At Goal & Successfully Maintaining. So Why Am I Doing This All Over Again?
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springlering62 wrote: »
Why oh why do iPads not come with calculators? Who thought that wasn’t a good idea?
Lol! It’s my understanding that decision was totally Steve Jobs himself. Just ask Siri, “Siri, what’s 25% of 575?” .
My bigger problem isn’t the math, it’s being honest about the serving size. Did I have a half serving or 3/4 of a serving? Or was that 4 ounces or 6 ounces? Alexa, Siri, Cortana, and Google do most of my math these days.
Rather than trying to squeeze in a dessert, I’m checking in the evening to see if I can have a glass of wine, and the size. Can I have a 6 ounce glass, or limit it to 4 ounces. But honestly, once I determine whether I can have any, I just pour it to my own imaginary line of what I think 4 or 6 ounces may be. Funny though, when I pour, both lines look the same! 🍷 🤫. I should probably drawn lines on my wine glasses or just drink out of a measuring cup.
@wunderkindking I hear you about all the things we use to dress up our food. Although I never referred to most of them as condiments, the sauces, cheeses, etc, were killing me! How many times did I take a healthy 50 calorie salad and turn it into a 500 calorie bomb with bacon, egg, cheese, dressing. Learning to retrain my tastebuds to enjoy the fresh foods without the overload made a huge difference. I don’t look for room to squeeze in a candy bar however ….. see above 🍷.
@ridiculous59 that 7% is something to think about. I’ve been questioning what weight should I be? My original goal was 140. I lost 48 pounds and reached it. For my height, 119-159 is what the BMI chart says, so I’m right in the middle. But I see bulges that I still don’t like, so I’m thinking maybe another 10 pounds. But I can’t seem to find motivation to get there. For 3 months, I have been maintaining at 140-143. It’s been a relatively painless place to be, not a struggle. If I take my mid-20’s weight (~125), and add 7%, I would be at ~134. That’s kind of where I keep thinking I should go, but without doing the math (LOL @springerling62 ). In 5 weeks I’ll be 69. I don’t want to look gaunt, and I’m a little afraid of losing more in my face and neck instead of my hips and belly. We can’t choose where we lose it.
So for now I’m just holding my own, and concentrating more on strength and stamina than on pounds.
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New NSV for the BL:
He quietly announced he’s going to look for smaller pants at the Living History event this weekend.
I suppose I could offer to shrink his woolen britches in the wash but we know how that goes. They might end up toddler sized.
He’s become very secretive about weighing in, but I’ve noticed even his new jeans are hanging on him, and anyone who hasn’t seen him in a while immediately comments on his weight loss. It makes him very uncomfortable.
Very interesting to see someone else I know so intimately’s reaction to what we talk about here. Everyone is different. I was like downplay downplay, modesty, while secretly screaming WOOHOOO inside.9 -
springlering62 wrote: »New NSV for the BL:
He quietly announced he’s going to look for smaller pants at the Living History event this weekend.
I suppose I could offer to shrink his woolen britches in the wash but we know how that goes. They might end up toddler sized.
He’s become very secretive about weighing in, but I’ve noticed even his new jeans are hanging on him, and anyone who hasn’t seen him in a while immediately comments on his weight loss. It makes him very uncomfortable.
Very interesting to see someone else I know so intimately’s reaction to what we talk about here. Everyone is different. I was like downplay downplay, modesty, while secretly screaming WOOHOOO inside.
Wash and put on wet could work, if he's willing . . . .2 -
springlering62 wrote: »New NSV for the BL:
He quietly announced he’s going to look for smaller pants at the Living History event this weekend.
I suppose I could offer to shrink his woolen britches in the wash but we know how that goes. They might end up toddler sized.
He’s become very secretive about weighing in, but I’ve noticed even his new jeans are hanging on him, and anyone who hasn’t seen him in a while immediately comments on his weight loss. It makes him very uncomfortable.
Very interesting to see someone else I know so intimately’s reaction to what we talk about here. Everyone is different. I was like downplay downplay, modesty, while secretly screaming WOOHOOO inside.
I don’t even bother with modesty. If someone says I’m looking thinner, I’m like YES THANKS I’VE LOST [X number of] POUNDS AND AM SO EXCITED!! I like to think of it as being enthusiastic, but I’m sure some people find me obnoxious. Either way, it sparks some interesting conversations. Two of my friends got inspired and have started working on their own health/weight which makes me hopeful that I’m spreading positive ripples.10 -
I legitimately don't want people to talk about any physical aspect of my being that is not a style choice. 'Cool hair' (it's purple with a rainbow rn) or clothes? Cool. My Skills/abilities? Heck yes.
Anything else? People do it, I'm polite, I know they mean well, and I don't think it's rude or anything, but I don't enjoy it at all. Fat, thin, weight loss, weight gain, pretty eyes, whatever, it just makes me uncomfortable.7 -
Don’t know if this will help!
https://www.cultofmac.com/760096/how-to-use-the-calculator-hidden-in-your-ipad/amp/0 -
BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »Don’t know if this will help!
https://www.cultofmac.com/760096/how-to-use-the-calculator-hidden-in-your-ipad/amp/
Thank you! Now that’s useful! But still I’d like a freaking calculator -with no ads- for when I, oh, you know, balance the checkbook and do the budget? It’s just more sensible!0 -
Copying this over from a post to a new user. It just seems relevant and some new members have been finding their way to this thread. User is tired of being overweight and just sounds at the end of their rope. Like every other new member, they are seeking “motivation”.
Man, if I had a motivation pill, I’d be rich.
Hi, XXX
I was like you (only a lot heavier and presumably a lot older). I reached the point where for various reasons I was sick of it.
Basically, I had to dig down deep, set a goal (in my case not to go on some scary meds) and get to work.
I eventually lost 40% of my body weight and have been in maintenance a couple of years or so.
Yeah. I bet you were expecting a magic bean, weren’t you? There’s no such thing.
It’s hard at first. But it does get easier, surprisingly quickly.
I get rid of anything in the house I knew I’d binge on, from past experience. I mean everything, right down to chocolate chips in the pantry, tasty crackers, cookies, candy, cereal.
I had my husband hide the snacks he couldn’t live without. Luckily I found most of his unappealing, but in a pinch- i.e. a snack feeding frenzy- I’d eat anything. Ya know? The day I found the bag or Hersheys Minis hidden in the garage was a bummer.
I delved into these boards and read every day. I learned so much. Mainly that I wasn’t alone. Weight worries are a very very personal thing. You barely discuss them with your spouse, and if your doctor touches on it at all, it’s quickly because they’re as embarrassed as you are to tell you the obvious.
Finding that there were other people “suffering” (this isn’t cancer or a car wreck) like I was and willing to talk about it was amazing.
I learned from the people who had gone before me and been successful- and watched those who were not fall by the wayside. There was a very different attitude between the two groups.
One was determined, made actual changes and were willing to make mistakes.
The other was angry, unwilling to accept a temporary failure, and entitled. They thought they couldn’t live without it, deserved to have that (fill in the blank here- whole pizza, bag of cookies etc) and that the world owed them that along with svelteness.
I learnt that a three mile leisurely walk after dinner didn’t negate 3/4 if a Publix key lime pie or that whole family sized bag of Oreos. Maybe two Oreos or a slender sleeve of pie, yes.
I quickly learned to relate cause and effect, what substitutions I could make, that a bowl of frozen fruit was more filling and waaaaaay fewer calories than my previous choices.
I learned I didn’t have to be perfect to start out with, nor am I still perfect. My diary is open. You can go back two or three weeks and see the “epic fail” (which I can now laugh off) when I visited the kids and didn’t want to be a diet diva while they were coping with a newborn. You also see that I got right back on track the day of the return flight.
I’ve learned that a pig out once in a while is fine, but actually leaves me kinda gross feeling nowadays. It’s comforting to stick to my -dare I say it- NEW comfort foods.
Your weight is going to bounce violently up and down the first six weeks as you try new eating and exercise habits. Many people quit after a few days or couple of weeks because they’ve been trained by society that weight loss should be instant and gratifying. It’s not.
But I promise you, the weeks go by quickly and the first time you realize,”well hey, this waistband is a lot looser” you’ll be motivated to keep it up.
Galadriel says “the quest Stands upon the blade if a knife”. So true. It’s up to you to decide which side you want to fall on.
Read the stickies at the top of each board for quick knowledge.
Then go here:
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/categories/success-stories
I strongly suggest the NSV (non scale victory) thread and the What Nobody Told Me thread. I found both extremely motivating when I had low points and I have read and enjoyed every single post on both.
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Thanks again for the wise words @springlering62 .... and bonus points for the Lord of the Rings reference.
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dralicephd wrote: »Thanks again for the wise words @springlering62 .... and bonus points for the Lord of the Rings reference.
Springlering itself is a LOTR reference, albeit an obscure one. “A vigorous dance, but pretty.”
Crossing fingers Amazon doesn’t totally faff up the series. I still haven’t forgiven PJ and writers for allowing Sam to ever leave Frodo. 😱5 -
Ha! I thought it was just coincidence. (I totally hear you on that misstep in the movies!)
thank you for this thread. it really is helpful, and inspiring.0 -
Question for @springlering62 and @AnnPT77 and all others who have been successful at losing the weight they want to and are in maintenance. I hope its okay to post here.
First, I find you so inspiring and your posts so helpful. I've been on MFP on and off for almost 10 years and have a number of times put myself in the high end of a normal BMI. Its too high still, but not terrible. Currently, I'm about 8 pounds above, meaning I'd really like to lose 28.
I exercise A LOT. I've run 2 marathons so far this year. MFP is terrible at estimating my calories burned, as it often double-counts workouts that I'm tracking with other apps and grossly underestimates my pace on the treadmill and often the Peloton. So I tend to avoid eating back my exercise calories. However, I've come to the hard truth that I have to eat back some, or I get too hungry and say "screw it all" and stop logging (often about 4 pm).
How do you handle eating your exercise calories? I'm far more like Anne when it comes to pre-logging, its a success for me to log dinner even if it isn't the best estimate. I eye-ball my measurements because at least its a start.
Thank you in advance!1 -
Personally, I eat ALL of my exercise calories. And more, even. But that's because months and months of tracking have shown me that my Garmin underestimates my calorie burn, in general and for running specifically (but it overestimates for walking, which I do less frequently).
I usually exercise before dinner, so I have dinner and my evening snack that I adjust accordingly. Heck, sometimes I'm an optimist (confident I'll exercise later) and already eat more at noon
It sounds like you might benefit from a rethink of what apps/devices you sync to MFP (to avoid double counting).
If you want some fairly reliable calorie estimates for running and walking, I use this one:
https://exrx.net/Calculators/WalkRunMETs
Use 'net' energy not 'gross' in the dropdown, to avoid double counting BMR calories.4 -
@savagemrsmoose, I eat all my exercise calories, did all through weight loss as well as maintenance.
I don't synch my Garmin because (1) I got it after my logging practices were already established and working well, and (2) it didn't take long to realize that it (like MFP) dramatically underestimates my daily life calorie burn (even though the same brand/model is reasonably accurate for others).
I use different methods of estimating exercise. All methods have limitations, and specific methods tend to be better at estimating some things, worse at estimating others.
* For walking, I use the ExRx calculator Lietchi linked, set on "net".
* My rowing machine and stationary bike give watts readouts, which is quite-accurate way of estimating cycling calories (it's a little more fraught for rowing, IMO, for reasons I won't belabor here) . . . but still probably the most accurate way I have to estimating machine rowing, and I think the flaws are likely to apply less to me than to some. What I've learned, though, is that my Garmin exercise calorie estimate (which I believe is gross calories) is reasonably close to the watts-estimated calories, for the range of intensities/durations that are normal for me. For convenience, I'll log the Garmin estimate.
* Given some feel for the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) for the watts-based indoor bike/row, I feel like the Garmin estimate is probably not terrible for on-water rowing or outdoor biking that feels similar.
* For strength training, I use the MFP database estimate, even with the theoretical flaw that MFP's research-based method has across the board, because heart rate estimates are pretty much guaranteed to be nonsense for strength training.
I'm not the energetic exerciser that Spring is, so on an average day, my exercise calories probably make up around 10% +/- of my TDEE. Given the magnitude of that number in the context, being somewhat high or low in the exercise estimate isn't going to be a calorie-counting deal breaker. (The number of calories in the error are likely lost in the noise of the many estimates we use in calorie counting, to put it another way.)
With some attention to avoiding insanely large exercise calorie estimates, plus avoiding things like double counting**, I think the accuracy of exercise calorie estimates shouldn't be a big freak-out factor for a person with an average-ish kind of exercise routine (5-8 hours a week, say). I do think it's useful to learn a bit, give some thought to what methods are reasonable for estimating their particular exercise types/paces.
** Commonest cause of double counting would probably be setting activity level with one's exercise included, then logging the exercise on top of that. (Tracker synch can still work if activity level is set too high, as long as negative adjustments are enabled, but it's somewhat dependent on the specific tracker's MFP integration, and details of how the user logs.)
I feel like people here feel over-stressed about the exercise calorie estimates because they're so explicit and recurrent. Those who use a TDEE calculator also generally included exercise calories in their goal, but they're estimated as generic "exercise" and average daily time periods/frequencies, at most precise, then averaged into the overall calorie goal. That's unlikely to be more accurate than estimating once we know what we did, and for exactly how long.
Perspective:
Every single thing is estimate. Base calorie needs (calculator gives you population average for people similar on a handful of data values), exercise calories, food (one apple is sweeter than the next, etc.), daily life (varies every single day, fidgetiness matters, more!). Any of them can be inaccurate, but we focus on the exercise estimate as A Big Deal.
For most average people (though not every one), their biggest daily calorie burn is just being alive (BMR/RMR), not even doing anything. Second biggest is daily life (job, chores, etc.). Exercise is probably third. When you think about the actual numbers in that context, being quite a big percentage off on the exercise calories really doesn't matter hugely. For me, my pre-exercise TDEE is probably around 2000 or so. If the estimators are to be believed, 1300 or so of that is BMR/RMR (I suspect it's higher). That would make daily life around 700 calories (I suspect it's lower).
If my exercise is 200-500 calories, and I'm off by 20%, and that "off" direction is "over" (because I could also underestimate), we're talking about 40-100 calories daily. I'll bet my other estimates are off by more than that, in total, daily. Some are high, some are low, they average out. Meh.
Even if my exercise calories are 100% high, at that 500 calorie estimate, that means I only earned 250 calories, but claimed 500. At a pound a week deficit, a lose half a pound instead (if everything else is exact). If I note that, I can adjust my base calorie goal, or eat half my believed exercise calories, or any other adjustment to make my actual weight loss rate be about where I want it.SavageMrsMoose wrote: »(snip)
I exercise A LOT. I've run 2 marathons so far this year. MFP is terrible at estimating my calories burned, as it often double-counts workouts that I'm tracking with other apps and grossly underestimates my pace on the treadmill and often the Peloton. So I tend to avoid eating back my exercise calories. However, I've come to the hard truth that I have to eat back some, or I get too hungry and say "screw it all" and stop logging (often about 4 pm).
(snip)
If there's double counting, do you have multiple sources linked to MFP? If so, maybe don't. If it's double-counting from a single source, maybe unlink everything, then reload/reset/relink?
I'm not sure what you mean by "MFP . . . grossly underestimates my pace on the treadmill and . . . Peloton". MFP doesn't estimate pace?
If there are underestimates of intensity somewhere, that implies an underestimate of calories. There's no risk to weight loss rate from estimating calories too low, except that you might lose dangerously fast. By eating back zero exercise calories, you're already risking even more dangerously fast.
For someone who's exercising lots, not eating back exercise calories - whether averaged in via a TDEE calculator, synched via a tracker, logged manually - is guaranteed to be wrong, plus increases health risk, on top of the risk you're experiencing - eating randomly over goal because "too low" is unsustainable.
If you at least commit to eat back a defined fraction of your estimated exercise calories regularly, even if not all, to the point where you can avoid "screw it all", you at least have a managed, metered situation, that you can adjust if it doesn't yield the results you want. "Screw it all and stop logging" randomly - that doesn't give you a basis for making rational adjustments to find your tolerable, successful intake.4 -
I... don't do exercise calories. Because my exercise is weird (hard to estimate, for me anyway, but consistent) I just loop it into my daily activity level. I'm not equally active every day but it averages out pretty well *for me*. Then accept the odd day I'm over or under due to variance. I do change my activity setting in the app seasonally (summer I am stupid active, winter less) or in case of injury or something meaning there's some grand variation in how much I'm moving. I haven't had any trouble with this but I've found 'roughly estimate' works pretty well for me both in loss and maintenance.
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@SavageMrsMoose I think the bottom line is that you are going to have to experiment and see what works for you. Clearly, what you are currently doing ISN'T working if you land in "screw it, I'm giving up" town, right? There's no shame in that, BTW. I know I've been there MANY times over the years. What worked for me this time was to set my base level at sedentary, eat half my exercise calories back, AND make sure I'm eating enough protein (to avoid the "hangries"). Try something and give it 3-4 weeks and see how your body (and mind) responds, then adjust as needed.
Hang in there. You can do it.
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@SavageMrsMoose you’re a friend, so I see your -very impressive- workouts in my feed.
This is all N=1. My own personal experience lately.
I was maintaining well at about 3000, in a weight range I was happy with.
But there’s this perverse little part of me that keeps whispering “Lower. Lower!”
Following a couple week trip with little exercise and no control over food (new parents understandably more interested in coping than MIL’s calorie counting, so I tried to be low key) I found myself up about 9 pounds. Airline travel and over-eating.
I knew the drill. Cut calories, resume workout schedule. Within ten days I was back to my range.
But that little perverse voice kept teasing at me. So I foolishly kept the deficit.
Instead of losing weight, it has started to spiral back up. I’ve been exhausted. Like comatose on the sofa exhausted, can’t carry on a normal conversation tired, passing out asleep after a couple of workouts.
The new HIIT classes I’m taking are in a mirrored room. I’m seeing the spidery look coming back, despite the increased weight.
I know what the deal is. I’m under-fueling myself.
The weight increase isn’t real. I know it can’t be. I know darn well I’ve been in a heavy deficit. It’s stress and cortisol.
So I’m recommitting to increasing my calories.
I think as the other ladies so eloquently say here, we can get so wrapped up in the data and deficit, that we forget we’re fueling ourselves with food. If we’re going to commit to the type of workouts we do, we owe it to body to make sure we have adequate nutrition.
If I start to balloon out of control, I can go back to the deficit. I’m going to try to make myself do it for thirty days to see what kind of results I get. Will my weight decrease? Maintain? Will my energy level even out? Will the “drowning sensation” naps cease?
Maybe, at your phenomenal level of activity, you should consider an increase in calories, too?
I do pre-log at least every morning, but am usually pre-logged several days out. I find that when I’m eating more, I tend to have a buttload of calories left by dinner time and end up shoveling food in before bed. With my history of the GERD From Hell, that’s not a great plan. I’m trying to get better about eating more in the day. That also prevents me from falling back on junkier foods to get those calories and risking falling back into the habits that burned me in the first place.
Again, if you increase, and hate the results, you can always go back to a deficit. My right brain says “this is a stupid plan to eat more”, my left brain is like “thank god she listened”. We’ll see which side wins this one.
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PS: it’s really really hard to increase calories when your mindset is “shave a few here, save a few there”. It takes work.2
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PPS check out the podcast Unfiltered Fitness by Sarah Bishop. She’s an MFP member. No idea what her user name is. Don’t care. That’s her business.
I’m only five or six episodes in. Her podcast with the dietician who specializes in athletes kind of hit me over the head, regarding the above. I don’t consider myself an “athlete”, because I don’t compete at anything, yet I’m an athlete just on the basis of “doing”.
I’m hoping the rest of her podcast episodes will be as useful to me as the first few.
I also found her storyline of how she fell into anorexia very interesting and relatable. I think that it would be so easy for a data crazed /move ring motivated person like me to go that route.2 -
springlering62 wrote: »PPS check out the podcast Unfiltered Fitness by Sarah Bishop. She’s an MFP member. No idea what her user name is. Don’t care. That’s her business.
I’m only five or six episodes in. Her podcast with the dietician who specializes in athletes kind of hit me over the head, regarding the above. I don’t consider myself an “athlete”, because I don’t compete at anything, yet I’m an athlete just on the basis of “doing”.
I’m hoping the rest of her podcast episodes will be as useful to me as the first few.
I also found her storyline of how she fell into anorexia very interesting and relatable. I think that it would be so easy for a data crazed /move ring motivated person like me to go that route.
Annnd that is why I'm so absolutely aggressive on being as lax as I can be with data while still getting results. Cups. Spoons. My pants size. Activity level vs exercise calories.
I know me. I will go down a BAD path.
Even with all my aggressive 'do as little as you can and get results your after' stuff that little hit of feel good brain chemicals when the scale drops is a little addictive and there comes a point that's a DANGEROUS thing. My most recent pictures alarmed me a little. I've stepped back from more than very loose logging and weighing myself at all. (And even with that yeah, the little voice: 'I could drop almost another 10lbs and still be a healthy BMI! No, self. No. We are not doing that.)
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