weight loss
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To your original post, I think you just need to be patient. Sometimes we are our own worst critic and it's hard to see small changes when we look at ourselves every day. I second the suggestion to take photos as you may be able to see the change there more readily, and maybe go by the fit of your clothes. And, congratulations on your weight loss so far.
As for the other topic, I totally agree with the others that it doesn't matter when you eat, and what you eat is less important than how much of it you eat for weight loss. However, it's totally reasonable that you feel you have to eat "healthy" and "often" as almost every fitness magazine, website, etc. says that.
Personally I think the reason all the "experts" say that is because a particular subset of folks who we think of as very fit (fitness models, bodybuilders) have very particular goals that may be best met with that type of eating as they tend to pay close attention to macros (carbs, protein, fats), especially protein. It's very hard to eat enough protein with just 2-3 meals per day. At least it is for me - maybe for others it's easy. I try to get in 100-130 grams of protein per day because that is my preference (it makes me feel fuller and more satisfied). In order to meet those numbers I have to eat multiple times per day because I just could not eat enough protein in each meal to meet those numbers if I only ate 3 times a day. That's my totally non-scientific, non-provable theory on why that's touted around so much. Again, I eat this way due to preference.
Chances are your goals don't require that much strict adherence to a particular way of eating and it's fine to find a way to eat that satisfies you, keeps you full, keeps you in a calorie deficit, and that's sustainable.
Thank u so much but problem is I hardly even eat about 4 grams of protein a day.. my caloric intake today thus far is not even 700. From what iv been reading I'm basically under eating and it's not good for my body, but I'm just trying to avoid eating the wrong foods. And maybe I'm not fully understanding the concept behind " calorie deficit".0 -
kutlwanosamuels wrote: »
Wow what a great thing you've done for yourself there...well done and thank you for the advice.bcalvanese wrote: »kutlwanosamuels wrote: »Hi guys im Kay , 19 years of age and i began my weighloss journey 3months ago.
Iv been jogging but now i enjoy brisk walking as i found out it is good for trimming the waistline. Eating the right food for me is my biggest challange thus far but im working on increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables i eat, considerably less fruits because they are packed with sugar.
Considering that now its the festive season its really hard to maintain a healthy diet. My problem right now is i dont see any difference in my weight when i look in the mirror but the numbers on the scale are gradually going down. It makes me happy to see the no.s on the scale decrease but i dont feel like iv lost weight. I dont know what to do and i hope MFP will encourage me to keep pushing and to never give up.
Looks like you've lost 7 lbs. so far, and its been 3 months so that sounds like a fairly good rate. You may not notice it now, but as you lose more you will notice it.
If you have a picture from 3 months or more ago you can use that to compare as you lose.
Brisk walking is a great way to burn calories, and I have lost 57 lbs. over the past 11 to 12 months mainly from power walking and eating smarter. I power walk from 30 to 90 minutes a day at a pace fast enough to keep my heart rate at a cardio level throughout the walk. Walking is also the perfect amount of impact & movement to keep you joints healthy (even shoulders and elbows if you swing your arms briskly).
As mentioned by others, muscular training is also important to develop and maintain muscular health. I think the CDC recommends 2 to 3 hours of cardio & 1 to 2 hours of muscular per week to maintain a good fitness level and a healthy body weight, but even though you burn more calories with exercise you still have to eat less than you burn or burn more than you eat (depending on which way you want to look at it). I do way more than the CDC recommends because I was so out of shape and over weight that I need to do more to get to a good fitness level and healthy weight, and once I reach my goal, I can do the recommended to maintain.
It's also good that you are thinking about the types of foods you are eating. Healthy foods are always best, but there is nothing wrong with a treat once in a while as long as you don't over do it. The sugars in fresh fruit are not the same as things that have added sugar. Personally I only count added sugars and not natural sugars in fresh fruit.
Sounds to me like you are doing fairly well so far, but you could step up your game a little and lose a little faster. About 1 lb. per week is a good healthy rate of loss.
Hope this helps.
I don't really do much of muscular training, my main focus has always been cardiovascular training. People keep saying I won't see any muscle because of all the layers of fat I have and that I should decrease the fat layers then once they are down I can focus on building some muscle.
And I have planned to step up my game because I also realised that my weight loss process was waaaaayyyy too slow. I don't really know how I could lose 1 lb a week...I work out everyday but the process is just so slow, it's really not easy.
As a 19 year old, I see my friends and family eating all my favourite foods that I know I shouldn't touch because I have weight issues, makes me feel like giving up completely to live the life of a normal teen but Thank you for your advice though, it will definitely help me along the way.
Weight training when you are in a deficit isn't about building muscle - it's about maintaining as much of it as you can as you lose weight. I wish that I understood this when I first started. Along with the eat several small meals to rev your metabolism, the thinking that you should burn fat through cardio while losing weight and then work on building muscle is pervasive, and not good advice overall. You will probably be much happier with the body you'll have after weight loss if you lift while you're losing than if you don't. Of course, you can make your own decisions about how you want to go about things, but it's good to at least have the knowledge upfront and make an informed decision.0 -
kutlwanosamuels wrote: »
Alright, but isn't eating less not good for your body? I mean let's say I should eat 1200 calories a day are u saying I should burn 1200 or more calories each day to lose weight??You will realise over time that there is a significant amount of rubbish spouted as fact in the diet and fitness world
TDEE is total daily energy expenditure ...measured in calories it's calories out
You can increase it by becoming more active ...walking places instead of taking the bus or car, stairs instead of elevators etc and by purposeful exercise ..your rip unending, cycling,swimming, zumba etc
You eat less than your TDEE to lose weight
Some do it without counting, they just eat less
Many here use MFP to calorie count
Log your food accurately
Don't overestimate your calorie burn in exercise
Honestly meal timing is not relevant unless it helps you stick to a calorie defecit
What?
No
MFP calorie allowance tells you how much to eat to achieve whatever goal weightloss you've given it based on your activity
You eat that
Although I would almost bet you've told it you're sedentary and want to lose 2lbs a week, where se with 24lbs you should possibly look at 1lb a week
Then when you exercise, log it in exercise, halve the calories because MFP database overestimates and eat those too
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kutlwanosamuels wrote: »To your original post, I think you just need to be patient. Sometimes we are our own worst critic and it's hard to see small changes when we look at ourselves every day. I second the suggestion to take photos as you may be able to see the change there more readily, and maybe go by the fit of your clothes. And, congratulations on your weight loss so far.
As for the other topic, I totally agree with the others that it doesn't matter when you eat, and what you eat is less important than how much of it you eat for weight loss. However, it's totally reasonable that you feel you have to eat "healthy" and "often" as almost every fitness magazine, website, etc. says that.
Personally I think the reason all the "experts" say that is because a particular subset of folks who we think of as very fit (fitness models, bodybuilders) have very particular goals that may be best met with that type of eating as they tend to pay close attention to macros (carbs, protein, fats), especially protein. It's very hard to eat enough protein with just 2-3 meals per day. At least it is for me - maybe for others it's easy. I try to get in 100-130 grams of protein per day because that is my preference (it makes me feel fuller and more satisfied). In order to meet those numbers I have to eat multiple times per day because I just could not eat enough protein in each meal to meet those numbers if I only ate 3 times a day. That's my totally non-scientific, non-provable theory on why that's touted around so much. Again, I eat this way due to preference.
Chances are your goals don't require that much strict adherence to a particular way of eating and it's fine to find a way to eat that satisfies you, keeps you full, keeps you in a calorie deficit, and that's sustainable.
Thank u so much but problem is I hardly even eat about 4 grams of protein a day.. my caloric intake today thus far is not even 700. From what iv been reading I'm basically under eating and it's not good for my body, but I'm just trying to avoid eating the wrong foods. And maybe I'm not fully understanding the concept behind " calorie deficit".
You can't possibly be eating just 4 grams of protein a day. I eat more than that in vegetables alone.
TDEE is what you burn all day through everything you do - what your body burns to function as well as all the activity you do from walking around the house to purposeful exercise. Your body burns calories simply by living. You need to eat less than that to lose. That is your deficit.0 -
Put your goal into MFP (1 pound loss per week or whatever). Eat to your calorie goal. Log foods accurately to ensure you're in a deficit. Log your exercise. Eat 50-75% of those calories to account for inaccuracies.
Start there.
***ETA - I see PP already said this. But really, start there.0 -
Your body consumes a certain amount of calories every day just by being alive... That's your TDEE. Let's say it's 1700 Cals per day. Assuming you do no exercise at all... If you ate 1700 Cals per day you would maintain your current weight. In order to lose weight you need to either A: consume less calories, or B: exercise to increase your TDEE.
Exercise is important for health and body image, but it requires a lot of exertion to burn relatively few calories. Reducing your caloric intake below what you burn is the best way to lose weight.
In order to lose 1lb a week you would need to either reduce your caloric intake to 1200 calories a day, or increase your exercise so you are burning more... I.e. You exercise enough to burn 500 cals per day so your TDEE is now 2200 calories per day, and the 1700 calories in food you eat now leaves you with a 500 calorie deficit.
The vast majority of people are unable/unwilling to increase their exercise 500 cal per day and instead need to rely on reducing to achieve their goals.
1lb of fat is approx 3500 calories. How you get the deficit is up to you. The most important thing is accurately tracking how much you consume. It is so easy to underestimate how much you are truly eating. Honest Portion control will be the number one key to weight loss for most people.
As you get close to your goal weight, dieting will become much harder as you have so few calories to work with, at that point exercise becomes much more important.
Good luck0 -
wooooww very well explained, thank you for clarifying this... when it comes to workout...I'm really not a fan of muscular training would you suggest I just stick to cardio for weight loss? Or do I really have to do bothYour body consumes a certain amount of calories every day just by being alive... That's your TDEE. Let's say it's 1700 Cals per day. Assuming you do no exercise at all... If you ate 1700 Cals per day you would maintain your current weight. In order to lose weight you need to either A: consume less calories, or B: exercise to increase your TDEE.
Exercise is important for health and body image, but it requires a lot of exertion to burn relatively few calories. Reducing your caloric intake below what you burn is the best way to lose weight.
In order to lose 1lb a week you would need to either reduce your caloric intake to 1200 calories a day, or increase your exercise so you are burning more... I.e. You exercise enough to burn 500 cals per day so your TDEE is now 2200 calories per day, and the 1700 calories in food you eat now leaves you with a 500 calorie deficit.
The vast majority of people are unable/unwilling to increase their exercise 500 cal per day and instead need to rely on reducing to achieve their goals.
1lb of fat is approx 3500 calories. How you get the deficit is up to you. The most important thing is accurately tracking how much you consume. It is so easy to underestimate how much you are truly eating. Honest Portion control will be the number one key to weight loss for most people.
As you get close to your goal weight, dieting will become much harder as you have so few calories to work with, at that point exercise becomes much more important.
Good luck0 -
kutlwanosamuels wrote: »To your original post, I think you just need to be patient. Sometimes we are our own worst critic and it's hard to see small changes when we look at ourselves every day. I second the suggestion to take photos as you may be able to see the change there more readily, and maybe go by the fit of your clothes. And, congratulations on your weight loss so far.
As for the other topic, I totally agree with the others that it doesn't matter when you eat, and what you eat is less important than how much of it you eat for weight loss. However, it's totally reasonable that you feel you have to eat "healthy" and "often" as almost every fitness magazine, website, etc. says that.
Personally I think the reason all the "experts" say that is because a particular subset of folks who we think of as very fit (fitness models, bodybuilders) have very particular goals that may be best met with that type of eating as they tend to pay close attention to macros (carbs, protein, fats), especially protein. It's very hard to eat enough protein with just 2-3 meals per day. At least it is for me - maybe for others it's easy. I try to get in 100-130 grams of protein per day because that is my preference (it makes me feel fuller and more satisfied). In order to meet those numbers I have to eat multiple times per day because I just could not eat enough protein in each meal to meet those numbers if I only ate 3 times a day. That's my totally non-scientific, non-provable theory on why that's touted around so much. Again, I eat this way due to preference.
Chances are your goals don't require that much strict adherence to a particular way of eating and it's fine to find a way to eat that satisfies you, keeps you full, keeps you in a calorie deficit, and that's sustainable.
Thank u so much but problem is I hardly even eat about 4 grams of protein a day.. my caloric intake today thus far is not even 700. From what iv been reading I'm basically under eating and it's not good for my body, but I'm just trying to avoid eating the wrong foods. And maybe I'm not fully understanding the concept behind " calorie deficit".
You can't possibly be eating just 4 grams of protein a day. I eat more than that in vegetables alone.
TDEE is what you burn all day through everything you do - what your body burns to function as well as all the activity you do from walking around the house to purposeful exercise. Your body burns calories simply by living. You need to eat less than that to lose. That is your deficit.
Sorry I meant to say 40 grams of protein..0 -
kutlwanosamuels wrote: »
wooooww very well explained, thank you for clarifying this... when it comes to workout...I'm really not a fan of muscular training would you suggest I just stick to cardio for weight loss? Or do I really have to do bothYour body consumes a certain amount of calories every day just by being alive... That's your TDEE. Let's say it's 1700 Cals per day. Assuming you do no exercise at all... If you ate 1700 Cals per day you would maintain your current weight. In order to lose weight you need to either A: consume less calories, or B: exercise to increase your TDEE.
Exercise is important for health and body image, but it requires a lot of exertion to burn relatively few calories. Reducing your caloric intake below what you burn is the best way to lose weight.
In order to lose 1lb a week you would need to either reduce your caloric intake to 1200 calories a day, or increase your exercise so you are burning more... I.e. You exercise enough to burn 500 cals per day so your TDEE is now 2200 calories per day, and the 1700 calories in food you eat now leaves you with a 500 calorie deficit.
The vast majority of people are unable/unwilling to increase their exercise 500 cal per day and instead need to rely on reducing to achieve their goals.
1lb of fat is approx 3500 calories. How you get the deficit is up to you. The most important thing is accurately tracking how much you consume. It is so easy to underestimate how much you are truly eating. Honest Portion control will be the number one key to weight loss for most people.
As you get close to your goal weight, dieting will become much harder as you have so few calories to work with, at that point exercise becomes much more important.
Good luck
Depends on your goals .... it might be worth paying heed to the advice you received in other threads.0 -
kutlwanosamuels wrote: »
wooooww very well explained, thank you for clarifying this... when it comes to workout...I'm really not a fan of muscular training would you suggest I just stick to cardio for weight loss? Or do I really have to do bothYour body consumes a certain amount of calories every day just by being alive... That's your TDEE. Let's say it's 1700 Cals per day. Assuming you do no exercise at all... If you ate 1700 Cals per day you would maintain your current weight. In order to lose weight you need to either A: consume less calories, or B: exercise to increase your TDEE.
Exercise is important for health and body image, but it requires a lot of exertion to burn relatively few calories. Reducing your caloric intake below what you burn is the best way to lose weight.
In order to lose 1lb a week you would need to either reduce your caloric intake to 1200 calories a day, or increase your exercise so you are burning more... I.e. You exercise enough to burn 500 cals per day so your TDEE is now 2200 calories per day, and the 1700 calories in food you eat now leaves you with a 500 calorie deficit.
The vast majority of people are unable/unwilling to increase their exercise 500 cal per day and instead need to rely on reducing to achieve their goals.
1lb of fat is approx 3500 calories. How you get the deficit is up to you. The most important thing is accurately tracking how much you consume. It is so easy to underestimate how much you are truly eating. Honest Portion control will be the number one key to weight loss for most people.
As you get close to your goal weight, dieting will become much harder as you have so few calories to work with, at that point exercise becomes much more important.
Good luck
Trust me, strength training makes your body look so good. Peruse this thread for inspiration:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/977538/halp-heavy-lifting-made-me-supah-bulky/p1
Also, you should really educate yourself on weight/fat loss, start here:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10260537/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest0
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