Been on this site for year. Frustrated.
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This is exactly what I plan to do for my last 20 pounds. Yeah my weight loss will slow down but it should be an easier transition into maintenance. I have a really good feel for the calories I am set at right now and I could probably stop weighing my food and still lose weight. A lot of us eat many of the same meals each week or the same size portion each time. Eventually you get a feel for what 8 oz of chicken looks like or what a 200gm nectarine looks like. It's training our brains to know what a proper size meal looks like for the weight we are trying to be.I'm a big fan of training your brain and eyes to understand what maintenance calories looks and feels like. If you calculate your maintenance calories at your goal weight, let's just say the calculators say that's 1700 calories without exercise, set your target calories to that. And then eat that (on average) every day. You'll lose weight fast at first, then slower as you get close to your goal weight. But what it teaches you is what your 1700 calories (for example) is, and that's the amount you eat on average every day forever.
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carriecarrot wrote: »Yeah, I have tried to do this through sheer will power. Sorry for thinking that maybe there is a better way to approach this instead of just relying on my will alone.
Everyone else - thanks for the suggestions!
I think I will experiment with switching between maintenance/deficit and see if that helps me stay on track (but for much, much shorter periods of time than 6 months)
Keep in mind there are tons of strategies or ways of eating. You probably just need to find one that will help you reach your goals. Unfortunately, too many people try the same one over and over thinking its going to work. Just to list a few: Interim Fasting (16:8, 5:2), low carb, IIFYM, 80/10/10, vegan/vegetarian, paleo, etc...
Another thing is, figure out what your true end goals are and I am not just talking weight. For me, it's abs (I think it is for most guys) so my workout and diet work together. This means, I have a solid progressive lifting program and my macros are set up to incorporate more protein/carbs. My overall goal is to maximize fat loss and minimize muscle loss. My others goals are to be strong and flexible. In fact, I don't even have a weight goal. All of my goals are fitness based.0 -
Have been tracking for 10 weeks and enjoying doing so. I started out at 10 st 7 lbs and my goal was to lose 7 lbs. I have actually lost 11 lbs and still going for it hoping to be 9st 5 by end of summer. I'm finding it relatively simple to track and stay within my daily allowance with the ocassional glitch some days. I include a good 40 minute walk at least 6 days per week. Good luck everyone0
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As a celiac, I'm trying to think of my diet like a gluten free diet.
A celiac must go GF for life. We can't just go GF until symptoms are gone, or just for that first year of healing. We have to stay GF for life or we'll end right back to where we started - unhealthy.
I'm applying that same thinking to weight loss. What ever you need to do to lose weight, it is something you will need to do forever. If you go back to what you did when you gained weight (and were unsatisfied with your health or appearance) your body will go back to its old unhealthy self.
However you are losing weight, you need to be prepared to continue on that way forever. There is no end point.0 -
carriecarrot wrote: »I've been on this site for a couple of years. Every time I start logging my calories, I end up losing a lot of weight quickly, in fact, a lot quicker than myfitnesspal's estimate. Of course, somewhere down the line I always end up gaining it back.I This is because after about 3 months, I end up getting ravenous and eating everything in sight and I stop logging my calories. It's like my body is fighting back. I understand that losing weight too quickly can cause you to regain. The general advice is to lose weight slowly, if you want to keep it off. It's hard for me to lose weight slowly when I lose weight faster than I am supposed to based on myfitnesspal's estimated calories. I know that the common sense thing to do would be to raise my calories, but I guess I am afraid I will raise it too much and not lose any weight or lose weight TOO slowly. ANYWAY, I want to do this RIGHT this time!!! I am also thinking about using set point theory, which is the theory that our bodies have a set weight that it likes to be at, and when you lose more than 10% of your body weight, your body increases your appetite so you will regain the weight you lost and get back to your point. Anyway, I would like to lower my set point, by losing 10% at a time, and then going on maintenance for awhile, and then losing another 10% and so on... The problem is that the literature on set point says it takes about 6 months of maintenance to reset your set point. Ouch! That would take forever... I'm wondering if 2-3 months on maintenance would do the trick? Has anyone else had these problems? Anyone else tried the set point method or switched between weight loss/maintenance to increase their success?
Thanks!
So, you set far too aggressive of a deficit as evidenced by the more rapid than expected loss then succumb to the inevitable hunger and stop logging?
"Setpoint" has nothing to do with your loss and regain.0 -
Maybe you should figure up your TDEE and subtract calories from that...
I lost about 10 lbs per month for the first 5 months, got a fitbit, which calculates your TDEE for you and realized I was eating WAY under what I should be eating. With the fitbit it tells you what is under budget, "in the zone" and over budget. Very helpful for me... I didn't feel hungry those 5 months because I ate mostly protein rich foods but I still should have been eating more.
7 and 1/2 months in I do feel ravenous if I miss my mid morning snack, I do feel that my metabolism has definitely increased (that or I've increased the amount of muscle in my body causing me to need more calories)0 -
As others have said, it's trying to push past the 3 months and find something sustainable for years. If you go too low it's easy to get tired of it and want more food, then just give up. I liked the suggestion of eating maintenance for the weight you want to be because it'll still be a deficit and also teach you the portion control. Eventually eating 1800 or whatever calories a day will feel normal versus the 2500+ you were eating to gain or maintain a higher weight.0
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brianpperkins wrote: »carriecarrot wrote: »I've been on this site for a couple of years. Every time I start logging my calories, I end up losing a lot of weight quickly, in fact, a lot quicker than myfitnesspal's estimate. Of course, somewhere down the line I always end up gaining it back.I This is because after about 3 months, I end up getting ravenous and eating everything in sight and I stop logging my calories. It's like my body is fighting back. I understand that losing weight too quickly can cause you to regain. The general advice is to lose weight slowly, if you want to keep it off. It's hard for me to lose weight slowly when I lose weight faster than I am supposed to based on myfitnesspal's estimated calories. I know that the common sense thing to do would be to raise my calories, but I guess I am afraid I will raise it too much and not lose any weight or lose weight TOO slowly. ANYWAY, I want to do this RIGHT this time!!! I am also thinking about using set point theory, which is the theory that our bodies have a set weight that it likes to be at, and when you lose more than 10% of your body weight, your body increases your appetite so you will regain the weight you lost and get back to your point. Anyway, I would like to lower my set point, by losing 10% at a time, and then going on maintenance for awhile, and then losing another 10% and so on... The problem is that the literature on set point says it takes about 6 months of maintenance to reset your set point. Ouch! That would take forever... I'm wondering if 2-3 months on maintenance would do the trick? Has anyone else had these problems? Anyone else tried the set point method or switched between weight loss/maintenance to increase their success?
Thanks!
So, you set far too aggressive of a deficit as evidenced by the more rapid than expected loss then succumb to the inevitable hunger and stop logging?
"Setpoint" has nothing to do with your loss and regain.
Agreed. Especially since you say that you lose very quickly. Try for a less aggressive goal and see if you can be satisfied and stick to your calorie goals long term. It would be much easier at a moderate deficit than at an aggressive deficit.0 -
You lose fast. You regain and can't maintain. You are frustrated and relying on willpower to lose your weight.
The answer to your question has already been given, though your (edited) responses indicate you got pissed off because people didn't give you the answers you were hoping for.
Your problem is that you (like most other dieters in the history of humankind) fail at maintenance when your body possibly fights back the restrictions you had imposed on it and you simultaneously change things from what you were doing during weight loss.
So start eating at maintenance today.
Calculate your lightly active maintenance setting and eat at that.
In the beginning you will lose weight.
When your weight loss stops a little bit short of maintenance (and by stops i mean 8 weeks+) you can re-*kitten* whether at that point you want to temporarily increase your exercise or temporarily increase your deficit or make that level your maintenance.
The point of eating at maintenance is that you will stop "dieting" and will have to force yourself to realistically look at what and how you can and should be eating (and how sustainably active you should be) for the rest of your life
And, get a trendline weight recording program so you can make valid decisions about whether you are losing, gaining, or maintaining. weightgrapher.com, trendweight.com, happy scale, spreadsheet...0 -
This is what I am doing as well. My difficulty has always been maintenance. I can drop the calories and lose the weight like a champ but always regained. The plan is to now eat AT my goal maintenance calories to reach and maintain my forever goal weight.I'm a big fan of training your brain and eyes to understand what maintenance calories looks and feels like. If you calculate your maintenance calories at your goal weight, let's just say the calculators say that's 1700 calories without exercise, set your target calories to that. And then eat that (on average) every day. You'll lose weight fast at first, then slower as you get close to your goal weight. But what it teaches you is what your 1700 calories (for example) is, and that's the amount you eat on average every day forever.
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Am sure theres loads of good advice above. On reading your post then if you have veen on MFP for 2 years then did you not pick up some of the common sense advice floating around? Theres tons of misconceptions in your post about weight loss and im not sure you are helping yourself in either your understanding or your approach. What stands out is you need a balance and methodical approach that can deal with the mistakes you have made in the past and ensure you dont stall. A good read of the sexy pant threads will show you how weight loss works and it then becomes up to you how quick or slowly you wish to lose.
If you are getting ravenous that just sounds your diet or your deficit need readjusting. You cna just as easily lower your deficit.
If you stop logging then thats just you not following the basics properly, its entirely your choice.
before starting imo you should be considering the whol journey and that means getting to target.0 -
I This is because after about 3 months, I end up getting ravenous and eating everything in sight and I stop logging my calories. It's like my body is fighting back. I understand that losing weight too quickly can cause you to regain. The general advice is to lose weight slowly, if you want to keep it off. It's hard for me to lose weight slowly when I lose weight faster than I am supposed to based on myfitnesspal's estimated calories. I know that the common sense thing to do would be to raise my calories, but I guess I am afraid I will raise it too much and not lose any weight or lose weight TOO slowly. ANYWAY, I want to do this RIGHT this time!!! I am also thinking about using set point theory, which is the theory that our bodies have a set weight that it likes to be at, and when you lose more than 10% of your body weight, your body increases your appetite so you will regain the weight you lost and get back to your point. Anyway, I would like to lower my set point, by losing 10% at a time, and then going on maintenance for awhile, and then losing another 10% and so on... The problem is that the literature on set point says it takes about 6 months of maintenance to reset your set point. Ouch! That would take forever... I'm wondering if 2-3 months on maintenance would do the trick? Has anyone else had these problems? Anyone else tried the set point method or switched between weight loss/maintenance to increase their success?
You are correct! Your body is fighting back! It's called "Adaptive Thermogenesis".
Our bodies monitor Leptin levels. Leptin is made by your body fat. As body fat declines, so do Leptin levels. This triggers a response in our bodies to try and preserve the falling fat stores. It does this by increasing hunger feelings, and by increasing skeletal muscle efficiency about 20% which results in an overall metabolic reduction of about 10%-15%.
Unfortunately, the effect is long-term. It's been extrapolated out for years. The only thing that has been shown to reset these hormonal-neural responsivities is surgery.
This is why most people, like yourself, fail at dieting long-term. They just can't tolerate the body's defense mechanisms and eventually give in.
There is evidence to suggest that exercise, particularly vigorous resistance training, might counter the metabolic reduction. But I think the hunger is always going to be there. You body wants those Leptin levels to go back to where they were.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3673773/0 -
I'd suggest setting MFP up for a slow loss - 0.5-1lb per week - and monitoring that for a month to see if you lose at an OK rate. If you're losing too quickly, up your calories and remember that you have to up them quite a lot to suddenly put weight on or stop losing. Having a smaller deficit will make it easier to stay on track as well, because you can fit more things into your diet and are less likely to end up depriving yourself of anything.
Every 6-8 weeks, eat at maintenance for 1-2 weeks. Give yourself a diet break. You could do it to coincide with a holiday, or a week where everyone has a birthday! You should combat the increase in appetite or the "I want to eat forbidden foods" urges that come from eating at a big deficit for a long time. Just remember not to let maintenance drag out for longer, and not to treat it like an excuse to eat anything going!
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I This is because after about 3 months, I end up getting ravenous and eating everything in sight and I stop logging my calories.
Oh, I meant to address this. This has been my downfall in the past, too. It is very easy to fall off the horse and then adopt a mindset of "Oh well, I blew it, so there is no point in going on." Or, "I blew it today, so I'll just blow off the rest of the week and start again next week."
You have to avoid this at all costs. When you are dieting, you have a built-in calorie deficit every day. For myself, I am targetting a 1000 calorie per day deficit. So even if I go over my daily allotment of calories by 500 calories (big bowl of icecream, say), I still hit a deficit for the day!. Even if you blow it by 1000 calories, you just hit maintenance!. The trick is to just start over tomorrow, and keep logging to stay honest and focused.
I find that once I stop logging I have thrown in the towel and buried my head in the sand. DON'T DO THAT!
It's OK to fail. What you have to do is start over every day. It's going to take years of hitting a calorie deficit more days than you don't to lose the weight.0 -
maillemaker wrote: »I This is because after about 3 months, I end up getting ravenous and eating everything in sight and I stop logging my calories.
Oh, I meant to address this. This has been my downfall in the past, too. It is very easy to fall off the horse and then adopt a mindset of "Oh well, I blew it, so there is no point in going on." Or, "I blew it today, so I'll just blow off the rest of the week and start again next week."
You have to avoid this at all costs. When you are dieting, you have a built-in calorie deficit every day. For myself, I am targetting a 1000 calorie per day deficit. So even if I go over my daily allotment of calories by 500 calories (big bowl of icecream, say), I still hit a deficit for the day!. Even if you blow it by 1000 calories, you just hit maintenance!. The trick is to just start over tomorrow, and keep logging to stay honest and focused.
I find that once I stop logging I have thrown in the towel and buried my head in the sand. DON'T DO THAT!
It's OK to fail. What you have to do is start over every day. It's going to take years of hitting a calorie deficit more days than you don't to lose the weight.
A really good mental cue is to compare eating too much to forgetting to brush your teeth. If you forget one day, do you stop brushing for the next six weeks because it's a lost cause. Man, I sure hope not...0 -
soapsandropes wrote: »Losing weight quickly won't cause you to regain weight. Not establishing good and sustainable habits are the cause of you gaining weight (see you getting ravenous and not logging calories). Changing your habits takes time. If you don't make long term changes in your behavior you are always going to wind up back where you started.
This is exactly what I was thinking, almost word for word. I have been at it for 16 weeks and have lost right around 15 lbs. in the past, if in that time frame I hadn't lost 30 - 40 pounds I would have given up and stopped at the first heart attack shack and crushed 3 double burgers and a small fry. This time around though I am focusing on healthy and sustainable lifestyle changes that will allow me to lose weight but also maintain that once I get to my goal weight.
I had a few beers this weekend after our soccer games in a tournament we played and I haven't cut out any foods completely other that really trying to eliminate deep fried foods from my diet. I believe that by not calling anything off limits I am able to still enjoy the things I love to eat and I don't have to go a train wreck binge session once I finally get my hands on that (insert trigger food here).
My point is that you can do it and be successful but you have to focus on long term instead of quick results.
Best of luck to you!
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Your body will signal hunger no matter how many calories are ingested if you are deficient in nutrients. If you are seriously struggling, I would highly recommend that you seek the advice of a registered dietitian as opposed to sorting through all of the opinions on here.0
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Just eat at the maintenance level of your goal weight. If you are finding that hard to do than readjust your idea of your what your goal weight should be. Beacause there is no point in losing the weight if you can't eat at the maintanence level to stay at that weight.0
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I struggled with the something similar to what you are mentioning. I wanted to lose weight fast so I could get back to eating how I wanted to eat (which was well above maintenance calories). So I had this consistent pattern of losing weight, getting to some goal weight I had set, and then gaining it all back within a few months or years. Another important note is that likely a far too large percentage of what I was losing was muscle because I was restricting too many calories and not getting enough protein.
I have started over recently (since I got my fitbit), and I am now trying to very closely monitor my calories in versus calories out. I am also closely monitoring my macros to be sure I am getting enough protein especially.
The other thing I am doing is have some food I like, which may not be the most healthy (i.e. not very nutrient dense), regularly but in very moderated portions so that I can still hit my macro goals. This means I will have 30 grams of potato chips or 40 grams of candy on many days (almost every day in fact).
What I have seen is I don't have a constant crave for more food, nor for the foods I like, and I am still losing weight consistently. I think (it is still early of course) I have made a positive lifestyle change that will be sustainable for me because I am eating a reasonable amount of food, I am not always hungry and I allow myself to eat very modest portions of the kinds of food I really like along with a lot of other food that is nutrient dense.
I offer this to you as an example of what one other person has done that has worked well for them, and that I think will be sustainable for my life. I hope you may be able to take parts along with a lot of the other good advice you have received to put something together that will work well for you.
If you have any questions feel free to ask, I will admit I am no expert on the subject, but I am happy to provide my perspectives.
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Honestly, all you have to do is change the way you habitually eat. Extreme doesn't usually last which is why weight regain is inevitable for the majority who attempt it. Also COMMITMENT makes the difference. Most just desire to lose and don't really commit to the process and lifestyle.
As for set point, I've not found any scientific evidence to truly support the theory.
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