Deficit Breaks

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Replies

  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    The eating at maintenance is a challenge though! It is like "giving me enough rope to hang myself."
    I've gotten it a bet more together yesterday and today. Hopefully that continues!

    Keeping things together a day at a time is excellent! :wink:

    Eating at maintenance will eventually have to be practiced! You're just ahead of the curve!
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    Right now I am eating 1360 calories a day to supposedly lose 1.5 lbs a week…should I use the MFP recommendation of Maintenance calories on my planned Diet Break in a few weeks?…should I still exercise and eat back some of those burned calories?…will I gain weight or maintain?
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,545 Member
    Connie - I think it is a case of try and see.

    Don't see why you shouldn't continue exercising (unless you really want a break)...and I imagine that you should be eating back at least a few of those calories. Maybe start off with MFP recommendation of Maintenance and eating 1/4 of your exercise calories? then after a few days build up to eating more calories if things stay stable?

    I'm just figuring out how accurate the calories burned count is with Fitbit. I know trying to enter the correct activities into MFP was off. The fit bit isn't too bad...but it takes awhile for things to settle.

    I'm trying to lose slowly but the only thing I'm certain of after a few weeks of this is that at the moment I'm successfully maintaining :D - and I might even be losing slowly. And I'm aiming for a 3200-4800 calorie deficit a week - using my Fitbit's calories burned numbers. It feels like a deficit break. It blows my mind at how many calories/how much food I'm eating. I'm learning how to do it though. And as you know this is really freakin' hard to do - it has taken me since January to find this place.

    You are doing so well! I'm still looking ahead at my lowest weight - 107lbs down - not there yet, but I'm learning I can't think about that too much or I lose my rythm. It will come. I'm almost back to 100lbs down again. More importantly I'm learning how to eat sort of normally - and the little bit of weight that is coming off feels like real weight - I'm not experiencing that big water loss.
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    I am still not losing the weight I should be losing for the amount of calories I am eating….plus my exercise is the same or more and I do not want to exercise to the point that I don’t enjoy it…I am still planning a two week maintenance break starting Wednesday and hope everything in my body does a reset….I am only down about 15 lbs since the end of Jan….I have had a few binges but nothing to account for not losing!….I have increased my fiber the last few weeks….nothing seems to be working…yet my clothes are looser and I look thinner….more toned if that is possible over 200 lbs lol….I am still getting stronger all the time…three or four of our neighbors have commented on my loss and can’t believe I have 40 or 50 more pounds to lose….I believe it….I am still overweight!…so hopefully after this break I will start losing again…if not, I will take what I got and be happy continuing eating right, exercising and getting stronger!…we shall see!
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,545 Member
    ….I am only down about 15 lbs since the end of Jan…

    I feel your pain, Connie. I'm where I was at at the end of December. After losing 100 lbs last year this has been hard. The bouncing around is a bit maddening. But I'm trying to consider this as a time to learn more about me, how to adjust my eating habits and outsmart the "out of the blue" binges that really are not, what maintenance will look like, and how my "real" numbers look compared to what fitbit and MFP says. This will all give me a handle on weight management moving forward....I HOPE!

    But I haven't been eating the low level of calories that you are. I know that would infuriate me so much more.

    I know this is something that gets thrown around all the time - but from reading your posts I truly think it might just be true in your case - what do you think about the idea that you are gaining muscle from the progress you are making on the exercise front? Seems really likely that you are losing fat and building up some nice solid DENSE muscle? I love the phrase I've read here "Working on Body Composition" - maybe this is your time for that after such a significant loss?
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    I am still not losing the weight I should be losing for the amount of calories I am eating….plus my exercise is the same or more and I do not want to exercise to the point that I don’t enjoy it…I am still planning a two week maintenance break starting Wednesday and hope everything in my body does a reset….I am only down about 15 lbs since the end of Jan….I have had a few binges but nothing to account for not losing!….I have increased my fiber the last few weeks….nothing seems to be working…yet my clothes are looser and I look thinner….more toned if that is possible over 200 lbs lol….I am still getting stronger all the time…three or four of our neighbors have commented on my loss and can’t believe I have 40 or 50 more pounds to lose….I believe it….I am still overweight!…so hopefully after this break I will start losing again…if not, I will take what I got and be happy continuing eating right, exercising and getting stronger!…we shall see!

    Connie don't fixate JUST on the scale number. Also, please please don't fixate on this is how much I SHOULD be losing. The scale number will go faster and slower. What you SHOULD be losing won't matter IF WHAT YOU'RE DOING IS LONG TERM SUSTAINABLE. And if you want to maintain your loss when you, eventually, stop "dieting", you WANT TO BE DOING LONG TERMS SUSTAINABLE.

    So: increasing activity because you feel like being more active? GOOD. Very good. AWESOME. That's why the neighbours are eyeing the Connie babe in their midst!!!

    Feeling stronger all the time WONDERFUL. So don't fixate on the speed. because the aim is not just loss. Its lose and not regain! So time limits don't exist. Find the groove! Stay in the groove or as close to it as possible. Make the groove something you can easily return to when *kitten* happens! ENJOY the freedom and strength. Isn't it just awesome how much better you're feeling and how much more you can do?!?!?!
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    First of all, I am probably the youngest woman on our street so the competition for “ hotties “ is pretty slim!….I am happy to pass for younger than almost 70!…good genes I guess….

    Laurie, I agree I am probably gaining muscle but I thought muscles were supposed to burn more calories!…my arms are so floppy the muscles are hard to see!…( I come from big strong German farmers who had big arms! )… I have lost in my legs but the extra skin that I have is easily concealed with pants….and I was at this weight ( 240 ish ) for many years and worked carrying this much weight….we owned grocery stores and it was hard work on cement floors and lots of hours….at age 39,
    I got down to about 205 on Phen Phen diet pills….

    PAV I think my body REALLY likes this weight I am at!…I agree it is sustainable long term but I want to LOSE more!….time limit does mean something to me because I am getting OLD and I want to enjoy a few years at maintenance before I croak!…and, YES it is awesome how much better I feel and how much stronger I am!….I love feeling powerful and in control…I love not looking like an old hag!….

    I am putting a lot of thought into my break starting Wed….my doctor appointment is Wed. morning for my well check up and I know he will be thrilled with how far I have come…I have been playing around with the extra calories I will get and how I will use them…i want to use them wisely and nourish my body with extra good wholesome foods….and I want a few cookies!….any advice about my break from anyone is welcome…hopefully after I get my break over and regroup and refocus my body will
    co-operate and I can shake some pounds loose!…I also have some questions for my doctor about how far I can push my body physically….maybe I need hormones!….I think mine are gone lol
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    See: you confirmed your babe status (re: your local compound)... just watch it with the wolf whistles :innocent:

    My advice boils to concentrate doing things during weight loss the way you envision doing them in maintenance... perhaps the maintenance break will help you on this.

    i.e.: I've found very little weight control success when I planned weight loss to be different from maintenance. Even when NOT planning it to be different... a couple of regular cookies (as opposed to fiber one) ---or in my case a couple of bags, but you get the drift-- it is EASY to regain weight and even if you don't plan changes a number of small cumulative ones amount to fairly large changes overall.

    Eat out more often, cook a couple of meals less, have a normal cookie instead of fiber one and the calories can easily balloon.

    And that's one thing that scares me a bit for you: I am getting a vibe that you MAY be viewing weight loss as separate from maintenance instead of thinking of it as a continuum with just a smaller and a larger budget.

    There is a (more "athlete" focused) evidence based group called renaissance periodization (pay site) I looked at their eating plans once (for an MFP friend) and I can't say that I found them suitable for ME; but I did find what they were doing interesting.

    Their "eating templates" between "cuts", "bulks" and "maintenance" are pretty much the exact same. What changes is the amount of FAT that is included (which of course changes the calories). The rest of the eating plan remains the same (please note I've only read through ONE of their templates passed on by a friend. so my sample size is small!)

    The point I'm making is that they don't really change (drastically) what people eat... they just change the calories with "subtle" changes, such as the proverbial peanut butter tablespoon exchanged for a tablespoon of PB2!

    Same as small changes, cumulatively, help us lose weight... watch the number of changes at maintenance!!! :wink:
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,545 Member
    …( I come from big strong German farmers who had big arms! )…

    Me too! lol Our bodies are made for survival. You gotta love them. But are they trainable? Are we trainable? Hope we are!

    What if you change up what you eat a bit? I know we are all doing CICO - but maybe there is a difference if you eat the same thing all the time? Maybe it will make a change in our minds if not in our bodies science number?

    Maybe I should start keeping my food separate and you should start letting yours mix ?! :p

  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    I really have a good mind set for my diet break this time!…I am excited about doing it like I plan on eating in my future when I HAVE lost more weight!….I realize maintenance is a continuation with slightly larger portions…I will still have to measure and count….still eat less than I did before I lost weight….if I find myself binging immediately I am going to stop the break before I let it get out of control…but I am definitely going to log all my food, measure and weigh foods and weigh myself daily….I want to maintain and not gain more than a little….

    Laurie my maternal grandmother worked their farm along side my grampa for many years….the farm is still a working farm and I own half of it with my three cousins owning the other half….some of my best childhood memories are from spending time there in the summer with my cousins!…we are still very close though many miles apart…

    I do plan on eating some different foods and shaking things up a little….skipping the fiber wraps for lunch and eating rye or pumpernickel….using full Greek Yogurt and some milk that I love but never have enough calories left for it!…some real cheese and more protein….I really think I can do this….

    Still not going to let my food all mush together!
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    WHAT?! You're not dunking pumpernickel in greek yogurt?!?!?! :wink:
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    WHAT?! You're not dunking pumpernickel in greek yogurt?!?!?! :wink:

    No…..why would I do that?
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    So they can TOUCH together! :innocent::kissing_heart:
  • lauriekallis
    lauriekallis Posts: 4,545 Member
    <3>:):D
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    Day #7 of Maintenance break…so far so good but today was the hardest to resist lots of goodies….I did go to the gym and ride the bike 22 minutes ( started at 10 minutes a few weeks ago ) and swam for an hour…glad I did the exercise because I had the munchies and we ordered a REAL pizza for dinner…it was sto
  • conniewilkins56
    conniewilkins56 Posts: 3,391 Member
    Storming outside and the pizza was so hot and gooey….bliss!….took a nap afterwards…..I am actually looking forward to getting back on track next week…it is great to know that I really can do this !….I don’t want to get over confident because that is when I screw up!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    Storming outside and the pizza was so hot and gooey….bliss!….took a nap afterwards…..I am actually looking forward to getting back on track next week…it is great to know that I really can do this !….I don’t want to get over confident because that is when I screw up!

    Your confidence is justified. You have put in the time and effort to be where you are. It is only when we get arrogant and plunge into something that we should take slowly that confidence can cause us problems. What we tell ourselves matters so don't listen to yourself on that last sentence.
  • alisampm
    alisampm Posts: 182 Member
    Sometimes it's necessary to step back and ask yourself what advice you would give a friend in a similar situation. I am trying to take my own advice with this.

    With the combo of the doctor saying that my body is most likely just taking some time to adjust to my weight loss and the fact that I am 8 pounds ahead of my 2021 goal of losing 1 lb/week, I am going to eat at maintenance for the next few weeks - 2 months.

    Even if I can just stay where I am now, I will be right on track if I start back in a deficit on Sept 1. There is no rush and this isn't a race. And I need to practice maintenance, as that's the plan for the rest of my life.

    I am also going to back off running a bit and focus on walking, tracking, and doing some limited strength training.

    The only "annoying" thing is that I am only 2 pounds away from hitting a nice round number of 100 pounds lost. I would tell myself that's dumb and it will come in its own sweet time anyway.