you find yourself starving and the amount of food isn't enough then you can change the setting to 1lbs a week. 1200 calories seems too little for your current size. I'm eating 1200-1300 but I'm 5'5" 132lbs and still trying to lose a couple more.

Don't worry too much about the crappy food you're eating right now as long as you are accurately recording what you eat. As soon as you're all settled into your new place you can focus on changing your eating habits. Are you okay eating one meal a day? I technically eat two a day although I have popcorn or a snack around 9pm so I count that as my third meal. I would think that only having one meal would affect my blood sugar levels enough to make me go on a mini binge. I've learned the hard way to not let myself get too hungry or I make terrible choices!

As for exercise, I hate it, so I stuck to walking three times a week at work. Now that I'm pretty much done with the weightloss part I'm starting to introduce a bit more exercise to help tone. I'm training for a 5K right now.

I can't stress enough how important it is to accurately weigh and measure and log everything that you put in your mouth. You'd be surprised how condiments, drinks, and cooking oils can add up! And don't always trust the database, it has a lot of inaccurate numbers in it.

vicdamone78 · August 2014

Hello! I'm not an MFP expert by any means, though I have been here a while and I lurk on the forums frequently. I would say you should consult your physician to see if a 1200 calorie diet is right for you. If you get the ok, then you should be fine. Just be sure that, as you mentioned, when you increase your activity level that you also increase your calorie intake proportionately!

This is exactly what I would say to you...... find out if a 1200 calorie diet is healthy for you or if it's too much of a deficit.
Good luck. With persistence, determination and focus we all can achieve our goals!! Surely you can do it!!!

gabrielleelliott90 · August 2014

Choose how many lbs you want to lose per week, and eat however you want, unhealthy or healthy, it is up to you. When I have a hard day and I cannot be bothered to exercise to get back calories, I will up them, even to maintenance. I am one of those people who switches my calorie amount, I can never stick to one. It depends on the day. Today, I can still to 1200. So if you switch, it shouldn't matter too much. I personally go on and off exercise, and right now I only do it if it is a must. I'm not a good example with eating and exercise. But MFP is not hard. If you stick to 1200 and make sure to eat back your exercise calories, and calculate your food calories correctly, the weight will come off quick.

acorsaut89 · August 2014

First off - congrats on taking this step!! It's huge to be committed to losing weight, and even bigger to stick it through.

It can be a major shock to step on the scale and realize what's happened. However, don't get too caught up in the numbers game. I'm 5'9 and weight about 250lbs. So not great - I'll admit. But, and here's the but, I have around 40% BF. So this might sound weird, but here's where I came from: 320lbs with 60+ % BF. I still have a long, long way to go but I've also come a long way too. Focus on being healthy and that'll get you through it all - don't focus too much on the scale; I know it's easier said than done but if you feel like you want to weigh in to keep track then I would suggest doing it on the same day at the same time: for example, Friday morning at 6 am. That way, you know you're probably going to get the most accurate results that way.

Regarding the eating thing: starvation mode is a myth, period. If you eat at a deficit you will lose weight. Cutting to 1,200 calories could be ok, but it could be dangerous - depends on what you eat now. Here's why I say this: if you are used to eating 3,000 calories/per day, let's say, and you cut back to 1,200 calories your body will be shocked!! So because of this major change you will lose, at first. However, the body is really really good at adapting to changes and new things so eventually your body will learn how to function completely on 1,200 calories and at somet point (which I don't know when it will be) you won't lose any more because your body runs efficiently on 1,200 calories/day. So in order to lose more, you need to create another deficit. This {shouldn't} be done via another cut in calories because eating below 1,200 is pretty dangerous nutrition wise.

What I would suggest, based on my experience, is do not cut that low to begin with. If you're eating 3,000 calories/day right now, cut to something like 2,250 or even 2,000. Figure out your BMR for your body - my BMR is somewhere around 2,200 so I burn that just by existing. And then create the deficits by exercising. If you aren't used to exercising, simple and low intensity work outs will jump start the weight loss. Then, when your body has been slightly more conditioned, cut calories again {if you want} or up the intensity of your work outs, or both even.

This way, you'll lose gradually and you may not feel as grumpy with your diet. I am also a carb-loader - hello Olive Garden and East Side Marios - so I tend to not do well with VLCD, but you may. I just know that making major cuts like this can jump start your weight loss, but when you're trying to limit yourself to 1,200 when you're used to 3,000 it can make you unhappy. By cutting smaller amounts, say to 2,250 and then 2,000 and then 1,750 and so on you give your body time to adjust and you get the added bonus of "changing it up" and shocking your body more often.

Best of luck!

acorsaut89 · August 2014

Do you think 2 weeks is long enough for my body to adjust and show progress? Or should I be doing each calorie trial at a month at a time? Does that even make sense?

No - 2 weeks isn't long enough. It can take up to 6 weeks to actually notice change. Your body will adjust quicky - but you probably won't see it that quickly.

My suggestion is to figure out a plan you can stick to - and honestly, you know you better than anyone - and do it for 6 months. I do my changes for about 3 or 4 months at a time, but I've been at it for 2+ years {with a major, unplanned and really horrible break in there).

I don't, however, change what I'm eating. What I do is change how I'm exercising. Here's why: as a {formerly} extremely, moribdly obese person, I realized {from research} I probably have a decent amount of muscle on my body because it takes a lot to be able to carry around that weight; it's just the muscle is hidden and the fat is a huge percentange of my bodyweight.

With that in mind, I also know that the more muscle you have, the more you burn during exercise and every day living. From January - April, I only weight train with MINIMAL {like one spin class/week} cardio, then from May - August, I do a ton {as in 6 sometimes 7 days/week} of cardio including HIIT eliptical and treadmill programs and spin classes, then from September - December I do 3 x per week weight training/heavy lifting and 2 days of cardio. This works for me and I don't see a whole lot of weight loss in the early months of the year, but when I start to do cardio because my muscle mass has grown I burn more calories during a cardio set . . . which ultimately allows me to eat more. The more muscle you have, the more it's going to take to sustain it. If you don't eat properly, you will lose LBM {muscle atrophy}, and that probably isn't the goal. You have to eat - you can't expect your car to go 600 KMs on only 250 KMs worth of gas right? It isn't always about what you're eating, but your body needs certain nutrition too. You don't have to follow macros/micros, ratios, etc if you don't want to. Eating a balanced diet and exercising is enough to jump start this and then take the time to research the methods you hear/read about and figure out what you like and what you think will work best for your preferences and lifestyle.

Just some info - it's not gospel and it surely won't work for everyone, just what I have found to work best for me and what I can sustain.

Edited for my really bad spelling

rosiemaji · August 2014

I can understand why there is differing information on this blog. Everyone is different and everyone is at a different place in their journey into the world of weight loss. I am 70 years old, 5'4" tall and I started my weight loss journey at 209.5 lbs. According to MFP, my resting calorie requirement (?BMR?) is listed as 1850 calories per day. If I wanted to lose 1 lb a week, I would need a 500 calorie deficit per day which means that I should eat 1350 calories per day. Except it did not work out that way for me even with exercise.

Before I started with MFP, my body would not burn stored fat for energy. It was very good at storing CHOs and extra calories as fat. If I ran low in CHOs in by body, the result was no energy and hypogycemia. I think this is what is called Metabolic Syndrome. My insulin was becoming resistant and so I did not burn CHOs very well for energy when they were present. By body preferred to store CHOs as fat rather than use them for energy. My HbA1C began to creep up. Luckily, about that time I heard about a Diabetes Prevention Class at the YMCA and I qualified to join it. The first few weeks, I lost nothing at all. In fact, one week I gained 3 pounds and I felt all bloated. I was eating 1350 calories per day and exercising in aqua-aerobics 3 times per week. I decided to force my body to learn to burn fat again by going through a very miserable week of intermittent fasting (headaches, lightheaded and overwhelming hunger). I skipped breakfast and ate all of my meals in an 8 hour period during the day. After that week, I joined MFP and I began to lose weight very slowly - about 0.5 lb a week rather than the 1 lb per week that I was expecting. I came to the conclusion that my BMR was closer to 1500 rather than 1850. If that was true, then my daily deficit was only 250 to 300 calories per day which would result in a loss of 1/2 lb per week. . Over the next month I cut my calories to 1200 and increased my aqua-aerobics classes to 5 or 6 per week (depending on other schedules in my life). That worked for a couple of weeks and then I hit a plateau for 8 days where I lost nothing. I kept getting warnings from MFP that I might be going into starvation mode when I would fall short of the 1200 calories. So I upped my calories to 1250 and I started losing weight again. That was a little scary to do because it was hard to believe that I might lose more weight by eating more food. I also found places in my aqua-aerobics classes to do some high intensity training.

The result of all of this craziness is that I have more energy, I rarely feel extreme hunger, I am losing weight and I know it is fat because my clothes are getting looser after a 12 lb loss. I am also building muscle because my legs are stronger. This strategy may not work 30 or 50 lbs from now in which case I will try something else or in addition to what I am doing now. I am already making plans to add lifting weights to my exercise routine in spite of chronic tendonitis in my hands, right leg and hip. I want to increase my fat intake of good fats and protein and decrease CHO as soon as my class is completed (we have a fat gram limit of 42 grams per day) to see if my body will become more efficient at burning fat, reduce my insulin response, increase my insulin sensitivity and strengthen my arms and legs while continuing to lose weight toward my goal weight of 130 lbs.

Even though my goal is still a long way away, I am confident that I can reach it as long as I track everything I put in my mouth on MFP and I stick to my goals. The alternative is a miserable and unhealthy diabetic old age and I don't want that. I have lost my cravings for sugar, sweets and fast food. Yey! I think that happened after my week of intermittent fasting. I still do intermittent fasting about once a week. and now I don't get a headache, lightheaded or hungry. Real food tastes better because there is less of it.

It is not always clear what is the best way to optimize my own weight loss. If I try something and it doesn't work, I try something else. Many people share what works or has worked for them. That doesn't mean it would work for me or any body else but then it might. I get lots of ideas from the postings of other people and the social support is a great benefit. Rock on everyone!

I have no idea what I am doing...

Replies

Categories