1,200 Calories?
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Measurements don't have as many variables as weight (body not food..food should be weight).sunlovdove445 wrote: »Would anyone here recommend using measurements instead of the scale? What are the benefits to measuring?
Weight – So many things can affect weight, because of this it shouldn’t be the only way you track your progress. Things to keep in mind:- Always use the same scale – Different scales can show different weights. You will get the most accurate number for tracking when using the same scale.
- Don’t move the scale – Carpet, uneven flooring, different types of flooring…can all affect the weight on the scale. So when you weigh, you want it to be approximately the same spot for the most accurate number for tracking.
- 3500 calories – To gain 1lb of fat you need to be over maintenance by 3500 calories.
- Muscle Repair – Muscles will hold onto water to repair, because of this it is not uncommon to see a gain for a little while after a workout. This weight comes right back off when they are done repairing.
- Sodium – Can cause you to retain water. This can also be amplified if you don’t drink enough to flush it out of your system. This is also another reason for temporary weight gain.
- Water – Not drinking enough water can actually cause you to retain water. Recommended amount is 8 cups or 64oz. I drink 64 oz to 128 oz of water a day. It doesn’t have to be plain water either. I like to flavor mine with crystal light or tea.
- Time of day – Your weight can fluctuate throughout the day. So for the most accurate tracking, you want to weigh at around the same time.
- Frequency – This is up to you, but if small fluctuations bother you than only weigh once a week or less.
- Lightest Weight – Will be naked, first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom
- Multiple times a Day – Don’t Do It. As I said before, your weight will fluctuate throughout the day. What you eat, what you’re wearing, ect will all affect weight.
- Clothes – If you weigh with clothing on, keep in mind that the scale will show your weight plus the weight of your clothes. (Jeans are heavy)
- TOM - A lot of women will retain water around their TOM, but its just temporary and will go away.
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Are you eating back your exercise calories?0
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Liftng4Lis wrote: »Are you eating back your exercise calories?
It depends on the day, if I'm under my goal then I won't but sometimes if I'm close and I know I have dinner or something else to put in, I will.0 -
shadow2soul wrote: »
Measurements don't have as many variables as weight (body not food..food should be weight).sunlovdove445 wrote: »Would anyone here recommend using measurements instead of the scale? What are the benefits to measuring?
Weight – So many things can affect weight, because of this it shouldn’t be the only way you track your progress. Things to keep in mind:- Always use the same scale – Different scales can show different weights. You will get the most accurate number for tracking when using the same scale.
- Don’t move the scale – Carpet, uneven flooring, different types of flooring…can all affect the weight on the scale. So when you weigh, you want it to be approximately the same spot for the most accurate number for tracking.
- 3500 calories – To gain 1lb of fat you need to be over maintenance by 3500 calories.
- Muscle Repair – Muscles will hold onto water to repair, because of this it is not uncommon to see a gain for a little while after a workout. This weight comes right back off when they are done repairing.
- Sodium – Can cause you to retain water. This can also be amplified if you don’t drink enough to flush it out of your system. This is also another reason for temporary weight gain.
- Water – Not drinking enough water can actually cause you to retain water. Recommended amount is 8 cups or 64oz. I drink 64 oz to 128 oz of water a day. It doesn’t have to be plain water either. I like to flavor mine with crystal light or tea.
- Time of day – Your weight can fluctuate throughout the day. So for the most accurate tracking, you want to weigh at around the same time.
- Frequency – This is up to you, but if small fluctuations bother you than only weigh once a week or less.
- Lightest Weight – Will be naked, first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom
- Multiple times a Day – Don’t Do It. As I said before, your weight will fluctuate throughout the day. What you eat, what you’re wearing, ect will all affect weight.
- Clothes – If you weigh with clothing on, keep in mind that the scale will show your weight plus the weight of your clothes. (Jeans are heavy)
- TOM - A lot of women will retain water around their TOM, but its just temporary and will go away.
Most of this list is really good advice, but I will be the curmudgeon and contradict two items (which are the standard advice but, apparently, I'm a special snowflake, just like everyone else!)
Actually, I'm going to disagree with these two from my personal POV. I'm sure they apply to some, but I do the exact opposite!
Frequency – This is up to you, but if small fluctuations bother you than only weigh once a week or less.
Multiple times a Day – Don’t Do It. As I said before, your weight will fluctuate throughout the day. What you eat, what you’re wearing, ect will all affect weight.
I stopped caring about small fluctuations or "OMG, I gained/I stayed the same" by doing just this: I weigh every day, twice a day. Once at the very end, right before bed, and then once in the morning, as soon as I have a morning visit to the bathroom. After I'd seen my weight drop up to 4 pounds overnight? I stopped fussing over individual weigh-ins. If I only weighed myself at 6 am on Mondays, there would be a good chance that I would have had weeks and weeks of seeing stagnation or even gains...but having lots and lots of data points has taught me that a single weigh-in means very little if I'm measuring my overall progress. I don't have a weight, I have a weight range, just like everyone else. One salty meal or hormonal fluctuation can mean changes on the scale that have nothing to do with body fat.
Of course, if you freak every time you step on the scale, you shouldn't do that. Or, IDK, maybe you should. It sucks to freak out over a Monday morning weigh in and then get all fussy and worried for a whole week until the next weigh in to see some progress. Maybe compromise and reassure yourself periodically with a before bed/good morning check to see how much water weight you lose overnight?0 -
shadow2soul wrote: »
Measurements don't have as many variables as weight (body not food..food should be weight).sunlovdove445 wrote: »Would anyone here recommend using measurements instead of the scale? What are the benefits to measuring?
Weight – So many things can affect weight, because of this it shouldn’t be the only way you track your progress. Things to keep in mind:- Always use the same scale – Different scales can show different weights. You will get the most accurate number for tracking when using the same scale.
- Don’t move the scale – Carpet, uneven flooring, different types of flooring…can all affect the weight on the scale. So when you weigh, you want it to be approximately the same spot for the most accurate number for tracking.
- 3500 calories – To gain 1lb of fat you need to be over maintenance by 3500 calories.
- Muscle Repair – Muscles will hold onto water to repair, because of this it is not uncommon to see a gain for a little while after a workout. This weight comes right back off when they are done repairing.
- Sodium – Can cause you to retain water. This can also be amplified if you don’t drink enough to flush it out of your system. This is also another reason for temporary weight gain.
- Water – Not drinking enough water can actually cause you to retain water. Recommended amount is 8 cups or 64oz. I drink 64 oz to 128 oz of water a day. It doesn’t have to be plain water either. I like to flavor mine with crystal light or tea.
- Time of day – Your weight can fluctuate throughout the day. So for the most accurate tracking, you want to weigh at around the same time.
- Frequency – This is up to you, but if small fluctuations bother you than only weigh once a week or less.
- Lightest Weight – Will be naked, first thing in the morning, after using the bathroom
- Multiple times a Day – Don’t Do It. As I said before, your weight will fluctuate throughout the day. What you eat, what you’re wearing, ect will all affect weight.
- Clothes – If you weigh with clothing on, keep in mind that the scale will show your weight plus the weight of your clothes. (Jeans are heavy)
- TOM - A lot of women will retain water around their TOM, but its just temporary and will go away.
Most of this list is really good advice, but I will be the curmudgeon and contradict two items (which are the standard advice but, apparently, I'm a special snowflake, just like everyone else!)
Actually, I'm going to disagree with these two from my personal POV. I'm sure they apply to some, but I do the exact opposite!
Frequency – This is up to you, but if small fluctuations bother you than only weigh once a week or less.
Multiple times a Day – Don’t Do It. As I said before, your weight will fluctuate throughout the day. What you eat, what you’re wearing, ect will all affect weight.
I stopped caring about small fluctuations or "OMG, I gained/I stayed the same" by doing just this: I weigh every day, twice a day. Once at the very end, right before bed, and then once in the morning, as soon as I have a morning visit to the bathroom. After I'd seen my weight drop up to 4 pounds overnight? I stopped fussing over individual weigh-ins. If I only weighed myself at 6 am on Mondays, there would be a good chance that I would have had weeks and weeks of seeing stagnation or even gains...but having lots and lots of data points has taught me that a single weigh-in means very little if I'm measuring my overall progress. I don't have a weight, I have a weight range, just like everyone else. One salty meal or hormonal fluctuation can mean changes on the scale that have nothing to do with body fat.
Of course, if you freak every time you step on the scale, you shouldn't do that. Or, IDK, maybe you should. It sucks to freak out over a Monday morning weigh in and then get all fussy and worried for a whole week until the next weigh in to see some progress. Maybe compromise and reassure yourself periodically with a before bed/good morning check to see how much water weight you lose overnight?
I usually just weight myself in the morning as soon as I get out of bed. However, if I have had a bad day/big Friday night meal, I don't weigh myself that next morning, just so I don't get discouraged.0 -
If you do decide to up your calorie goal, then it would be a good idea to keep weighing yourself. As you lose your body will require less calories which means that your calorie goal will need to be adjusted every 10 pounds. I've seen a few people plateau only to find out they had never adjusted their calorie goal and had lost to the point where they were actually eating at maintenance.0
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If you do decide to up your calorie goal, then it would be a good idea to keep weighing yourself. As you lose your body will require less calories which means that your calorie goal will need to be adjusted every 10 pounds. I've seen a few people plateau only to find out they had never adjusted their calorie goal and had lost to the point where they were actually eating at maintenance.
I will definitely keep that in mind! Thanks!0 -
sunlovdove445 wrote: »Hello everybody, I'm an 18 yr old female, currently weighing 230 lbs. For the last five or so days I have been eating around 1150 calories per day (and have lost 5 lbs in one week). Feeling a little more tired than usually but so far not to bad. I want to lose 60 lbs by the end of August 2015. Since I am considered "obese" is this a safe amount of calories? (I do little to no exercise.
At your weight the calories are fine. Just keep in mind you need to be careful about your food choices to make sure you get the nutrients you need. August, however, is a fairly aggressive timeframe for that magnitude of weight loss. My advice is to focus on the process - nail the habits - and the weight loss will be an impressive number, even if it might not quite get to 60.I do have a history of eating disorders and I have to be careful I don't go down that path again.
Might be worth making sure you get the appropriate IRL support.
Good luck!0 -
TimothyFish wrote: »At 230, you're probably burning around 2700 per day, so 1700 would be a loss of 2 lbs per week.
That's not accounting for relative lack of lean body mass. At lightly active we're looking at a TDEE of ~2100 calories/day. For a 1000 calorie deficit, OP's initial number is just about bang on.
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Although were all different, I thought you might want to hear from someone kind of similar to you (Except in age...). Im a 30 yo, starting wt was 242lbs. Mfp had me at about 1870 i think (i am set to active though, as my job is physically demanding). Ive lost about 3# a week, give or take, and now weigh 217lbs. I recently reduced my calories since im down exactly 25lbs. I couldnt survive on 1200, not right now. And if you start that low, youll never have room to move your calories down. The smaller we get, the less calories we need. And honestly, if im having a bad few days and dont eat enough, my loss seems to slow. If i eat at mfp recommendation, i see bigger losses. And why starve yourself if you can eat more!
Your stats may differ from mine. The best thing to do is what mfp tells you too. You wont be tired and its more sustainable long term. Keep logging, no matter what. You can do this! But dont lose 20lbs fast, only to burnout and stop. If you wanna lose 60, try for a more long term approach.
Best of luck to you in whatever you decide to do!0 -
And i weigh daily. But only because I understand that weight fluctuates every single day. I only log a loss, if its a new number i havent seen before.0
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sunlovdove445 wrote: »Hello everybody, I'm an 18 yr old female, currently weighing 230 lbs. For the last five or so days I have been eating around 1150 calories per day (and have lost 5 lbs in one week). Feeling a little more tired than usually but so far not to bad. I want to lose 60 lbs by the end of August 2015. Since I am considered "obese" is this a safe amount of calories? (I do little to no exercise.
At your weight the calories are fine. Just keep in mind you need to be careful about your food choices to make sure you get the nutrients you need. August, however, is a fairly aggressive timeframe for that magnitude of weight loss. My advice is to focus on the process - nail the habits - and the weight loss will be an impressive number, even if it might not quite get to 60.I do have a history of eating disorders and I have to be careful I don't go down that path again.
Might be worth making sure you get the appropriate IRL support.
Good luck!
Yes, I checked my calories through BMR and my current 1150 is pretty close to accurate.. I need 1270 (will still be low but not quite as dangerous). I eat a lot of fruit and have eggs for breakfast. I definitely try to keep my nutrition close to perfect.
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