Help! A little confused and frustrated!

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  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    Resistance training doesn't need to be with weights. There are some great body weight exercises you can do that will help, and you might find you enjoy those.

    Don't walk with weights, though.

    well no it doesnt mean you cant do bodyweight,but bodyweight exercises will only get you so far though.with bodyweight exercise eventually your body will get used to them and they will become less efficient. unless you add some heavier types of resistance.any exercise can become less efficient over time though. but at least with heavy weights you can up the weights and get more "resistance".

    Not everyone wants to lift heavy. You should also look up Al Kavadlo if you don't think there's such a thing as progressive resistance in body weight training.

    I know it's all the rage on these boards to head right in with the recommendation for everyone to lift heavy, but from what the OP said on her feelings regarding weights, I can see this being a turn off for her.

    So OP, first, let me define for you what heavy lifting is. It's what's heavy for YOU. It's not some objective idea of heavy. 20-30 pound dumbbells are heavy for me, so that's what I work with. Sometimes, I work with 10-15 pound dumbbells and do a lot of reps instead, and that's okay too.

    Secondly, it's okay if you don't want to lift heavy. If you only want to train with resistance bands or make progressions with body weight, that's okay too.

    But do consider resistance training, because as you get older, bone loss and muscle loss happen. It's important to prevent that. Resistance training helps.

    I told her it was ok if she didnt want to lift heavy. that it was up to her her choice.
  • arnolddelor
    arnolddelor Posts: 5 Member
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    Briacha, I think first of all amazing job so far, don't be discouraged. Patience is a virtue. second of all, you should stop worrying about numbers. Stress can affect weight loss by releasing an hormone called cortisol (if I remember correctly), which means that sometimes u need to look at body measurements other than body weight. I also think that you need to include weight lifting into your workout, walking is great but intensity is the key here. Pushing yourself more and more by setting goals to achieve. However, over training can also cause a lot of stress to your body so don't forget to rest well. Food wise, counting calories and eating clean is the key BUT sometime we tend to forget the essentials, as you are getting leaner by losing weight you need to eat more too to burn more. DO NOT starve your body, spread those 1200 calories over 4 to 5 meals a day by eating every 2 to 3hrs. When your body enters starvation mode, it builds fats instead of burning it. Finally, like others said be careful when you enter your food, make sure you are weighing things properly and also maybe just stick to one unit. I use grams as I think it's easier.
    Just keep pushing and be patient you will get there

    she does not have to eat more to lose more, and starvation mode when it comes to weight loss does not exist. she will not build fat in a deficit,she also does not have to eat 4-5 meals a day or eat every 2-3 hrs unless she has a health issue where she needs to keep insulin or something along those lines at a decent level and has to eat that often.fat is burned in a deficit. your body wont store it.

    I said to spread the same amount of calories over 4 to 5 meals a day. The problem is people think that fat is always burnt when u have a calories deficit, which is not true. Someone took the example of concentration camps. What you forget is when you are overweight and when you leaner u need to approach things differently. When it come to insulin, it can make you put on weight, because it tells your body to produce fat. Another reason behind eating the same amount of calories 4 to 5 meals a day is because you do not want to stretch your stomach, when it does it releases an hormone that tells your body to produce fat. It makes sense because, you could not eat anything all day and just have one massive meal of 1200 calorie but u won't lose Jack *kitten*.
  • arnolddelor
    arnolddelor Posts: 5 Member
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    Briacha, I think first of all amazing job so far, don't be discouraged. Patience is a virtue. second of all, you should stop worrying about numbers. Stress can affect weight loss by releasing an hormone called cortisol (if I remember correctly), which means that sometimes u need to look at body measurements other than body weight. I also think that you need to include weight lifting into your workout, walking is great but intensity is the key here. Pushing yourself more and more by setting goals to achieve. However, over training can also cause a lot of stress to your body so don't forget to rest well. Food wise, counting calories and eating clean is the key BUT sometime we tend to forget the essentials, as you are getting leaner by losing weight you need to eat more too to burn more. DO NOT starve your body, spread those 1200 calories over 4 to 5 meals a day by eating every 2 to 3hrs. When your body enters starvation mode, it builds fats instead of burning it. Finally, like others said be careful when you enter your food, make sure you are weighing things properly and also maybe just stick to one unit. I use grams as I think it's easier.
    Just keep pushing and be patient you will get there

    she does not have to eat more to lose more, and starvation mode when it comes to weight loss does not exist. she will not build fat in a deficit,she also does not have to eat 4-5 meals a day or eat every 2-3 hrs unless she has a health issue where she needs to keep insulin or something along those lines at a decent level and has to eat that often.fat is burned in a deficit. your body wont store it.

    I said to spread the same amount of calories over 4 to 5 meals a day. The problem is people think that fat is always burnt when u have a calories deficit, which is not true. Someone took the example of concentration camps. What you forget is when you are overweight and when you leaner u need to approach things differently. When it come to insulin, it can make you put on weight, because it tells your body to produce fat. Another reason behind eating the same amount of calories 4 to 5 meals a day is because you do not want to stretch your stomach, when it does it releases an hormone that tells your body to produce fat. It makes sense because, you could not eat anything all day and just have one massive meal of 1200 calorie but u won't lose Jack *kitten*.
  • arnolddelor
    arnolddelor Posts: 5 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Briacha, I think first of all amazing job so far, don't be discouraged. Patience is a virtue. second of all, you should stop worrying about numbers. Stress can affect weight loss by releasing an hormone called cortisol (if I remember correctly), which means that sometimes u need to look at body measurements other than body weight. I also think that you need to include weight lifting into your workout, walking is great but intensity is the key here. Pushing yourself more and more by setting goals to achieve. However, over training can also cause a lot of stress to your body so don't forget to rest well. Food wise, counting calories and eating clean is the key BUT sometime we tend to forget the essentials, as you are getting leaner by losing weight you need to eat more too to burn more. DO NOT starve your body, spread those 1200 calories over 4 to 5 meals a day by eating every 2 to 3hrs. When your body enters starvation mode, it builds fats instead of burning it. Finally, like others said be careful when you enter your food, make sure you are weighing things properly and also maybe just stick to one unit. I use grams as I think it's easier.
    Just keep pushing and be patient you will get there

    Ignore the bolded part, it's what is commonly referred to as "broscience". Nutrition/meal timing is completely irrelevant, eat on whatever schedule best fits your needs. Also, there is no such thing as starvation mode in that context. It's an old myth that's been disproven over and over again. If it were true, concentration camps would have been full of obese people and there would be a lot of fat anorexics walking around.

    I'm afraid but I have to disagree with you and stick with what I've experienced. One sure thing is there isn't an exact science for this as everyone's body is different. But I have to say that when you are obese it's easier to drop the weight quicker just by controlling what you eat. However, by dropping the weight means your getting leaner which your body requires you fuel in order to keep your muscles hence eating more often.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    OP I agree with the recommendation to focus on logging accurately, weighing all solid foods and avoiding generic entries when possible.

    Eat a minimum of 1200 cals (I know you aren't a big fan of strenuous exercise but those 30 min walks count and you should be at 1200 NET)

    Consider some of the resistance training options offered here, I also mostly walk but do a light circuit weight routine 3-4 times a week at home with 5-12 lb dumbbells.

    Consider getting a FitBit or other activity tracker, I think they are really helpful for motivating people to get their steps in and increasing their day to day activity. Plus it will provide you an estimate of your total calories burned which helps make sure you don't exceed that and that your calorie goal is appropriate for the amount of activity you do.

    Monitor for 3-4 weeks and I would expect to see the scale starting to go down again.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
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    Briacha, I think first of all amazing job so far, don't be discouraged. Patience is a virtue. second of all, you should stop worrying about numbers. Stress can affect weight loss by releasing an hormone called cortisol (if I remember correctly), which means that sometimes u need to look at body measurements other than body weight. I also think that you need to include weight lifting into your workout, walking is great but intensity is the key here. Pushing yourself more and more by setting goals to achieve. However, over training can also cause a lot of stress to your body so don't forget to rest well. Food wise, counting calories and eating clean is the key BUT sometime we tend to forget the essentials, as you are getting leaner by losing weight you need to eat more too to burn more. DO NOT starve your body, spread those 1200 calories over 4 to 5 meals a day by eating every 2 to 3hrs. When your body enters starvation mode, it builds fats instead of burning it. Finally, like others said be careful when you enter your food, make sure you are weighing things properly and also maybe just stick to one unit. I use grams as I think it's easier.
    Just keep pushing and be patient you will get there

    she does not have to eat more to lose more, and starvation mode when it comes to weight loss does not exist. she will not build fat in a deficit,she also does not have to eat 4-5 meals a day or eat every 2-3 hrs unless she has a health issue where she needs to keep insulin or something along those lines at a decent level and has to eat that often.fat is burned in a deficit. your body wont store it.

    I said to spread the same amount of calories over 4 to 5 meals a day. The problem is people think that fat is always burnt when u have a calories deficit, which is not true. Someone took the example of concentration camps. What you forget is when you are overweight and when you leaner u need to approach things differently. When it come to insulin, it can make you put on weight, because it tells your body to produce fat. Another reason behind eating the same amount of calories 4 to 5 meals a day is because you do not want to stretch your stomach, when it does it releases an hormone that tells your body to produce fat. It makes sense because, you could not eat anything all day and just have one massive meal of 1200 calorie but u won't lose Jack *kitten*.

    your stomach stretches to accommodate food to begin with,its not going to matter if you eat 2 meals,3 meals or 5-6 meals per day. once your body digests that food it goes back to size.fat is burnt when you have a calorie deficit,how else do people lose fat and weight? Im leaner than I was and still losing fat,I just have to eat less calories than when I was obese because my body doesnt need as much calories as it did. and yes,you can lose weight if you have one meal a day, a LOT of people here have done it. meal timing has nothing to do with weight loss, if anyone has a health issue and needs to space their meals like that thats one thing, for others its not needed.I would love to know what your source of info is.
  • mburgess458
    mburgess458 Posts: 480 Member
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    I'm sure ounces are OK to use to measure? Sorry, I forget most on here use imperial measurements.

    Ounces are fine, but then she logged it as 1.5 cups, so there's no way to know how many ounces the sprouts weighed.

    Uh, there is an easy way to know how many ounces the sprouts weighed. She converted ounces to cups assuming 8 ounces = 1 cup. Several have pointed out this is incorrect but it tells us that she ate 12 ounces of sprouts.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Briacha, I think first of all amazing job so far, don't be discouraged. Patience is a virtue. second of all, you should stop worrying about numbers. Stress can affect weight loss by releasing an hormone called cortisol (if I remember correctly), which means that sometimes u need to look at body measurements other than body weight. I also think that you need to include weight lifting into your workout, walking is great but intensity is the key here. Pushing yourself more and more by setting goals to achieve. However, over training can also cause a lot of stress to your body so don't forget to rest well. Food wise, counting calories and eating clean is the key BUT sometime we tend to forget the essentials, as you are getting leaner by losing weight you need to eat more too to burn more. DO NOT starve your body, spread those 1200 calories over 4 to 5 meals a day by eating every 2 to 3hrs. When your body enters starvation mode, it builds fats instead of burning it. Finally, like others said be careful when you enter your food, make sure you are weighing things properly and also maybe just stick to one unit. I use grams as I think it's easier.
    Just keep pushing and be patient you will get there

    she does not have to eat more to lose more, and starvation mode when it comes to weight loss does not exist. she will not build fat in a deficit,she also does not have to eat 4-5 meals a day or eat every 2-3 hrs unless she has a health issue where she needs to keep insulin or something along those lines at a decent level and has to eat that often.fat is burned in a deficit. your body wont store it.

    I said to spread the same amount of calories over 4 to 5 meals a day. The problem is people think that fat is always burnt when u have a calories deficit, which is not true. Someone took the example of concentration camps. What you forget is when you are overweight and when you leaner u need to approach things differently.

    It pretty much is true that fat is a burnt with a calorie deficit, always, especially when you have weight to lose (i.e., aren't trying to get super lean), which is the case for OP. As you get leaner other things matter more -- not meal timing, so much, but protein, definitely. OP, I would recommend that you make sure you are getting around 80 g or so of protein or more -- that can help maximize muscle retention and not losing fat. (So can including some progressive strength training, which as JustBurnEm is explaining can just mean some additional bodyweight stuff in addition to your walking. Also, one good thing -- there is one! -- about being overweight is that you build some muscle to carry it around, which is also why it's good to add in some strength training (doesn't have to mean weights) as you lose it, so your body doesn't decide you don't need it.)
    When it come to insulin, it can make you put on weight, because it tells your body to produce fat.

    No, it doesn't tell your body to "produce fat" and it doesn't cause fat gain absent a calorie surplus. It transmits the energy and protein from food where it needs to go once it's broken down (and therefore gets it out of your blood which, if your body is working right, should also result in a message that you aren't hungry anymore). While it does help in the fat storage process when needed, you are unlikely to be storing glucose as fat when on a calorie deficit (and if you store a bit you will still end up burning more). Insulin isn't important unless you have a problem (IR or T2D) and then it's not that it makes you fat, but that it is bad for you and you have to make sure to moderate it.
    Another reason behind eating the same amount of calories 4 to 5 meals a day is because you do not want to stretch your stomach, when it does it releases an hormone that tells your body to produce fat. It makes sense because, you could not eat anything all day and just have one massive meal of 1200 calorie but u won't lose Jack *kitten*.

    This makes no sense and, in fact, people do just eat a single meal a day and lose weight. It's a form of intermittent fasting. (I prefer 3 meals, myself, but I don't pretend that has some advantage.)
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    OP, I agree with what others are saying -- you can probably tighten up the logging, definitely stick to the walking and maybe increase it a bit as you are getting more fit, and stay with the program. Sometimes stalling and whooshing happens. Didn't happen to me at first, but as I lost it happened more. I also found that the time of the month made a difference, and this is different for all women.

    There are a few things I noticed like a generic entry for a pizza slice and generic entries for Chinese food (the total seemed quite low for what I'd consider a standard meal at a restaurant without calories posted). I know these are unavoidable when you go out and have to guess, but they can be way off, so stuff like that could be making your totals off some. Not sure how common this is as I only looked at a few days.
  • AnvilHead
    AnvilHead Posts: 18,344 Member
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    ...Another reason behind eating the same amount of calories 4 to 5 meals a day is because you do not want to stretch your stomach, when it does it releases an hormone that tells your body to produce fat. It makes sense because, you could not eat anything all day and just have one massive meal of 1200 calorie but u won't lose Jack *kitten*.

    More broscience. I generally eat two meals a day plus snacks. My breakfast/lunch is usually around 400-600 calories and my dinner is 1000-1500 calories almost every single day. I've lost 62 pounds and somewhere around 20% bodyfat eating that way.

    If you are in a caloric deficit, there is no net storage of fat regardless of how often you eat or what the relative meal sizes are. You profoundly misunderstand the role and function of insulin. If you're interested in educating yourself about what it actually does in the body, here's a detailed research review by a very reputable and well-respected source in the nutrition/training field: http://weightology.net/weightologyweekly/index.php/free-content/free-content/volume-1-issue-7-insulin-and-thinking-better/insulin-an-undeserved-bad-reputation/
  • jennieskoolaid
    jennieskoolaid Posts: 17 Member
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    Oh my goodness, this is confusing even me now. Listen girl, your doing great. All you need to do is incorporate some weight lifting into your exercise routine and walk for at least an hour at a brisk pace. If you have no time for an hour walk then incorporate a jog in your 30min walk in little bursts to get your heart rate up. Good luck and keep it up.
  • ClosetBayesian
    ClosetBayesian Posts: 836 Member
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    Briacha, I think first of all amazing job so far, don't be discouraged. Patience is a virtue. second of all, you should stop worrying about numbers. Stress can affect weight loss by releasing an hormone called cortisol (if I remember correctly), which means that sometimes u need to look at body measurements other than body weight. I also think that you need to include weight lifting into your workout, walking is great but intensity is the key here. Pushing yourself more and more by setting goals to achieve. However, over training can also cause a lot of stress to your body so don't forget to rest well. Food wise, counting calories and eating clean is the key BUT sometime we tend to forget the essentials, as you are getting leaner by losing weight you need to eat more too to burn more. DO NOT starve your body, spread those 1200 calories over 4 to 5 meals a day by eating every 2 to 3hrs. When your body enters starvation mode, it builds fats instead of burning it. Finally, like others said be careful when you enter your food, make sure you are weighing things properly and also maybe just stick to one unit. I use grams as I think it's easier.
    Just keep pushing and be patient you will get there

    she does not have to eat more to lose more, and starvation mode when it comes to weight loss does not exist. she will not build fat in a deficit,she also does not have to eat 4-5 meals a day or eat every 2-3 hrs unless she has a health issue where she needs to keep insulin or something along those lines at a decent level and has to eat that often.fat is burned in a deficit. your body wont store it.

    I said to spread the same amount of calories over 4 to 5 meals a day. The problem is people think that fat is always burnt when u have a calories deficit, which is not true. Someone took the example of concentration camps. What you forget is when you are overweight and when you leaner u need to approach things differently. When it come to insulin, it can make you put on weight, because it tells your body to produce fat. Another reason behind eating the same amount of calories 4 to 5 meals a day is because you do not want to stretch your stomach, when it does it releases an hormone that tells your body to produce fat. It makes sense because, you could not eat anything all day and just have one massive meal of 1200 calorie but u won't lose Jack *kitten*.

    Just because it hasn't been said enough, this is wrong, especially the bolded part. People who follow a 20:4 or similar intermittent fasting schedule do, in fact, lose weight by eating one meal a day, and that meal is frequently more than 1200 calories.
  • CTcutie
    CTcutie Posts: 649 Member
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    If the BS were, say 12 ounces, I see why op would log/think of it as 1.5 cups.
    FL OZ vs OZ are different again- she's just getting used to using a scale :smiley:
    Oz vs gr... sometimes the MFP database doesn't have grams listed on some foods/depends how much you click around to find a better match, too.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    AnvilHead wrote: »
    Briacha, I think first of all amazing job so far, don't be discouraged. Patience is a virtue. second of all, you should stop worrying about numbers. Stress can affect weight loss by releasing an hormone called cortisol (if I remember correctly), which means that sometimes u need to look at body measurements other than body weight. I also think that you need to include weight lifting into your workout, walking is great but intensity is the key here. Pushing yourself more and more by setting goals to achieve. However, over training can also cause a lot of stress to your body so don't forget to rest well. Food wise, counting calories and eating clean is the key BUT sometime we tend to forget the essentials, as you are getting leaner by losing weight you need to eat more too to burn more. DO NOT starve your body, spread those 1200 calories over 4 to 5 meals a day by eating every 2 to 3hrs. When your body enters starvation mode, it builds fats instead of burning it. Finally, like others said be careful when you enter your food, make sure you are weighing things properly and also maybe just stick to one unit. I use grams as I think it's easier.
    Just keep pushing and be patient you will get there

    Ignore the bolded part, it's what is commonly referred to as "broscience". Nutrition/meal timing is completely irrelevant, eat on whatever schedule best fits your needs. Also, there is no such thing as starvation mode in that context. It's an old myth that's been disproven over and over again. If it were true, concentration camps would have been full of obese people and there would be a lot of fat anorexics walking around.

    I'm afraid but I have to disagree with you and stick with what I've experienced. One sure thing is there isn't an exact science for this as everyone's body is different. But I have to say that when you are obese it's easier to drop the weight quicker just by controlling what you eat. However, by dropping the weight means your getting leaner which your body requires you fuel in order to keep your muscles hence eating more often.

    If you truly believe that everyone's body is different, you should refrain from giving specific advice to others. According to your own beliefs, you don't know if their body will respond differently and you have no idea if it will be helpful to them.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,442 Member
    edited January 2017
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    @Briacha - Has this thread cleared up all your questions? :/ Because I'm pretty confident in my nutrition and exercise, and this thread has me confused! :p

    I know you didn't ask the specific question, but look through this info-graphic from @lemonlionheart and tighten up in the areas you are currently lacking.

    e2bl6ms4xrfm.jpg
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
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    Briacha, I think first of all amazing job so far, don't be discouraged. Patience is a virtue. second of all, you should stop worrying about numbers. Stress can affect weight loss by releasing an hormone called cortisol (if I remember correctly), which means that sometimes u need to look at body measurements other than body weight. I also think that you need to include weight lifting into your workout, walking is great but intensity is the key here. Pushing yourself more and more by setting goals to achieve. However, over training can also cause a lot of stress to your body so don't forget to rest well. Food wise, counting calories and eating clean is the key BUT sometime we tend to forget the essentials, as you are getting leaner by losing weight you need to eat more too to burn more. DO NOT starve your body, spread those 1200 calories over 4 to 5 meals a day by eating every 2 to 3hrs. When your body enters starvation mode, it builds fats instead of burning it. Finally, like others said be careful when you enter your food, make sure you are weighing things properly and also maybe just stick to one unit. I use grams as I think it's easier.
    Just keep pushing and be patient you will get there

    she does not have to eat more to lose more, and starvation mode when it comes to weight loss does not exist. she will not build fat in a deficit,she also does not have to eat 4-5 meals a day or eat every 2-3 hrs unless she has a health issue where she needs to keep insulin or something along those lines at a decent level and has to eat that often.fat is burned in a deficit. your body wont store it.

    I said to spread the same amount of calories over 4 to 5 meals a day. The problem is people think that fat is always burnt when u have a calories deficit, which is not true. Someone took the example of concentration camps. What you forget is when you are overweight and when you leaner u need to approach things differently. When it come to insulin, it can make you put on weight, because it tells your body to produce fat. Another reason behind eating the same amount of calories 4 to 5 meals a day is because you do not want to stretch your stomach, when it does it releases an hormone that tells your body to produce fat. It makes sense because, you could not eat anything all day and just have one massive meal of 1200 calorie but u won't lose Jack *kitten*.

    What a crock of poo.

    I mostly eat 1 meal a day and have lost 100lbs. If someone is eating in an a calorie deficit, the body will seek energy from body fat stores (and even muscle) to get the extra energy it needs. Everyone burns calories even by doing absolutely nothing all day. You are suggesting that someone in a deficit would put fat on because of insulin. How can this happen if the body is using the energy from food and making up for the missing energy by consuming body fat/muscle for basic body functions? In order to store fat like you're saying, the body would have to stop a few body functions in order for it to start storing fat in a deficit.....

    Yeah, not going to happen.
  • Briacha
    Briacha Posts: 160 Member
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    I had a look through a couple of pages of your diary. I notice you eat a lot of pizza ... this is something I would be VERY wary of when dieting, i.e. have a very thin slice every now and again as a treat rather than an actual meal. Pizzas are full of calories and it is easy to underestimate. When my family has pizza, I only have a tiny amount and still over-log it just to be sure :(

    Brussel sprouts and other vegetables you do not need to be quite so wary of as they are low calorie to start with and if you do make a mistake with quantities, it will not be hundreds of calories out.

    Silly question about the breakfast biscuits - you are having just one biscuit, is that right?

    Yes just one with my yogurt!
  • Briacha
    Briacha Posts: 160 Member
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    Oh my goodness, this is confusing even me now. Listen girl, your doing great. All you need to do is incorporate some weight lifting into your exercise routine and walk for at least an hour at a brisk pace. If you have no time for an hour walk then incorporate a jog in your 30min walk in little bursts to get your heart rate up. Good luck and keep it up.

    Me too :(
    I'm kinda sorry I asked and feel kinda stupid when it comes to using a scale.