This is why people gain weight, and why losing it is so hard.
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3dogsrunning wrote: »I'm 5'5'', my goal weight is 150 (which BMI tells me is at the very peak of Normal, just 1 lb away from overweight) and I work a job were I can't get up and walk around often. Comes out to 1899. Even if I take a walk/jog/run in the morning or evenings I'd really only pick up 200-300 calories.
Uh. As a 5'5 female, 150 is right around the top of the BMI for me.
BMI ignores gender. That's the main problem with it, IMO.
Well, the main problem with it is that it compares a 2-dimensional property (height squared) with a 3-dimensional property (weight goes up as we get bigger in any direction) and tries to pretend that they should increase in direct proportion. Making it broken for the very tall and very short. Plus there's the "muscle and fat count the same" problem. The gender thing is a subset of that (since women, by necessity, have extra fat in places like their chests).3 -
That calculator is very similar to the one I used. I just put in all of my information and calculated it at my goal weight. Other calculators have said 1899, this one says 1967. that's virtually the same thing. 68 calories is not enough to change anything.You sound discouraged, my man. If I could offer some hope... 1899 seems extremely low for any kind of maintenance. What are your stats?
This is what I was going to say. I'm a 5 ft 4 female at with a weight range 140-145 and I maintain in 1960 without exercise, and between 2060 and 2200 with exercise, depending on what I do. OP is a guy. Something is not right with the TDEE calc.
It's correct. I've tried it out on 3 separate calculators and they all say the same thing.
No it's not.
I just used this calculator set at the sedentary setting and came up with much higher numbers. You're inputting wrong information.
Your TDEE is: 2826 Calories per day
Your BMR is: 2355 Calories per day
We suggest the following for your goal to Maintain
2826 Calories per day
To lose to pounds a week you'd eat 2260, then your calories would decrease with every ten pounds you lose.
Let's say you reach your goal weight of 165 (I don't know if that's your goal weight, this is just for demonstration purposes) in 2018 (100 pounds is a lot to lose), then your TDEE at sedentary would be 2063.
Your goal weight? No, you calculate at your current weight, and recalculate with every ten pounds you use (or, you let your food app recalculate for you).0 -
I would like to see a listing of the food you ate that tallied 4500 calories.
I just cannot fathom that many calories in a day.3 -
A lot of this process, for me anyhow, has been about retraining myself gradually to think differently about food. I use smaller plates. I have gradually gotten down to smaller portion sizes. Like tonight as part of my dinner I cooked 2 ounces of dried pasta. There was a time not so long ago when that would have been 16 ounces of pasta. The first time I had 4 ounces I thought it looked insanely small, but to my surprise it filled me. Now I feel filled at 2 ounces.
It takes time. It takes experimentation. I've re-learned that cooking and carefully planning my meals makes a difference. My taste buds have changed. I don't crave a lot of the foods I craved before. Every so often, I have a nice meal out. Every so often I make something that takes me over in calories, but I'm trying (still trying--this is hard) to let that be the exception. Not the norm.
Even when you get to maintenance, you can probably still have some of the foods you list. It's a matter of portion control and balance.4 -
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I would like to see a listing of the food you ate that tallied 4500 calories.
I just cannot fathom that many calories in a day.
Really? I just started to give up on caring how many calories I eat half-way through today (thanks to this thread) and had 4K calories just in the evening. In fact, 2K of those calories were just from peanut butter alone. It isn't hard to add on the calories pretty fast. If I had not cared how many calories I ate for breakfast and lunch, consider how many calories I could have eaten today...3 -
3dogsrunning wrote: »I'm 5'5'', my goal weight is 150 (which BMI tells me is at the very peak of Normal, just 1 lb away from overweight) and I work a job were I can't get up and walk around often. Comes out to 1899. Even if I take a walk/jog/run in the morning or evenings I'd really only pick up 200-300 calories.
Uh. As a 5'5 female, 150 is right around the top of the BMI for me.
BMI ignores gender. That's the main problem with it, IMO.
Nope there's a range ..it works for both genders and for different levels of musculature ...it is an adequate starting point for the vast majority even though we all like to think our body composition makes us outliers
In general only committed bodybuilders / pro athletes have the musculature that takes them outside those boundaries at a healthy weight
I was convinced I was an outlier due to my frame when I was fat .. My goal was to get close to 25 ...cos I bought into the whole population measure,not for individuals, I'm large framed / big boned (I am by wrist and forearm dimensions) .turns out I sit nicely around a BMI of 24 (and I have decent muscles)
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Has op come back or is he just loitering?0
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Has op come back or is he just loitering?
Maybe he was expecting more people to commiserate instead of offering helpful suggestions.
OP, you can still enjoy some of the foods you do now, in smaller portions. You may also find that as time goes on you adapt to a new selection of foods and really enjoy them to the point where you don't feel the way you do now. You may find that you like exercising more and the calorie boost that gives you enables you to have a wider variety of foods. The point is that you don't know what discoveries you will make in the coming days/weeks/months/years. Worrying about it too much now is pointless, because if you don't make the change, it won't matter, and if you do make the change you don't know what else will happen along the way.
Make the change, or don't. Decide what's more important to you. I have no doubt this is a recycled version of what has already been said though (I haven't thoroughly read all pages, but I did skim). I hope you are mulling over the great advice and support you have received and are looking at tossing the defeatist attitude.5 -
I was convinced I was an outlier due to my frame when I was fat .. My goal was to get close to 25 ...cos I bought into the whole population measure,not for individuals, I'm large framed / big boned (I am by wrist and forearm dimensions) .turns out I sit nicely around a BMI of 24 (and I have decent muscles
As I mentioned, height is a big issue with BMI. My husband is 6'1, used to throw javelin, shot put, discus, etc. and has the build you'd expect from that. BMI says he'd have to be below 190 to be "healthy" which is total BS. I've seen photos of him as a teenager weighing that much and he was skinny as a rail. You shouldn't be skinny as a rail at the top of your "healthy" BMI range. But he is the exception not the rule (and it is largely because he is tall in addition to being broad shouldered and broad chested).
Similarly, for some very very short women (substantially sub-five-feet), the bottom end of the healthy range doesn't go low enough.1 -
SusanMFindlay wrote: »I was convinced I was an outlier due to my frame when I was fat .. My goal was to get close to 25 ...cos I bought into the whole population measure,not for individuals, I'm large framed / big boned (I am by wrist and forearm dimensions) .turns out I sit nicely around a BMI of 24 (and I have decent muscles
As I mentioned, height is a big issue with BMI. My husband is 6'1, used to throw javelin, shot put, discus, etc. and has the build you'd expect from that. BMI says he'd have to be below 190 to be "healthy" which is total BS. I've seen photos of him as a teenager weighing that much and he was skinny as a rail. You shouldn't be skinny as a rail at the top of your "healthy" BMI range. But he is the exception not the rule (and it is largely because he is tall in addition to being broad shouldered and broad chested).
Similarly, for some very very short women (substantially sub-five-feet), the bottom end of the healthy range doesn't go low enough.
Actually I'd argue far more about health risks below the bottom end of BMI charts ..because the healthy range is 20-25 (not the Asian chart which is to 23) and the 18.5-20 is for the bottom end and there are far more serious health risks to striving for "underweight" and extremely low BF than being slightly over the top end
Also I acknowledged above the upper end hereIn general only committed bodybuilders / pro athletes have the musculature that takes them outside those boundaries at a healthy weight
I'm not saying that a population measure formula created by a 19th century mathematician is diagnostic or relevant on an individual basis
But it is statistically relevant on health risks and it is a good goal for the overweight who can reconsider as they get closer ...believe me, I used to believe it was wrong for me too...my goal was 25 and even then I thought if I hit 26-27 I'll be good cos big bones :bigsmile:
I'm saying far more overweight people believe they are outliers than actually are ..and it's only with success and long term adherence that we may realise how skewed our thoughts are by how we have been brought to view normal weights in our societies, by the nature of how many people are overweight5 -
llaurenmarie wrote: »OP, I just wanted to jump in and say that I get where you’re coming from, and I can relate. And you will either succeed in losing the weight, or you won’t. Either way, that’s okay. The weight is not what defines you. I believe you can do this, but it’s also okay if you can’t.
I know people jump on these boards in an attempt to give good advice, and a lot of it is good advice—these boards have been very helpful for me as I’ve tried to move forward on this journey—but I don’t remember seeing you actually ask for advice. I’m seeing a lot of people talking about how you’re not taking this advice, you’re being negative, etc., and I just have to say, I’m sorry that you’re dealing with these responses. Some of us can’t just “turn off” the negative. People can claim it’s simple all they want, they can tell you you just need to “be positive,” but if you’re anything like me, that’s not how it works. Some of us can’t just “decide” to be positive.
That does not mean that you are going to fail. It just means you need to take it one step at a time and move forward in the way that is best for you. I’m personally pretty “negative.” And sometimes I need to put those feelings out into the world and ask for support from others so those feelings don’t consume me. The way I read this, OP, you’re looking for support, not advice. Sometimes those are one and the same, but not always.
It’s okay to feel upset, sad, deprived, negative sometimes. I understand how you feel. This journey is hard, and it’s okay to feel this way and want to voice those emotions. Please don’t take to heart some of the comments you’re seeing here. Yes, mindset is important. But you don’t have to be 100% on and 100% positive to make this work for you. Keep moving forward, one day at a time. Some days you’ll feel more down than others, and that’s okay. You have every right to those feelings, and it’s okay to express them, even when others insist you’re doing it wrong by feeling the way you do. You’re not doing it wrong. You’re trying. That’s the important part.
Do or do not, there is no try
Yoda
@Sued0nim I know you're generally a tough cookie, and this is an example, but I enjoyed this. You tell it like it is. I love Yoda
@llaurenmarie I love Yoda too ..and I'm not tough I'm just British and work with teenagers
Have you seen this, want it ..
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I would like to see a listing of the food you ate that tallied 4500 calories.
I just cannot fathom that many calories in a day
It's not hard at all. At my heaviest I would eat two donuts and a pint of chocolate milk for breakfast every day (about 300 per donut, and over 400 for the milk). Lunch was a sandwich, a cookie, and a 20 oz Pepsi from Quizno's (about 800 for the sandwich, 300 for the cookie and another 300 for the soda). Dinner was an entire box of mac and cheese with extra American cheese and a head of broccoli added to it for an easy 1000 calories and then I'd have at least one or two more 20 oz sodas before the end of the day, and I'd go through a couple of pints of ice cream a week. Or I'd go to Denny's and get a grand slam, a hot fudge brownie with ice cream, and multiple soda refills.6 -
I would like to see a listing of the food you ate that tallied 4500 calories.
I just cannot fathom that many calories in a day.
Easy peasy. A fat Belgian waffle, slathered in a couple tablespoons of butter for breakfast and at LEAST 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Can't eat that without a couple slices of bacon and a fried egg or two (cooked in the bacon grease of course). 800 calories for the waffle, butter and syrup. Another 100 or so for the bacon and conservatively another 150 for the eggs. Pushing 1000 just on breakfast.
Lunch, I'd eat a Big Mac meal (with a Diet Coke at least) which tops out at around 900 calories. Sometimes I'd get a dipped ice cream cone for another 150 (1050).
A snack before dinner of a snickers bar (280 cals if I'm not mistaken) and maybe a couple ounces of cheese for 220 cals or so (500).
Dinner, if I cooked at home, would be some form of creamy pasta with meat. I would easily eat two servings, if not more but let's say I just ate two. I guarantee just the entree would be 1000 calories, plus one or two slices of garlic bread, 400 calories for 2 slices. (1400).
I nearly always ate something before bed too. Maybe it was leftovers in the fridge (anywhere from 500-750 calories would be my guess). Maybe it was swinging through a drive thru and eating egg rolls dipped in ranch (3 at 150 cals each plus 200 or so calories worth of ranch-650). Sometimes it would be a whole pint of Ben and Jerry's (1200 give or take 200 calories).
Conservatively, that's about 4400 calories but it could get as bad as 6000 calories. And that was a pretty regular Saturday for me.
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midwesterner85 wrote: »I would like to see a listing of the food you ate that tallied 4500 calories.
I just cannot fathom that many calories in a day.
Really? I just started to give up on caring how many calories I eat half-way through today (thanks to this thread) and had 4K calories just in the evening. In fact, 2K of those calories were just from peanut butter alone. It isn't hard to add on the calories pretty fast. If I had not cared how many calories I ate for breakfast and lunch, consider how many calories I could have eaten today...
You're seriously blaming this thread for your lack of self control? No wonder you struggle.9 -
Nony_Mouse wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »I would like to see a listing of the food you ate that tallied 4500 calories.
I just cannot fathom that many calories in a day.
Really? I just started to give up on caring how many calories I eat half-way through today (thanks to this thread) and had 4K calories just in the evening. In fact, 2K of those calories were just from peanut butter alone. It isn't hard to add on the calories pretty fast. If I had not cared how many calories I ate for breakfast and lunch, consider how many calories I could have eaten today...
You're seriously blaming this thread for your lack of self control? No wonder you struggle.
No, I am saying this thread helped me finally realize that the low calorie level I am now at is not satisfying, and that I am not happy with it. In fact, I may be less unhappy being overweight.
Also, I didn't say I gave no self control. This thread isn't about me, but I will point out that I don't lose weight as easily as most MFP users. CICO alone does not work for me, which is why it has taken almost 3 years to lose 45 lbs. For all I have been through along the way, I would argue I have far more self control than most. But that is a whole separate thread which isn't germane to this topic, nor is there any value for me to try to help you understand (that is assuming you are capable of understanding the struggles I have endured). It isn't that I have no self control, it is that I finally acknowledge (thanks to this thread) that being hungry all the time is a result that needs to be considered into my weight loss plan and how I move forward.3 -
What a brilliant thread.
And yes it can be an eye opener that you cannot "just lose the weight and then go back to larger amounts".
When I lost my weight about 5 years ago, I expected that this would become a natural life style for me, that my new healthy eating would come completely natural to me. While in fact, even now so many years later, I still need to watch what I eat, be mindful about the type of food I eat and ensure I get regular exercise. If I don't do that, I simply go back to my old ways and put on weight. Doh.
And yes, that does pee me off sometimes.
@fitover40mom I love your post, very inspiring!5 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »I would like to see a listing of the food you ate that tallied 4500 calories.
I just cannot fathom that many calories in a day.
Really? I just started to give up on caring how many calories I eat half-way through today (thanks to this thread) and had 4K calories just in the evening. In fact, 2K of those calories were just from peanut butter alone. It isn't hard to add on the calories pretty fast. If I had not cared how many calories I ate for breakfast and lunch, consider how many calories I could have eaten today...
You're seriously blaming this thread for your lack of self control? No wonder you struggle.
No, I am saying this thread helped me finally realize that the low calorie level I am now at is not satisfying, and that I am not happy with it. In fact, I may be less unhappy being overweight.
Also, I didn't say I gave no self control. This thread isn't about me, but I will point out that I don't lose weight as easily as most MFP users. CICO alone does not work for me, which is why it has taken almost 3 years to lose 45 lbs. For all I have been through along the way, I would argue I have far more self control than most. But that is a whole separate thread which isn't germane to this topic, nor is there any value for me to try to help you understand (that is assuming you are capable of understanding the struggles I have endured). It isn't that I have no self control, it is that I finally acknowledge (thanks to this thread) that being hungry all the time is a result that needs to be considered into my weight loss plan and how I move forward.
I remember you from quite a long time ago.. Don't you have several medical conditions like insulin resistance and Hashimotos?2 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »I would like to see a listing of the food you ate that tallied 4500 calories.
I just cannot fathom that many calories in a day.
Really? I just started to give up on caring how many calories I eat half-way through today (thanks to this thread) and had 4K calories just in the evening. In fact, 2K of those calories were just from peanut butter alone. It isn't hard to add on the calories pretty fast. If I had not cared how many calories I ate for breakfast and lunch, consider how many calories I could have eaten today...
You're seriously blaming this thread for your lack of self control? No wonder you struggle.
No, I am saying this thread helped me finally realize that the low calorie level I am now at is not satisfying, and that I am not happy with it. In fact, I may be less unhappy being overweight.
Also, I didn't say I gave no self control. This thread isn't about me, but I will point out that I don't lose weight as easily as most MFP users. CICO alone does not work for me, which is why it has taken almost 3 years to lose 45 lbs. For all I have been through along the way, I would argue I have far more self control than most. But that is a whole separate thread which isn't germane to this topic, nor is there any value for me to try to help you understand (that is assuming you are capable of understanding the struggles I have endured). It isn't that I have no self control, it is that I finally acknowledge (thanks to this thread) that being hungry all the time is a result that needs to be considered into my weight loss plan and how I move forward.
I remember you from quite a long time ago.. Don't you have several medical conditions like insulin resistance and Hashimotos?
I no longer am insulin resistant, but am a type 1 (I don't make insulin). More relevant to the topic of hunger is that type 1's don't make amylin either.0 -
midwesterner85 wrote: »Nony_Mouse wrote: »midwesterner85 wrote: »I would like to see a listing of the food you ate that tallied 4500 calories.
I just cannot fathom that many calories in a day.
Really? I just started to give up on caring how many calories I eat half-way through today (thanks to this thread) and had 4K calories just in the evening. In fact, 2K of those calories were just from peanut butter alone. It isn't hard to add on the calories pretty fast. If I had not cared how many calories I ate for breakfast and lunch, consider how many calories I could have eaten today...
You're seriously blaming this thread for your lack of self control? No wonder you struggle.
No, I am saying this thread helped me finally realize that the low calorie level I am now at is not satisfying, and that I am not happy with it. In fact, I may be less unhappy being overweight.
Also, I didn't say I gave no self control. This thread isn't about me, but I will point out that I don't lose weight as easily as most MFP users. CICO alone does not work for me, which is why it has taken almost 3 years to lose 45 lbs. For all I have been through along the way, I would argue I have far more self control than most. But that is a whole separate thread which isn't germane to this topic, nor is there any value for me to try to help you understand (that is assuming you are capable of understanding the struggles I have endured). It isn't that I have no self control, it is that I finally acknowledge (thanks to this thread) that being hungry all the time is a result that needs to be considered into my weight loss plan and how I move forward.
Okay, so stay fat then ¯\_(ツ)_/¯0
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