Is this ok?
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janejellyroll wrote: »deluxmary2000 wrote: »I think you already know that this isn't a healthy way to eat. There's no way you are hitting your macros on any single day of the week. Also, I find it difficult to fathom that you are really only eating 600-800 calories during the week. Could you open your diary?
If you two are really interested in getting healthier as a couple, you should find other ways to be social that don't center around dinner and bars. Not saying you have to drop it out completely, but if your lifestyle is focused on food and alcohol, then you need to evaluate a lifestyle change.
I opened it.
I think the issue is your logging. A food scale might help you get more accurate on the weekdays, I think some days you might be eating more than you think you are. I understand there are going to be times when you are unsure of what you're eating (like the hobo casserole), but when you choose generic entries from the database, they're going to be guesses. Some guesses are better than others, but a failure to lose weight as expected is often a sign that our guesses aren't right.
Are you confident in your logging on the days that you're drinking? No judgment here (I am also a heavy drinker), but I saw a day where you had 17 ounces of wine and at least seven ounces of hard alcohol and you also had food logged. Were those together? Because I'll tell you straight up that while drinking that much, *my* ability to estimate what I'm eating is awful. I only bring it up because it's possible you're eating more than you think you are on the nights when you are drinking heavily. Could I tell what 4 ounces of beef brisket was after doing several shots? No way. Maybe you can -- again, just sharing my experience. Also, are your mixers zero calorie or are you drinking the shots straight? Don't forgot to log mixers (you may be doing this already, just something I've seen in other diaries).
I don't think one has to quit drinking while losing weight, but maybe *something* has to change or be altered. When I was losing weight, I ate pretty austerely. If I splurged on alcohol, I splurged on alcohol -- not food and alcohol. If I wanted to splurge on a meal, I skipped the alcohol so I could be sure I remained in the control. This is just something that worked for me. I know it isn't the most fun socially, but it's a limited time in our life.
Tasty food and alcohol can be a dangerous combination when you're trying to lose weight -- especially if you are eating hardly anything during the week. You're going into these situations primed for a loss of control.
I know my weekly meals are accurate because we weigh and create recipes but last weekend was a guess for sure. I just tried to over estimate but it was three different events (birthday at one place 1 - 6 oz glass of wine - 1 9 oz glass and an egg roll, 2nd birthday - 2 vodka waters and 2 shots of tequila and 2 fried pickles, 3rd BBQ - 4 oz straight Malibu & the (biggest guess) of chopped brisket.)
Thank you for your advice, it definitely could be the reason. I'm going to do better this weekend but I've eaten so little all week I'm worried that I need to make them up. I will for sure have a bottle of wine at some point and will be judged on here.
I am a social person. I won't be able to give it up and be happy. I think you are right that I need to just not eat while I am out unless I can be positive of the calories.
I think that's excessive too. Honestly, if you're fine doing what you're doing, you're losing at a decent rate. Give it 4-6 weeks and reassess. Don't think you're going to lose 3-4 pounds per week, and try and keep track of your energy levels.0 -
I_Will_End_You wrote: »I_Will_End_You wrote: »
Your husband didn't lose 8lbs of fat last week. Most of that was probably water weight. He would have to burn around 28,000 more calories than he ate to lose around 8lbs of fat. That's a ton of calories to burn in one week.
It was 8 weeks ago, but I know. I just feel like my 3.8 was water weight too! Not fair he got 8.
I actually can do math but I seriously wondered if this was sustainable as long as I averaged somewhere close to 1200 per day for the week. It is really 4 low cal days and 3 higher cal days.
What is the difference in hitting 1200 a day vs. 1200 average for the week?
It can be sustainable, but you just aren't getting the numbers right, you're averaging more than 1200 per day for the week. There isn't a difference between 1200 a day and a 1200 per day average for the week. I think you need to decide whether you want to keep your lifestyle the way it is, and lose at 1ish lb a week, or clean up your weekends a bit and lose more quickly.
Thank you. Last weekend was outrageous so I'm sure that's why.
Yes, it probably is. Plus all the restaurant food was probably pretty high in sodium. You could be retaining water, which would mask some weight loss.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »deluxmary2000 wrote: »I think you already know that this isn't a healthy way to eat. There's no way you are hitting your macros on any single day of the week. Also, I find it difficult to fathom that you are really only eating 600-800 calories during the week. Could you open your diary?
If you two are really interested in getting healthier as a couple, you should find other ways to be social that don't center around dinner and bars. Not saying you have to drop it out completely, but if your lifestyle is focused on food and alcohol, then you need to evaluate a lifestyle change.
I opened it.
I think the issue is your logging. A food scale might help you get more accurate on the weekdays, I think some days you might be eating more than you think you are. I understand there are going to be times when you are unsure of what you're eating (like the hobo casserole), but when you choose generic entries from the database, they're going to be guesses. Some guesses are better than others, but a failure to lose weight as expected is often a sign that our guesses aren't right.
Are you confident in your logging on the days that you're drinking? No judgment here (I am also a heavy drinker), but I saw a day where you had 17 ounces of wine and at least seven ounces of hard alcohol and you also had food logged. Were those together? Because I'll tell you straight up that while drinking that much, *my* ability to estimate what I'm eating is awful. I only bring it up because it's possible you're eating more than you think you are on the nights when you are drinking heavily. Could I tell what 4 ounces of beef brisket was after doing several shots? No way. Maybe you can -- again, just sharing my experience. Also, are your mixers zero calorie or are you drinking the shots straight? Don't forgot to log mixers (you may be doing this already, just something I've seen in other diaries).
I don't think one has to quit drinking while losing weight, but maybe *something* has to change or be altered. When I was losing weight, I ate pretty austerely. If I splurged on alcohol, I splurged on alcohol -- not food and alcohol. If I wanted to splurge on a meal, I skipped the alcohol so I could be sure I remained in the control. This is just something that worked for me. I know it isn't the most fun socially, but it's a limited time in our life.
Tasty food and alcohol can be a dangerous combination when you're trying to lose weight -- especially if you are eating hardly anything during the week. You're going into these situations primed for a loss of control.
I know my weekly meals are accurate because we weigh and create recipes but last weekend was a guess for sure. I just tried to over estimate but it was three different events (birthday at one place 1 - 6 oz glass of wine - 1 9 oz glass and an egg roll, 2nd birthday - 2 vodka waters and 2 shots of tequila and 2 fried pickles, 3rd BBQ - 4 oz straight Malibu & the (biggest guess) of chopped brisket.)
Thank you for your advice, it definitely could be the reason. I'm going to do better this weekend but I've eaten so little all week I'm worried that I need to make them up. I will for sure have a bottle of wine at some point and will be judged on here.
I am a social person. I won't be able to give it up and be happy. I think you are right that I need to just not eat while I am out unless I can be positive of the calories.
I'm not judging you and I hope my post didn't come across that way. If you decide you want to eat (and drink) more on the weekend and take weight loss slower, I think that's a perfectly valid approach. You're the best judge of what you want to give up.
I do think you might hit a wall really soon with your exercise if you eat very low calorie during the week. As someone pointed out above, even if you're averaging 1,200 a day, the extra calories from Sunday aren't going to help you get through Thursday's workout. So pay close attention to how you feel.
When you socialize, see if you can sometimes direct the group to eat at places where you can get calorie counts online. It isn't always possible, but sometimes it is. And when you guess, just know it might be a little bit off for that week.
As far as husbands losing faster, well, I think that's just life. My husband loses weight at the drop of a hat. It's just something I've learned to live with.0 -
Pardon me if its been suggested already but are there healthier alcoholic drink alternatives you could choose to lower how many calories you're consuming on the weekend (which then in turn means you can up your daily calories to something more substantial).
I.e: vodka with a diet mixer vs a Guinness.
I often have social obligations that enter around drinks as well but I've just started to change my order, like I'm more likely to choose a light beer and sip it slower.
Also, if you are running 3-5 days a week on such little calories you are going to burn out quick. I'm a runner too and I couldn't imagine eating so little.
I just wanted to quickly nix the common misconception that Guinness is "heavy" or high calorie. It's only about 124 calories a pint and one of the lowest calorie beers you can find, plus it actually has some health benefits similar to red wine that liquor doesn't. It's actually a great low cal choice when drinking. The nitrogen that is used to dispense it, which makes it creamy and beautiful, are what makes it feel heavy, that and the visual perception of dark beers being heavier than light beers.0 -
I_Will_End_You wrote: »
Your husband didn't lose 8lbs of fat last week. Most of that was probably water weight. He would have to burn around 28,000 more calories than he ate to lose around 8lbs of fat. That's a ton of calories to burn in one week.
It was 8 weeks ago, but I know. I just feel like my 3.8 was water weight too! Not fair he got 8.
I actually can do math but I seriously wondered if this was sustainable as long as I averaged somewhere close to 1200 per day for the week. It is really 4 low cal days and 3 higher cal days.
What is the difference in hitting 1200 a day vs. 1200 average for the week?
I'm all for weekly averages, but if I tried to workout on a day I consumed 600 calories; I'd bonk. There's something to be said for adequately fueling your body throughout the week. The large meals on Sunday aren't going to do you any good on Thursday. As I said before, I save up for the weekends, but I only do a 2-300 calories a day (and my goal is much higher than yours).
You need to find what works for you, but I think this might be a bit aggressive. Maybe try having a drink or two (and aim for alcohol in low calorie mixers) and intersperse with water or diet soda. Try and aim for healthier options even out with friends. And if possible, look at menus and calorie counts before going to the restaurant. I always find it easier to make good decisions when I go in with a game plan. And then balance the slightly lower weekends (as opposed to your current plan) with a little higher days during the week.
I agree with some of your entries looking a little off (so many people create faulty entries in the database, so it can make logging a pain). I'd also recommend a food scale if possible; and I look for USDA entries in the database.
Thank you. I do have a scale and know my weekly entries are right. We created the peanut chicken stir fry meal ourselves, for example. I do agree my restaurant ones are likely off.
I really only drink vodka/water or wine.
Planning is so hard, thank you for your response. I was truly hoping being more diligent during the week would make my weekends more fun & less planning but you are right, I definitely need to plan. Group pizza party tomorrow is going to be HARD.
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I don't think it's healthy. Eating 600 calories and also running? So 4 days a week you could be netting 200 calories? Or less?
It just can't be good for you. Make sure your hair doesn't start falling out. Really, I'm not trying to be sassy. This worries me.0 -
I_Will_End_You wrote: »
Your husband didn't lose 8lbs of fat last week. Most of that was probably water weight. He would have to burn around 28,000 more calories than he ate to lose around 8lbs of fat. That's a ton of calories to burn in one week.
It was 8 weeks ago, but I know. I just feel like my 3.8 was water weight too! Not fair he got 8.
I actually can do math but I seriously wondered if this was sustainable as long as I averaged somewhere close to 1200 per day for the week. It is really 4 low cal days and 3 higher cal days.
What is the difference in hitting 1200 a day vs. 1200 average for the week?
I'm all for weekly averages, but if I tried to workout on a day I consumed 600 calories; I'd bonk. There's something to be said for adequately fueling your body throughout the week. The large meals on Sunday aren't going to do you any good on Thursday. As I said before, I save up for the weekends, but I only do a 2-300 calories a day (and my goal is much higher than yours).
You need to find what works for you, but I think this might be a bit aggressive. Maybe try having a drink or two (and aim for alcohol in low calorie mixers) and intersperse with water or diet soda. Try and aim for healthier options even out with friends. And if possible, look at menus and calorie counts before going to the restaurant. I always find it easier to make good decisions when I go in with a game plan. And then balance the slightly lower weekends (as opposed to your current plan) with a little higher days during the week.
I agree with some of your entries looking a little off (so many people create faulty entries in the database, so it can make logging a pain). I'd also recommend a food scale if possible; and I look for USDA entries in the database.
Thank you. I do have a scale and know my weekly entries are right. We created the peanut chicken stir fry meal ourselves, for example. I do agree my restaurant ones are likely off.
I really only drink vodka/water or wine.
Planning is so hard, thank you for your response. I was truly hoping being more diligent during the week would make my weekends more fun & less planning but you are right, I definitely need to plan. Group pizza party tomorrow is going to be HARD.
Well, you DID lose weight, just not as much as you expected. So I wouldn't call that a fail by any means.0 -
I just wanted to quickly nix the common misconception that Guinness is "heavy" or high calorie. It's only about 124 calories a pint and one of the lowest calorie beers you can find, plus it actually has some health benefits similar to red wine that liquor doesn't. It's actually a great low cal choice when drinking. The nitrogen that is used to dispense it, which makes it creamy and beautiful, are what makes it feel heavy, that and the visual perception of dark beers being heavier than light beers.
My hubby always points this out, but people have such a big aversion to alcohol that I felt it would just be argumentative for me to. He always gets Guinness. I drink vodka & water or wine 90% off the time.
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janejellyroll wrote: »
I'm not judging you and I hope my post didn't come across that way. If you decide you want to eat (and drink) more on the weekend and take weight loss slower, I think that's a perfectly valid approach. You're the best judge of what you want to give up.
I do think you might hit a wall really soon with your exercise if you eat very low calorie during the week. As someone pointed out above, even if you're averaging 1,200 a day, the extra calories from Sunday aren't going to help you get through Thursday's workout. So pay close attention to how you feel.
When you socialize, see if you can sometimes direct the group to eat at places where you can get calorie counts online. It isn't always possible, but sometimes it is. And when you guess, just know it might be a little bit off for that week.
As far as husbands losing faster, well, I think that's just life. My husband loses weight at the drop of a hat. It's just something I've learned to live with.
No, not at all. I just wanted to explain my logging and my alcohol consumption was from 4pm - 2am.
It's just not fair, I think it will take me some more time to learn to live with it. Haha. Thank you!0 -
caroldavison332 wrote: »If you want to be healthy you need to eat for strength. That will include lots of veggies, protein and some carbs. It doesn't look like you are doing that. The alcohol calories you are consuming are pure carb which some believe it what puts the weight on. Also, if you are drinking so much that you can eat only 700 calories a day, you may have a drinking problem. I challenge you to stop drinking for the reminder of Lent, or until March 27th, and see how hard it is to do. If it is really hard, you may be an alcoholic.
With two out of town trips, one being our spring break vacation coming up before Easter, I know I will drink so I guess I am an alcoholic by your judge.
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It doesn't sound like you're an alcoholic. One way to test yourself is to go to a social function and not drink. You should be able to have a good time without the alcohol. If you find that you can't, that may warrant you looking into it further. As you go down the weight loss journey, you'll have to decide for yourself whether alcohol is getting in your way.
On the food side, you might consider one meal a week a cheat night. My hubby and I do that. We designate one meal and eat what we want. I love to bake so I make us a small batch of cookies that night to satisfy my urge to bake and then it's back on the wagon.0 -
keepupwithjack wrote: »It doesn't sound like you're an alcoholic. One way to test yourself is to go to a social function and not drink. You should be able to have a good time without the alcohol. If you find that you can't, that may warrant you looking into it further. As you go down the weight loss journey, you'll have to decide for yourself whether alcohol is getting in your way.
On the food side, you might consider one meal a week a cheat night. My hubby and I do that. We designate one meal and eat what we want. I love to bake so I make us a small batch of cookies that night to satisfy my urge to bake and then it's back on the wagon.
I only drink socially/on the weekend and definitely can have fun without drinking, it's called Sunday thru Thursday.
That's basically what my hubby does (and now me) but we take off Friday & Saturday evenings. I just can't decide if this is a.) safe to create a large deficit during the week to make up for it and b.) sustainable.
Thank you for your advice. I'm hoping we can find something that works for us and still enables us to do the things we want.0 -
Yeaaaa I don't think you're an alcoholic either. Calories from alcohol add up quick and it's easy to do a lot of damage in one day, never mind a whole weekend.
I work in the beer industry and am just trying to cut back on having a beer every day. It just comes down to daily choices - do I want a burrito or a salad + a beer for dinner?
I generally agree with the pack though that your calorie defecits are way too low. Take a look at some of the intro threads on here about healthy calorie defecits for sustainable loss. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest
The blogs that MFP puts out are pretty helpful too.
If you're committed to making a change, it's gonna be slow s adjust your expectations. But if you stick with it it'll be so much more worth it, and more sustainable.
For a personal example, I currently weigh 200.4 lbs at 5'6" with 45.6% body fat. My average caloric intake is 1635 to lose ~1 lb per week. I eat more than that on days I strength train, less on days I don't (1870 & 1437 respectively). I always try to be within 100 cals of that, but I definitely have my splurge days, and if I'm slightly low I consider it a bank against those. I keep a separate spreadsheet with my defecits and keep an eye on my weekly average.0 -
I_Will_End_You wrote: »I_Will_End_You wrote: »
Your husband didn't lose 8lbs of fat last week. Most of that was probably water weight. He would have to burn around 28,000 more calories than he ate to lose around 8lbs of fat. That's a ton of calories to burn in one week.
It was 8 weeks ago, but I know. I just feel like my 3.8 was water weight too! Not fair he got 8.
I actually can do math but I seriously wondered if this was sustainable as long as I averaged somewhere close to 1200 per day for the week. It is really 4 low cal days and 3 higher cal days.
What is the difference in hitting 1200 a day vs. 1200 average for the week?
I'm all for weekly averages, but if I tried to workout on a day I consumed 600 calories; I'd bonk. There's something to be said for adequately fueling your body throughout the week. The large meals on Sunday aren't going to do you any good on Thursday. As I said before, I save up for the weekends, but I only do a 2-300 calories a day (and my goal is much higher than yours).
You need to find what works for you, but I think this might be a bit aggressive. Maybe try having a drink or two (and aim for alcohol in low calorie mixers) and intersperse with water or diet soda. Try and aim for healthier options even out with friends. And if possible, look at menus and calorie counts before going to the restaurant. I always find it easier to make good decisions when I go in with a game plan. And then balance the slightly lower weekends (as opposed to your current plan) with a little higher days during the week.
I agree with some of your entries looking a little off (so many people create faulty entries in the database, so it can make logging a pain). I'd also recommend a food scale if possible; and I look for USDA entries in the database.
Thank you. I do have a scale and know my weekly entries are right. We created the peanut chicken stir fry meal ourselves, for example. I do agree my restaurant ones are likely off.
I really only drink vodka/water or wine.
Planning is so hard, thank you for your response. I was truly hoping being more diligent during the week would make my weekends more fun & less planning but you are right, I definitely need to plan. Group pizza party tomorrow is going to be HARD.
Well, you DID lose weight, just not as much as you expected. So I wouldn't call that a fail by any means.
Agreed. I think you're being too hard on yourself.
Also, for the group pizza party, is there going to be a side salad (or could you pick up one somewhere)? I love a slice or two of pizza and then fill up on some veggies. I'd even think about a healthy snack not long before the party and then only a slice.0 -
your daily protein intake makes me sad! some days as low as 30 grams?? that is one MEAL for most!0
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I just wanted to quickly nix the common misconception that Guinness is "heavy" or high calorie. It's only about 124 calories a pint and one of the lowest calorie beers you can find, plus it actually has some health benefits similar to red wine that liquor doesn't. It's actually a great low cal choice when drinking. The nitrogen that is used to dispense it, which makes it creamy and beautiful, are what makes it feel heavy, that and the visual perception of dark beers being heavier than light beers.
My hubby always points this out, but people have such a big aversion to alcohol that I felt it would just be argumentative for me to. He always gets Guinness. I drink vodka & water or wine 90% off the time.
Meh, I drank 650ish calories from beer on Tuesday. I'm not going to judge.0 -
Agreed. I think you're being too hard on yourself.
Also, for the group pizza party, is there going to be a side salad (or could you pick up one somewhere)? I love a slice or two of pizza and then fill up on some veggies. I'd even think about a healthy snack not long before the party and then only a slice.
That's a great plan. I'll definitely make a salad. Luckily I don't NEED to eat much because I've cut back so much. A slice or two, salad & red wine will still add up fast, but that's what I feel like I saved all week for. I don't know. I'm still so conflicted. You guys have definitely made feel better about the 3.8. I need to focus on something else.
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Muscleflex79 wrote: »your daily protein intake makes me sad! some days as low as 30 grams?? that is one MEAL for most!
What should I aim for? I really only like chicken & red meat (which I limit).0 -
Muscleflex79 wrote: »your daily protein intake makes me sad! some days as low as 30 grams?? that is one MEAL for most!
What should I aim for? I really only like chicken & red meat (which I limit).
well, depends what your goals are...many go for .8-1 gram of protein per pound of body weight....if you aren't worried about building or preserving muscle, at least .4 grams per pound would be a minimum, I believe.0 -
I_Will_End_You wrote: »
Your husband didn't lose 8lbs of fat last week. Most of that was probably water weight. He would have to burn around 28,000 more calories than he ate to lose around 8lbs of fat. That's a ton of calories to burn in one week.
It was 8 weeks ago, but I know. I just feel like my 3.8 was water weight too! Not fair he got 8.
I actually can do math but I seriously wondered if this was sustainable as long as I averaged somewhere close to 1200 per day for the week. It is really 4 low cal days and 3 higher cal days.
What is the difference in hitting 1200 a day vs. 1200 average for the week?
Your body needs energy to function 24 hours/day. Over short periods of fasting, like overnight or for one day, despite not having new food to digest, your body can draw on glycogen stores in your muscles and liver to function. Once those stores are depleted, your body starts breaking down its own tissues to run. Some of those is fat, some is lean tissue. The higher the deficit, the more lean tissue lost.
When you go for *days* at a very high deficit, not only are you not taking in the micro and macro nutrients you need day after day (not enough vitamins and minerals, and not enough protein to help preserve and repair lean muscle), but you place a lot of stress on your body. Nothing is replacing those glycogen stores, no protein is coming in to repair your muscles. Eating more every weekend won't change the fact that on Tuesday-Friday you weren't putting any new fuel or building blocks in to your body. Going for five days at a net of just a few hundred calories a day and then eating a ton on the weekends is *not* the same thing as averaging calories across two days, or restricting by a small amount each day to bank those extra calories for a big event.
Your body needs its TDEE every day, whether through food or breaking down its own tissue. By going for days at a time at a very very low intake level, you increase the amount of lean tissue lost as you lose, and eating more on Sunday isn't going to make up for all the muscle lost on Wednesday or Thursday.
Think of it like sleep. Staying up late one night isn't the end of the world for functionality, but you wouldn't expect to be able to sleep just two hours a night all week long, then make up for it by sleeping in on the weekends and not still feel like hell, even if you managed to get the same total number of hours averaged. Sleep just isn't *that* fungible a resource for your body. Neither is nutrition.
Intermittent fasting is a legitimate strategy, but five days fasted, two days eating is not the recommended approach for a good reason.0
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