Eating out once a week??
Welcome2theHellmouth
Posts: 206 Member
Anyone have success with fat loss but save up a few extra calories to be able to eat out on Saturdays? I'm not talking about going hog wild but maybe saving and extra 100 calories a day along with my small deficit. Sun-fri I have no issues sticking to a great plan. But I feel like Im constantly avoiding social situations by trying to be sooooo good on Saturdays. I need someone to tell me they can successfully have fat loss while still having one day a week to be a little more relaxed Without Be afraid to have some popcorn and candy at the movies for fear of setting back everything you did during the week. Again I don't meaning going hog wild but maybe 500-600 calories over your total burn for the day.
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Avoiding social situations means a higher stress/cortisol level, which means your body will also store fat. I know what I'm talking about. If you know you want to go out and have fun, just try to eat that day a bit healthier, so you have more calories left for the evenings. This wont kill you. Whats often forgot here: not only discipline and hard work lead to fat loss, but also low stress, low cortisol levels, which means: you shouldnt change your whole life. Enjoy!
I'm over my calories once a week and thats ok. It just fuels my muscels. The day after I go back to my cut and everything is fine. This is more sustainable. Ask yourself how long will you be willing to avoid your friends for a bikini body?;)2 -
Thank you!! I seriously understand about the cortisol issue!!! I have REALLY been trying to work on it. I never have a problem eating enough. But I haven been trying to let go of clean eating mentality where I put so much worry into not eating too much sugar from Lara bars etc...
I did a metabolism reset from November to January. Gained about 10-12 lbs. I lifted weights 1-2 days a week and still ate out once a week. But since my reset ended Febuary-May I have not lost anything. I stepped up my weight lifting to 3 days a week. Lots of steps but I don't do any cortisol inducing cardio. My Fitbit weekly ave burn is 19,000 -20,000 calories. And eating about 16,000-17,000. I'm wondering maybe on days I eat out I can't always accurately track so maybe it's more than I think. I'm fighting soooo hard not to go back to my low calorie, low carb ways. Not having any weight loss since last August and being up 10 from the reset is sometimes panic inducing. (Again cortisol). My clothes are not loser. I don't want to be afraid of having one day a week to be a little more relaxed. Trying really hard!!!0 -
Your story is pretty similar to mine. I startet upping calories slowly in October (from 1200) till December (2300) and I also gained those 10 lbs. I'm not weightlifting but I'm doing Yoga 7 times a week (not the relaxing type, more the athletic one
) and HIIT sessions every other day. During my reset I realized that a lot of my stress was coming from worrying about food. So I stopped weighting and measuring myself regularly. I bought a bodyfat calliper and I measure my bodyfat each month (lost about 2.5% since January), somethimes weighting and measuring, but thats not so important anymore.
I dont have a fitbit or anything and I've got no idea how much I'm burning. I'm trying to track as accurately as possible via MFP, thats it.
Now I'm in my first cut, third week, and I didnt loose anything (stepped on the scale last weekend, shame on me ), and I realized immidiately that this ruined my day though I felt (and looked) so much leaner than before. So I think this measuring, always trying to hit your calories and all that make us blind for what we really need and completely stresses us out.
I dont think being a few calories over TDEE is really bad for you once a week. It rather reminds your body that he doesnt have to worry about getting enough food. And it makes you happy (the reason why we're all here) . And you're on the right track and aware of how much you're eating, lifting, right in the process, so everything is fine, right?
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Hello there!
Eating out can get trick when we are logging and trying to track the food. We eat out once or twice a week and in the begging I was lost too. I don't like saving my calories through the week to splurge in the weekend because I'd end up hangry and cranky all the week, lol. Planning the eating out can be helpful, knowing ahead of time what they will serve and what choices you have helps avoid the urge to just eat it all. I just eat normally in the weekends, making sure I hit my protein and not being hungry. We we are out, I again focus on the protein first and enjoy my meal. If something os so amazing that I can not pass, I'll eat it, even if it means extra calories (fuel for my workouts), but if it's just blah or average, I just let it go. This is a lifestyle, who wants to be forever being deprived of good food, good company and fun for a look? Deprivation always end up in bingeing. For me this was always about looking my leanest while eating as much as I could (I enjoy eating!).
The longer you live in this lifestyle, things make more sense and get easier. But it takes time and consistency. You may not be able to see changes yet, but I'm sure they are happening inside. Have you taken measurements and pictures to compare? Also, during the reset, did you reach your TDEE? How much are you aiming for right now? Have you been changing your workout frequently? Water intake? Sleep? Many variables that can make a big difference.
This blogpost from EM2WL is a great reminder of how the journey works: http://eatmore2weighless.com/trust-process/
Tereza
Team EM2WL
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Thank you so much for your input. It helps so much to bounce this off other people who have been there. I have been rereading all the info from this site and watching KiKi’s vids. I always feel remotivated! For 3 months and didn’t weigh. I wanted to trust the process and let go of the worry of the scale. I eat 2200 -2400 a day sun-Fri and probably 3000-3500 on Saturday. (sometimes more on Saturdays) My burn on Saturdays are always at least 3000! I was feeling great. Thinking I looked better, felt leaner so after 3 months I got on the scale and BOOM! Nothing!!! So now the last month I went back to weighing once a week and each week with no loss I feel more anxious lol. I drink 8-12 glasses a day. Sleep 7-8 ½ hours a night. My maintenance calories vary depending on my week. Usually about 2500-2600. I don’t have marital or financial stress but I know that obsessing over weight loss and what kind of food I’m eating can be bad. How effective are the Calipers? I feel like with measuring tape it never changes. I don’t trust that I didn’t pull tighter or looser the last time and am getting false results. I’m wondering if I shouldn’t lower my fats a little and up my carbs a little. My fats are usually 80-100 and my carbs are usually 100-150. I wonder if too much sugar from lara bars (pecans, dates, salt) is just too much? To get my carbs in I eat one with lunch and one after dinner. It’s the one carb I REALLY enjoy having! How much sugar a day is too much even if it’s from fruit? I don’t eat wheat but I do eat potatoes, rice, oats corn and tortillas. Again, Thank you for your input. I’m going to keep plugging away!!
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It's hard to let go of the scale. I used to do frequent weigh-ins and if the number wasn't lower, it would ruin my mood, if it was lower, I'd worry I wasn't eating enough. Finally I was able to let it go. I avoid it and don't let it run my life anymore. I notice changes in my body even though the scale doesn't move.
I aim for 40% carbs, 30%protein,30% fats. My sugars aren't so low, but I keep the fiber high. Instead of removing something, it's best to add something else. I have a hand held body fat reader, but haven't used it in a while. The calipers can be a bit trick to get a good measurement.
If you like the Larabars, there's nothing wrong with eating them. If you have no medical conditions, I don't think you should worry about the amount you sugar from dates and other fruits included in the bars. Good job on the water intake and sleep! Sometimes it's hard to avoid stress, but then we have to find ways that help us cope and de-stress.
I like to focus on NSV's (non scale victories). Last week I noticed that my thighs weren't rubbing against each other as much anymore and loved it! Also when I walk and move my arms, they don't hit my hips the same way as they did before. Those changes could go unnoticed if I was only focusing on the scale, but the are way better! I'm worried about being smaller, not lighter!
Tereza
Team EM2WL1 -
I like the 40-30-30. I do find it hard sometimes hitting my protein. 145-160 is sooo much. The only dairy I like is sour cream ,cream cheese and regular cheese but my Dr told me to cut back on it because my cholesterol went up this year to 228! (My triglycerides went down though) I eat a lot of chicken, steak, pork and eggs and can handle maybe one protein shake a day but dang that is soooo much meat lol. Not a big fish eater. Maybe I can learn to work in another protein shake. I have a Omron hand held body fat reader and scale. But dang if that thing tells me I am 48% Fat!! I have lost almost 100lbs over the last 7 years. I am 5’8, 214lbs, 39yrs old how can I be 48% FAT but I am pretty flabby!!! I do think I will pay more attention to NSV’s. I have to let go of the no progress stress and trust the process!!0 -
Hubs and I go out to eat a few times a month and this usually ends up in my belly! Not the whole thing, 1/4 of it though That is the amount of calories I burn at the gym in one day. TOTALLY worth the gym time lol
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Ohhh, that looks so good and worth it, lol!
I own a hand held Omron. The thing with the reading is that depending on how the device reads (current goes through arms or legs) you will get a different %. Usually hand held will give a leaner reading if arms are leaner than legs. But what matters is to masure with the same equipment and the same way everytime to see the changes. Don't take that reading as an absolute number, but focus on how it changes.
It can be hard to reach the 30% protein sometimes, but you seem to be doing a good job. I learned to try different proteins (the same thing with vegetables). I'd check out the grocery store, find something I haven't tried before, look up for a recipe and try. Some things I loved and some not so much.
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Holy crap that thing looks yummy. Good to know you can still fit in some serious dessert!!!!
Not sure how my Omron works. It send pulses via feet and hands. My arms are still really big so I may still have that much body fat. Hopefully as I progress with the weight lifting it will decrease!!0 -
Welcome2theHellmouth wrote: »I like the 40-30-30. I do find it hard sometimes hitting my protein. 145-160 is sooo much. The only dairy I like is sour cream ,cream cheese and regular cheese but my Dr told me to cut back on it because my cholesterol went up this year to 228! (My triglycerides went down though) I eat a lot of chicken, steak, pork and eggs and can handle maybe one protein shake a day but dang that is soooo much meat lol. Not a big fish eater. Maybe I can learn to work in another protein shake. I have a Omron hand held body fat reader and scale. But dang if that thing tells me I am 48% Fat!! I have lost almost 100lbs over the last 7 years. I am 5’8, 214lbs, 39yrs old how can I be 48% FAT but I am pretty flabby!!! I do think I will pay more attention to NSV’s. I have to let go of the no progress stress and trust the process!!
Im no doctor but Ive never heard of limiting dairy products so it will lower cholesterol... Im not sure the correlation to that.. Interesting. I eat a ton of dairy, lots of greek yogurt, cheese, milk etc. its how I get a lot of my protein in:)
Increasing your meat serving is the easiest way to increase protein. Sometimes all it takes is an extra ounce or two at a meal.. So if you are having 4oz of chicken for dinner, increase it to 5oz and go from there.
Nuts are a good source of protein as well.
Protein Shakes and bars if you dont mind them can help round out your amounts as well.
And for comparison, I eat over 220g of protein daily:) It can be done but it takes some time and patience to slowly increase the amount up.
The Omron is basically just a gadget. It is a tool to help guide you along, but dont take it for the final word. It changes based on how much water is in your body (thats what the current goes through).. so if you use it once at first wake up, it will read differently than later in the day. Or if you have a shower and use it your reading will be higher.. or if you dont eat for a few hours then use it, it will vary. To be consistent, pick the same time of same and same circumstances as best as you can to get your readings.. And in the end just know that its a tool to help you along.
As for the scale, Like tereza said, letting go of it can make a world of difference mentally. I threw mine out over 18 months ago. I have no idea what I weigh, but my stress and anxiety levels went down a ton. My mood daily was based on that stupid number. So no more:)0 -
Ditto doing some reading up on dietary cholesterol and blood level readings. After the Heart Association doing partial admittance that not really any good science backs up correlating the two, other hearth surgeons have been coming forward confirming that even blood level readings have no bearing on plaque buildup. Which used to be the whole connection that was claimed way back from a bad study and politics sent research going the wrong way.
I have similar BF scale as you - signal is up legs and arms and cross ways.
But those readings are then tied to a scale of averages - so it can fall apart there for accuracy. Better than just legs or just arms, but still - there are limits.
And then you presenting the same hydrated body can have it fall apart too.
Only valid weigh-in day really applies to BF scales too even more so, for attempting to not have false water weight changes to throw it off.
Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout.
If you can obtain that, you can get as good as 5% accuracy.
Since you can almost never guarantee that though, it'll be worst.
Best you can hope for is consistency to show a direction.
Or combine the received figure with several 5% potential measurement methods and average the whole bunch together.
I'll mention a method several have commented on working well for that 1 weekend bigger meal but not worrying about it so much.
Miss 100 cal day before and after, the day of save most the calories for the meal.
And if you have a choice of doing some cardio and when, prior to the meal that day sometime will help drain the muscle glucose stores - so at least carbs you ate goes back to storage there. A walk after the dinner can help finish burning them off too along with fat, usually have 4-5 hrs after big meal to do so.
Then don't weigh within probably 3 days of this - because sodium was likely higher too.
Or realize it's a mere inaccurate data point, and not be tied to the number anyway as nicely expressed above.0 -
Thank you for the advice!! I packied an extra ounce for breakfast and lunch today and I'll do the same at dinner and it really does add up. Going to try some Greek yogurt again in a protein smoothie. Sometimes dairy bloats me so I have to be careful.
I'm going to stick to once a week weigh ins and get super detailed with my tracking for accuracy. I have been slacking on that other than jotting my calories and protein down on a piece of paper at end of day.0 -
Yay for less frequents weigh ins! The idea of increasing an ounce of meat in every meal is excellent! I a huge dairy fan too, I love Greek yogurt. They have so many kinds now that I'm definitely sure you can find one you like, at least to have as a protein packed dessert.
I also stick to one protein shake/smoothie a day, but I got used to add unflavored protein to my lattes.
To avoid the bloat, since your body isn't so used to dairy anymore, add it in slowly to get it accustomed to it. Get the protein in check. Once you get it going, check the fiber. Don't forget the water.
Tereza
Team EM2WL0
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