Overwhelmed & Confused- any insight is appreciated

Bebe6740 wrote: »

Hello again,

Thank you all for your replies/feedback...

Another quick question....Did you adjust your calorie intake every time you lost 5 pounds? One of the TDEE sites I was on ( I think it was scooby), suggested that every time you lose 5 pounds you should re-calculate your calorie intake?

Do you all do that? Or can I just eat at 1560 + excercise calories until I've lost at least 30/40 pounds?

One thing I should mention is that because of all my gym time in the past, I'm pretty muscular, i look 200 pounds now (that's what people say anyway), and use size 16 clothes. However, even when I was a size 12-13 (which is what I would like to get back to, I carry my curves very well, and I embrace them....) I was weighing around 180 pounds. That's why I'm all confused as to how much I should be taking in..

I'll be anxiously waiting for anymore feedback.

@ jwhited71- you are an inspiration, could I hear more about your weightloss journey?

Regards,
M.E.

Thanks! I actually didn't readjust often as the more weight I lost the more active I became, so it helped to offset the difference.

So I've been doing this for 22 months, started first just learning about nutrition getting rid of all the stupid myths I thought were truths, got rid of what you are seeing in here right now, and that was believing there was some miracle quick fix.

I learned how to log and to be honest with myself. I weigh myself everyday and watch for the overall trend. If it's heading down I'm doing great, if the trend is upward I better reevaluate.

It can be done, takes a reasonable calorie deficit, lots and lots of patience.

Lots of good suggestions here with how to figure your calories, weighing and measuring, and logging everything. Since I saw that you're also hypothyroid, I do want to caution you to not give up if it doesn't come off fast and give whatever you try some time before changing it, but do change it up if it doesn't seem to be working, because it might not work for you, but something else will. Some hypothyroid people can just shed pounds once their meds are stabilized and they get their food/exercise right for them, some of us can't, we just have to stay steady and patient and we will get there.

I tried figuring out my BMR, tried the websites for the calorie numbers, tried all sorts of good plans that are on here that worked for other people, but the weren't working for me. I also stink at logging (I know plenty that will jump on this and say it's why I wasn't losing, but it's not, sorry guys, even when I was dedicated, still didn't work.) You have the reason why, I didn't at the time I was doing all these things. After a year of trying and going to doctors, gyms, ect I finally got to an endocrinologist that did the right tests to discover that I'm hypothyroid/insulin resistant/ PCOS. Her recommendation: go to a registered dietician to get you on a food plan you can do. So I went to an RD and was put on a 1700 cal a day food plan: easy for me to follow, I don't have to log because I have a chart to follow that I know well enough that I can eat out and get a balanced meal (yes I will have the occasional day that I will go over my calories, but I've finally learned that the occasional splurge is okay)... and my food scale and measuring cups are still my best friends, I use them every day, even if I'm "sure" I know that something is the right weight (haven't been right yet, I've tried guessing then weighed it.... wrongo!) I can contact the RD to help me adjust the food whenever I need. I've lost 10lbs in the 6 months since my meds have stabilized (remember what I said about slow going for some of us) and I know I can lose the rest, it's just going to take time.

Best of luck to you, and so happy to see so many people giving you great info!

Hi OP! Sorry your thread got a little hijacked there!

If you are worried about your calorie goal, I just wanted to second what someone else said - start for one week just logging accurately and honestly what you are currently eating so you KNOW instead of THINK how many calories you are currently eating. That should make it easier to know how low or high you should aim for.

And keep in mind, your calorie goal isn't set in stone! If you set it low and start to struggle, there is nothing wrong with raising it a little so you can stick with it and just lose the weight a bit more slowly. Or if you set it a little high and feel like you could eat less comfortably, you can always reduce it by a few calories and see how that works. It is all about finding the sweet spot where you are eating enough food and still losing weight, and that comes with trial and error, and being honest with yourself

Good luck, you can do this :drinker:

Weight loss is simply calories in versus calories out. I would never eat all your burned calories back, because you could easily be overeating your workouts. MFP and other electronic devices have a history of overestimating calories burned, so a good rule of thumb is to only eat back1/2 of them.

Good for you in realizing that diets don't work, you have to eat the same foods, for the rest of your life. Don't eliminate foods or groups from the plan, just eat less of them,

Welcome you can do this.

I started in April 2013 T 257 on a small framed 5'4". I incorporated a number of health/weight loss based techniques including concepts from Paleo and Intermittent Fasting.

SO- I eat one carefully planned meal/day usually including egg/eggwhites, a rainbow of veggies, nuts, and berries or a green apple.

I've lost 85 pounds, and my internist, gyn, and endo are all happy.

I feel great and my bloodwork numbers have been good.

I'm 70, so old ladies CAN lose, even if they're hypothyroid.

Bebe6740 wrote: »

Hello everyone,


Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated!!

M.E.

I'm 5'2". I'm a bit heavier than you. I'm also older than you, and a yo-yo dieter (this will be important later).

So, it would be fair to say my metabolism sucks.

I can totally reliably lose 1-1.5 pounds a week if on average eating ~1600 calories a day if I do these things:

1. Use measuring cups and scales not to fool myself about the calories.
2. Get in about 40-60 minutes of exercise a weekday.
3. Weigh myself daily
4. BUT DO NOT FREAK ABOUT THE DAILY FLUX. I plot my weight loss on a 10 day moving average which gives me an accurate enough trend to catch mistakes before they get to be a big deal.

I don't think you, being young, should have a problem on 1600-1800 calories a day, plenty of exercise and making sure you eat your veggies.

SueInAz wrote: »

Frankly, if you're just getting started, try not to make it too complicated and take baby steps. You said, "I also read that I should eat above my BMR but Below my TDEE; however I'm 'scared' to eat that many calories- as I feel that is how many I have been eating for the last 6 months when I've gained 15 pounds." You "feel" you've been eating that many, but if you haven't been logging your food how would you really know? One of the things that most people new to this site realize is that they were eating a lot more than they really thought they were. It's so easy to underestimate portion sizes and how many calories are in the foods they eat.

My initial advice to someone just starting to use MFP is to take the first few days and just log what you eat. Get used to the whole idea of entering every single piece of food and things you drink into the tool. It'll give you a really good idea where you're starting from and how much, or little, you're really eating every day. Perhaps you've been eating more like 2000 calories per day and 1500 would allow you to lose a pound per week. You won't know unless you track.

Once you get used to the act of logging everything, take a good look at the things you've logged and find where you can make some simple changes that will make a big impact. 250 calories in Coca Cola every day, twice a day? Replace that with a glass of unsweetened iced tea with lemon. A Snickers bar every day at 2:00pm? Replace that with a 50 calorie apple. You get the idea.

Try to add one new habit or change every week and it'll be a lot easier to maintain than to join a gym, try to eat 1200 calories every day, cut out all sugar, eat "clean" (whatever that is), drink a gallon of water, etc. and everything else you'll get told to do all at once. Trying to make lots of changes at once will only result in you becoming overwhelmed and frustrated.

Most of all, try to make the changes something you can stick with for the rest of your life. Good luck on your journey!

brilliant advice!

Trying to process everyone's advice can make this a lot more complicated and rule-bound than it needs to be.

For example, the people who say "don't eat after x time" make it sound like that is a cure all, but that (like everything else) will only work for you if it happens to make it easier for you to stay in your calorie goal.

I started around your size and first I started with tracking everything to just start to get used to weighing and recording everything.

Then I started off on .5 loss per week following MFP numbers and eating back all exercise calories. This put me at 1930 a day plus whatever I exercised. Of course I lost WAY faster than .5 for the first few weeks because that's just how it happens often when you first begin. I was also meticulous about logging and weighing (not MEASURING. weighing).

I then switched to 1.5 per week which is where I am now, around 1400 a day (it was higher before but I reset it because I lost weight and the smaller you are the less you burn just by existing).

Some days I go under, some I go over but I try to keep average around that. Loss is steady but not linear. I weigh daily but just log whatever it says and don't worry about it. The scale goes all over the place especially around TOM.

Like many others have said, find what works and is sustainable for you. Slow loss you'll stick to permanently is a lot better than fast loss you'll give up on after a month or 2.

Congrats on your successful start! It sounds like you are on the right track.

lavagirlangie wrote: »

I am at day 40 of logging. About 8 lbs lighter. I'm 65 years, 5'2", and started at 240 lbs. The logging and weighing and measuring food has helped a great deal. Now I plan better when I can see how much I've already consumed in a day.
Here's the problem, I have a pinched nerve in my back and don't/can't do any exercise. The plan allows me 1440 calories a day and I almost always go over. Not as much as I used to but still over. As you can see, the losing is slow. I don't crave or eat sweets anymore, just want more Food. How can I get over this hump?

I had a peek at your diary. You could shave some calories off of breakfast and save them for the evening. Maybe have some yoghurt and a piece of fruit or two, as an example.
Air-popped popcorn has way fewer calories than the bagged, microwave popcorn. You can eat a ton of air-popped and fill up with very few calories.
It's all about finding filling, moderate calorie choices for "everyday" and having the high-calorie choices less frequently.
You're doing fine. Keep at it. You'll find your way.