Give me strength, oh wise ones of the message boards....
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You do not NEED a fitness tracker to lose weight (thought I'd say that right from the start), but I have found wearing one to be helpful for weight loss. I've lost 35 pounds and pretty much at goal now.
I wear a Fitbit, and I like how my activity goes directly to MFP without me having to add it in manually. For example, I start each day with 1200 calories to eat, but if I take a long walk, a corresponding number of calories gets added to the original 1200. If it gets to be late in the day, and I'm looking at only 200 calories for dinner, I lace up my walking shoes and take a long walk/get on the elliptical/whatever. And boom--now I can have a decent dinner.
As I said, you don't need a fitness tracker to lose weight, but I'm glad I have had mine. I also second the recommendations for using a food scale. If I had to choose which device helped me the most in losing the weight, the food scale would be the winner.
Good luck, and remember, it's just math. CICO all the way.
I do have a Fitbit. I have been averaging about 6500-10000 steps a day without going the extra mile. but since I've been walking on my breaks at work, I have been going over 10,000. I never knew how to use the calories burned.
So, as of now, it says I have 2150 calories burned. If I stay under that in calories eaten, I lose the weight, right? (I'm such a noob when it comes to this..the only thing I use my fitbit for is step counting)0 -
To your last post--yup! So the rule of thumb is to create a deficit of 3500 calories a week to lose one pound a week. So if you burn 2150 calories every day, you could eat 1650 every day (500 under what you burn) and average one pound lost a week, which is great and sustainable! (That's assuming that the calorie-burned number is accurate. I don't use a Fitbit, so I can't speak to that!)
Also have you used MFP to figure out a calorie goal yet? That would be helpful to know!
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I found MFP a little wonky for setting calorie intakes and deficits. It may be worthwhile to find a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator for a second opinion on where to set your calories for the day. If they don't agree and have a significant disparity, I'd go with the TDEE calculator over MFP personally.1
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To your last post--yup! So the rule of thumb is to create a deficit of 3500 calories a week to lose one pound a week. So if you burn 2150 calories every day, you could eat 1650 every day (500 under what you burn) and average one pound lost a week, which is great and sustainable! (That's assuming that the calorie-burned number is accurate. I don't use a Fitbit, so I can't speak to that!)
Also have you used MFP to figure out a calorie goal yet? That would be helpful to know!
How do you figure your calorie goal? I think I did it when i signed up.0 -
born_of_fire74 wrote: »I found MFP a little wonky for setting calorie intakes and deficits. It may be worthwhile to find a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) calculator for a second opinion on where to set your calories for the day. If they don't agree and have a significant disparity, I'd go with the TDEE calculator over MFP personally.
Just did it. I think I am a little under according to MFP, but I think it is working for me. Thanks tho! I have learned sooooo much today!!0 -
Let MFP do the work for you. No need fir calculators, blah, blah. Plug in your current weight at least once a week, set to Lose 1 pound a week and do what it says. Be patient. Best wishes on your journey!4
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A calorie deficit is as follows: You have to eat to stay alive. Food provides fuel to your body for everything you do. Every calorie you eat is fuel and is used by your body for one of 2 purposes. Purpose 1 is when it is burned as energy in your daily activities, metabolic, exercise, whatever. Purpose 2 is when it is stored as fat for later use. In truth, you always do both with the calories you eat every day. A Calorie Deficit is when the energy you consume in a day is less than the energy you use in a day. That Purpose 2, 'energy stored as fat for later use' comes into play here and some stored fat is converted to energy and used. That, when done day after day for extended periods of time is called "weight loss".[*] Repeat this process until you're in a reasonable calorie deficit.
What is this? I have seen it many times on here. ..
A "reasonable" calorie deficit is one calculated to cause you to lose no more than 1% of your body weight each week. I'm going to suppose that you weigh 200 lb. If it's really 190, I consider myself slapped. 1% of 200 lb is 2lb. A pound of fat contains 3500 calories. Two pounds of fat contains 7000 calories. For you to lose 2 lb of fat each week, you need a weekly calorie deficit of -7000 calories, which is a daily calorie deficit of -1000.
When you created your myfitnesspal user id, you told the website your weight, gender, age, height and activity level. You should have been truthful. The web site uses that information to calculate your NEAT number. That number is the number of calories you should eat to maintain your weight. The web site also asked you to chose your weight loss goal. Most people people are aggressive and choose 2lb/week, which is too aggressive for most people. Still, if you had chosen to lose 2 lb per week, the web site gave you a daily calorie goal which is 1000 calories below your NEAT number. Hit that daily calorie goal every day for an extended number of weeks and you will eventually lose just as much weight as your cumulative calorie deficit deserves.
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JeromeBarry1 wrote: »
A calorie deficit is as follows: You have to eat to stay alive. Food provides fuel to your body for everything you do. Every calorie you eat is fuel and is used by your body for one of 2 purposes. Purpose 1 is when it is burned as energy in your daily activities, metabolic, exercise, whatever. Purpose 2 is when it is stored as fat for later use. In truth, you always do both with the calories you eat every day. A Calorie Deficit is when the energy you consume in a day is less than the energy you use in a day. That Purpose 2, 'energy stored as fat for later use' comes into play here and some stored fat is converted to energy and used. That, when done day after day for extended periods of time is called "weight loss".[*] Repeat this process until you're in a reasonable calorie deficit.
What is this? I have seen it many times on here. ..
A "reasonable" calorie deficit is one calculated to cause you to lose no more than 1% of your body weight each week. I'm going to suppose that you weigh 200 lb. If it's really 190, I consider myself slapped. 1% of 200 lb is 2lb. A pound of fat contains 3500 calories. Two pounds of fat contains 7000 calories. For you to lose 2 lb of fat each week, you need a weekly calorie deficit of -7000 calories, which is a daily calorie deficit of -1000.
When you created your myfitnesspal user id, you told the website your weight, gender, age, height and activity level. You should have been truthful. The web site uses that information to calculate your NEAT number. That number is the number of calories you should eat to maintain your weight. The web site also asked you to chose your weight loss goal. Most people people are aggressive and choose 2lb/week, which is too aggressive for most people. Still, if you had chosen to lose 2 lb per week, the web site gave you a daily calorie goal which is 1000 calories below your NEAT number. Hit that daily calorie goal every day for an extended number of weeks and you will eventually lose just as much weight as your cumulative calorie deficit deserves.
Thank you. You are actually being very kind regarding my weight. ;-) My Fitbit and MFP is making more sense now that I know what that means. I never really used it for other than tracking food and steps.0 -
Thank you. You are actually being very kind regarding my weight. ;-) My Fitbit and MFP is making more sense now that I know what that means. I never really used it for other than tracking food and steps.
Just remember, if you link your Fitbit to your MFP account - set your activity to SEDENTARY and ALLOW negative calories.
I start my day with 1600 calories a day. When I get to work to log my sleep - I usually have -35 or so calories (1565 calories allowed) to eat at that point - because I have not done much walking to give me extra points.
Throughout the day my calories will go UP. 1600 + exercise calories (calculated from fitbit automatically) = NEW CALORIE TOTAL.
I make sure whatever # is showing in the + exercise section I don't eat back more than 50% and I have been fine for loosing.
If I go for a walk TO exercise, then I will use my MapMyWalk app on my phone - it will calculate the distance, speed and time walked, and synchronize that to MFP AND FITBIT and add those as exercise calories to my day also.
I have 22lbs left as of this morning to get to my first goal (I set mini goals which seem to be easier for me to work to) and have lost 13lbs so far.
I like using them together, because it removes all the guess work. I just do what I do - and eat what MFP tells me to (minus the 50% exercise calories)!
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I'd like to add a note when it comes to exercise. Options to consider. I see you're close to my age... I'm 47. In middle age it's all too easy for us to lose muscle mass as we work to lose the fat. Muscle keeps you strong and attractive, and affects how many calories you burn in a day. If you keep your muscle, you burn more calories than if you lose a lot of it. Therefore, weight bearing exercises are desirable because they help you preserve muscle. Some people lift weights at the gym; some people buy weights and lift at home, some people do yoga, or pushups and squats, or various exercises that use their own body as the weight. Those are called "bodyweight exercises" and there are lots of videos on youtube for people who are interested. I go lift weights at the gym because I like it, but there are plenty of different ways to achieve this goal.2
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Let MFP do the work for you. No need fir calculators, blah, blah. Plug in your current weight at least once a week, set to Lose 1 pound a week and do what it says. Be patient. Best wishes on your journey!
Yes, this. With all due respect, you seem overwhelmed. Just follow the advice from @nowine4me for now. Later on, after you get the hang of it, you can tweak things if you want. But, for now, keep it simple.2 -
First things first.
When I started out, I never had to diet. I never watched my weight and I exercised because I enjoyed it (took classes here and there). Anyway, something inside me at the age of 30 pretty much said "Yep, you can't eat that". It was a total shock when I got on the scale and I was almost 200lbs (normal weight range in my 20's was 160-170).
I had to start SLOW. Learn new habits. Figure out what I did that probably wasn't helping my weight and figure out how to change them. So, I drank full test soda like it was going out of style. And I knew switching to Diet would just be a band aid, so I went cold turkey. It stunk...but after 20 days the scale went down 10lbs (without changing anything else) and I was rid of my soda habit.
Then I worked on portions. I love to eat - I always did I just had a metabolism to support it (and being 5'11 really helped too). And I could put away my whole plate at a restaurant and help others with theirs. Yeah, that had to stop. I also evaluated "what I ate" and "why". I cut out French Fries at restaurants...I made myself order a veggie. It didn't matter if I ate my whole sandwich, I just couldn't order/eat French Fries.
Months later...I get on the scale and I'm down to 165. I'm like "cool, but I can do better". That's when I met MFP. I knew I needed to be a bit more mindful of food and activity. I started weighing food, eating more protein and figuring out what made me hungry (and not eating it).
About a year later I got on the scale and it said an all time adult low of 145. I almost fell over. I wasn't even 145 in high school.
Now, the last 5 years of maintainance has been a BIG learning expereience and I know now that I can never go back to the habits of my 20's. I realized it was all about "BAD Habits" and when I worked on each one for a week or 2 and kicked them, it all seemed pretty easy.
Now, 5 years later, I physically can't eat all my food at restaurants. I can't sit for long periods of time. My mind doesn't let myself be lazy any more. I let myself eat what I want when I want, but I can't eat large portions anymore.
So, yes, to lose weight you need to figure out an appropriate calorie goal for YOU. You need to increase your exercise. But if you want to keep the weight off you lost, you need to evaluate WHY you are the size you are and figure out how to change that. Self analysis is tough...but it really helps figure things out.2 -
One cheat day every week/ every two weeks depending on your preference. Trust me it works. It's how I maintain my weight in college.0
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My advice would be to never start or stop again. Just start eating, but within your calorie range. No fad's, no 21 day fixes, no monster burn plans. Just eat less, monitor your progress and make adjustments accordingly.2
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Let MFP do the work for you. No need fir calculators, blah, blah. Plug in your current weight at least once a week, set to Lose 1 pound a week and do what it says. Be patient. Best wishes on your journey!Yes, this. With all due respect, you seem overwhelmed. Just follow the advice from @nowine4me for now. Later on, after you get the hang of it, you can tweak things if you want. But, for now, keep it simple.
Cosigned. Slow and steady wins the race.2 -
Ditch the containers... Use a food scale. Pick a reasonable goal (I never picked 2 pounds a week). Eat foods you enjoy within your calories, but make sure you eat enough protein and fat (and fiber).1
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Let MFP do the work for you. No need fir calculators, blah, blah. Plug in your current weight at least once a week, set to Lose 1 pound a week and do what it says. Be patient. Best wishes on your journey!
How often does it update the target calories? I've lost 5 pounds so far and was expecting a small decrease to my goal calories as a result, but that hasn't happened yet.0 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »Let MFP do the work for you. No need fir calculators, blah, blah. Plug in your current weight at least once a week, set to Lose 1 pound a week and do what it says. Be patient. Best wishes on your journey!
How often does it update the target calories? I've lost 5 pounds so far and was expecting a small decrease to my goal calories as a result, but that hasn't happened yet.
It doesn't, you have to do it yourself I think.1 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »Let MFP do the work for you. No need fir calculators, blah, blah. Plug in your current weight at least once a week, set to Lose 1 pound a week and do what it says. Be patient. Best wishes on your journey!
How often does it update the target calories? I've lost 5 pounds so far and was expecting a small decrease to my goal calories as a result, but that hasn't happened yet.
It doesn't, you have to do it yourself I think.
Okay. I was wondering because, if I'm remembering correctly, every 10 pounds drops base metabolic rate by about 100 cals/day. The last site I used automatically updated your goals for you. If MFP isn't doing that, it makes the "I've lost 40 pounds; why can't I lose anymore" posts more understandable. They literally lost their deficit.3 -
I'd like to add a note when it comes to exercise. Options to consider. I see you're close to my age... I'm 47. In middle age it's all too easy for us to lose muscle mass as we work to lose the fat. Muscle keeps you strong and attractive, and affects how many calories you burn in a day. If you keep your muscle, you burn more calories than if you lose a lot of it. Therefore, weight bearing exercises are desirable because they help you preserve muscle. Some people lift weights at the gym; some people buy weights and lift at home, some people do yoga, or pushups and squats, or various exercises that use their own body as the weight. Those are called "bodyweight exercises" and there are lots of videos on youtube for people who are interested. I go lift weights at the gym because I like it, but there are plenty of different ways to achieve this goal.
Yea, I did stumble on an article about the 'bodyweight excersises". I am going to try that too.0 -
Let MFP do the work for you. No need fir calculators, blah, blah. Plug in your current weight at least once a week, set to Lose 1 pound a week and do what it says. Be patient. Best wishes on your journey!
Yes, this. With all due respect, you seem overwhelmed. Just follow the advice from @nowine4me for now. Later on, after you get the hang of it, you can tweak things if you want. But, for now, keep it simple.
It seems everyday it gets a little easier, more understandable and you all with the great advice is helping a lot too!0 -
My advice would be to never start or stop again. Just start eating, but within your calorie range. No fad's, no 21 day fixes, no monster burn plans. Just eat less, monitor your progress and make adjustments accordingly.
I like this. A LOT. And the 21 day fix cups? they have become fancy storage containers. I cant even understand how you can fit a piece of bread into one of those little carb cups! (sarcasm)0
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