frustrated
Trish1c
Posts: 549 Member
I was successful using MFP last year, mostly in the warmer months. I got within 2 pounds of my goal & then fell off.
Now I'm back, heavier then ever & I'm frustrated. Yes I understand CICO & I know I need to move more. Got a fit bit. It just makes be depressed because almost every day I fail to meet my modest 8,000 steps goal. When it's 5 degrees out I don't want to go for a walk & the idea of walking into the gym, peeling off all of my layers, working out, showering & coming back out into the cold to drive home just makes me want to hibernate.
I know my downfall is wine. Please don't lecture.
MFP says I'm supposed to eat 1,200 calories per day to lose. My food intake while not nutritionally balanced is rarely much higher. It's the wine.
What I really want to know is who came up with the USDA thing of 2,000 calories per day & what is that based on? Was it made up in the 1940s when more people worked in factories or on farms & actually did manual labor? Why hasn't it been revised?
Should I just embrace my "new" middle aged body & give up making myself crazy trying to keep those 20 pesky pounds off? Right now I'm 5'7 & weigh 160 lbs. I'm a size 10. Until I turned 40 I spent most of life underweight at around 120-125. I was a size 4-6 depending on the clothes. Ironically I drank more then but I lived in a 3rd walk up & went dancing every weekend.
Now I'm back, heavier then ever & I'm frustrated. Yes I understand CICO & I know I need to move more. Got a fit bit. It just makes be depressed because almost every day I fail to meet my modest 8,000 steps goal. When it's 5 degrees out I don't want to go for a walk & the idea of walking into the gym, peeling off all of my layers, working out, showering & coming back out into the cold to drive home just makes me want to hibernate.
I know my downfall is wine. Please don't lecture.
MFP says I'm supposed to eat 1,200 calories per day to lose. My food intake while not nutritionally balanced is rarely much higher. It's the wine.
What I really want to know is who came up with the USDA thing of 2,000 calories per day & what is that based on? Was it made up in the 1940s when more people worked in factories or on farms & actually did manual labor? Why hasn't it been revised?
Should I just embrace my "new" middle aged body & give up making myself crazy trying to keep those 20 pesky pounds off? Right now I'm 5'7 & weigh 160 lbs. I'm a size 10. Until I turned 40 I spent most of life underweight at around 120-125. I was a size 4-6 depending on the clothes. Ironically I drank more then but I lived in a 3rd walk up & went dancing every weekend.
4
Replies
-
Well, there's a couple things happening here. If you're battling 20lbs, a 1200 calorie goal is probably way to aggressive. Did you select "lose 2lbs per week?" If so, I'd re-evaluate that to 1lb or even .5lb. That will give you more food to work with, and feel less grumpy.
If you like wine, drink wine. Work it into your calories.
You don't have to exercise if you don't want to. Think of any meaningful exercise you do as "bonus calories" you can eat (or drink wine). Find ways to increase your NEAT throughout the day like parking further away at the store or taking individual trips up stairs with laundry. Some folks have success with workouts at home on DVD or online.
You don't have to settle, but maybe adjust your approach just a little to make it more sustainable.9 -
I was successful using MFP last year, mostly in the warmer months. I got within 2 pounds of my goal & then fell off.
Now I'm back, heavier then ever & I'm frustrated. Yes I understand CICO & I know I need to move more. Got a fit bit. It just makes be depressed because almost every day I fail to meet my modest 8,000 steps goal. When it's 5 degrees out I don't want to go for a walk & the idea of walking into the gym, peeling off all of my layers, working out, showering & coming back out into the cold to drive home just makes me want to hibernate.
I know my downfall is wine. Please don't lecture.
MFP says I'm supposed to eat 1,200 calories per day to lose. My food intake while not nutritionally balanced is rarely much higher. It's the wine.
What I really want to know is who came up with the USDA thing of 2,000 calories per day & what is that based on? Was it made up in the 1940s when more people worked in factories or on farms & actually did manual labor? Why hasn't it been revised?
Should I just embrace my "new" middle aged body & give up making myself crazy trying to keep those 20 pesky pounds off? Right now I'm 5'7 & weigh 160 lbs. I'm a size 10. Until I turned 40 I spent most of life underweight at around 120-125. I was a size 4-6 depending on the clothes. Ironically I drank more then but I lived in a 3rd walk up & went dancing every weekend.
Can you get some excercise at home on days you don't want to go to the gym. I used to use an excercise stationary bike for excercise. You can hunt the thrift stores for used excercise equipment if you don't have anything at home.
You can also try excercise videos (check YouTube, thrift stores, library for them).
Excercise gets you cardio and muscle mass, both of which can boost your metabolism. Cardio gets you increased endorphins that help your mood.I won't address your wine, except to say if you excercise you get more kcal for that also.0 -
I've recently spoke to a nutritionist and was actually told that lowering my calorie intake too much, could cause more harm than good. I too was told with the app to only eat 1200 calories. Everyone's body is different and what works for one person does not work for the next. I was actually told to cut my maintenance calories by only 20-25% and increase my protein intake for fat loss and (hopefully) muscle gain.0
-
Wine must be considered as part of your food intake. I drink wine every day and I still lost weight. I am 55 yo, 5'6", about 145 lbs and maintain on a little over 2000 calories per day. I don't 'exercise' regularly but I do lead an active life (we have a farm). If you don't want to exercise I would suggest that you find activities that you do enjoy. It doesn't have to be "exercise" to burn calories.
If you like to dance, then turn on some music and dance. Or go out dancing on the weekend like you used to.0 -
The wine calories aren't different from other calories. Don't know about you, but for me even reasonably moderate wine can leave me sleeping less deeply and a little more sluggish next day, which probably modestly down-regulates daily life activity calorie burn.
The USDA 2000 is just an arbitrary reference number. Ignore it. Start with your MFP calorie goal (for a sensible weight loss rate, preferably no more than a pound a week in your case), get decent well-rounded nutrition outside of the wine, stick to it for 6 weeks, and adjust calories based on experience if you lose faster or slower.
Most of reduced calorie needs with aging (I'm 62, BTW) is reduced activity, and shrinking muscle mass from that reduced activity, both things we can change if we choose. You said it: It's the 3rd floor walkup and the dancing. It doesn't have to be those specific activities now, but activity makes a difference.
Best wishes!3 -
Whether I set the loss goal to 2 pounds or 1 pound MFP still comes back to 1200 calories. When I first started MFP & was starving I did change my loss goals only the recommended calories didn't change so I learned to eat less. Food was never my problem. Of course there will be days when I'm way over, at a party or something, but I'm not an eater. I suppose I can try to figure out how to do something in my house on the cold days.0
-
So... at 160 on a 5'7" woman who is about 40 years old you are barely falling into the overweight category from a BMI perspective... like 25.1. You're right that your "target" is probably somewhere in the 140-ish pound range, but you aren't way off. Do you want to lose the 20 pounds or are you happy? There isn't anything wrong with a size 10, unless you aren't comfortable in your skin.
I don't really understand why mfp would tell you 1,200 calories - that's like the lowest of the low the site would ever give you. Your base metabolic rate is higher than that at your height and weight - even as a slug, you can't possibly gain on 1,200 calories.
I'm not trying to be harsh here but track your wine intake along with the rest of the food and get an idea of what you're actually consuming. Use the TDEE calculator at https://tdeecalculator.net if you don't trust mfp - it will give you BMR, caloric intake for various activity levels, and macros for the type of diet you want to consume. You can override mfp for total calorie intake and you can customize macros even in the regular version.3 -
Could set it to .5lb, that should give you more calories. If MFP is giving you the same number even at 1lb that's a likely sign even that's too much of a deficit, and with only 20lbs to go I could see that. Small deficit, precise logging and patience seems to be the formula in getting the last bit of pounds off.4
-
I'm 5'7" and 140.
I'm retired. I'm older, I exercise on average one hour 3-5 times a week, and that exercise is usually walking hills. I live by myself in a very small condo - so I don't have a lot of necessary housework.
The last 15 pounds I lost (so from 155-140) I ate at 1700 plus exercise cals. So on at least three days per week I ate over 2000 total.
1200 just is too low. No need to be miserable. Tighten up your food logging, take a couple walks and eat more.2 -
Nothing wrong with wine, fit it into your calories but obviously aim to hit your macros.
If you feel you need to lose weight then set your loss to 0.5lbs a week, you'll get more calories that way, enjoy wine in moderation and you'll still slowly lose.
0 -
I get it. I could've written your post except for the wine part, as I don't drink. I lost all the weight I wanted to previously on MFP, then fell away. Now I'm up 12 pounds and it is murder to get them off. I'm eating at 1700 calories, though. 1200 would make me too furious for words. I am weighing my food, painstakingly building my recipes into the calorie counter. Exercise is a mixed bag -- I actually like my DVD aerobics but I get such painful ankles and knees. (Hello mid-50's.) I enjoy a bit of modest weight lifting. I have to work around a back injury.
We just have to stay the course. Keep. Doing. It. (At least, that's what I tell myself.)2 -
I frequently make my FitBit steps goal in my house when I don't want to go out to the gym or go outside. Stop making excuses and make things happen.
My Fitbit records marching in place - I sometimes do that while I'm watching TV. I make the rounds in and out of the rooms of my house -- it can be done.
That said it's already been stated above that you do not need to exercise to lose weight.
Oh, I've dropped 9 lbs or so since Christmas and sometimes I drink 3 glasses of wine a night.
My calorie goal is 1440. I average 1.5 - 2lbs a week but I started out at Christmas weighing 243. I am 5'6". I have exercised quite a bit (for me that is...FOR ME. LOL.) Although I do meet and often exceed my Fitbit goal (5000 spd) nearly every day, when I got to the gym yesterday for my so-called "aggressive" --again, aggressive for ME -- workout - I realized it was the first time in 10 days that I'd been to the gym!
I agree with the above posters - you don't need to be at 1200 calories. Try a higher goal and see what happens - you didn't gain the 20lbs over night, you can't expect to lose it that quickly either.
I really wish MFP would be more stern with realistic weekly losses - everyone just chooses 2lbs a week because, well, who wouldn't want to get there ASAP? I wish they'd be more explanatory in that. And if someone only has 20lbs to lose MFP should give them a warning if they choose lose 2lbs a week. But hey.2 -
I'm also 5'7" and started at around 160lbs. Currently at 148lbs. Here's my two cents:
- You know you enjoy a daily glass or two of wine, so pre-log it every day and fit your food calories around the wine. You may want to bulk up meals with more low-calorie, nutrient-dense foods like veggies, fruit, lean proteins if you find yourself too hungry.
- 1200 seems too low - why not try 1400 instead?
- I also live in a wintry climate and struggle to be active in the yucky weather. I compromise by going to the gym on my lunch break and going for a walk on the treadmill for 45 minutes while listening to my audiobook. I don't work up a sweat enough to shower nor do I have to change into workout clothes, so it's quick and painless. And it breaks up my workday nicely.
- Another option is home workouts. There are tons of excellent body weight and yoga routines on Youtube.1 -
I'm younger than you, but we're the same in that our weakness is alcohol. My secret to hitting my steps when the weather is nasty is to do walking aerobics videos on YouTube (search for Leslie Sansone); they're low impact and simple walking moves, but they are effective if you turn it into a habit. I also include calories for one drink in my calorie count for the day (I'm losing at 1400) and any extra exercise calories I burn can go to more drinks if I want to indulge. That gives me more incentive to exercise!2
-
In addition to the great advice above, I'd take a look at your step goal. It doesn't sound like you're getting much motivation out of setting an ambitious goal and it IS ambitious, not modest, if it's a significant increase for you and you're not meeting it more often than not. Look at your average steps through the week, and make it your goal to hit at least that number every day. After you can manage this for a week or so, up your goal by a little bit - 500 steps, 1000 steps, 250 steps, whatever makes sense for you. There's nothing wrong with gradual increases - you can do this!3
-
As someone who didn't get the logging of wine when I first started out, I just wanted to clarify what people are telling you. Say your target is 1400 calories a day, put your wine glass on a kitchen scale, measure the amount your pouring and find the appropriate entry. Two glasses for me are about 12 oz usually which is about 250 calories. So then, that means that you get to eat 1150 calories in food, the rest in wine. Log both and hit your target.
Over time I've found that the liquid calories are just not worth it unless it's a special occasion and then I'll work them into my day by prelogging.2 -
As far as the 2,000 calorie number, I think that is also an average for Men/Women, and is also to maintain weight, not lose weight. For instance, my normal TDEE (not counting meaningful exercise) is around 2,200 calories.1
-
I have a (5oz) glass of wine most days with dinner. Sometimes I may even have a couple. On occasion that may even be a few. They are still calories that are calculated into my daily plan. If I want that glass of wine, or two, or whatever, then I have to plan accordingly. Dinner is often a large pile of vegetables and some good protein (shrimp or chicken breast are common favorites) so I can enjoy that glass of wine. This means no starches at dinner, but I'm okay with that.
I workout pretty intensely. Honestly, if you're just going to the gym, throw on a jacket and gloves and just deal with the cold for the few steps to your car...and shoot, sit and shiver on the drive over. It sucks, but I, too, hate dealing with the layers, so skip them!1 -
I hate the idea of going to a gym myself and got rid of my membership.
Is working out at home an option for you? I know some people will just pace inside their homes. My place isn't large enough for that to be worthwhile, but I have a bike on a trainer downstairs. What about getting a trainer for your bike, buying an indoor bike or a treadmill?
~Lyssa0 -
Just sharing- hope the link works ok:
https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2011/08/why-does-the-fda-recommend-2-000-calories-per-day/243092/
0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 391.3K Introduce Yourself
- 43.4K Getting Started
- 259.7K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.6K Food and Nutrition
- 47.3K Recipes
- 232.3K Fitness and Exercise
- 387 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.4K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 152.7K Motivation and Support
- 7.8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.4K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.2K MyFitnessPal Information
- 22 News and Announcements
- 901 Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.2K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions