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rdlewis123 wrote: »goldthistime wrote: »Congratulations! Any words of wisdom you want to share?
1) scales are not your friend
2) calories in vs calories out
3) find workouts you LIKE to do
4) find a workout schedule you can live with in two years, five years
5) find the support you need in places you feel safe
6) most importantly, do it fo
I'm confused by #1. I've read in several places that one of the common habits of people who have successfully maintained weight loss over a long period is that they regularly weigh themselves to keep things in check. Why do you feel differently?
I think it's the idea that the scale isn't the only or even the best way to measure your progress. It doesn't tell you the difference between water, fat, or muscle weight. It won't show you how different you look. On the other hand, I greatly value the scale as one tool in my toolbelt. Over time (week and months, not hours and days), movement up or down tells me important information. And a food scale . . . priceless!
That is EXACTLY what I meant. There comes a time when the scales WILL NOT move, but other things like loose clothing, progress pictures, etc. show that your body is changing. The scales are not the be all end all of weight loss. However, in the beginning of my journey, I weighed religiously. There just comes a point when it is the least reliable source of progress.0 -
Congratulations on your success!
If I understand you correctly, you lost about 50 pounds in your first year and a little over 10 the second year. What do you think accounts for your steady rate of loss the first year? Would you mind sharing your calorie goal over that year (roughly)? I'm the same height as you, but have not had nearly the same rate as you!
My progress the first year was due to calorie deficit and regular Zumba and weight training 3-5 days a week. During this time I was using a point system to track my food but around December I realized I was not eating enough to feed my workouts. I'm thinking the calorie level with that system was 1200 or less. That's when I switched to MFP. When I switched, my calorie goal was around 1800 calories. I stayed with that throughout this current year. While it shows I just lost about 10 pounds I went down two sizes. Thus the reason I quit depending on the scales to measure change.
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rdlewis123 wrote: »Congratulations on your success!
If I understand you correctly, you lost about 50 pounds in your first year and a little over 10 the second year. What do you think accounts for your steady rate of loss the first year? Would you mind sharing your calorie goal over that year (roughly)? I'm the same height as you, but have not had nearly the same rate as you!
My progress the first year was due to calorie deficit and regular Zumba and weight training 3-5 days a week. During this time I was using a point system to track my food but around December I realized I was not eating enough to feed my workouts. I'm thinking the calorie level with that system was 1200 or less. That's when I switched to MFP. When I switched, my calorie goal was around 1800 calories. I stayed with that throughout this current year. While it shows I just lost about 10 pounds I went down two sizes. Thus the reason I quit depending on the scales to measure change.
Sounds like with your weight training and eating at close to your TDEE you accomplished quite a bit of body recomp. Which is where your percentage of body fat goes down, but your percentage of muscle goes up. That is a difficult and slow process - congrats on your progress!
Measurements are key because they can tell you if you are recomping and getting smaller, or just stalled due to sloppy eating and/or logging.
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rdlewis123 wrote: »Congratulations on your success!
If I understand you correctly, you lost about 50 pounds in your first year and a little over 10 the second year. What do you think accounts for your steady rate of loss the first year? Would you mind sharing your calorie goal over that year (roughly)? I'm the same height as you, but have not had nearly the same rate as you!
My progress the first year was due to calorie deficit and regular Zumba and weight training 3-5 days a week. During this time I was using a point system to track my food but around December I realized I was not eating enough to feed my workouts. I'm thinking the calorie level with that system was 1200 or less. That's when I switched to MFP. When I switched, my calorie goal was around 1800 calories. I stayed with that throughout this current year. While it shows I just lost about 10 pounds I went down two sizes. Thus the reason I quit depending on the scales to measure change.
Thank you. That's helpful to know! BTW, I agree that it's more about body composition than scale weight and also getting there by doing things that you love and feel you can sustain. Otherwise, what's the point of losing weight in the first place?0 -
True that!0
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Bravo!!!! So nice to read a positive and inspiring post!0
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