Need help! Reverse dieting?

KA1688 wrote: »

Hello everyone!

I'm coming to you with a lot of fear and anxiety about my weight. I'm tired of yoyoing and I really want to get to a place where I feel strong, healthy and confident in my body. I would like to learn what I need to know BUT it is very overwhelming so I am searching for some tips to slowly get into it all.

I have been using Noom (a weight loss and CBT based program) for about of month and I am very close to my goal weight (about 3 pounds away). Noom helped me recognize that I was overeating, but I am now at a point where I want to get a bit more serious with my tracking. I will still engage with the caloric deficit until I reach the goal, BUT I'd like to slowly start wrapping my head around reverse dieting.

Althogh Noom has been a great resource for behavior changes and general tracking it does lack in an option for maintaining and tracking macros. As I get deeper into the idea of maintaing my weight loss (and eventually start to gain muscle) I know how important it is for me to learn about these things.

I'm pretty overwhelmed by it all, though. Here is what I've learned:

1. Buy a food scale.
2. Determine how many calories I need to intake.
3. Determine how many macros I need.
4. Use MFP to track

What am I missing here? How do I go about figuring these numbers out? What type of cup should I use on the food scale? At what point should I slowly increase my calories?

I'm in the process of gradually increasing my weightlifting regimine, but I am taking it easy for now. I used to punish my body with the weights so I really want to ensure I am in a healthy mindset before I move forward. Right now I'm only using 30 lb (total) dumbbells two times a week to ensure my form is on point. I do have a 60lb bar bell waiting for me when I am ready.

Any help would be amazing. Thank you so much!

I'm not going to try to answer all of that, but I'll take a shot at some (partly by suggesting links to other threads here).

First congratulations on nearing your goal: That's wonderful!

This is a good thread about starting with MFP (ignore the joke-y title):

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

It's written assuming that you want to lose weight, but if you make that conceptual adjustment, there are many useful basics in there, including answers to some of your questions.

There's a macro link in the thread above, but I'd say that the MFP defaults aren't a bad start, for most people.

So, set up your MFP profile and say you want to maintain weight. Eat that number of calories and those macros (close is fine, doesn't have to be exact), while you're figuring out the finer points. Set your activity level based on daily life activity not including exercise, and log exercise separately, eating those calories back, too. (Or synch a fitness tracker.) If you prefer to eat the same number of calories every day despite exercise variability, use an outside TDEE calculator to get an estimate, and set your calorie goal manually. (One I like is Sailrabbit, https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/, because it has more levels of activity than most, and lets you compare or average different research-based formulas. There's also a great spreadsheet from an MFPer, @heybales, who is probably really tired of me not remembering the link to the spreadsheet after all this time. That spreadsheet's more nuanced than Sailrabbit.

Regardless, follow the estimate you select for 4-6 weeks (whole menstrual cycles for women who have those, so comparing the same relative point in at least 2 different cycles). Then, adjust intake based on results, assuming 3500 calories = 1 pound. (So, if you're accidentally losing/gaining half a pound a week over a longish time horizon, add/subtract 250 calories daily). Keep montoring and fine-tuning until you're dialed in on the right number of calories. That can take time, because people sometimes find that adding calories results in more energy, which results in more activity, which results in needing more calories . . . .

On the scale usage question, it's much simpler than you're thinking. You don't need special weighing dishes. Here's a thread about using a scale efficiently (again, ignore the jokey title):

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10498882/weighing-food-takes-too-long-and-is-obsessive/p1

As far as when to increase your calories: Remember, no choice is irrevocable. If you want to "reverse diet" as your title implies, with 3 pounds to go, you can either go straight to your (MFP estimated or TDEE calculator estimate) calories, and adjust from there; or, if that seems like a big jump from what you've been eating, add 100-200 calories daily, monitor for a bit, then adjust again. (You might want to log your current eating level for a week or two, to get a baseline idea). There's a general thread about finding maintenance calories here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10638211/how-to-find-your-maintenance-calorie-level/p1

Just my opinions throughout, of course. (If it helps to know, I'm a woman, 64, 5'5", 124.4 pounds this morning, in year 5 of maintaining a healthy weight with MFP, after about 30 years previous to that of being just over the line into class 1 obesity.)

I'm sure this info all seems like a lot: Don't worry. You've been very successful. Take this one step at a time, and you'll do fine. Nothing is irreversible. Experiments are OK.

Wishing you all the best!

KA1688 wrote: »

AnnPT77 wrote: »

KA1688 wrote: »

Hello everyone!

I'm coming to you with a lot of fear and anxiety about my weight. I'm tired of yoyoing and I really want to get to a place where I feel strong, healthy and confident in my body. I would like to learn what I need to know BUT it is very overwhelming so I am searching for some tips to slowly get into it all.

I have been using Noom (a weight loss and CBT based program) for about of month and I am very close to my goal weight (about 3 pounds away). Noom helped me recognize that I was overeating, but I am now at a point where I want to get a bit more serious with my tracking. I will still engage with the caloric deficit until I reach the goal, BUT I'd like to slowly start wrapping my head around reverse dieting.

Althogh Noom has been a great resource for behavior changes and general tracking it does lack in an option for maintaining and tracking macros. As I get deeper into the idea of maintaing my weight loss (and eventually start to gain muscle) I know how important it is for me to learn about these things.

I'm pretty overwhelmed by it all, though. Here is what I've learned:

1. Buy a food scale.
2. Determine how many calories I need to intake.
3. Determine how many macros I need.
4. Use MFP to track

What am I missing here? How do I go about figuring these numbers out? What type of cup should I use on the food scale? At what point should I slowly increase my calories?

I'm in the process of gradually increasing my weightlifting regimine, but I am taking it easy for now. I used to punish my body with the weights so I really want to ensure I am in a healthy mindset before I move forward. Right now I'm only using 30 lb (total) dumbbells two times a week to ensure my form is on point. I do have a 60lb bar bell waiting for me when I am ready.

Any help would be amazing. Thank you so much!

I'm not going to try to answer all of that, but I'll take a shot at some (partly by suggesting links to other threads here).

First congratulations on nearing your goal: That's wonderful!

This is a good thread about starting with MFP (ignore the joke-y title):

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

It's written assuming that you want to lose weight, but if you make that conceptual adjustment, there are many useful basics in there, including answers to some of your questions.

There's a macro link in the thread above, but I'd say that the MFP defaults aren't a bad start, for most people.

So, set up your MFP profile and say you want to maintain weight. Eat that number of calories and those macros (close is fine, doesn't have to be exact), while you're figuring out the finer points. Set your activity level based on daily life activity not including exercise, and log exercise separately, eating those calories back, too. (Or synch a fitness tracker.) If you prefer to eat the same number of calories every day despite exercise variability, use an outside TDEE calculator to get an estimate, and set your calorie goal manually. (One I like is Sailrabbit, https://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/, because it has more levels of activity than most, and lets you compare or average different research-based formulas. There's also a great spreadsheet from an MFPer, @heybales, who is probably really tired of me not remembering the link to the spreadsheet after all this time. That spreadsheet's more nuanced than Sailrabbit.

Regardless, follow the estimate you select for 4-6 weeks (whole menstrual cycles for women who have those, so comparing the same relative point in at least 2 different cycles). Then, adjust intake based on results, assuming 3500 calories = 1 pound. (So, if you're accidentally losing/gaining half a pound a week over a longish time horizon, add/subtract 250 calories daily). Keep montoring and fine-tuning until you're dialed in on the right number of calories. That can take time, because people sometimes find that adding calories results in more energy, which results in more activity, which results in needing more calories . . . .

On the scale usage question, it's much simpler than you're thinking. You don't need special weighing dishes. Here's a thread about using a scale efficiently (again, ignore the jokey title):

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10498882/weighing-food-takes-too-long-and-is-obsessive/p1

As far as when to increase your calories: Remember, no choice is irrevocable. If you want to "reverse diet" as your title implies, with 3 pounds to go, you can either go straight to your (MFP estimated or TDEE calculator estimate) calories, and adjust from there; or, if that seems like a big jump from what you've been eating, add 100-200 calories daily, monitor for a bit, then adjust again. (You might want to log your current eating level for a week or two, to get a baseline idea). There's a general thread about finding maintenance calories here:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10638211/how-to-find-your-maintenance-calorie-level/p1

Just my opinions throughout, of course. (If it helps to know, I'm a woman, 64, 5'5", 124.4 pounds this morning, in year 5 of maintaining a healthy weight with MFP, after about 30 years previous to that of being just over the line into class 1 obesity.)

I'm sure this info all seems like a lot: Don't worry. You've been very successful. Take this one step at a time, and you'll do fine. Nothing is irreversible. Experiments are OK.

Wishing you all the best!

Wow, thank you Ann! This is super helpful...albeit a bit overwhelming. I'll start by looking into these threads and piecing things together. Thank you.

And, yes, you are a prime example of someone who has done well with maintaining your weight! I'm also 5'5 and I weight 132 currently. My goal is 128. My question for you is...if I want to be 128 with more muscle mass should I set my goal weight as, say, 125 while I'm in a deficient so I can build to 128 or do you think it's fine here?

Sounds like you think you can hold to a goal weight number.
Better make that a range or you'll drive yourself batty with known expected water weight fluctuations.

So if 128-132 ends up being a healthy weight, but you are carrying more fat than desired, don't attempt to lose more unless experienced with weight loss and maintaining muscle mass - much easier to keep what you got then rebuild later.

What you are desiring is recomp.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10177803/recomposition-maintaining-weight-while-losing-fat

Oh, if wanting to eat a single goal each day by averaging out the weekly calorie burn, using MFP with a TDEE method, here's the spreadsheet referenced.
Just TDEE Please spreadsheet - better than rough 5 level TDEE charts from 1919 study.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1G7FgNzPq3v5WMjDtH0n93LXSMRY_hjmzNTMJb3aZSxM/edit?usp=sharing

KA1688 wrote: »

Wow you are all so supportive and helpful. A lot of this is going over my head, however, and I really want to understand it fully in order to take charge. Is there any recommendation you would make such as a step-by-step book or an inexpensive course to start learning about setting up a knowledgeable fitness and nutrition routine for myself? I'd love to know more about calulations involved, macros, mircos, etc. Thanks!

Did you take a look at this link, from my first post?

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p1

That's really quite a nice beginning point, written by a qualified trainer. The title is maybe a little silly, but the actual content of that post is really excellent, factual, clear. good basics.

You are so close to goal now, very little room to change from deficit to maintenance. Recomp is a good idea. I find it easier and less overwhelming to just start with mfp default macros. An option at this point could be to just change your goal to maintain (pick a number 125-128).

Are you strength training now, or going to start? If not already, don't be surprised if you see a little uptick in the scale. New exercises create micro tears in the muscle and you will retain some water while they repair.

As far as what cup/container to use on the food scale...it doesn't matter. Just put the plate/bowl/cup on the scale, tare to zero, add food.

KA1688 wrote: »

DancingMoosie wrote: »

You are so close to goal now, very little room to change from deficit to maintenance. Recomp is a good idea. I find it easier and less overwhelming to just start with mfp default macros. An option at this point could be to just change your goal to maintain (pick a number 125-128).

Are you strength training now, or going to start? If not already, don't be surprised if you see a little uptick in the scale. New exercises create micro tears in the muscle and you will retain some water while they repair.

As far as what cup/container to use on the food scale...it doesn't matter. Just put the plate/bowl/cup on the scale, tare to zero, add food.

Thank you. I did start strength training 2x a week and I think I will go to 3x this coming week. I am starting with dumbbells, but I do have a barbell. I guess I'm just worried because I have lost weight and now I fear that I will put it back on if I am not careful about what I eat. Noom has helped immensely, but it lacks clarity about macros. When I entered my food with MFP today I realized that I am not eating enough protein. I'm scared...and I need someone to keep me accountable I feel. I'm working with a CBT coach and a time mangement/budgeting coach and it has been immensely helpful. However, I have found that fitness coaches (that I've searched) are not keen to offer financial aid or student discounts.

Macros don't have to be instantly perfect. You can dial in the right levels over a period of weeks, maybe longer. As long as you're not starting from a point of having some doctor-diagnosed deficiency or diet-relevant health condition, that gradual evolution process should be fine. Just log your eating, review your diary, note foods that are "costing" relatively many calories, but not contributing proportionately to your nutritional goals, satiation, or happiness. Those are candidates to reduce or eliminate, so you have some calories to spend on other foods you enjoy that better help you meet your goals.

Working on nutritional improvements is a process of evolution, not a switch that you have to flip on all at once.

Just start with the MFP default macros, and go from there as you have some time to read and learn more. It'll be fine, one step at a time. 🙂