10 weeks in, so not new, but my first visit to the boards

GuidoGordo
GuidoGordo Posts: 6 Member
edited November 26 in Introduce Yourself
Hi! I had said "I'm never going to count calories!". I'm eating those words now (at least they are lo-cal!) Myfitnesspal makes it so easy, and so relevant, it has been revolutionary for me AND my wife. We started using it at the direction of a YMCA program I had joined (Project Pounds Away) and it has been a revolutionary tool for us. I say "revolutionary" because I am an experienced loser, having lost over 100 lbs. about 6 years ago. Of course, I gained most of it back. Sorry folks, that's the reality for those who have lost a lot of weight. Maintaining is a LOT harder than losing. My wife has been getting close to 1 lb./wk - which is AMAZING for her!

Anyway, I dropped 30 lbs. in that 10 weeks (with no initial big loss since I had already started by losing 10 or so on my own just before). My loss rate was EXACTLY as predicted by Myfitnesspal. I use the 2 lb/wk option and add in close to 3500 cals of exercise while keeping the cal count at the no-exercise level. This gave me 3 lbs/wk like clockwork. Very cool. The math really works. There is no mystery here. Calories in - Calories out = Calories retained. Any other theories and you're just fooling yourself.

What was revolutionary? I found that I had to really change what I ate to keep within the calorie count and still get the protein I needed. Had to eliminate at least one or two fruits a day. Myfitnesspal really helped keep me honest. Very cool!

Now that the 10 week Y program is over, we intend to continue tracking and continue our loss.

40 down, 40 more to go!

Thanks to the folks who provide this tool!

Replies

  • perirn
    perirn Posts: 12 Member
    Great work!!
  • qaiserelahi992
    qaiserelahi992 Posts: 121 Member
    Great effort. Keep it up
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Congratulations

    Unless you are morbidly obese please consider lowering your weight loss to 2lb a week. At 3lbs you are losing more muscle than necessary as you lose weight and possibly risking gallstones. Faster is not better.
  • GuidoGordo
    GuidoGordo Posts: 6 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Congratulations

    Unless you are morbidly obese please consider lowering your weight loss to 2lb a week. At 3lbs you are losing more muscle than necessary as you lose weight and possibly risking gallstones. Faster is not better.

    Some truth there, but variability between individuals makes such guidelines less than reliable. As a larger male, (after 40 lb. loss, I'm now at 235, with a goal of 195), that rate of loss is no greater than a smaller person losing 2 lbs per week. I also target daily protein intake and strength workouts to minimize muscle loss. I'm lucky to have a naturally heavy musculature. I fully expect to taper my loss rate as I approach the "holy grail" of under-200 living. Even though BMI charts say I should shoot for sub-180, I am emaciated-looking at that point (tried it back in 2010). Only way for me to get that low IS to lose a lot of muscle. As I am now 60 yrs old, I don't have a need to strut my guns in muscle shirts so much, but they are there - under the fat for now. I also agree that faster is not better, but it's not really worse either. But, it's a lot more fun! :smiley: The challenge is in maintenance. That's the tough part. The thought that with a fast loss, you never learn to eat rationally bears a lot of truth. I'll own up to that one, as my history shows. Going to apply for the new TV show: America's Biggest Yo-Yo
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
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  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    Good luck, it sounds like you've got this thang! xo
  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
    Awesome!! Welcome to MFP :)
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