Blatantly stealing this from a post in the main forums because it is very close to what I've often articulated.

The one difference being some specific recommendations though I would note that Lyle McDonald has also got several books with recommendations and a lot of these recommendations become more important (and the diet break and refeed periods become more important) after long periods of loss and/OR when you have less energy reserves available to lose.

in other words the hormonal tanking is less and the ability to create larger deficits is more available early on in the process and the more weight you have available to lose... then, as things progress, side effects ramp up the furthest away from that initial starting point you get to. If one looks at other studies by 6 months you definitely have SOME side effects.

OH... and the blatant plagiarism of what @steveko89 wrote:

As far as loss rate is concerned, the maximum recommended amount is often referenced at 1% of total body weight. However, I've personally found that aiming for closer to 0.5% is far more tolerable. However, it's worth noting that I'm at a stage where I'm closer to optimal weight for my height and trying to improve body composition. Though this approach of a more moderately aggressive target loss rate has shown to lead to more successful completed diets by the crew over at Renaissance Periodization and their user base (they have a paid diet app that functions like MFP but has a little more a coaching/prescriptive approach). They also found that limiting diet phases to 6-9 weeks is best for maximizing adherence and achieving overall loss goals. They're also proponents of undergoing maintenance phases lasting at least half as long as the dieting or massing phase before starting the next phase to minimize adverse hormonal and psychological impacts dieting for long periods of time can have. It's common to see folks able to maintain an aggressive loss phase for well beyond that but rebound hard. A better approach could be to string a number of these moderately aggressive loss phases together interspersed with diet breaks if it means a more sustainable and maintainable weight loss in the big picture. It often provides the benefit of practicing maintenance prior to getting to one's final weight loss goal which eliminates some of the mystery of how to adapt to life after losing weight.

Again: I note that the frequency duration etc of the breaks is dependent a bit on the expected manipulation of hormonal levels you are trying to manipulate.

So something to consider.

When I lost most of my weight I "injected" breaks without planning. The longest I went on a continuous deficit without a maintenance break was 8 months because there were always interruptions related to travel or holidays that would force a maintenance period in there. Sometimes luck helps!

Of course by the tail end of weight loss i was anticipating the propensity to rebound so I tapered off over essentially one year of very slow loss (11.1lbs in 2016) and one year of maintaining while trying to lose a tiny bit (actually that 2.7lbs lost in 2017... are still relevant as they are the upper end of my desired maintenance!)

Thank you @PAV8888 I'm going to draw on what you have posted here!.

@conniewilkins56 - I too have moved back into BED behaviour. Maybe we can all learn from each other.

I really don't want to lose what I've lost - and my body is fighting so hard right now that I can't just keep ignoring it stubbornly - which is my usual approach

I'm pondering a period of no tracking. Just trying to eat intelligently ... not sure about that word "intuitively" but something along those lines.

I was reading about our body's response to massive weight loss and how hormonal levels change and leave us "hungry" all the time as our body moves into survival mode. One suggestion to battle this is to eat fewer, large meals. So you are physically full. I might just try that.

- Snacks lately have gotten out of control really quick and just leave me craving until the next meal - so I'm going to eliminate those.

- My morning fruit only "break fast" works well - so I'll keep that.

- And then two more meals. Good meals. Nutritious food that fills my tummy without a ridiculous amount of calories. I know what that means after this year of track macros and nutrients.

The weather is improving, so I'll be able to ramp up my walking, and I'll keep drinking lots of water. I figure I'll allow myself some dessert now and again after one of these good meals (no sweets between meals - just as dessert).

And maybe, follow your lead Connie and weigh myself less often?

That is my plan. I am always keen to read your approach.

amart4224 wrote: »

... 4 days in and I'm feeling better and it's getting easier to tell the real hunger from either emotional "hunger" or a junk food craving "hunger."

Fantastic if you are feeling it coming a bit more under control. Are you still eating at a deficit? How much of a deficit?

Don't laugh - but I swear it feels a new hunger has been added. I feel those "emotional" and "craving" hungers at the appropriate times. But lately it is just like I'm starving. One night I couldn't stop eating spoonfuls of peanut butter. Another time a few bananas. Another plain boiled potatoes. Not necessarily eating "bad" things. Or eating to calm myself. Just plain old hungry.

Hope it eases up.

I definitely think I'm going to avoid any kind of significant deficit for awhile.

Maybe it’s wishful thinking but sometimes when you are craving a specific food, I think it is the way your body is telling you that you are not getting enough of that nutrient in your diet....of course sugar and candy are not nutrients!...I really enjoy the Fiber One products...I don’t care what they use to make them....they taste good!....chocolate chip or oatmeal cookie or the brownies!

dcshima wrote: »

Think it was in this post looking for onederland compatible for breaking into 200s, how about twotopia!

I love it!!!! Great wordsmithing, @dcshima !

@joone_9, thank you! I don't plan on stopping kicking any time soon!

Age: 54
Height: 5 “ 2
Starting weight: 234 lbs (24/02/2021)
MFP CICO: commenced 03/03/24
Current weight: 227.8 lbs (01/04/2021)
Goal weight: 145 - 154lbs - no deadline set
Aiming to lose1 lb per week by CICO & incorporate gentle, increasing levels of exercise to improve health

I've been posting more and don't recall if I've shared numbers.

I haven't been updating spreadsheets too diligently and limits on MFP and Fitbit exports have "annoyed" me (*)
**bad trait: I often do not weigh if I've had coffee/breakfast before hitting the scale.

In June 2020 I lowered my maintenance midpoint from 154 to 152 after a good initial lockdown... and then started dealing with dad more and more just as I was hitting the "I should have expected this" post weight loss all you can eat buffet time... so back up I went... and things are only now finally settling down!

Weight trend:
https://trendweight.com/u/b64d9c649fec43/

Spreadsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/15FAp44ZZtjlhdX3x8CCg1kVsGBk14--8XGcAtzvLmc4/edit?usp=sharing

Activity level is, fairly reliably, at or above MFP very active.

(*) while writing this post I discovered the Fitbit export ALL your data function which appears to NOT be limited to just 31 days. I've started a request!