The journey to lose weight is so stupid
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It's not linear, that's all. You just lost the weight you should have lost those 2 weeks when you lost 3 pounds. It's very common to stall for a couple weeks and lose all the weight at once. Your fat cells just fill with water during that time, and then you drop the water weight.
This! I "plateau" for 3-5 weeks- then I "lose" 3-6 pounds. I eat the same (more or less) all the weeks. Even though I know this, it's still frustrating to be in the "plateau" stage.2 -
willworkoutforwine wrote: »I was losing consistently on Weight Watchers and when I initially started on MFP but then I thought if I ate even less (just 1200 cal/day), I would lose even more. Wrong! I started working w/ a health coach at work and she said I wasn't eating enough so my body wasn't going to let go of the weight (in so many words). I increased my calories to 1500/day (a little more on workout days) and started losing again after 6 weeks or so of not losing.
Those who say there is "no way" you are really in a deficit aren't always right. You might be in too much of a deficit.
I agree that it's frustrating but it sounds like you had a similar experience, in that eating a little more than you were actually resulted in a loss. Weight loss has been a lot of trial and error for me. Good luck and keep at it!
Starvation mode is not a thing. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/761810/the-starvation-mode-myth-again5 -
What's stupid is eating 500 calories a day.1
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I like to think of it as a voyage instead of a journey. It seems less stupid to me that way.1
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Your plan sounds a bit extreme to me. If it's not working, perhaps try something else? 500 calorie days seem extreme if you're doing that on a regular basis.0
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Lot of harshness on this thread!
The OP realised that her plan was ineffective and has chosen a healthier and more reliable option. Funny how many chose to ignore that so they could criticise!
It IS hard.
We are completely swamped by campaigns and brands promising better/healthier/faster/more reliable ways to lose weight. And when people are desperate they can make rash decision that might harm or adversely affect their intentions (though usually have a big impact in the wallet).
It's almost like people who have found a way that works for them is smug and mean about those who might have taken longer to get to that point of realisation. And what's to be gained from that?1 -
LazyButHealthy wrote: »Lot of harshness on this thread!
The OP realised that her plan was ineffective and has chosen a healthier and more reliable option. Funny how many chose to ignore that so they could criticise!
It IS hard.
We are completely swamped by campaigns and brands promising better/healthier/faster/more reliable ways to lose weight. And when people are desperate they can make rash decision that might harm or adversely affect their intentions (though usually have a big impact in the wallet).
It's almost like people who have found a way that works for them is smug and mean about those who might have taken longer to get to that point of realisation. And what's to be gained from that?
I don't agree with you and I'll tell you why. There are alot of people reading this thread that won't post--lurkers. They need to hear what experienced people have to say on the subject. Look at the posting numbers. When those who've been through it tell it like it is that is not "smugness", it is the route to success that can save others alot of time and frustration.6 -
Wood for the trees, seems like.0
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eating 500 calories a day for 3 days is not going to help you lose weight faster...
you want to lose weight...eat within a deficit and exercise. it's simple science.0 -
What do you think would happen to your car if it doesn't get gas into the engine?willworkoutforwine wrote: »I was losing consistently on Weight Watchers and when I initially started on MFP but then I thought if I ate even less (just 1200 cal/day), I would lose even more. Wrong! I started working w/ a health coach at work and she said I wasn't eating enough so my body wasn't going to let go of the weight (in so many words). I increased my calories to 1500/day (a little more on workout days) and started losing again after 6 weeks or so of not losing.
Those who say there is "no way" you are really in a deficit aren't always right. You might be in too much of a deficit.
I agree that it's frustrating but it sounds like you had a similar experience, in that eating a little more than you were actually resulted in a loss. Weight loss has been a lot of trial and error for me. Good luck and keep at it!
Your body has no choice but to "let go" of your weight. You'd die if it didn't. Literally, on the spot. You'd drop dead if your body was like "Oh, I don't want to get that energy out of the fat cells, she's eating too little." Whoops, no energy to keep your heart beating, you're dead.2 -
I did alternate day IF (so every other day 500 or less calories), and I still had to be careful on my 'up' days. I still had to track my calorie intake, still had to measure out portion sizes in grams, still had to make sure I was eating at the correct Weekly calorie deficit for my weight loss goals. I had no problem losing over 50lbs using this method, and I hung out with a JUDDD group where pretty much everyone was seeing weight loss (several over 100lbs). So something definitely seems off with what you were doing-either you were underestimating your calorie intake or you were over estimating your exercise burn. But regardless, ADF/IF isn't for everyone (I'd argue it's actually not for most people), and it sounds like you found a method that works better for you 0
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MissusMoon wrote: »So for about a month I was stuck at the same weight 170. This is while I was damn near starving myself 3 days a week(only having 500 calories on those days) Now I eat what I want (staying below 1400 calories) I weigh myself and I've dropped 3lbs in a week.. Grateful but so confusing and annoying!
Why were you starving yourself like that? No one here would EVER suggest taking in only 500 calories per day.
She was doing an IF protocol, called alternate day intermittent fasting. It's what I did for my weight loss phase. Dr. Michael Mosley's BBC documentary-Eat, Fast & Live Longer gives a good overview of IF if you want more info on the science behind it (you can find it free online and it's a really interesting watch). You don't eat 500 calories every day, but every other day or twice a week. The other days you eat much higher calories (around maintenance level). Your Weekly calorie deficit is still .5-2lbs a week. For me it worked well because I only 'dieted' every other day, which made it easier for me to stick with.0 -
It's not linear, that's all. You just lost the weight you should have lost those 2 weeks when you lost 3 pounds. It's very common to stall for a couple weeks and lose all the weight at once. Your fat cells just fill with water during that time, and then you drop the water weight.
This! I "plateau" for 3-5 weeks- then I "lose" 3-6 pounds. I eat the same (more or less) all the weeks. Even though I know this, it's still frustrating to be in the "plateau" stage.
Yup. Still like this for me, every single month. The effectiveness of a program can't really be evaluated in less than 6-8 weeks1 -
snowflake954 wrote: »I don't agree with you and I'll tell you why. There are alot of people reading this thread that won't post--lurkers. They need to hear what experienced people have to say on the subject. Look at the posting numbers. When those who've been through it tell it like it is that is not "smugness", it is the route to success that can save others alot of time and frustration.
Sorry, snowflake954, you must be reading a different thread than me. The only information that I got from the first SEVEN holier-than-thou answers was that I'd better not be too real on these boards, or I'm going to get flamed. These answers give "advice" of limited utility, and what useful advice there is is completely overshadowed by the obvious put-down that the advice implies, and is therefore highly unlikely to be heeded, by the OP or any other reader.
This poster simply didn't need advice, she'd figured it out for herself. She was just expressing frustration that things that seem like they should work don't, or don't work for everyone. A little bit of sympathy, and a "Yes, we all need to figure this out for ourselves" is all that was required.
Incidentally, I don't understand the relentless hostility to intermittent fasting around these parts. It seems to be based purely on the fact that your stupid app warns you it's unhealthy. You can't get malnourished in a single day!
Try IF if you want to. Don't let a load of starvation-mode mumbo-jumbo posted by keyboard warriors put you off. If you like it and you lose weight, keep doing it. Be aware of what you eat the other 5 (or in this case 4) days, but don't stress about it, or you'll lose the main benefit of fasting, which is simplicity. If it doesn't work for you, stop doing it and try something else. Anyone saying anything different is generalising from their own good/bad experience, or has an agenda.1 -
rightoncommander wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »I don't agree with you and I'll tell you why. There are alot of people reading this thread that won't post--lurkers. They need to hear what experienced people have to say on the subject. Look at the posting numbers. When those who've been through it tell it like it is that is not "smugness", it is the route to success that can save others alot of time and frustration.
Sorry, snowflake954, you must be reading a different thread than me. The only information that I got from the first SEVEN holier-than-thou answers was that I'd better not be too real on these boards, or I'm going to get flamed. These answers give "advice" of limited utility, and what useful advice there is is completely overshadowed by the obvious put-down that the advice implies, and is therefore highly unlikely to be heeded, by the OP or any other reader.
This poster simply didn't need advice, she'd figured it out for herself. She was just expressing frustration that things that seem like they should work don't, or don't work for everyone. A little bit of sympathy, and a "Yes, we all need to figure this out for ourselves" is all that was required.
Incidentally, I don't understand the relentless hostility to intermittent fasting around these parts. It seems to be based purely on the fact that your stupid app warns you it's unhealthy. You can't get malnourished in a single day!
Try IF if you want to. Don't let a load of starvation-mode mumbo-jumbo posted by keyboard warriors put you off. If you like it and you lose weight, keep doing it. Be aware of what you eat the other 5 (or in this case 4) days, but don't stress about it, or you'll lose the main benefit of fasting, which is simplicity. If it doesn't work for you, stop doing it and try something else. Anyone saying anything different is generalising from their own good/bad experience, or has an agenda.
Actually MFP has really mellowed-back when I had my old account a couple years ago talking about IF was grounds to get you reported
Now that its become more mainstream and more research is being done with it, most people on MFP realize it's a legitimate method if done correctly. But for those who aren't familiar with it, it's understandable for them to have a knee jerk reaction when someone posts about it and brings up the 500 calorie thing. I just keep posting Dr. Mosley's documentary title and hope people take the time to educate themselves on what IF actually is 0 -
rightoncommander wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »I don't agree with you and I'll tell you why. There are alot of people reading this thread that won't post--lurkers. They need to hear what experienced people have to say on the subject. Look at the posting numbers. When those who've been through it tell it like it is that is not "smugness", it is the route to success that can save others alot of time and frustration.
Sorry, snowflake954, you must be reading a different thread than me. The only information that I got from the first SEVEN holier-than-thou answers was that I'd better not be too real on these boards, or I'm going to get flamed. These answers give "advice" of limited utility, and what useful advice there is is completely overshadowed by the obvious put-down that the advice implies, and is therefore highly unlikely to be heeded, by the OP or any other reader.
This poster simply didn't need advice, she'd figured it out for herself. She was just expressing frustration that things that seem like they should work don't, or don't work for everyone. A little bit of sympathy, and a "Yes, we all need to figure this out for ourselves" is all that was required.
Incidentally, I don't understand the relentless hostility to intermittent fasting around these parts. It seems to be based purely on the fact that your stupid app warns you it's unhealthy. You can't get malnourished in a single day!
Try IF if you want to. Don't let a load of starvation-mode mumbo-jumbo posted by keyboard warriors put you off. If you like it and you lose weight, keep doing it. Be aware of what you eat the other 5 (or in this case 4) days, but don't stress about it, or you'll lose the main benefit of fasting, which is simplicity. If it doesn't work for you, stop doing it and try something else. Anyone saying anything different is generalising from their own good/bad experience, or has an agenda.
Not sure how I was holier than thou....if after 4 weeks no weight was lost then the poster was not in a deficit.
That's science stated plainly.
Now that she has figured out 1400 a day is great for her and she is losing...great.
and if you think this app is stupid...why are you here @rightoncommander ????6 -
rightoncommander wrote: »If it doesn't work for you, stop doing it and try something else.
This!!!!!! It is all about finding a system that works for you and fits in with the way you want to lead your life. We are all different and what works for one person may not work for another.
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rightoncommander wrote: »If it doesn't work for you, stop doing it and try something else.
This!!!!!! It is all about finding a system that works for you and fits in with the way you want to lead your life. We are all different and what works for one person may not work for another.
Except a calorie deficit works 100% of the time if you're actually achieving it.4 -
stevencloser wrote: »rightoncommander wrote: »If it doesn't work for you, stop doing it and try something else.
This!!!!!! It is all about finding a system that works for you and fits in with the way you want to lead your life. We are all different and what works for one person may not work for another.
Except a calorie deficit works 100% of the time if you're actually achieving it.
'Finding a system that works for you' MEANS finding a way to consistently actually achieve an overall calorie deficit.
For some people that's easier if they eat more on some days and fast on others, for some people it's easier to eat a moderate amount every day, some people can exercise more than others, different kinds of food combinations will make it easier to be comfortable at a certain calorie level depending on the person.2 -
rightoncommander wrote: »snowflake954 wrote: »I don't agree with you and I'll tell you why. There are alot of people reading this thread that won't post--lurkers. They need to hear what experienced people have to say on the subject. Look at the posting numbers. When those who've been through it tell it like it is that is not "smugness", it is the route to success that can save others alot of time and frustration.
Sorry, snowflake954, you must be reading a different thread than me. The only information that I got from the first SEVEN holier-than-thou answers was that I'd better not be too real on these boards, or I'm going to get flamed. These answers give "advice" of limited utility, and what useful advice there is is completely overshadowed by the obvious put-down that the advice implies, and is therefore highly unlikely to be heeded, by the OP or any other reader.
This poster simply didn't need advice, she'd figured it out for herself. She was just expressing frustration that things that seem like they should work don't, or don't work for everyone. A little bit of sympathy, and a "Yes, we all need to figure this out for ourselves" is all that was required.
Incidentally, I don't understand the relentless hostility to intermittent fasting around these parts. It seems to be based purely on the fact that your stupid app warns you it's unhealthy. You can't get malnourished in a single day!
Try IF if you want to. Don't let a load of starvation-mode mumbo-jumbo posted by keyboard warriors put you off. If you like it and you lose weight, keep doing it. Be aware of what you eat the other 5 (or in this case 4) days, but don't stress about it, or you'll lose the main benefit of fasting, which is simplicity. If it doesn't work for you, stop doing it and try something else. Anyone saying anything different is generalising from their own good/bad experience, or has an agenda.
Same thread--different interpretation. Sorry we don't see eye-to-eye, but that's what makes MFP interesting. The lurkers will judge, and do what they think is right. Oh--for them, of course. And the OP thinks she's figured it out for herself. Alot of posters are just reinforcing that it is true, some with sympathy, some without.0
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