Surely I shouldn't be eating 3200 calories a day...
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Please don't add more confusionSusieSonshine wrote: »Personally, I'd set my calories at between 1800 to 2000 and not eat the exercise calories. You'll lose at a reasonable rate, and the closer you get to your goal, the slower it will go, so you'll need to re-evaluate and possibly lower to 1600-1800 cals per day and increase your exercise. Eat clean, measure all food at first, record it all honestly, even when you eat more than you would have liked. It doesn't matter, you just need to be accountable to yourself for what you eat and do. Some people like to have "free" days, where they can eat whatever they want without worrying about the calories; I might do that sometimes, but I still like to input it into MFP, regardless. Make sure you don't starve yourself, that only slows down the process. Three meals a day with snacks in between is a healthy way to lose and keep your body moving in the right direction. I still want to stress that you eat CLEAN! It matters WHAT you put in your body; it should be the most nutrient dense food you can get, eat lots of low-cal foods so that you feel satisfied, and don't eat to feel full. Eat to nourish your body so that you can have lotsa energy and do the things you want to do! God bless you on this journey! Susie
OP, yes - an appropriate (and updated) calorie goal is important, and accuracy and consistency, AND not giving up even if you can't hit your goal for a day, or a week, AND a nutritious diet, is all important.
BUT "eating clean" can mean anything, so it means nothing. There are low calorie and calorie dense nutritious foods as well as low calorie and calorie dense junk foods. Our bodies need a range of nutrients every day, but exactly HOW to get in that nutrition, has to be up to the individual. Number of meals is completely up to personal preference, we should at the most say "eat regularly" and "most people thrive on 3 to 5 meals per day" or something like that.
Someone who is overweight, is most likely not "in touch with" hunger and satiety signals, and that's why tracking is so important. Those signals can be picked up over time, by feeding oneself sufficiently, regularly and reliably, aiming for a awareness and allowing oneself to enjoy eating, without any should's.15 -
kommodevaran wrote: »
Please don't add more confusionSusieSonshine wrote: »Personally, I'd set my calories at between 1800 to 2000 and not eat the exercise calories. You'll lose at a reasonable rate, and the closer you get to your goal, the slower it will go, so you'll need to re-evaluate and possibly lower to 1600-1800 cals per day and increase your exercise. Eat clean, measure all food at first, record it all honestly, even when you eat more than you would have liked. It doesn't matter, you just need to be accountable to yourself for what you eat and do. Some people like to have "free" days, where they can eat whatever they want without worrying about the calories; I might do that sometimes, but I still like to input it into MFP, regardless. Make sure you don't starve yourself, that only slows down the process. Three meals a day with snacks in between is a healthy way to lose and keep your body moving in the right direction. I still want to stress that you eat CLEAN! It matters WHAT you put in your body; it should be the most nutrient dense food you can get, eat lots of low-cal foods so that you feel satisfied, and don't eat to feel full. Eat to nourish your body so that you can have lotsa energy and do the things you want to do! God bless you on this journey! Susie
OP, yes - an appropriate (and updated) calorie goal is important, and accuracy and consistency, AND not giving up even if you can't hit your goal for a day, or a week, AND a nutritious diet, is all important.
BUT "eating clean" can mean anything, so it means nothing. There are low calorie and calorie dense nutritious foods as well as low calorie and calorie dense junk foods. Our bodies need a range of nutrients every day, but exactly HOW to get in that nutrition, has to be up to the individual. Number of meals is completely up to personal preference, we should at the most say "eat regularly" and "most people thrive on 3 to 5 meals per day" or something like that.
Someone who is overweight, is most likely not "in touch with" hunger and satiety signals, and that's why tracking is so important. Those signals can be picked up over time, by feeding oneself sufficiently, regularly and reliably, aiming for a awareness and allowing oneself to enjoy eating, without any should's.
It's okay. I wasn't confused.
I know what all of that means. I eat three meals a day and snacks. I know when I am full or satisfied or have had enough because I eat plenty of low cal foood like big salads with no carbs and fresh veggies with protein. I eat a lot of fruit, that's where it gets hard to stay low cash but I say f* it, at least it's not a chocolate bar and it's usually at breakfast. This isn't my first time losing weight. So thank you everyone for trying to help.
** I changed my goals to 2lb lost per week, it says about 2900 cals per day and that makes more sense to me. Even tho I might not reach it everyday. **
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To lose weight, you dn't need surgery, exercise or low carb. You need a consistent, true, real calorie deficit, for a long time.QUEENxo1992 wrote: »Also note : I want to avoid any surgery if I can so trying to lose it the natural way the best way I know how: exercise and low carb. My blood sugar is okay and gets checked every two weeks. I see a dietician and my doctor regularly. I also see a personal trainer (at no cost at my gym) twice a week. Thank you so far for your help.
Don't worry about carbs. Aim for a balanced diet filled with a variety of foods you like, the bulk of it in the form of whole, nutritious foods. A single serving chocolate bar per week is not going to wipe out your effort, but you don't have room for one every day. You need the nutrition from food, and you have a calorie budget to stick to. (It's just like any budget - you have to pay for rent, gas, food, clothes, but you can choose where you want to live, what to wear, where to drive - and what to eat. But you can't choose the consequences of those choices.)QUEENxo1992 wrote: »It's okay. I wasn't confused.
I know what all of that means. I eat three meals a day and snacks. I know when I am full or satisfied or have had enough because I eat plenty of low cal foood like big salads with no carbs and fresh veggies with protein. I eat a lot of fruit, that's where it gets hard to stay low cash but I say f* it, at least it's not a chocolate bar and it's usually at breakfast. This isn't my first time losing weight. So thank you everyone for trying to help.
I think that is a good goal. But you have to make sure you are hitting that goal. You can't be sure unless you weigh and log correctly.** I changed my goals to 2lb lost per week, it says about 2900 cals per day and that makes more sense to me. Even tho I might not reach it everyday. **6 -
Low carb is a great way to lose weight quickly, because you often drop water weight. It can be exciting to see that number come down fast. Eventually, though, there will be no more excess water weight to lose and your weight loss may slow. Many people become frustrated and quit. When you stop losing 25 lbs a month, will you still be encouraged to stick to your plan?
Also, do you plan on eating this way forever? If you do the low carb, reach your goal weight, and go back to what you were eating when you started, all the weight will come back.
Not trying to discourage you, I just want you to have long term success
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Low carb is a great way to lose weight quickly, because you often drop water weight. It can be exciting to see that number come down fast. Eventually, though, there will be no more excess water weight to lose and your weight loss may slow. Many people become frustrated and quit. When you stop losing 25 lbs a month, will you still be encouraged to stick to your plan?
Also, do you plan on eating this way forever? If you do the low carb, reach your goal weight, and go back to what you were eating when you started, all the weight will come back.
Not trying to discourage you, I just want you to have long term success
I believe it is the healthiest route for me right now. I have certain days where I eat more carbs than others, that's just a given. And I enjoy fruit too much to completely cut it out. I know the process will slow, but I've done this before and I never really plateaued until I got to a healthy weight. I'm heavy and tall - so it balances it out. I just want to feel happy in my clothes and feel the most healthiest. And eating low carb does this ++ more! I also want to note that I look up new recipes all the time to keep my food heart (my love for food) happy. And I will incorporate a cheat day once in a while when I see fit.
Yes I know it was mostly water weight that I lost at first. But I am just so happy I cut out pop and sugary drinks, why waste my calories on that? And fast food was a big one for me so I'm actually saving money on that too(by not buying it).
I am prepared for low carb to be my life. I really need this change
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I agree with kommodevaran....you do not need to cut carbs to lose weight, you have to simply stick with a diet that suits you, that doesn't make you miserable and making sure you are at a caloric deficit. To lose weight, it is very important to understand that, many people I speak with fail to understand that part for whatever reason because they are too focus and obsessed with their fad diet. All the diets out there (keto, atkins, Intermittent Fasting, Vegan, etc...) are only tools to help you lose weight, they are not the reason that you lose weight. You can gain weight with any diet too, one thing is certain though, is being in a caloric deficit will make you lose weight no matter what. If cutting out carbs completely makes you acheive that and you enjoy it go ahead and do keto....but don't do keto because you think that will guarantee weight loss. You might not even enjoy the process either, it's usually personal preference. I can tell you that I lost weight by eating carbs which proves that you can still lose weight without needing to eliminate one macro. The most important thing of all is to weigh your food, unfortunately not many do the effort of weighing their food and then they wonder why they aren't losing weight. I wish you best of luck in your weight loss journey
First of all, thank you for your response. I will consider that but I do enjoy the low carb life. Just saying.
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Speaking as a former super-obese person I just have two perspectives on long-term significant weight loss. I acknowledge they philosophically contradict one another a little.
1. Losing a lot of weight will take a long time, whether you "go hard" or take it easy. Even if you severely restrict your diet beyond what is healthy, it would take more than a year to lose > 100 lbs. So from that perspective, think about long-term success. Set yourself up for long-term success by establishing a diet (and activity plan) that you can sustain for the long term. Don't make yourself miserable with the conscious or unconscious assumption that you can grit your teeth and bear it because it's only temporary. If it's to be successful, it will be for the rest of your life. More specifically, I'd advise against totally "giving up" foods that you love. Rather, find a way to make peace with them so you can include them in your life w/o letting them control you.
2. Sometimes you are going to have to do things you don't want to do. This one I'd limit to the big picture. I have met so many people on here who want to lose weight but who are utterly unwilling to monitor and control the amount of food they will eat. Portion size matters, even for "healthy" foods. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that you can avoid downsizing or even measuring your portions because you are eating all "healthy" foods or "avoiding carbs." Chicken breast and yogurt can add up to big calories when we eat monster portions. I didn't get to weigh close to 350 pounds because I like eating reasonably-sized portions. Downsizing was ... quite an adjustment.
Also for what it's worth, as a super-obese person I was perfectly well-fuelled on 2400 cal / day, though at my top weight I was probably about 25% lighter than you are now. 2800 sounds like a great place to start and see how it goes -- but do measure your portions.17 -
Great ideas and perspectives. Thanks!3
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Mine was bonkers high too. Turned out I'd checked the extremely active box by mistake. Adjusted it and things are more reasonable now! Had some fun on day one though
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Mine was bonkers high too. Turned out I'd checked the extremely active box by mistake. Adjusted it and things are more reasonable now! Had some fun on day one though
Yes I noticed that too. I said lightly active on it. I am pretty sedentary except for my workouts and walks. (iPhone tracks my steps on here tho). So now it says 2500. I still feel that is too high but I will trust the system.
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It's quite possible. I'm 5-7 at 146# and maintain on 2200. I literally couldn't survive on 1200 for any length of time.4
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I think this is great insight, OP. You are facing two challenges that are in many ways in conflict, and you need to reduce that conflict as much as possible:Speaking as a former super-obese person I just have two perspectives on long-term significant weight loss. I acknowledge they philosophically contradict one another a little.
1. Losing a lot of weight will take a long time, whether you "go hard" or take it easy. Even if you severely restrict your diet beyond what is healthy, it would take more than a year to lose > 100 lbs. So from that perspective, think about long-term success. Set yourself up for long-term success by establishing a diet (and activity plan) that you can sustain for the long term. Don't make yourself miserable with the conscious or unconscious assumption that you can grit your teeth and bear it because it's only temporary. If it's to be successful, it will be for the rest of your life. More specifically, I'd advise against totally "giving up" foods that you love. Rather, find a way to make peace with them so you can include them in your life w/o letting them control you.
2. Sometimes you are going to have to do things you don't want to do. This one I'd limit to the big picture. I have met so many people on here who want to lose weight but who are utterly unwilling to monitor and control the amount of food they will eat. Portion size matters, even for "healthy" foods. Do not fall into the trap of thinking that you can avoid downsizing or even measuring your portions because you are eating all "healthy" foods or "avoiding carbs." Chicken breast and yogurt can add up to big calories when we eat monster portions. I didn't get to weigh close to 350 pounds because I like eating reasonably-sized portions. Downsizing was ... quite an adjustment.
Also for what it's worth, as a super-obese person I was perfectly well-fuelled on 2400 cal / day, though at my top weight I was probably about 25% lighter than you are now. 2800 sounds like a great place to start and see how it goes -- but do measure your portions.
1) The need to lose a lot of weight fast.
2) The need to lose weight for a long long time, and keep it off when you get to goal weight.
Weight managment is a maths part, a physiology part, and a mental part. All those parts will try to fight eachother. You need to be your own weightloss UN peacekeeping force:- You lose weight through calorie reduction (and the bigger reduction, the more you lose, yes).
- Your body will eat from its fat mass and lean mass when you're in a calorie deficit, and the bigger the deficit, the bigger the proportion of lean mass to fat mass. (You want to lose as little muscle as possible and as much fat as possible.)
- Food tastes great, it's easily available and comforting. (We all like to eat, and we'd eat a lot more if we could get away with it.)
- You need to be vigilant and accurate, and firm, and know exactly what you are doing, and why, but not obsess or over-restrict. (Educate yourself. The forum here, including this thread, is extremely educational and empowering. The diet industry is an industry, a way to make money on the opposite - ignorance and fear.)
- You need to be patient, have realistic expectations, be calm and kind to yourself.
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QUEENxo1992 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
Then that seems about right you need 2847 just to keep you alive. That is known as you BMR.
It is not recommended to eat below that.
It's not that she will die from eating at BMR - she has the necessary fat reserves to sustain a pretty big weekly loss, and it's no problem to get in sufficient nutrition an way lower calories than that. 1% of total body weight per week is a better goal, and even that can be stretched when you get into mobidely obese area. At this stage it's important get a lot of weight off, and fast.
It is coming off fast. 25 lbs in one month already
WOW!!! That's great. Please remember that healthy weight loss is a percentage of weight to lose, so as you continue, the amount of weight you lose over a given time will decrease. (The 1-2lb a week rule is generally for those that are around 200lbs or less depending on height). Again, congratulations and just take one day at a time. Don't quit due to small set backs, making mistakes and having bad days is called: being human. Be patient and consistent.6 -
VeronicaA76 wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
Then that seems about right you need 2847 just to keep you alive. That is known as you BMR.
It is not recommended to eat below that.
It's not that she will die from eating at BMR - she has the necessary fat reserves to sustain a pretty big weekly loss, and it's no problem to get in sufficient nutrition an way lower calories than that. 1% of total body weight per week is a better goal, and even that can be stretched when you get into mobidely obese area. At this stage it's important get a lot of weight off, and fast.
It is coming off fast. 25 lbs in one month already
WOW!!! That's great. Please remember that healthy weight loss is a percentage of weight to lose, so as you continue, the amount of weight you lose over a given time will decrease. (The 1-2lb a week rule is generally for those that are around 200lbs or less depending on height). Again, congratulations and just take one day at a time. Don't quit due to small set backs, making mistakes and having bad days is called: being human. Be patient and consistent.
Thank you. I will be patient. And am not always looking at the scale. It's not about the weight to me - it's how I feel. And eating less carbs helps me feel less bloated!
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QUEENxo1992 wrote: »Mine was bonkers high too. Turned out I'd checked the extremely active box by mistake. Adjusted it and things are more reasonable now! Had some fun on day one though
Yes I noticed that too. I said lightly active on it. I am pretty sedentary except for my workouts and walks. (iPhone tracks my steps on here tho). So now it says 2500. I still feel that is too high but I will trust the system.
Hi!
You've got lots of great information, also, you're doing great!
You may want to change your activity to sedentary as mfp's activity multiplier refers to general daily activity and not exercise. This way, when you add in exercise (which you should eat a portion of back, usually half) you won't be "double dipping" in exercise calories.0 -
I want to avoid any surgery if I can so trying to lose it the natural way the best way I know how: exercise and low carb.
There is no magical weight loss associated with "low carb" diets. While exercise is great at burning a few calories, makes your heart and lungs healthier and can stave off depression, it plays a very small role in weight loss. Eighty percent of your weight loss is going to be attributed to how many calories you take in to your body every day. A calorie is a calorie to your body. It doesn't matter if it is a calorie from a piece of fruit or a calorie from a chocolate bar, for purposes of weight loss or maintenance, it is all the same to your body. You just need to make sure you are accurately logging everything you put in your mouth over the course of each day. There are no "free" foods, everything you eat has calories and must be logged. The reason we weigh and/or measure our food is because humans are not very good at estimating a "serving" of anything. At the very least, get your measuring cups and spoons out, especially in the beginning, and measure out your portions. Food scales are very inexpensive and are the best way to accurately measure your intake.3 -
I'm not sure about bloating. Everybody bloats these days. We didn't bloat nearly as much just a few years ago, and not at all when we just ate what we needed, which was whatever we could get, mostly carbs.QUEENxo1992 wrote: »VeronicaA76 wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »kommodevaran wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »QUEENxo1992 wrote: »RuNaRoUnDaFiEld wrote: »What is your weight and height?
5'8 456lbs
Then that seems about right you need 2847 just to keep you alive. That is known as you BMR.
It is not recommended to eat below that.
It's not that she will die from eating at BMR - she has the necessary fat reserves to sustain a pretty big weekly loss, and it's no problem to get in sufficient nutrition an way lower calories than that. 1% of total body weight per week is a better goal, and even that can be stretched when you get into mobidely obese area. At this stage it's important get a lot of weight off, and fast.
It is coming off fast. 25 lbs in one month already
WOW!!! That's great. Please remember that healthy weight loss is a percentage of weight to lose, so as you continue, the amount of weight you lose over a given time will decrease. (The 1-2lb a week rule is generally for those that are around 200lbs or less depending on height). Again, congratulations and just take one day at a time. Don't quit due to small set backs, making mistakes and having bad days is called: being human. Be patient and consistent.
Thank you. I will be patient. And am not always looking at the scale. It's not about the weight to me - it's how I feel. And eating less carbs helps me feel less bloated!
Keep in mind that weight loss (but not starving) will make you feel better, it's not an either/or. The slowly subsiding number on the scale is indeed a marker of your improved health.0 -
QUEENxo1992 wrote: »Mine was bonkers high too. Turned out I'd checked the extremely active box by mistake. Adjusted it and things are more reasonable now! Had some fun on day one though
Yes I noticed that too. I said lightly active on it. I am pretty sedentary except for my workouts and walks. (iPhone tracks my steps on here tho). So now it says 2500. I still feel that is too high but I will trust the system.
I would trust it. As you lose weight - say every 15 lbs at this point - go back and input your stats again and it will sometimes give you a new calorie goal appropriate for your current weight and rate of loss.1 -
At your weight, 2500 is absolutely not too high. I started at 293 lbs, and my target for losing 2 pounds per week was over 2,000. I dropped about 15 pounds in my first month and then went into settings and recalculated. I keep recalculating about once a month. I'm currently at 68 pounds lost with a daily goal of 1700.QUEENxo1992 wrote: »Yes I noticed that too. I said lightly active on it. I am pretty sedentary except for my workouts and walks. (iPhone tracks my steps on here tho). So now it says 2500. I still feel that is too high but I will trust the system.
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