The post above isn’t right…..losing my mind….I am up .8 lbs….shoot I thought I had lost lol

dsueteel wrote: »

Hi, not sure what kind of numbers to post really. So Ill just start throwing some out.

I'm 25, female, 5 foot (almost 5'1), I weigh 259 currently. Being so short, they say I should be about 110-130 lbs. yea right

My ultimate goal is to be around 150. My current goal is to get under 200. I'm only on day 2 of tracking. Day one didn't go so well. my only accomplishment was that I actually tracked all the crap I ate last night instead of ignoring it. Today is okay....I ate good stuff, but somehow I only have 150 calories for the rest of the day, and its only 1pm...

I'm new to this particular board, so you might not know me, but not new at all to MFP or the forums, as my profile and post count will tell you.

I started at 378 pounds. I'm 5'1, so basically your height. As of yesterday morning (havent weighed today yet) I weighed 184. Thats 194 pounds down. I am, quite literally, less than HALF the size i used to be. That is through the deaths of my grandparents (who raised me), 4 moves, leaving my ex, the death of my ex (suicide), getting married, going through the immigration process with hubby, and you know, all of life's other drama and stress. including 2 teenagers.

My only goal (like you) is to get to 150. I could have been there long ago, but did take a break at maintenance for several years (around the 130 pound loss mark). 150 isn't that far off, now. Is that going to be my END point? No. Do I know what my end point will BE? Also no. I think I may take it in 5-7 pound increments after i reach 150 and evaluate at each end point as to how I feel and look and want to proceed. I do not ever, in any world, see me going under 120 pounds, and that is really pushing it. I'm 43. I just dont see much need to be that thin at my age.

Back to my point, you CAN do this. And the reason I KNOW this, is because *I* did it. I may be inherently lazy, but I am also inherently STUBBORN. I also did not want to have the health issues that my ex (at that point my husband) did. You name it, he had it. And they resulted in 2 heart attacks and a stroke, that led to partial paralysis. then triple bypass surgery... the ultimately his death... all before he hit age 43. And ALL of it, could have been prevented.

I had (still do) good days and bad. its okay. theres more good than bad. thats all that matters. You are new to logging. It can be tricky at first. Learn how to do it correctly. Learn how to use a food scale. Learn how to find ACCURATE database entries (cause there's a WHOLE LOT of bad ones in there). Learn how to use the recipe builder! It is probably the most under utilized tool MFP has. Ask for help in here or the main forums if you need it or even just want someone to spot check and make sure you are doing it correctly. Try to be more active. Even if its small things at first. DON'T try to make a million changes at first (that's a surefire way to burn out fast). You didnt gain the weight fast, you wont lose it fast. This is a 100 inning game, not a 9 inning game Pre-logging your food helps many keep on track for their calories for the day.

You've got this! Just take it one day at a time and each day try to do a little bit better Every pound lost is a win.

Because at our size our belly button will move... a lot... as weight changes, I suggest you find your pelvic bones and then follow them along the side of the body towards the highest tippy top (illiac crest). Only a short distance above that is your lowest rib. Try to put the strong non elastic rope/string halfway between the two and use the mirror to try to go around at a level and parallel to the floor. It's pretty tough to do actually!

This may not be the maximum point, but it is a repeatable point within reason.... at least for me, the belly button... not as much.

Wow, @Dante_80 - youve had a couple (at least!) good weeks in a row. So glad the weightloss fairies - and all your hard work - has been so kind to you.

Don't forget to consider things both ways. Both the 0.25 to 1.5% of bodyweight (or more realistically 0.25 to 1% with most people finding easier sustainability in the 0.5% range especially when they no longer carry obese levels of energy reserves).

But also as a % deficit from TDEE. 20% normal/overweight, 25% obese.... maybe 30% when starting out and at higher levels of energy reserve levels... but be a bit wary of potential side effects especially at 6+ months at much higher percentage rates.

Impressed that you're up to 10k steps given challenges.

You, Sir, are officially Active 👍

And I admit I like your adjustment as you're increasing the size of the pie making your slice proportionately smaller even if the actual size is the same or larger

@Dante_80, I LOVE your spreadsheet! Makes my own look dull and uninspired!

PAV8888 wrote: »

Dante how are you managing to snag such a good quantity of Omega 3's?

4 things.

1. Moller's Cod Liver Oil /10mg every day (when waking up).
2. Chia Seeds /7gr every day (with my breakfast).
3. Walnuts /7gr every day (with my breakfast).
4. In the Med diet here, we tend to eat fish 2-3 times each week. Sardines, Sea Bream and Anchovies are real close to my heart, pretty inexpensive, and yummy to boot! They are also pretty rich in Omega 3's, which doesn't really hurt either!

Believe it or not, it's Omega 6's that are giving me trouble, since I only tend to get them in quantity from walnuts and olive oil (not very rich sources).

Bella_Figura wrote: »

@Dante_80, I LOVE your spreadsheet! Makes my own look dull and uninspired!

Thanks for the kind words. That page was a printout from Cron-O-meter, a program like MFP that I use. It has a smaller database with far less recipes, but it pretty useful when you want to track specific micronutrients in your nutrition.

conniewilkins56 wrote: »

I think I want to maybe try a sardine….how do you eat it?…I will pass on the other foods….I do like fish but the fish are the less good fat ones….I like haddock, grouper and cod….oh and flounder….

Canned Connie, canned because otherwise the sardine would be too much trouble Especially the larger ones we tend to get. Sea Bream would be interesting. I can't say I've seen it often at the store.... just a couple of times maybe? But at least you would be getting some meat...

Now really small sized sardines or anchovies or smelts or similar would be a different ball game. Though with frying out of the loop it would be interesting how they would be prepared.

@Dante_80 I haven't really looked at it much but I always "thought" that we get more than enough Omega 6 and it is the Omega 3's that are the perennial problem. i.e. aiming for a 4:1 ratio or lower vs a "western diet" at >15:1

You're doing better than a 3:1 which is actually fantastic; but you're also at sub 60g total fats, which relatively speaking is quite low and is, perhaps, reflective of your total amount of calories eaten.

When you get to maintenance there is a high likelihood that you will be eating closer to 80-100g of fats a day and an increase in omega 3's would be difficult--are you going to increase the frequency of your fish eating? So your ratio is likely to deteriorate with the natural addition of more Omega 6's as you consume foods that may not be fully prepared to your specifications

I only have access to 7 days because I am not on Cronometer Gold... but my setup is showing pathetic results (and of course explains my weight trajectory this past week )

So on a 7 day average intake of just over 3k a day (about 150 Cal above maintenance), 107.5g was fats. And in spite of this relatively generous intake of lipids, my sad omega 6: omega 3 ratio is right in line with the western diet's 15:1 range, coming in at 13.3:1 (0.7g omega 3 vs 9.3g omega 6). And terrible compared to your beautiful 2ish to 1!

Mind you, the likelihood that I am just plain missing information about the exact lipid composition is extremely high as only 63% of my total fat intake is even classified in the much broader saturated/mono and poly-unsaturated categories... which leaves almost 40g of lipids a day unclassified as to what they were. Are the chances high they would be 40g of Omega 3? I would think that such a miracle would have been advertised... so my ratio is... terrible!

Time to go hunt for some fishies!

conniewilkins56 wrote: »

Ok canned but HOW do you eat them?…on a cracker maybe?….do they smell?…are there bones in them?…I am NOT crunching bones in my teeth!….

i dont think they have bones or they are so small you dont notice them. i dont know. i dont eat them. i think most people eat them on crackers?

PAV8888 wrote: »

I will let Dante help you on how to eat the truly small (I believe here they're called Portuguese) sardines which are in fact eaten whole and there's no crunching!

But they're definitely not a Connie thing.

Connie your best bet would be to buy herring fillets. They are meat only and you could maybe start with the kippered/smoked version. Brunswick brand. Not quite sardines but same ecosystem and tasty. you can even serve them warm or with cheese or on a salad

I have seen pickled herring and I KNOW I won’t eat that….it looks like garbage!….do sardines taste like canned salmon?….I like that once every ten years lol….

conniewilkins56 wrote: »

I have seen pickled herring and I KNOW I won’t eat that….it looks like garbage!….do sardines taste like canned salmon?….I like that once every ten years lol….

NO NO NO!!!!! I would NEVER suggest pickled herrings to you Connie. They're GROSS even to me

CANNED SMOKED herrings are a totally different beast and you're talking a whole boneless fillet. Beautiful and delicate to eat with just a bit of lemon. The mustard sauce version buries the fact it is a fish if you want to minimize the fish taste. Taking the kippered version and putting a tiny amount of old cheddar and pushing through a toaster oven is surprising... but I digress and I believe I should go buy some soon!!!

PAV8888 wrote: »

Bella, I might have to visit your parts of England?!?!?!

You’d better hop a plane quickly then - the annual herring festival is tomorrow!

https://www.greatyarmouthmercury.co.uk/news/traditional-food-yarmouth-herring-hemsby-lifeboat-service-8239694

What an exciting place I live 🤣

Parts of the Norfolk coastline are designated areas of outstanding natural beauty, so mustn't complain. There are many worse places to live. ALthough I'm not on the coast any more - I moved 30 miles inland a year ago this week. Still miss the sights and sounds of the sea...

What a great post @Dante_80. I don't eat fish - but I've learned about eating them now (more than I'd probably pick up in the rest of my veggie eating life!). That last dish is just crazy looking...lol...I imagine it is delicious.

Congrats, you ABSOLUTE legend! Those hamsters really had no chance, none I tell you!