Back in the Saddle Again - Tips Please?

amberamanda
amberamanda Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey everyone,

This is my first time posting on the MFP forum, but I am not new to MFP. It took about 2 years, but thanks to MFP I was able to lose 60 lbs by last summer. Unfortunately with the start of upper division courses in college, I resorted back to stress eating and not exercising, which led to me gaining about 10 lbs back. (For reference, I am 23 years old, 5'5 and currently 153.5 lbs)
Anyway, I finally managed to get another gym membership and have been working really hard this past month, but feel as though I can work even harder; I'm not seeing the results I expected.

I have about 12.5 lbs to reach my ultimate goal by the end of February 2015 for my 5 year anniversary with my boyfriend. In the meantime, I have little goals planned out since the beginning of September to lose 5 lbs every 2 months (5 by Halloween, 5 by Christmas, etc).

How I Eat: Keep track of calories on MFP and try to eat healthier choices (salads, fruit, granola, yogurt, lean meats, Lean Cuisines, etc). Eating out is hard though, especially since we meet with friends at Denny's once a week, or my boyfriend's mom will bring home pizza or Mexican food...
How I Train: Go to the gym ~5 times a week - 30 mins of treadmill (walk 1/2 mile, jog/run a mile, walk 1/2 mile), 10 mins of stairmaster or stationary bike, 10-15 mins of weight machines (I switch between legs and upper-body each day, and always include crunches).

Basically, I was wondering if anyone who has experience can give me some tips on either diet, fitness, or lifestyle to help me keep on track. I also need help with keeping my boyfriend (who has adopted my goals) focused - he's motivated but I feel like he forgets he's trying to lose weight. I've even considered getting a fitness band (Fitbit Flex), has it worked for you?

Replies

  • z_bra
    z_bra Posts: 79 Member
    It's not your job to keep ur bf focused.
  • wkay99
    wkay99 Posts: 29 Member
    Love my fitbit and helps keep me focused and energized. Do it for yourself if you want, but I agree, it's not your job to keep you bf focused.
  • gamesandgains
    gamesandgains Posts: 640 Member
    Even if you were given the ultimate tip/secret/answer for weight loss, it would still come down to how much work you put in. Track all your food. If the take out doesn't fit your macros or calorie goals, don't eat it. It's that simple, but for some, seemingly that hard. If you give 60% effort you shouldn't expect 100% results. Worry about yourself and not your bf. If he doesn't want to follow through, don't let that set you back.

    As far as training I would recommend increasing the time you weight train. Maybe 30-45 mins instead of 15. Does wonders for fat loss.
  • 0torque0
    0torque0 Posts: 362 Member
    i agree, there is no perfect answer for everyone. For me it is all about motivation. I found something fun (a goal of a triathalon) and using that as motivation. running in the gym bores me but i am thankful to live in an area that has great weather 10 months of the year where i can go running and ride my bike outside and feel like i am actually getting somewhere... FitBit has been good for me but only because it encourages me to track my calories. If you don't do that the fitbit isn't really that great. My wife and i are holding each other accountable and training together - so i think it's great that you and your bf are doing it together, just make sure you both agree and keep it fun or else it becomes nagging.
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    You don't need to exercise to lose weight, though it helps a lot.

    But rather than reinvent the wheel, I'll refer you to three excellent posts here on MFP that will lay out an effective way to lose weight and discuss some of the pitfalls to which people are prone:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-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

    After you've digested those, some of the other links on this page are useful:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/833026-important-posts-to-read

    Finally, Dr. Yoni Freedhoff's recent book The Diet Fix might be worth reading. He emphasizes calorie restriction, but with an emphasis on developing new habits and on being satisfied with what you eat. One of his recurring questions to ask yourself is, "How much [i.e., how little] of this do I need to be satisfied?" The ten-day reset is a bit gimmicky, but other than that, it's one of the three best diet books I have read. The other two are John Walker, The Hacker's Diet (free online at http://www.fourmilab.ch/hackdiet/e4/), and Richard Watson, The Philosopher's Diet which despite its title is not so much about losing weight as it is about how hard it is to make any major change, and also how rewarding it can be.
  • Jesssamesssa
    Jesssamesssa Posts: 116 Member
    Keep eating lean protein. Like a lot! I eat 160-200g daily. 1300-1700 Calories a day. Do a little less cardio and add more weights. Youll lean out quicker instead of lose lbs. If you do a lot of cardio youll lose the muscle you may gain doing weights for 10-15 mins. I do 40 mins or so of weights and 10-20 mins of cardio. Cardio 3-4x a week. Weights 6-7 days a week. I have been doing this for 8 weeks now. I have lost 10 lbs. But most importantly I have lost 23.3% of my TOTAL body fat. I went from 34.3% bf to 26.2% bf. and I have gained like 10 lbs in lean muscle mass, which means my body burns more daily now but just sitting here. I have dropped 2.5 sizes too. I also drink 100oz of water daily.

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