Hello. My name is Lynne and I have had some success recently going from 191# to 170#....that is before the holidays. I am slowly gaining weight and have gone back to my old eating habits and lack of activity. I presently am at 178. I'm looking for some support from others who are struggling or have struggled and now find success. Exchange of tips and recipes. Open to anything to help me get back on track. Thanks so much.

Bodytransform wrote: »

Hi all from London, UK.

Currently, at last weigh-in – 73.4kg or 11 stones 5Ibs or 161 pounds

My target is: 61kg or 9 stones 7Ibs or 135.8 pounds

Need to shed: 12.4kg or 2.5 stones or 25.2 pounds

I’m in no rush but would want it gone by September 2020.

Welcome.

Less than 3 lbs monthly on avg can be very reasonable.
Then again weight loss isn't linear, nor constant.

At 25 lbs to lose keep it reasonable by going for 1 lb weekly for now and confirm using tool correctly - when you do more you correctly eat more, aka exercise.

And select activity level honestly - very few are truly sedentary if you have household duties.
If you come home from a desk job and driving commute, plop on couch and then bed later, every weeknight and all weekend - then indeed sedentary.
If things are getting done besides exercise in the house - lightly-active.

When you are down to 10 left to lose on lightly-active level, time to select 1/2 lb weekly loss to keep it reasonable.

5 months there, about 4 months on first 15 lbs - you won't reach Sep.

And that's why time-based goals do not work well - causes foolish decisions to be made.

But you do the right kind of lifting workouts and you'll likely appear to have reached goal weight well before Sep, and may have even changed your goal.

lmbrozey wrote: »

I am 55, and trying to lose weight and be fit. I walk daily for about 35 minutes, and do pilates 2x/week. Someone just reminded me that I need to make sure I eat enough so that my body doesn't go into starvation mode. I wanted to see what tricks advice this group had...

Well, Starvation mode, aka Adaptive Thermogenesis, has a lot of false rumors associated with it.
Your body if underfed by amount it feels is too stressful (which varies, got other stresses on body like disease, repair, lack of sleep, ect) will slow you down for daily activity, if that's not good enough to conserve calories for more important things, then lower level things (hair/nail/skin growth & repairs), and then finally if that's not enough help your base metabolism.

Net effect is burning less than estimates would make you think.
Plus body in stressed out state produces water retaining cortisol, can slowly add on 20 lbs of water that way.

You'll still be losing fat, it just may be hidden by water weight gain, and not as much as it could be if actually burning more.

Match the myths against those facts and forget them.

As to keeping a reasonable deficit so as not to slip into that mode - it means getting a good estimate of what you burn, either daily as MFP and activity trackers work, or on average daily based on honest weekly estimates.
Then eating to that reasonable goal.

If trouble eating enough - be concerned because that's what the body will do while adapting - not good.
Eat energy dense items - many fats are good and it's needed in diet. There are essential fats and proteins - not carbs, that can only be gotten through diet.

If trouble eating enough - protein for many is very satiating - so that's not useful if you need to eat more - enough protein and more carbs may help feel hungrier to reach goal.

Resistance training for major muscle groups is very beneficial - once pilates is no longer difficulty except for endurance aspect.

ketocutiepie78 wrote: »

Hello my name is LaShone. I have been on this lifestyle change for about 2 1/2 years. At first I was so motivated and loss weight in the process. But after a while one bad day turned into several and now I'm back at it again. Just looking for a group that keeps you accountable and motivated

Not much to the group on here anymore.

This method is more about keeping diet very reasonable to be sustainable and healthy that you can adhere to it.
Instead of much encouragement to do foolish things that backfire eventually and cause yo-yo dieting syndrome.
Suggest reading the FAQ's too for what that means.

I'm Pamela, I'm from Wisconsin. I am no stranger to weight loss programs. I hope to gain insight on sticking with my plan as I learn to adapt to new ways of increasing my knowledge for a better relationship with food. I love to workout, as well as share tips and tricks that I've learned along the way. Looking forward to gaining as much as I can by being a part of this community.

Hello. My name is Christi and I just started started. My goal is to lose 145 pounds and could use a lot of help and encouragement.

Hello Everyone,
My name is Kabira. I just joined em2wl again. I haven't been here for almost 4yrs. I'm 5'6" and I weigh 202lbs. I'm trying to lose 52lbs. I had a baby 11 months ago and I'm ready for a REAL change. I would like to be in the best shape I can be. I would like to find out what meal plan and exercise plan will work for me and not dopt the plan of another. I would like to love myself in my own skin again and not be so hard on myself.

Thank You
KABIRA

If you been in a diet with what turns out to be an unreasonable deficit (and eating 1400 in total for what you described would be) - a reset is finding your maintenance level of eating.
If this just started then that's not needed if you had been slightly maintaining weight prior to starting diet.

In which case quickly go log some past days as accurate as you can for what you used to eat - get a better idea of how many calories that was. That's maintenance if you were doing the same workouts.
If not, then keep reading.

Then you take a deficit off that - not a number that you created with MFP by selecting perhaps an purposeful underestimated daily Activity Level, and then an unreasonable deficit.

If you have over 50 lbs to lose - 2 lb weekly might be reasonable if you are decently active otherwise.
You got family and household duties you take care of, even with a desk job? Then Lightly-Active is activity level.
And 2 lbs may be reasonable if the base eating goal is around your BMR.

Then you log all your workouts, and eat to the newly stated goal so you don't increase your deficit.

Hey Everyone, I'm Jenn. I am 45 year trying really hard to get back on track after suffering a broken ankle last year. I currently weigh 208 lbs and ideally would like to get to 170 lbs. I need support and appreciate any and all advice I receive. Looking forward to learning lots.

You do all that for exercise and literally only eat in total 1200 calories?

Wow - your eating goal would totally suck if you ever got sick or went on vacation or family emergency and had to stop the exercise.

I'd be shocked if your body had not max adapted and very tired and other worse things you likely aren't aware of yet.
Part of that is increased cortisol and increased water weight due to the stress.
Body doesn't like being under that level of stress.

Of course your body can only adapt so much - so you could turn it into a game of how low can you go on eating goal. You will eventually start losing weight again - fat and muscle likely.
And then continue your yo-yo dieting for more years to come as you join the majority that fail to reach or maintain healthy goal weight.

Or, if really only eating 1200 daily - recognize this is another path to failure short and long term.
And change it.

Besides the fact it appears you are in a diet break for the last 6 months since maintaining - when have you even purposely taken a couple weeks off a diet and eaten more?

There is a topic in this group about refeeds - good info.
Unless your food logging is so far off you are accidentally eating much much more, this has happened to you.

https://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/heybales/view/reduced-metabolism-tdee-beyond-expected-from-weight-loss-616251

It may take even longer than this to recover.
https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2004/05001/Weight_Gain___Marathon_Runner_Triathlete.705.aspx