Maybe Losing Weight too Fast?
cammiecane
Posts: 62 Member
So I wanted to get advice from everyone. I started my “diet” on Sunday and then discovered MFP on Tuesday after speaking to my doc. I put in all the relevant information and set a 2lbs a week weight loss goal.
On Sunday, when I started, I weighed 187.3. I dropped a lot the first couple of days, but figured I was losing the water I’d been retaining. That being said, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down that much? As of today, I’m 176.8 and it hasn’t even been a full week.
Part of me is super excited, but part of me is worried. I’ve only been exercising once a day and have been eating almost all of my calories for the day. Do I need to change something or is this normal for the first week and it’ll eventually slow down on its own?
Thanks!!
On Sunday, when I started, I weighed 187.3. I dropped a lot the first couple of days, but figured I was losing the water I’d been retaining. That being said, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down that much? As of today, I’m 176.8 and it hasn’t even been a full week.
Part of me is super excited, but part of me is worried. I’ve only been exercising once a day and have been eating almost all of my calories for the day. Do I need to change something or is this normal for the first week and it’ll eventually slow down on its own?
Thanks!!
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Replies
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are you weighting yourself at the same place with the same scale at the same time with similar clothing? 10 pds in one week even with water weight sounds unlikely but I am not the most knowledgable.0
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You'd be amazed how much water weight you can carry at different times of the month!
You would have to be seriously undereating to lose anything other than water or slow digesting food that fast.
How tall are you, how many calories are you eating, and are you doing more exercise?1 -
I’m 5’7, eating about 1100 Cals a day and doing about 30 minutes of exercise a day.
So maybe i was just retaining a lot of water and it’ll go down to normal soon, right?5 -
cammiecane wrote: »I’m 5’7, eating about 1100 Cals a day and doing about 30 minutes of exercise a day.
So maybe i was just retaining a lot of water and it’ll go down to normal soon, right?
Why are you eating so little?
Nothing permanent will happen based on your diet for one week, and I'd still guess it's mostly water weight. But a little tip from years of experience - undereating plus exercise is a recipe for feeling like crap, hitting the wall, and gaining it all back.
Set your goal to lose 1 lb per week. Log accurately and consistently. Eat the calories mfp gives you. Lose weight at a reasonable pace that doesn't lead to too much muscle loss or loose skin and makes the transition into maintenance easier.. If you'd like, there's lots of great info in the Most Helpful Posts pinned to the top of each forum. Keep asking questions because that's how all of us learned
Good luck! 18 -
cammiecane wrote: »So I wanted to get advice from everyone. I started my “diet” on Sunday and then discovered MFP on Tuesday after speaking to my doc. I put in all the relevant information and set a 2lbs a week weight loss goal.
On Sunday, when I started, I weighed 187.3. I dropped a lot the first couple of days, but figured I was losing the water I’d been retaining. That being said, it doesn’t seem to be slowing down that much? As of today, I’m 176.8 and it hasn’t even been a full week.
Part of me is super excited, but part of me is worried. I’ve only been exercising once a day and have been eating almost all of my calories for the day. Do I need to change something or is this normal for the first week and it’ll eventually slow down on its own?
Thanks!!
Honestly, that probably isn't fat loss. It's more like water weight. I strictly track macros, don't drink alcohol, work out excessively and when I went on vacation (drank, ate whatever without tracking, didn't work out), I ended up coming back 10 lbs. heavier. I lost that within 3 days of being back in the gym and eating my regular meals. Water retention from sodium and carbohydrate intake is real. You're probably consuming less of these and in turn are holding less water. Also, if you're working out, you will sweat out a lot of water when first getting started.3 -
Are you weighing yourself at the same time every day under the same conditions? i.e. first thing in the morning, naked, after going to the bathroom or are you weighing yourself at random times throughout the day, clothed, hydrated, well fed, prior to elimination, etc? I generally weight 3-5lbs more at night than I do in the morning.0
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cammiecane wrote: »I’m 5’7, eating about 1100 Cals a day and doing about 30 minutes of exercise a day.
So maybe i was just retaining a lot of water and it’ll go down to normal soon, right?
Starvation diet FTW. Seriously though, that's too low. 30 minutes of exercise is going to net you a couple hundred calories, maybe 100 if you don't work at it very hard, so it means you're effectively eating about 900-1000 net calories a day. Minimum for someone about 6" shorter than you would be about 1200/day. My guess is you should probably be eating in the 1500 calorie range but it depends on many factors that you have not given (current age/activity level/how tough is the exercise you're performing/etc.). 5-7lbs could easily be water weight as well. I'd seriously re-calculate, MFP should not give you less than 1200/day, unless you manually set it that low. The problem is that if you continue at that few of calories you're definitely going to lose fat, but you're probably burning away muscle at the same rate. Your heart is a muscle. Food for thought.6 -
Why are you eating so little?
Nothing permanent will happen based on your diet for one week, and I'd still guess it's mostly water weight. But a little tip from years of experience - undereating plus exercise is a recipe for feeling like crap, hitting the wall, and gaining it all back.
Set your goal to lose 1 lb per week. Log accurately and consistently. Eat the calories mfp gives you. Lose weight at a reasonable pace that doesn't lead to too much muscle loss or loose skin and makes the transition into maintenance easier.. If you'd like, there's lots of great info in the Most Helpful Posts pinned to the top of each forum. Keep asking questions because that's how all of us learned Good luck!
Um... that’s what MFP gave me. Well, it gave me 1200 calories a day, but what happens is I get to around 1100 and I can’t find anything I want to eat that will keep me under 1200 and I don’t want to go over so I just leave it there.
I set my goal to 2lbs only because I have a lot to lose. I figure when I get closer to my goal I can decrease the rate.
That makes sense. Thanks!peaceout_aly wrote: »
Honestly, that probably isn't fat loss. It's more like water weight. I strictly track macros, don't drink alcohol, work out excessively and when I went on vacation (drank, ate whatever without tracking, didn't work out), I ended up coming back 10 lbs. heavier. I lost that within 3 days of being back in the gym and eating my regular meals. Water retention from sodium and carbohydrate intake is real. You're probably consuming less of these and in turn are holding less water. Also, if you're working out, you will sweat out a lot of water when first getting started.WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »Are you weighing yourself at the same time every day under the same conditions? i.e. first thing in the morning, naked, after going to the bathroom or are you weighing yourself at random times throughout the day, clothed, hydrated, well fed, prior to elimination, etc? I generally weight 3-5lbs more at night than I do in the morning.
I weigh at the same time every day. First thing in the morning after I get up and use the bathroom but before eating or drinking anything and always in a bra and underwear. Same scale.Spliner1969 wrote: »Starvation diet FTW. Seriously though, that's too low. 30 minutes of exercise is going to net you a couple hundred calories, maybe 100 if you don't work at it very hard, so it means you're effectively eating about 900-1000 net calories a day. Minimum for someone about 6" shorter than you would be about 1200/day. My guess is you should probably be eating in the 1500 calorie range but it depends on many factors that you have not given (current age/activity level/how tough is the exercise you're performing/etc.). 5-7lbs could easily be water weight as well. I'd seriously re-calculate, MFP should not give you less than 1200/day, unless you manually set it that low. The problem is that if you continue at that few of calories you're definitely going to lose fat, but you're probably burning away muscle at the same rate. Your heart is a muscle. Food for thought.
MFP gave me 1200 calories a day. Like I said, a lot of times I can’t find anything I want to eat that will get my cals right at 1200, but not go over. So I just leave it at 1100.
I’m 31 and I put my activity level as sedentary because I work mostly from home on the computer. The only workouts I do right now are hiking with hills and body weight exercises, ie push-ups, sit-ups and crunches, and various butt-toning exercises. Nothing too strenuous.
I know all about the heart thing, but thank you. I actually damaged my heart already from the last time which is why I’m trying to be careful this time and why I’m asking questions in the first place.4 -
A small spoonful of peanut butter is 100 cals... job done. No need to eat so little again.
Not sure how you have 'so much' weight to lose when you're 170 odd pounds... you have maybe 30lbs to lose?11 -
So many 100 calorie options! but if you are consistently coming in at 1100 maybe look at your overall daily meals and add a bit to each meal. increase portions. use milk with fat VS non fat for example. You don't have to be at 1199 on the button either. Look at your macros, which number if most off and see if you can work more of that in your daily food. Like if you are low on protein add a bit of protein. If you are super low on fat maybe use a bit of oil in your cooking.
for me i'd get 100 calories of PB or chocolate haha. or cheese. so many options..2 -
A lot to lose is 75+ lbs. You have maybe 40 lbs? 2 lbs is really aggressive for your size. Ultimately it's up to you, but 1200 net (so calories eaten minus exercise cals) is the absolute min, unless you are short, elderly, and sedentary. If you insist on aiming for 1200, error on the side of a little over, rather than a little under. It is very hard to get enough protein and fat at that level.5
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A lot to lose is 75+ lbs. You have maybe 40 lbs? 2 lbs is really aggressive for your size. Ultimately it's up to you, but 1200 net (so calories eaten minus exercise cals) is the absolute min, unless you are short, elderly, and sedentary. If you insist on aiming for 1200, error on the side of a little over, rather than a little under. It is very hard to get enough protein and fat at that level.
I would also add to this that when you stall...and you will...you'll have nowhere to go calorie wise because you're already at the bottom.
A lot of people get this backwards IMO and start with the most aggressive and then think they can lay off the pedal when they get closer. In most cases though, it's better to start with a less aggressive target...plateaus are a pretty typical aspect of losing weight and when you've already got the pedal to the metal, there's nothing you can do.7 -
TavistockToad wrote: »A small spoonful of peanut butter is 100 cals... job done. No need to eat so little again.
Not sure how you have 'so much' weight to lose when you're 170 odd pounds... you have maybe 30lbs to lose?A lot to lose is 75+ lbs. You have maybe 40 lbs? 2 lbs is really aggressive for your size. Ultimately it's up to you, but 1200 net (so calories eaten minus exercise cals) is the absolute min, unless you are short, elderly, and sedentary. If you insist on aiming for 1200, error on the side of a little over, rather than a little under. It is very hard to get enough protein and fat at that level.
Well, when i started, I was 187, so I had 70lbs to lose. Pretty close to 75lbs. I consider it a lot, anyway.
I never considered the peanut butter thing. I love peanut butter with my apples. Eat it almost every day, so maybe I will add an extra tbsp of peanut butter to my snack. Thank you!
I definitely get a lot of protein. I eat high protein to protect my muscles. I didn’t know there was a minimum amount of fat I needed? Im also confused about the net calories. When I log my exercise, it adds calories, which increases the total calories I can eat, I guess. I thought exercising was just a bonus to get a bigger deficit, not to eat more?
Thank you to everyone who has been taking the time and answer my questions/concerns. I really do appreciate it. A lot of very helpful answers and suggestions!2 -
cammiecane wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »A small spoonful of peanut butter is 100 cals... job done. No need to eat so little again.
Not sure how you have 'so much' weight to lose when you're 170 odd pounds... you have maybe 30lbs to lose?A lot to lose is 75+ lbs. You have maybe 40 lbs? 2 lbs is really aggressive for your size. Ultimately it's up to you, but 1200 net (so calories eaten minus exercise cals) is the absolute min, unless you are short, elderly, and sedentary. If you insist on aiming for 1200, error on the side of a little over, rather than a little under. It is very hard to get enough protein and fat at that level.
Well, when i started, I was 187, so I had 70lbs to lose. Pretty close to 75lbs. I consider it a lot, anyway.
I never considered the peanut butter thing. I love peanut butter with my apples. Eat it almost every day, so maybe I will add an extra tbsp of peanut butter to my snack. Thank you!
I definitely get a lot of protein. I eat high protein to protect my muscles. I didn’t know there was a minimum amount of fat I needed? Im also confused about the net calories. When I log my exercise, it adds calories, which increases the total calories I can eat, I guess. I thought exercising was just a bonus to get a bigger deficit, not to eat more?
Thank you to everyone who has been taking the time and answer my questions/concerns. I really do appreciate it. A lot of very helpful answers and suggestions!
At 5ft7 you want to be 117lbs?8 -
TavistockToad wrote: »cammiecane wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »A small spoonful of peanut butter is 100 cals... job done. No need to eat so little again.
Not sure how you have 'so much' weight to lose when you're 170 odd pounds... you have maybe 30lbs to lose?A lot to lose is 75+ lbs. You have maybe 40 lbs? 2 lbs is really aggressive for your size. Ultimately it's up to you, but 1200 net (so calories eaten minus exercise cals) is the absolute min, unless you are short, elderly, and sedentary. If you insist on aiming for 1200, error on the side of a little over, rather than a little under. It is very hard to get enough protein and fat at that level.
Well, when i started, I was 187, so I had 70lbs to lose. Pretty close to 75lbs. I consider it a lot, anyway.
I never considered the peanut butter thing. I love peanut butter with my apples. Eat it almost every day, so maybe I will add an extra tbsp of peanut butter to my snack. Thank you!
I definitely get a lot of protein. I eat high protein to protect my muscles. I didn’t know there was a minimum amount of fat I needed? Im also confused about the net calories. When I log my exercise, it adds calories, which increases the total calories I can eat, I guess. I thought exercising was just a bonus to get a bigger deficit, not to eat more?
Thank you to everyone who has been taking the time and answer my questions/concerns. I really do appreciate it. A lot of very helpful answers and suggestions!
At 5ft7 you want to be 117lbs?
OP, again, obviously this is all up to you, but that weight is solidly underweight for your height. It will be very difficult to maintain, that's why you are having to eat so little to lose at the rate you would expect. If I were your friend, I'd strongly advise you to reconsider. Maybe aim for 125 and once you get there decide how you're doing?
I'm so glad you're willing to talk about all of this! So many posters take it personal, but we really just want to make sure everyone is making well informed decisions!9 -
cammiecane wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »A small spoonful of peanut butter is 100 cals... job done. No need to eat so little again.
Not sure how you have 'so much' weight to lose when you're 170 odd pounds... you have maybe 30lbs to lose?A lot to lose is 75+ lbs. You have maybe 40 lbs? 2 lbs is really aggressive for your size. Ultimately it's up to you, but 1200 net (so calories eaten minus exercise cals) is the absolute min, unless you are short, elderly, and sedentary. If you insist on aiming for 1200, error on the side of a little over, rather than a little under. It is very hard to get enough protein and fat at that level.
Well, when i started, I was 187, so I had 70lbs to lose. Pretty close to 75lbs. I consider it a lot, anyway.
I never considered the peanut butter thing. I love peanut butter with my apples. Eat it almost every day, so maybe I will add an extra tbsp of peanut butter to my snack. Thank you!
I definitely get a lot of protein. I eat high protein to protect my muscles. I didn’t know there was a minimum amount of fat I needed? Im also confused about the net calories. When I log my exercise, it adds calories, which increases the total calories I can eat, I guess. I thought exercising was just a bonus to get a bigger deficit, not to eat more?
Thank you to everyone who has been taking the time and answer my questions/concerns. I really do appreciate it. A lot of very helpful answers and suggestions!
A loss of 70-75 Lbs would put you under weight. Your BMI weight range is 122-149 and where you fall in that range would depend greatly on your structural build and muscle mass. Most people at the low end of BMI whether male or female have very slight builds and very little muscle mass4 -
I keep hearing the refrain "that's what MFP gave me", but MFP only gave you that because you chose the most aggressive rate of loss. At least change it to 1.5 lbs/week and see if it gives you anything extra. Very soon, you're going to want to reduce that down to 1 lb/week.cammiecane wrote: »
Why are you eating so little?
Nothing permanent will happen based on your diet for one week, and I'd still guess it's mostly water weight. But a little tip from years of experience - undereating plus exercise is a recipe for feeling like crap, hitting the wall, and gaining it all back.
Set your goal to lose 1 lb per week. Log accurately and consistently. Eat the calories mfp gives you. Lose weight at a reasonable pace that doesn't lead to too much muscle loss or loose skin and makes the transition into maintenance easier.. If you'd like, there's lots of great info in the Most Helpful Posts pinned to the top of each forum. Keep asking questions because that's how all of us learned Good luck!
Um... that’s what MFP gave me. Well, it gave me 1200 calories a day, but what happens is I get to around 1100 and I can’t find anything I want to eat that will keep me under 1200 and I don’t want to go over so I just leave it there.
I set my goal to 2lbs only because I have a lot to lose. I figure when I get closer to my goal I can decrease the rate.
That makes sense. Thanks!peaceout_aly wrote: »
Honestly, that probably isn't fat loss. It's more like water weight. I strictly track macros, don't drink alcohol, work out excessively and when I went on vacation (drank, ate whatever without tracking, didn't work out), I ended up coming back 10 lbs. heavier. I lost that within 3 days of being back in the gym and eating my regular meals. Water retention from sodium and carbohydrate intake is real. You're probably consuming less of these and in turn are holding less water. Also, if you're working out, you will sweat out a lot of water when first getting started.WholeFoods4Lyfe wrote: »Are you weighing yourself at the same time every day under the same conditions? i.e. first thing in the morning, naked, after going to the bathroom or are you weighing yourself at random times throughout the day, clothed, hydrated, well fed, prior to elimination, etc? I generally weight 3-5lbs more at night than I do in the morning.
I weigh at the same time every day. First thing in the morning after I get up and use the bathroom but before eating or drinking anything and always in a bra and underwear. Same scale.Spliner1969 wrote: »Starvation diet FTW. Seriously though, that's too low. 30 minutes of exercise is going to net you a couple hundred calories, maybe 100 if you don't work at it very hard, so it means you're effectively eating about 900-1000 net calories a day. Minimum for someone about 6" shorter than you would be about 1200/day. My guess is you should probably be eating in the 1500 calorie range but it depends on many factors that you have not given (current age/activity level/how tough is the exercise you're performing/etc.). 5-7lbs could easily be water weight as well. I'd seriously re-calculate, MFP should not give you less than 1200/day, unless you manually set it that low. The problem is that if you continue at that few of calories you're definitely going to lose fat, but you're probably burning away muscle at the same rate. Your heart is a muscle. Food for thought.
I know all about the heart thing, but thank you. I actually damaged my heart already from the last time which is why I’m trying to be careful this time and why I’m asking questions in the first place.
This is so concerning. Glad you are trying to be more careful, but please note what everyone is telling you and consider a slower rate of loss. Wish you well
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That's not being healthy at all, you're doing the opposite. Why so little food?cammiecane wrote: »I’m 5’7, eating about 1100 Cals a day and doing about 30 minutes of exercise a day.
So maybe i was just retaining a lot of water and it’ll go down to normal soon, right?
2 -
TavistockToad wrote: »
At 5ft7 you want to be 117lbs?
OP, again, obviously this is all up to you, but that weight is solidly underweight for your height. It will be very difficult to maintain, that's why you are having to eat so little to lose at the rate you would expect. If I were your friend, I'd strongly advise you to reconsider. Maybe aim for 125 and once you get there decide how you're doing?
I'm so glad you're willing to talk about all of this! So many posters take it personal, but we really just want to make sure everyone is making well informed decisions!
I don’t take it personal at all. I joined this community under my dr.’s suggestion. I used to have an ED and so it’s hard for me to notice if/when I’m slipping into old behaviors. That’s why he thought being a part of a community of people who are doing things the right way and focusing on health before anything else would be good for me.
I’ve taken your advice and others and have changed my goal weight to 125lbs and changed my weight loss goal to 1 lb a week. So I have 1440 cals a day to work with now. I guess I’ll need to work on the exercise cals. Apparently I’m supposed to be eating them back? The thought of doing so kind of freaks me out right now, but I’ll work towards it.
Again, I really want to say thank you to everyone. It means a lot to me. Last time I was so alone and didn’t have anyone to talk to/get advice from and it ended up being a disaster. Have a great day everyone! You guys rock!
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cammiecane wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »
At 5ft7 you want to be 117lbs?
OP, again, obviously this is all up to you, but that weight is solidly underweight for your height. It will be very difficult to maintain, that's why you are having to eat so little to lose at the rate you would expect. If I were your friend, I'd strongly advise you to reconsider. Maybe aim for 125 and once you get there decide how you're doing?
I'm so glad you're willing to talk about all of this! So many posters take it personal, but we really just want to make sure everyone is making well informed decisions!
I don’t take it personal at all. I joined this community under my dr.’s suggestion. I used to have an ED and so it’s hard for me to notice if/when I’m slipping into old behaviors. That’s why he thought being a part of a community of people who are doing things the right way and focusing on health before anything else would be good for me.
I’ve taken your advice and others and have changed my goal weight to 125lbs and changed my weight loss goal to 1 lb a week. So I have 1440 cals a day to work with now. I guess I’ll need to work on the exercise cals. Apparently I’m supposed to be eating them back? The thought of doing so kind of freaks me out right now, but I’ll work towards it.
Again, I really want to say thank you to everyone. It means a lot to me. Last time I was so alone and didn’t have anyone to talk to/get advice from and it ended up being a disaster. Have a great day everyone! You guys rock!
So encouraged by your attitude! Made my day 6 -
cammiecane wrote: »MFP gave me 1200 calories a day. Like I said, a lot of times I can’t find anything I want to eat that will get my cals right at 1200, but not go over. So I just leave it at 1100.
I’m 31 and I put my activity level as sedentary because I work mostly from home on the computer. The only workouts I do right now are hiking with hills and body weight exercises, ie push-ups, sit-ups and crunches, and various butt-toning exercises. Nothing too strenuous.
I know all about the heart thing, but thank you. I actually damaged my heart already from the last time which is why I’m trying to be careful this time and why I’m asking questions in the first place.
The reason MFP is setting you at 1200 is because it's the lowest it's allowed to set you (probably for legal reasons). It is set to the usual average of a pound of fat being about 3500 calories. So 2lbs/week means you need to be in a 7000 calorie deficit. That's 1000 per day. Your TDEE at your height is likely in the 1700-1800 range (just a guess, I did not calculate that) so it's attempting to subtract 1000 calories from that and stopping at 1200. I'd suggest dialing it back to 1lb/week loss or maybe even .5lb/week and make up the extra with more exercise. You'll get more calories, be able to better improve muscle/performance, and the weight may come off slower but it'll be a better way. In the absence of wanting anything extra to eat, consider a protein snack to use up those extra calories. It'll help you maintain what muscle you have while you are losing weight and help you to recover from exercise quicker. Just my .02 for what it's worth. I'm really sorry to hear you damaged your heart, did a doctor tell you that? I tried the 2lb/wk loss rate my first year, lost the weight but managed to injure my back several times due to fatigue and over-training with not enough calories.
It took me a while to come to terms with the fact that eating really low calories was killing my performance for the things I wanted to do with exercise (running, weight training). Now when I attempt to drop weight I will only set myself at .5lb/wk and if I want to lose a little faster I'll just add a bit more exercise and still stay at that calorie level.
The biggest issue is we all want to lose the weight as fast as we can (myself included) but it isn't always the best thing for us to do. I fight the urge to drop my calories really low all the time. Of course my appetite from a heavy workout schedule helps me resist lol.2 -
cammiecane wrote: »I’ve taken your advice and others and have changed my goal weight to 125lbs and changed my weight loss goal to 1 lb a week. So I have 1440 cals a day to work with now. I guess I’ll need to work on the exercise cals. Apparently I’m supposed to be eating them back? The thought of doing so kind of freaks me out right now, but I’ll work towards it.
Absolutely eat them back. The problem is always whether or not they are accurate calories. For instance if you run a 5k and your tracker says you burned 600 calories it's likely nowhere near accurate. Check out other calculators or look at MFP's manual database and see what it gives you. I always adjusted mine down to no more than what MFP's manual entry gave me, then ate back half of that. That was my first year in maintenance. I managed to lose weight over a few months doing that so I dialed it up to about 70% of those calories to eat back and it seemed perfect to maintain my weight at that point. Takes time to figure what your actual burn is, but a lot of people start with 50% of what their app/device tells them and go from there.1 -
cammiecane wrote: »TavistockToad wrote: »
At 5ft7 you want to be 117lbs?
OP, again, obviously this is all up to you, but that weight is solidly underweight for your height. It will be very difficult to maintain, that's why you are having to eat so little to lose at the rate you would expect. If I were your friend, I'd strongly advise you to reconsider. Maybe aim for 125 and once you get there decide how you're doing?
I'm so glad you're willing to talk about all of this! So many posters take it personal, but we really just want to make sure everyone is making well informed decisions!
I don’t take it personal at all. I joined this community under my dr.’s suggestion. I used to have an ED and so it’s hard for me to notice if/when I’m slipping into old behaviors. That’s why he thought being a part of a community of people who are doing things the right way and focusing on health before anything else would be good for me.
I’ve taken your advice and others and have changed my goal weight to 125lbs and changed my weight loss goal to 1 lb a week. So I have 1440 cals a day to work with now. I guess I’ll need to work on the exercise cals. Apparently I’m supposed to be eating them back? The thought of doing so kind of freaks me out right now, but I’ll work towards it.
Again, I really want to say thank you to everyone. It means a lot to me. Last time I was so alone and didn’t have anyone to talk to/get advice from and it ended up being a disaster. Have a great day everyone! You guys rock!
Major course improvement: Yay!
In general, as rule of thumb, it's a risky plan to lose more than 1% of your body weight weekly on average (looking at an average over 4-6 weeks), and it should be even less as you get within 25-50 pounds of goal weight. That will also help you better learn the skills you need to maintain a healthy weight, in a healthy way, forever. No extreme measures, just sensible moderation!2 -
Spliner1969 wrote: »
Absolutely eat them back. The problem is always whether or not they are accurate calories. For instance if you run a 5k and your tracker says you burned 600 calories it's likely nowhere near accurate. Check out other calculators or look at MFP's manual database and see what it gives you. I always adjusted mine down to no more than what MFP's manual entry gave me, then ate back half of that. That was my first year in maintenance. I managed to lose weight over a few months doing that so I dialed it up to about 70% of those calories to eat back and it seemed perfect to maintain my weight at that point. Takes time to figure what your actual burn is, but a lot of people start with 50% of what their app/device tells them and go from there.
That’s exactly what I was worried about. The burned calories being inflated and me eating back too many and messing things up. I don’t use a tracker or anything so I just go by MFPs numbers. The eating back half sounds like a great idea! I’m going to try that. Thanks!!2 -
Spliner1969 wrote: »cammiecane wrote: »I’ve taken your advice and others and have changed my goal weight to 125lbs and changed my weight loss goal to 1 lb a week. So I have 1440 cals a day to work with now. I guess I’ll need to work on the exercise cals. Apparently I’m supposed to be eating them back? The thought of doing so kind of freaks me out right now, but I’ll work towards it.
Absolutely eat them back. The problem is always whether or not they are accurate calories. For instance if you run a 5k and your tracker says you burned 600 calories it's likely nowhere near accurate. Check out other calculators or look at MFP's manual database and see what it gives you. I always adjusted mine down to no more than what MFP's manual entry gave me, then ate back half of that. That was my first year in maintenance. I managed to lose weight over a few months doing that so I dialed it up to about 70% of those calories to eat back and it seemed perfect to maintain my weight at that point. Takes time to figure what your actual burn is, but a lot of people start with 50% of what their app/device tells them and go from there.
Running is actually really east to get an accurate burn for:
Bodyweight in lbs x 0.63 x distance in miles5 -
cammiecane wrote: »
That way of thinking is how I developed anorexia, just so you know. I’m not the best at giving advice on healthy eating habits and I’m sure others will weigh in with great advice, but I just wanted to say please be careful!
I started at 220lbs and when I was done, I was 99lbs, hospitalized, with a permanently damaged heart. I’m at risk of sudden cardiac death for the rest of my life now. So yes, it is that bad for you.
You wrote this today...on another post...... I am confused...0 -
AlphaHowls wrote: »
You wrote this today...on another post...... I am confused...
When I was younger, I developed an ED and got down to 99lbs and basically almost died. I’ve been recovered for a few years now. My medical team has finally decided it’s ok for me to lose weight and get to a healthy BMI. Hence, why I joined this community. To try and stay healthy and on track and do things the right way. I’m not sure what part exactly you’re confused about so let me know if that clears thing up. 🙂4 -
Since you had an ED definitely take it easy and slow. You need to be able to learn how to lose weight in a healthy fashion and build good habits so that you don't slip back into ED behavior.1
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cammiecane wrote: »Spliner1969 wrote: »
Absolutely eat them back. The problem is always whether or not they are accurate calories. For instance if you run a 5k and your tracker says you burned 600 calories it's likely nowhere near accurate. Check out other calculators or look at MFP's manual database and see what it gives you. I always adjusted mine down to no more than what MFP's manual entry gave me, then ate back half of that. That was my first year in maintenance. I managed to lose weight over a few months doing that so I dialed it up to about 70% of those calories to eat back and it seemed perfect to maintain my weight at that point. Takes time to figure what your actual burn is, but a lot of people start with 50% of what their app/device tells them and go from there.
That’s exactly what I was worried about. The burned calories being inflated and me eating back too many and messing things up. I don’t use a tracker or anything so I just go by MFPs numbers. The eating back half sounds like a great idea! I’m going to try that. Thanks!!
I had a fitbit, lost it, went back to using MFP's numbers, and don't miss the fitbit.
Eating back half is a good place to start. If you find that over a month or so you are losing faster than expected, you can eat a higher percentage. (Toss out this week's numbers though.)0
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