Aug Check In

]Name: Maddie
Age: 64
Height: 68.5”
Total weight lost: 78.1
Total wt lost at maintenance: 70-78 lbs
Time it took to lose: 2-3/4 years
How long in maintenance: almost 2 years!!
Maintenance weight range: “In the 150’s”

Average wt. recorded from 2018: 168
Average weight recorded for 2019: 155
Avg. wt recorded for 2020 (so far):! 158.1

2020:
Average wt recorded from January: 159.5
Average weight recorded from February: 159
Average weight recorded from March: 158.7
Average weight recorded from April: 157.5
Average weight recorded from May: 157.6
Average weight recorded for June: 157.1
Average weight recorded for July: 157.9

Average weight recorded for August (Mid month) 157.6
Average weight recorded for September
Average weight recorded for Oct
Average weight recorded for Nov
Average weight recorded for Dec

Week of..
Aug 2 - 159 😳
Aug 9 - 157.94 ✅😄
Aug 16 - 156.9 ✅😁
Aug 23 - 157.37✅😃
Aug 30

Successes:
Avg wt back to April’s!

Successfully Reduced my calories to adjust to lower exercise burn. Realized food wouldn’t fix it.

Fostered positive attitude & kept with my habits (as best I could)

Continued all my tracking.

Struggles:
I felt a little out of control due to sadness over burning forests/parks/communities I love. The unhealthy smoke in the air has hampered exercise. Today it’s bad enough that it’s in the house too. But I have overcome each of these because I never want to diet again. 😉

In summary, a more successful week than it felt like while I was doing it!

Name: missperfectpitch
Height: 5'4"
Total weight lost: About 43 pounds
Time it took to lose: 1 year and 2 months
How long in maintenance: I hit my goal weight in the beginning of January 2018, but officially started maintenance in mid-March 2018 after figuring out my calories for a couple of months.
Maintenance weight range: 108-112.5
Average weight recorded from 2018 (12 months): 109.8
Average weight recorded for 2019 (12 months): 111.2

Average weight recorded for January: 111.9
Average weight recorded for February: 111.3
Average weight recorded from March: 110.3
Average weight recorded from April: 109.7
Average weight recorded for May: 110.9
Average weight recorded for June: 112.3
Average weight recorded for July: 112.7

Week of..
Aug 1: 112.7 (trend 112.7)
Aug 8: 113.5 (trend 113.1)
Aug 15: 112.8 (trend 112.9)
Aug 22: 112.8 (trend 112.8)
Aug 29:

Success(es)/struggle(s) of the week: I went on a nice ~5 mile walk around a park over the weekend and managed to get in 21k steps for the day. It was nice to explore a new park I hadn't been to before, and this was the most daily steps I've gotten since mid-July.

@Leezy55

Apologies for taking so long to reply to your query, I’ve had a busy week.
It’s a long story but, I have struggled with my weight all my adult life. I topped out at over 12 stone (about 170 lbs) about 20 years ago, got my act together by joining Weightwatchers and lost about a third of that. I was then fairly successful at maintaining for a long time (quite a bit of yo-yo-ing kept in check by joining a weight loss group run as a Rosemary Conley diet and fitness club). But when I retired in 2015 I lost my mojo and gained steadily for 3 years. Lots of reasons for it but no excuses, it happened in spite of knowing perfectly well how weight management works.

I had a couple of health issues in the first half of 2018, had a free NHS Healthcheck in July and was told I was obese (BMI 30.2, but waist measurement quite awful!), also that my cholesterol was raised. It gave me the kick up the b*** that I needed so I re-joined MFP and got down to it.

Being retired has pros and cons when it comes to a healthy lifestyle and weight loss. On the plus side it meant I could go back to Waterobics classes which were held in the day time, I could go to the gym in the day time when it’s not too busy, I could go out on my bike in the daylight etc. The difficulties were mainly related to the social life – we have lots of holiday, days out, evenings with friends, family visits etc.

I found that trying to have a daily calorie allowance didn’t work very well, I look at weekly totals, monthly averages etc. I kept to a very strict allowance when I was at home, allowing a leeway for holidays. I would have a few very strict days if I was going out for the day then I could relax and enjoy the day out. I always requested “no chips” when eating out, avoided the creamy desserts and so on.

Even now that I’m maintaining I still have to be very careful, as a little old lady my BMR is under 1000, and even ticking “moderately active” only earns me about 1400 calories a day. I do a lot of exercise – bike riding, cardio routines on Utube etc. I’m considering going back to the Sports Centre for swimming, possibly even the gym.

As far as macros go, I only look at calories, protein and fibre. I eat a large quantity and variety of fresh veg and a quite a lot of fruit. I find that if you have quite a strict calorie allowance the fat and carbs take care of themselves. I do aim for a high fibre count. I also track my calcium intake as I was diagnosed with osteopenia in early 2018 (one of the health issues that led to a lecture on diet and exercise.)
I try to aim at quite a high protein intake as I need to protect my strength as I age. I have lean meat and fish for protein supplemented a bit with protein bars occasionally.

This is a long reply but I hope it was useful.

@Leezy55 Your BMR is what you would burn if you stayed in bed all day with literally no activity. Your TDEE is your total daily energy expenditure, so that is your BMR plus your usual daily activity and your usual exercise. If you use MFP to get your calorie goal then mfp uses NEAT which is your BMR plus daily activity level NOT including exercise. So if you use MFP's number then you add exercise separately and eat those extra calories. The TDEE includes your daily activity plus your usual exercise. IMO it is best to use TDEE if your exercise is very consistent. If it isn't and you just exercise occasionally then the NEAT method is good. Either way you don't take the deficit from the BMR and unless you literally are comatose then you should be eating more than BMR.

Name: Christine
Age: 63
Height: 5' 1"
Total weight lost: lbs.
Time it took to lose: Started (earnestly) May 28, 2020



Week of..
Aug 3: 196.6
Aug 10: 196.6
Aug 17: 194.7
Aug 24: 192.7
Aug 31:



Success: Have been pretty good at not succumbing to my urge to eat poorly. Eating fruit instead of chips or sweets seems to be working well to quell my desire for something really, really bad.

Struggles: I keep thinking I need to start exercising but am resisting because I don't want to see that initial muscle weight gain.

@2100k30 -

2100k30 wrote: »

Struggles: I keep thinking I need to start exercising but am resisting because I don't want to see that initial muscle weight gain.

Hi Christine,

It's a common misconception that exercise causes weight gain because of the adage we often hear, "Muscle weighs more than fat". While it's true that muscle is more dense than fat, it's also true that it takes months of intentional strength training to build muscle. We are talking about 6 months of consistent training to build up just 5 pounds of lean body weight - and that's while eating at a surplus, not a deficit. So when people experience weight gains after starting an exercise program, its not because they added muscle. Sudden weight gain after starting a new exercise routine is caused by water retention. And it is completely temporary. You just need to give it a week or two for your body to adapt.

But it's also true, that you can lose and maintain your weight without exercise.

Based on what you wrote, it sounds like you are starting a weight loss regimen and are not on maintenance. While this thread is meant to track maintenance, it's totally great that you are here - you have the advantage of getting advice from folks who already traveled down the road you are now on.

If you are just starting out with eating at a deficit, sometimes just concentrating on getting your food intake right is plenty for the time being. When I started losing weight that's all I did for the first 2 months. And it really worked. But I do recommend adding exercise, especially strength training at some point in the near future. Because as we age we lose muscle and when we eat at a deficit, we lose both muscle and fat at pretty much the same rate if we aren't doing something to help us retain our muscle while we lose fat. At the end of the day, you want to lose fat, not just weight.

speyerj wrote: »

@2100k30 -

2100k30 wrote: »

Struggles: I keep thinking I need to start exercising but am resisting because I don't want to see that initial muscle weight gain.

Hi Christine,

It's a common misconception that exercise causes weight gain because of the adage we often hear, "Muscle weighs more than fat". While it's true that muscle is more dense than fat, it's also true that it takes months of intentional strength training to build muscle. We are talking about 6 months of consistent training to build up just 5 pounds of lean body weight - and that's while eating at a surplus, not a deficit. So when people experience weight gains after starting an exercise program, its not because they added muscle. Sudden weight gain after starting a new exercise routine is caused by water retention. And it is completely temporary. You just need to give it a week or two for your body to adapt.

But it's also true, that you can lose and maintain your weight without exercise.

Based on what you wrote, it sounds like you are starting a weight loss regimen and are not on maintenance. While this thread is meant to track maintenance, it's totally great that you are here - you have the advantage of getting advice from folks who already traveled down the road you are now on.

If you are just starting out with eating at a deficit, sometimes just concentrating on getting your food intake right is plenty for the time being. When I started losing weight that's all I did for the first 2 months. And it really worked. But I do recommend adding exercise, especially strength training at some point in the near future. Because as we age we lose muscle and when we eat at a deficit, we lose both muscle and fat at pretty much the same rate if we aren't doing something to help us retain our muscle while we lose fat. At the end of the day, you want to lose fat, not just weight.

Agree completely with all of this, and also agree to encourage you to start exercising for fitness. It also can help mental outlook and health markers. The water weight from tissue repair is real, but it's no big deal. Even doing something as "simple" as walking can really help. Keeping moving does wonders for your mind and body.

Thanks for putting this out there @speyerj

kgirlhart wrote: »

Leezy55 wrote: »

@kgirlhart

At my current weight 158 mfp has me at 1,200 c with .7 loss per week.
My bmr at 158 is the same 1,200. At my goal weight my bmr is 1,000.

Our temps have been 100-109 with fires and smoke. Even my smoke detector has been going off. We keep the thermostst at 79 to prevent blackouts. And the reality is I really don't do much at home. Maybe 2 hrs of cleaning and 1 hr of shopping per wk. So just reading ebooks for now. I'm all about going out which isn't happening for awhile. My point is not much daily activity.

I spin 3 days a week for 30 min and walk a couple days a wk. So not much expenditure there.

So if things continue as is, my limits are 1,200 now and lowering to 1,000 when i reach goal? When conditions improve with the weather and virus and my activity level increases i can increase calories?

I know conditions are not going to last forever but it sure feels like it right now.

1200 is the lowest mfp will let you go. If you are under 5' then it might be ok to go lower, but most women will not be able to get all the nutrients they need if they eat under 1200. When you go to maintenance you will increase, not decrease your calories. If you are at a 250 calorie per day deficit then when you enter maintenance you will add 250 calories. So if you are eating 1200 now then you should be able to maintain around 1450. You might even maintain higher if you are able to increase your activity.

I feel you on the heat. We are having similar temperatures here but not the serious fires and smoke. I hope it improves soon.

Thank you for all your help in understanding all this.

Congratulations on your weight loss and maintenance! I have about 40-45 to go and all these successes really help me keep focused.

I hope your father is up and well soon.

Name: missperfectpitch
Height: 5'4"
Total weight lost: About 43 pounds
Time it took to lose: 1 year and 2 months
How long in maintenance: I hit my goal weight in the beginning of January 2018, but officially started maintenance in mid-March 2018 after figuring out my calories for a couple of months.
Maintenance weight range: 108-112.5
Average weight recorded from 2018 (12 months): 109.8
Average weight recorded for 2019 (12 months): 111.2

Average weight recorded for January: 111.9
Average weight recorded for February: 111.3
Average weight recorded from March: 110.3
Average weight recorded from April: 109.7
Average weight recorded for May: 110.9
Average weight recorded for June: 112.3
Average weight recorded for July: 112.7

Week of..
Aug 1: 112.7 (trend 112.7)
Aug 8: 113.5 (trend 113.1)
Aug 15: 112.8 (trend 112.9)
Aug 22: 112.8 (trend 112.8)
Aug 29: 112.5 (trend 112.5)

Success(es)/struggle(s) of the week: I'm back in range! At the very top of it, but it's progress. My weight fluctuated a lot this week, with a high of 114 and then down to 111.4 yesterday and 111 today. I haven't seen anything in the 111 range since mid-June.

Hi! My name is Kristen. And I struggle to maintain my weight. I have had great success losing/gaining, but I'm hoping this group helps me be more accountable. I weigh only 1x week on Sundays, so that's when I'll check in. My 2 goals in 2020 are to not let the scale go above 153 and weigh in EVERY Sunday for the WHOLE YEAR. This seems easy to most, but I get lazy and make excuses why I don't need to weigh in and then all of a sudden everything in my closet has shrunk. LOL

Age: 41
Sex: Female
Height: 5'11"
Total weight lost: 20 pounds
Time it took to lose: 2 months
How long in maintenance: 8 months
Starting Weight: 164.8 (September 3rd, 2019)
Goal Weight: 150 (Hit November 8th, 2019)
Maintenance weight range: 147 - 153

Average weight recorded for September: 160.1
Average weight recorded for October: 154.0
Average weight recorded for November: 149.2
Average weight recorded for December: 146.4
Average weight recorded for January: 145.4
Average weight recorded for February: 143.4
Average weight recorded for March:
142.5
Average weight recorded for April: 143.5
Average weight recorded for May: 145.7
Average weight recorded for June: 146.3
Average weight recorded for July: 148.3

Week of...
August 2nd: 150.1 (Trend Weight:149.6)
August 9th: 147.7 (Trend Weight:148.4)
August 16th: 145.5 (Trend Weight:146.6)
August 23rd: 147.5 (Trend Weight:147.2)
August 30th: 146.6 (Trend Weight:146.8)

Successes/Struggles: Happy almost September! This summer went too fast! Not much to report this week. Getting ready to host my boyfriend's parents over the holiday weekend. So lots of cleaning and cooking this week.

I'm good with my current weight trend. Will try and keep it up next month!

Hope everyone has a great week.