well, I'm going by the 3 month numbers more than the 1 month numbers - the numbers that have been over the past 12 weeks and shows an average rate of 1.73 lb/wk. This birthday weekend was the first weekend in months that I went over my limit at the 1450 calories, so when I compare that to the other 7 online calculators, they seem to be much closer to what I'm actually experiencing than MFP was. There is a difference in that the reading I took on 1/27 was an exact scale reading, and I've now switch over to the HappyScale trend weight reading, but I don't think that's going to make that big of a difference. With all the water weight issues I've been fighting the last 3 months, the week to week loss rate has been all over the place, so I'm just taking the reading on 1/27 minus my expected reading of 259.5 tomorrow morning, and then dividing by 12 to get the 1.73 per week rate.

So based on the 12 month average results at the 1450 and knowing that I expect to lose more over the next few months, I did go ahead and knock my calorie limit on down to 1400. That should hopefully over the next 2 or 3 months bump me back up to a 1.75 lb/wk loss rate - I hope! My brain wants to keep going at 2 lb/wk, but I do realize that eventually that has to slow down, and I know have a little less than 100 lbs to lose unlike the 200+ I need off when I started, so rationally, I know that slowing down a little is good for me, and I don't think that 1.75 lb/wk on average is too aggressive since I do have at least 90 lbs to go (or at least, for this year, 30 lbs more to go to get to 220, and then pipe dream of at least another 40 lbs after that; we'll see about that last 20, though I figure all the extra skin I have hanging around might account for 10 lbs or so......)

I jsut take 4 basic measurements - hips, bust, waist, and what I call high waist which is the muffin top that hangs over my waist. I have been doing a lot of walking, so perhaps the fat has come off my legs this last month? I also used a different tape measure this morning, digging one out that I had here at the house since the one I had been using is in my desk at work. They're cheap tape measures, so I guess its not out of the realm of possibility that they could be different by as much as 1/2". And I also know it also all depends on how tightly I hold that tape measure, too - I doubt I'm doing it exactly the same from month to month!

I certainly understand what you are feeling...I started out losing really fast and of course the weight is coming off slower now that I am getting close to my one year anniversary on May 28...some things I can think through so rationally and other things I can’t handle...( binge eating ).... it has taken me a very long time to actually admit I am an addict....I do not measure myself at all...when my clothes,shoes or rings are loose, I know I am losing inches as well as pounds....I am trying not to obsess about the rate my weight is coming off...I get weighed almost every day but I have stopped letting the scales set my mood for the day...the way I am eating now is becoming my “normal “ and my way of living...if I trust in the process of losing weight, I will continue to lose weight....I tried eating less a few weeks ago and I was not satisfied...I am reading all of your posts and comments and I take them to heart...I think you are a little too hard on yourself...you have done great and you are still fighting to take off more....maybe you should give yourself more credit and enjoy your accomplishments....you have lost weight, you feel better and you are healthier,you are exercising and your clothes fit and look better...I am very inspired by your drive....I am not a numbers person....numbers actually make my head hurt lol....hugs!

bmeadows380 wrote: »

@conniewilkins56 According to that piece of paper they handed me at my college graduation, I'm supposedly an engineer, so numbers - at least in algebraic or calculus type problems - don't scare me at all. However, start into probability, statistics, or financial math and you lose me really quick. I get the basics and can manage a household budget just fine, but once you start into depreciation and all those investing figures, forget it I appreciate the sentiment, though giving myself credit is one of the hardest things I try to do, and I usually fail miserably at it. It drives my best friend crazy that I'm hard on myself, but that's also a situation of the pot calling the kettle blackie lol

I agree with @conniewilkins56 you are hard on yourself. I had a boss once make me list my accomplishments after I came into his office whining about something I haven't completed. I'll never forget that, he reminded to take a step back every once in a while and take stock.

@bmeadows380 like it or not, some of us see you as a bad *kitten* who is doing an awesome job despite the obstacles and struggles.

Thanks, guys Though I really have a difficult time seeing myself as a bad *kitten*; I always just assume I'm the whiny, opinionated Eeyore person; comes from getting that impression from family. And my social skills are awkward at best....I'm still trying to learn how to gracefully end a conversation without an awkward silence, and to quit talking too much!

papayahed wrote: »

I agree with @conniewilkins56 you are hard on yourself. I had a boss once make me list my accomplishments after I came into his office whining about something I haven't completed.

I don't see my boss ever doing that; I'd daresay that list would be rather short. There's not a whole lot of opportunity for individual achievement in my position, and I'm newer to the group anyway with a large part of that learning curve still ahead of me.

maiomaio71 wrote: »

Not really a doom and despair post but it's been a rough few weeks. NZ went into total lockdown and we had two days to get our online classes up and running. My oldest decided not to come back to NZ and he's now in lockdown in England by himself. Upside of that is the daily chat I get with him which was only a weekly chat before isolation. I've been working hard at preparing for online lessons, struggling with not having face to face time with my students. I realize how much my teaching strategy relies on my relationship with the kids. My youngest quickly headed back to Auckland as he needed to keep training (lives at the club so he's lucky to have a gym and courts "at home"). His Uni has gone online as well so that made it possible for him to stay up there and train. So it's pretty quiet and lonely here, but I'm walking daily... increased the time and distance. And the cat is ecstatic to have company all day 😁.

Its times like these that my mostly loner lifestyle can be a blessing. My best friend and I usually communicate by phone anyway, so nothing has changed there, and my parents are right across the road from me - so if I don't want to risk an outright visit, I can stand in my driveway and yell across the road

But it has still been something to get used to with working at home. I have 5 cats and they are still getting used to be being home a lot more than usual!

Are you able to live stream the lessons and video conference with the kids, or is it you recording the lessons and them watching them later? I can imagine how much more difficult it can be when you can't see the students and see from their expressions how well they are understanding the concept! Its like with pastors who are preaching at a camera to live stream for the parishioners who are at home - I can't imagine how much more difficult it is to try to preach at a camera than a live congregation!

NovusDies wrote: »

I am sitting at half deficit and I am wondering if I want to risk feeling bad tomorrow because I chose not to eat 250 more calories. I would be giving up a .07 pound loss today.

Several years later I can guarantee you that giving up any one particular day's deficit does not impact the overall program

@PAV8888 sorry - I know what the symbols mean, but I've lost too many brain cells in the last 16 years since I graduated college to want to try to sit down and think my way through all the formulas

I realize my deficit is still pretty steep, but with ~90 lbs left to lose, I thought it was still okay at this point to keep it a little higher. I am trying this time around to consider factoring in re-feeds and diet breaks; I tried a re-feed back in March, though I think I was off on my calculations for what my maintenance calories should be. On the other hand, I quickly dropped the added weight which could easily have just been water weight retention do to the increase in food, so perhaps I wasn't as off as i think.

What had me wondering if I had some sort of adaptive thermogenesis is because of my thyroid and PCOS diagnosis, but I do admit that after I found out that I'm extremely hyperthyroid at this point, I realize that shouldn't really be a factor today. Back in the summer, when I was struggling to lose 1 lb a week and my TSH was sitting at 8? Probably; now, when my TSH is down to 0.04? doubtful. But at the same time, the numbers just weren't lining up with what the predictions said they should be. I knew I was having water retention issues, but didn't realize just how much they were skewing the numbers. I've noticed that in the last month, since I started getting active and increasing that activity, that the water weight issues have lessened significantly, and I think I'm finally seeing the true loss per week, which is, I admit, a lot faster than I had expected it to be.

This is technically the beginning of my 4th year, since I first started losing in January 2017, but I plateaued for nearly 2 years, so I'm about 9 months into the new losing stage, which was slow to get started, but has finally picked up - its been about 3 months since it started really picking up. But all that means is that I've gotten used to weighing and calculating calorie counts and using little tweaks to bring calorie counts down. The activity factor is brand new, so that's a whole new learning curve that I definitely am experimenting with to find what works for me. I am surprised at myself, though, at how quickly I've been able to up the intensity, though I'll never make it to what MFP calls a "brisk walk" - 3.5 mph is about as fast as I can maintain; anything higher than that is jogging!


That is a very interesting link, though, and @NovusDies , they have much different descriptors for their energy levels, including two different factors - regular, daily activity, and exercise efforts - that are used to calculate the activity factor. Do you think they seem to be more realistic? The first factor for my activity at work I set to very light because I do get almost no activity during my normal work day. Going by their descriptors for leisure time, I guess I have to admit that for now, since I"m trying to get 30 minute sessions of cardio in 5 days a week, and 45-60 minute walks in 7 days a week, and 20-30 minute elliptical sessions in 5 days a week, not to mention the gardening, house chores, etc that get done in that leisure time, that with the purposeful exercise I've added to my schedule, I'd have to mark myself as active; moderate at the very least. Which gives me an activity factor of 1.4 - 1.6 (and probably leaning more to the 1.6). Which in turn says I should be up to around 1610 calories a day to lose another 34 lbs by the middle of August, which in turn is about 200 calories above what I have set for myself as my sedentary daily average. Which does indeed match MFP's goal for me at lightly active, and that's with the 2 lbs/wk setting.

My brain, however, is already fighting the numbers we're seeing here lol From these numbers, that tells me that on days I get my activity goals in, I need to be eating anywhere from 200 - 250 additional calories. Right? OR at least, if I manage to be really active all week, I can afford to be a little over my goal on the weekend, as long as I don't go crazy with it.

I just have to keep chipping away at that brick wall that is my head; I'll get through eventually!


@conniewilkins56 it don't really require all that math I'm just a numbers nerd who likes things to make rational sense - even in my fantasy life (which drives my best friend insane - especially when I spent a week designing a made-up world's whole time and date system based upon rotational rates around their sun......)

You can do it, though - just focus on one little thing at a time!

Old dogs; new tricks?

So with the Novel shopping patterns around here I've been eating "different" things I normally don't. Especially since Costco seems to no longer offer my favourite Rx bars based on dates, cashews, and egg whites. At a box+ a week, I'm not willing to pay the non Costco price for chocolate bar replacements!!!😹

So lately it has been dates (Tunisian dates 🤷‍♂️) and "natural" California almonds, usually 10-15g almonds and 30g dates

But I run out of almonds!

So out came the bag of only slightly expired almond flour that has been sitting in the pantry for the past year or two!

And an attempt to see how dates and almond powder would look in a food processor. (Powder). Add cashew milk. (Too wet). Add more almond and dates and a few oats (starting to look like batter).

To eat as is or bake with maybe some egg?... nah, just spoon it with some yogurt!

OMG, that's just over 1K Cal 🤯🙀🤦‍♂️😱

And not THAT filling! (Not terrible, but not worth 1K

I'm sure I've heard mention of logging before eating! 🤦‍♂️🤬

My granddaughter had Wed and Thur off work and was home both days. So, after two days of having my routines disrupted, and not getting in the exercise as planned, I thought I'd get back to it today ..... NOT HAPPENING!!

I've been in lockdown for about 3 weeks. Last night the governor extended and tightened the lockdown to the end of the month. That's another 3 weeks. I feel stifled, confined, stagnant, and, Oh My God, Majorly BORED!!!

Have not done exercise stuff for 3 days. Feeling guilty about that. I have logged all my food and beverage intakes. I did manage to post in my favorite threads both Wed and Thur. But, today I have no interest in doing so ... I've gone into them to read but no interest in posting. Very frustrating. Even maddening, because right now, I'm my biggest roadblock!!!

Need to Kick this attitude in the butt and get back to doing what I know I need to do to move forward. So, giving myself permission to fluff off for today with the agreement between me and me that I'll get back on full track tomorrow ... immediately after weighin.

@PAV888 Not much of a cook and less a baker, but I’ve had some luck starting with 2 overripe bananas and 1 3/4 cups of quick oats. Starting with that, I’ve added various stuff 2 tbls peanut flour, or 2 tbls egg protein powder, some I’ve add maple syrup, some brown sugar, some chocolate chips, some kind of dried fruit mix we had around the house that I chopped up.

But starting with those bananas and the quick oats makes a sort of cookie dough that is good to experiment with. I had to rely on my wife to tell me when the bananas were ripe enough. As a reference I’d say they were at least 2 days past anything I would have considered eating. If there is such a thing as too ripe, I’ve never gotten there.

I’ve made mostly “cookies” because I think its easy. My wife added flax and chia seeds to a batch and made them kinda like brownies. I liked the cookie shape because I could easily control the size and numbers but my wife seemed to think that was over the OCD line.

I put cookies in quotes because if I made a batch of these, gave one to my grandmother and said it was a cookie she’d fall down laughing.