I Think I Need to Eat More...Expert Advice Needed
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A leg press machine.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
I have awful balance, which is why I never played sports in school, LOL, so when I go too low I fall over...
Try squats. They do wonders! And are actually fun once you get over the initial painDoreenaV1975 wrote: »@Arliah - I don't mind bulky, although I would definitely not strive for it.
Honestly I don't even mind my stomach that much... I've had a couple of kids so I don't have any hope of ever completely losing it.
What makes me want to really "weep" is my butt and thighs...those areas are so ugly! Ugh! My husband loves them but I look at them and want to make a deal w/ the devil, no kidding!
so I do squats but I don't think I do them effectively! Any suggestions?
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DoreenaV1975 wrote: »I have awful balance, which is why I never played sports in school, LOL, so when I go too low I fall over...
so I do squats but I don't think I do them effectively! Any suggestions?
But you can work on your balance at the same time 0 -
Well, to be fair to squats, it's not really 30 reps of hell. It's more like 7 reps of "this is doable" and 3 reps of "WTF was I thinking" for three sets.DeguelloTex wrote: »
30 reps of hell. I still haven't gotten to the fun part, but I'm on board with the beneficial part.
Try squats. They do wonders! And are actually fun once you get over the initial painDoreenaV1975 wrote: »@Arliah - I don't mind bulky, although I would definitely not strive for it.
Honestly I don't even mind my stomach that much... I've had a couple of kids so I don't have any hope of ever completely losing it.
What makes me want to really "weep" is my butt and thighs...those areas are so ugly! Ugh! My husband loves them but I look at them and want to make a deal w/ the devil, no kidding!
I still remember the morning after my first set ... ouch ... lol.
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DoreenaV1975 wrote: »MFP has me at 1200 a day.
I am so paranoid about underestimating my food (whether due to my own fault...because nobody's perfect, or due to the packaging info being incorrect, because we know it sometimes is) that I always try to eat below my 1200cals.
I also am afraid of over estimating my exercise so I hardly ever eat them back and if I do it's a very small portion of them.
I'm scared that if I don't figure this out I may be one of those people that develops an eating disorder because I honestly am becoming afraid to eat.
But lately my fear has become really bad...coincidentally my weight loss has slowed down.
I usually average between 1,000-1100 (BTW -being near 1100 freaks me out!)
You should address your fears head on. They are a problem. They are not acceptable to have and nurture in the interest of losing weight -- you can lose weight without feeling like this. This is no way to live.
One good start to going after fears is to realize that often, thoughts and feelings are irrational. It's not your intuition telling you something useful, it's noise, and it can sabotage you.
Another good start is to pick apart the thoughts and challenge them. And to follow your "what if" thoughts to conclusion.
WHAT IF you overestimate exercise calories so badly that you gain a couple lbs? Well, you'll notice, change what you're doing, and be set back by a few weeks. No one else will notice, and you'll have learned something valuable about what you really might be burning through exercise.
WHAT IF 1100 is SO HIGH that weight loss stops? Well, you'll notice, and change what you're doing. You'll weigh 116 for a couple more weeks than you wanted to, but that's not going to kill you. You'll start losing again shortly thereafter. It's a blip in your life. You won't even remember those two weeks in June of 2015 when you did not lose the targeted 0.5 lb.
The WHAT IFS for carrying on with your current thought patterns though are potentially much worse, as I do think you realize. So this is worth working on until you feel better. Being aware of it means you can change it.
(Oh and I do think you should go research heavy lifting, and/or body recomposition. Someone may pop in with links and a rundown. Here is one: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/ and here is another: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/ )0 -
Or 3 reps of "I'm gonna die". But either way, they work wonders!DeguelloTex wrote: »
Well, to be fair to squats, it's not really 30 reps of hell. It's more like 7 reps of "this is doable" and 3 reps of "WTF was I thinking" for three sets.DeguelloTex wrote: »
30 reps of hell. I still haven't gotten to the fun part, but I'm on board with the beneficial part.
Try squats. They do wonders! And are actually fun once you get over the initial painDoreenaV1975 wrote: »@Arliah - I don't mind bulky, although I would definitely not strive for it.
Honestly I don't even mind my stomach that much... I've had a couple of kids so I don't have any hope of ever completely losing it.
What makes me want to really "weep" is my butt and thighs...those areas are so ugly! Ugh! My husband loves them but I look at them and want to make a deal w/ the devil, no kidding!
I still remember the morning after my first set ... ouch ... lol.
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futuremanda wrote: »DoreenaV1975 wrote: »MFP has me at 1200 a day.
I am so paranoid about underestimating my food (whether due to my own fault...because nobody's perfect, or due to the packaging info being incorrect, because we know it sometimes is) that I always try to eat below my 1200cals.
I also am afraid of over estimating my exercise so I hardly ever eat them back and if I do it's a very small portion of them.
I'm scared that if I don't figure this out I may be one of those people that develops an eating disorder because I honestly am becoming afraid to eat.
But lately my fear has become really bad...coincidentally my weight loss has slowed down.
I usually average between 1,000-1100 (BTW -being near 1100 freaks me out!)
You should address your fears head on. They are a problem. They are not acceptable to have and nurture in the interest of losing weight -- you can lose weight without feeling like this. This is no way to live.
One good start to going after fears is to realize that often, thoughts and feelings are irrational. It's not your intuition telling you something useful, it's noise, and it can sabotage you.
Another good start is to pick apart the thoughts and challenge them. And to follow your "what if" thoughts to conclusion.
WHAT IF you overestimate exercise calories so badly that you gain a couple lbs? Well, you'll notice, change what you're doing, and be set back by a few weeks. No one else will notice, and you'll have learned something valuable about what you really might be burning through exercise.
WHAT IF 1100 is SO HIGH that weight loss stops? Well, you'll notice, and change what you're doing. You'll weigh 116 for a couple more weeks than you wanted to, but that's not going to kill you. You'll start losing again shortly thereafter. It's a blip in your life. You won't even remember those two weeks in June of 2015 when you did not lose the targeted 0.5 lb.
The WHAT IFS for carrying on with your current thought patterns though are potentially much worse, as I do think you realize. So this is worth working on until you feel better. Being aware of it means you can change it.
(Oh and I do think you should go research heavy lifting, and/or body recomposition. Someone may pop in with links and a rundown. Here is one: http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2011/07/21/meet-staci-your-new-powerlifting-super-hero/ and here is another: http://stronglifts.com/5x5/ )
Wow! Just wow! I sound like a nut-case! LOL! But yes, I understand what you're saying... TY for that.0 -
Thank you so much for everyone who has replied so far.
There is a lot of good advice in here!
I wish I had posted this sooner...0 -
You need an expert, talk to your doctor. You could ask for a referral to a nutritionist.
But don't read 1200 as "I gotta assume I'm measuring food and exercise wrong so I gotta eat less than that."
Unless you start gaining weight week after week, assume that you're doing it right. Lots of us have a mental chorus of "You can't be doing this right. You can't do ANYTHING right." Here's one way to deal with them.
http://writing.colostate.edu/gtpathways/revision/from_Anne_Lamott's_Bird_by_Bird.doc
MFP uses estimates, based on averages. It ain't exact. And even if your weight stays the same for six weeks, DON'T assume that you're doing it all wrong. When you don't have much to lose, loss goes more slowly because your body's so close to peak. And, speaking of shape, that may be changing even as your weight stays the same. I was stuck around 163 (5-5 or maybe 5-6 height) over the two or three weeks until yesterday, but my waist went in by an inch.
And enjoy your food! We have taste buds for a reason.
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DoreenaV1975 wrote: »Thank you so much for everyone who has replied so far.
There is a lot of good advice in here!
I wish I had posted this sooner...
Better late than never I also agree with futuremanda, and I hope that you will come to the conclusion that your fears are something that you will be able to laugh about soon. I used to be bulimic, so I know that it can be hard to develop a normal relationship with food, but it's possible. These days, if I go over my deficit calories, I don't freak out anymore. I just log it and move on. It also helps to realize that you would have to eat an extra 3500 calories to gain an actual pound (water weight etc not counting). That's a lot of calories, and unless you are eating an entire ice cream cake and then some, you really don't need to worry about overeating. 0 -
@JanetMMcC
My doctor says go "low carb"...so yeah, not talking to her, LOL!
I consider you guys, my MFP Peeps, the experts!
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DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
I have awful balance, which is why I never played sports in school, LOL, so when I go too low I fall over...
Try squats. They do wonders! And are actually fun once you get over the initial painDoreenaV1975 wrote: »@Arliah - I don't mind bulky, although I would definitely not strive for it.
Honestly I don't even mind my stomach that much... I've had a couple of kids so I don't have any hope of ever completely losing it.
What makes me want to really "weep" is my butt and thighs...those areas are so ugly! Ugh! My husband loves them but I look at them and want to make a deal w/ the devil, no kidding!
so I do squats but I don't think I do them effectively! Any suggestions?
Split squats.
Kidding, mostly.
Seriously though, it depends on why you have terrible balance. If it's just weak stabilizers then the more you do it the better your balance will become. It could also be a form issue, but we'd have to see your squat to know that. Is it ankle mobility? If so there are stretches you can do. If it's something else, like a neurological issue, then that's a little different. Also you don't need to go ATG (all the way down). A lot of people prefer it and it will target your glutes more if you can, but if you can't then as long as you can get to just past parallel you'll be golden.0 -
True low carb is difficult to do, IMHO. I am averaging 40% of calories from carbs, and that works very well for me. That's definitely not low carb in the traditional sense but absolutely low carb for me. I started out at 50% and gradually went down. If I work really hard, I can get to 35% carbs, but that's about it, and I only do that if my stomach is bloated from a big meal and during TOM.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »@JanetMMcC
My doctor says go "low carb"...so yeah, not talking to her, LOL!
I consider you guys, my MFP Peeps, the experts!
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I guess I should explain more what I said about my doctor...
I told her I was having trouble losing weight and she said, because of my age, the ONLY way to do it was low carb.
I came here and listened to the MFP peeps philosophy of CICO and lost 10.5 lbs... so I'm not saying low carb is bad, I just don't think it's the ONLY way to do it, like my Dr said!0 -
ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
I have awful balance, which is why I never played sports in school, LOL, so when I go too low I fall over...
Try squats. They do wonders! And are actually fun once you get over the initial painDoreenaV1975 wrote: »@Arliah - I don't mind bulky, although I would definitely not strive for it.
Honestly I don't even mind my stomach that much... I've had a couple of kids so I don't have any hope of ever completely losing it.
What makes me want to really "weep" is my butt and thighs...those areas are so ugly! Ugh! My husband loves them but I look at them and want to make a deal w/ the devil, no kidding!
so I do squats but I don't think I do them effectively! Any suggestions?
Split squats.
Kidding, mostly.
Seriously though, it depends on why you have terrible balance. If it's just weak stabilizers then the more you do it the better your balance will become. It could also be a form issue, but we'd have to see your squat to know that. Is it ankle mobility? If so there are stretches you can do. If it's something else, like a neurological issue, then that's a little different. Also you don't need to go ATG (all the way down). A lot of people prefer it and it will target your glutes more if you can, but if you can't then as long as you can get to just past parallel you'll be golden.
No ankle or neurological problems...so I'm thinking weak weight stabilizers. So I guess that means I just have to keep at it!0 -
DoreenaV1975 wrote: »I guess I should explain more what I said about my doctor...
I told her I was having trouble losing weight and she said, because of my age, the ONLY way to do it was low carb.
I came here and listened to the MFP peeps philosophy of CICO and lost 10.5 lbs... so I'm not saying low carb is bad, I just don't think it's the ONLY way to do it, like my Dr said!
Totally agree. Low carb helps some folks, but it's definitely not a weight loss guarantee (wouldn't that be nice ...).0 -
This, exactly. It is a way. It is not the way.DoreenaV1975 wrote: »I guess I should explain more what I said about my doctor...
I told her I was having trouble losing weight and she said, because of my age, the ONLY way to do it was low carb.
I came here and listened to the MFP peeps philosophy of CICO and lost 10.5 lbs... so I'm not saying low carb is bad, I just don't think it's the ONLY way to do it, like my Dr said!
I'm up to like 39% carbs because I have more room in my macros, but there was a time when it was almost all protein and fat. I've lost weight both ways.
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@DoreenaV1975 I'm 60 and lost weight just fine with 60% of my food coming from carbs. So low carb isn't any kind of magic. Though it's perfectly fine to eat well and exercise to improve your health and shape, try to stop seeing your body as ugly. And, just because you've had kids doesn't mean you have to keep a belly for the rest of your life. Hang in there.0
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DoreenaV1975 wrote: »ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »DoreenaV1975 wrote: »
I have awful balance, which is why I never played sports in school, LOL, so when I go too low I fall over...
Try squats. They do wonders! And are actually fun once you get over the initial painDoreenaV1975 wrote: »@Arliah - I don't mind bulky, although I would definitely not strive for it.
Honestly I don't even mind my stomach that much... I've had a couple of kids so I don't have any hope of ever completely losing it.
What makes me want to really "weep" is my butt and thighs...those areas are so ugly! Ugh! My husband loves them but I look at them and want to make a deal w/ the devil, no kidding!
so I do squats but I don't think I do them effectively! Any suggestions?
Split squats.
Kidding, mostly.
Seriously though, it depends on why you have terrible balance. If it's just weak stabilizers then the more you do it the better your balance will become. It could also be a form issue, but we'd have to see your squat to know that. Is it ankle mobility? If so there are stretches you can do. If it's something else, like a neurological issue, then that's a little different. Also you don't need to go ATG (all the way down). A lot of people prefer it and it will target your glutes more if you can, but if you can't then as long as you can get to just past parallel you'll be golden.
No ankle or neurological problems...so I'm thinking weak weight stabilizers. So I guess that means I just have to keep at it!
Try widening your stance a bit. I like to plant my feet farther apart than you're traditionally told to do. Not much wider, just a few inches. If you want to have someone video your form I'd be happy to take a look for you too.0 -
To address the fear: I again want to recommend that you to your Goal section, change your weight to 110 and change from .5 lb loss to Maintenance. See what number MFP gives you as your maintenance once you hit your goal. Because you need to start getting comfortable with hovering just above or below that number - or finding a way to average it out. Then you switch it all back to your current weight and goal, with the knowledge and confidence that it will be OK to eat everything MFP tells you to eat.0
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To address the fear: I again want to recommend that you to your Goal section, change your weight to 110 and change from .5 lb loss to Maintenance. See what number MFP gives you as your maintenance once you hit your goal. Because you need to start getting comfortable with hovering just above or below that number - or finding a way to average it out. Then you switch it all back to your current weight and goal, with the knowledge and confidence that it will be OK to eat everything MFP tells you to eat.
@jaga13 Okay I did this...
It told me 1410 cals0 -
Another thing to note--when you are short and don't have much too lose it is really tough to maintain a deficit. The difference between 1200 and 1400 is only a handful of chips, 2 pieces of fruit or a small serving of cheese and crackers. I am 5'1" and in the same boat. I have focused more on re-composition at this point. I think regardless of the numbers on the scale, I am happier with how I look and I think that might be what you are trying to achieve...0
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@Doreena - I'm 63. My weight loss started when the doc told me to stop eating white carbs because I was at the edge of diabetes. So brown rice instead of white, whole-grain bread and pasta. Of course, it also meant "stop all those snacks," since the snacks were potato chips, candy, ice cream ... The weird thing was, I didn't feel deprived. Just using that approach and paying some attention to portion size, I lost more than 40 pounds without obsessing about food -- something new to me.
Now I'm back to semi-obsessing. Because, having moved from obese to just a bit overweight, I want to get down to a good weight.
But low-carb? Nope.
You might still see if your insurance will pay for a consultation with a nutritionist, and if so whether your doc will give you a referral.
FWIW, the link below shows what my weight-loss chart looked like a few days ago. Just in the past two days, without changing what I was doing, I've lost 1.5 pounds.
Well, I have hit 10k steps more often this week.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10181101/weight-loss-chart-its-an-up-and-down-thing#latest
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How do you feel about the 1410 number? Do you see yourself trusting that it's ok to eat that much or would you eat below that? Because really the fear issue you face now could still be thereat maintenance. Something to mull over.0
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Are you earning exercise calories and eating those?0
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You may just have blown your MBR. take a break. Look up Layne Norton and his theory of reverse dieting. he talks about adding calories in very slowly to teach body to increase its MBR but not add fat. when you get adapted to higher calories, in a few months, try losing again, slowly.0
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DoreenaV1975 wrote: »I guess I should explain more what I said about my doctor...
I told her I was having trouble losing weight and she said, because of my age, the ONLY way to do it was low carb.
I came here and listened to the MFP peeps philosophy of CICO and lost 10.5 lbs... so I'm not saying low carb is bad, I just don't think it's the ONLY way to do it, like my Dr said!
Because of your age -- 39 is not that old -- your doctor says it will be hard to lose weight without low carb? I'm also a bit curious about a doctor who is encouraging you to lose weight when you are within normal range. You could probably even eat more than 1200 and maintain at 115. If you've lost 10.5 lbs., then you were only 125-126 when you started, which is still normal for your height. I'd agree with a lot of the others who say that you might want to aim for a recomp through exercise and strength training. I'm considerably older (56) and about your height (less .5 and inch), and I'm around 120 lbs; 115 is my goal weight because 110 is too low for me. I try to eat 35% protein, but I follow CICO. I eat between 1100-1200, but have a much lower metabolism because I'm post-menopausal.0 -
@amillenium - I think you may be correct. I don't like the way my body look but it could be more my lack of definition than the number on the scale. I am thinking about this "theory" more...but after so many years of thinking that to make my roly-poly flabby shaped body look better I need to lose weight...it's hard to break that mindset!
@Liftng4Lis - very rarely do I and when I do it's only a small portion - I'm afraid of the "overestimation" of calories
@ihatetodietalways - Hmmm IDK if I can do that...
@rosebette - To be fair, to my doctor, she did not tell me I need to lose weight... she said I was fine. But I pushed her to give me info anyway. She finally said, "well if you want to lose weight, you need to go low carb"
FIY -
I've been @ 102lbs before and THAT weight was too low for me. I looked sickly (well, on top I did... I was still round and flabby on the bottom ) I promised myself I would never go that low again. Not only did I no like the way I looked, I also hated the way it made me feel, I was literally starving!
I'm telling you this because I want you to know I DO have limits...
I have been thinking about how the past 9 days I have not lost any weight.. which is fine.
What's NOT fine is I have gained.
I was at 115.5 nine days ago.
Since then I have gone up 2-3lbs a day. Every morning I wake up to see that although I dropped some of that weight that I am still consistently 1 pound over my last low weight.
Everything I have read on this site says that if I am gaining weight, I am taking in too many calories.
Since I measure/weigh and log everything that I eat or drink, and I exercise, that leads me to only one conclusion..
If If I want to continue to lose weight I must take in less than the 1200 calories that MFP has given me.
I have manually set my calories to 1100 and I am going to try doing cardio at least 25-30mins every day and see if that doesn't change things as far as weight goes.
I am also going to work on trying to tone up more.
I am going to let go a little bit as far as the number on the scale goes.
At this point I would be happy to be between 110-115...
110 doesn't have to be THE number anymore but it would be nice!0 -
You are not gaining 2-3 lbs a day. It's just water retention/normal fluctuations. You should always disregard when the scale gives you such a big gain in one day. It will go right back down in a couple days.0
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You are not gaining 2-3 lbs a day. It's just water retention/normal fluctuations. You should always disregard when the scale gives you such a big gain in one day. It will go right back down in a couple days.
That's the thing... it does go down, but I am still up 1 pound from my last low weight and have been for the past 9 days. So yes, some of it is definitely "fluctuations" but the consistent 1 pound I'm thinking is not.0 -
DoreenaV1975 wrote: »You are not gaining 2-3 lbs a day. It's just water retention/normal fluctuations. You should always disregard when the scale gives you such a big gain in one day. It will go right back down in a couple days.
That's the thing... it does go down, but I am still up 1 pound from my last low weight and have been for the past 9 days. So yes, some of it is definitely "fluctuations" but the consistent 1 pound I'm thinking is not.
It certainly could be. I was about 20 days between low weights. And then I hit a new low weight four days in a row and and six of nine days,
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