T.H.E (Trying Hard Everyday) Team - Week 13

I'll have to do the same and get back on the BMI thing. I need to figure out how to get that number?

In the main menu from MFP, there's a tab called "Tools". Once you click it, you get another menu, one of the 3 tabs being "BMI". I bet you're at a healthy number .

Thank you Dewdrop!

Ok, so my BMI is 27.7 and I am Over. It says a target weight range for my height is 125.3-169.3. I am 5'9'' and have a hard time believing 125lbs at my height is healthy....

Jamie, My daughter is 24 and is 5'9 and weighs 120 and it IS TOO SKINNY!! I tell her all the time she is too skinny... She is a size 2.... I would say 130 or 135....

It really depends on one's bone structure, you could be 140 and 5'9'' and look great, or 125 and look anorexic. Since it is such a wide range, not every one fits the same shoe.

Oh I am sooo excited, the first farmer's market of the year is tomorrow!! I love getting my food from there, it is so much better than the store crap. Come to think of it..is it not kind of sad that I am so excited over food?...Oh well! At least it is healthy..haha

indianagranny - SW216/GW160/CW195.4 -4.8
indianagranny - STARTING BMI 31.6/GOAL 29.5

dewdrop - SW133.5/GW124/CW133.5 - (re)starting
dewdrop - S BMI20.9/G BMI - don't quite have a goal for this

get_fit2009 - SW 175/gw 140/ CW 165.5 - up a pound (it's ok, TOM)
I'll have to get back to you on the BMI thing. Last I checked I am hovering on the border between healthy weight and overweight.

jamierobertson - SW 195/ GW 155/ CW 187.8.....0lbs again!
BMI is 27.7 My BMI goal is to enter into healthy range....25.0

Manda1111 - down 2 pounds

cyndeebee - SW:136 GW:115 CW: I'll get back to you in a bit...
BMI: Start: 25.4 Goal in 1 month:24.4

nitag - SW 220/gw 145/cw190 - thats a 3 lb loss but its been 2 weeks
nitag - BMI Today 32.6 / Goal 25.0 or less

adopt4 - SW 273/GW 165/CW 243.3 - no change AGAIN
BMI is 38.1 I don't have a goal this month for BMI except for it to get lower. I'm on week 2 or 3 of no change, like Jamie, and it's making me nervous... but with a trainer now I think I might see some changes!

Chantybear - SW148/GW 127/CW 133.5 - Not really any change, but happy I did not gain!
BMI: Start: 24.3/ Current: 21.9/ Goal: 20.8

Stillkristi - SW 461/GW 195/CW 429 - lost 1.5 lbs
BMI Start 66.1/ Current 61.5/Goal < 60


Ok, so let me start off by saying I kinda hate the BMI challenge. All the other numbers can just blur for me, but when I see my BMI is twice that of anyone else here, and nearly three times that of most of you all - well, I get discouraged. :ohwell:

But, I remember a wise THE Team member suggesting early in my journey that I was finally feeling my feelings without running to food for comfort. ( at adopt4). So, I am just going to suck that up and feel the feelings and go ahead and do the challenge. But I will be gritting me teeth!

On a happier note, I currently weigh less than I have in at least 4 years. I am charging the battery in my old PDA to see what the stats are back further than July of 2005. Two years ago in APril of 2006, I weighted the most I have ever weighed - 480. So, I have lost 50 lbs since then. :happy: And that really does make me happy!

Cyndeebee - your BMI suggests that you really don't have that much to lose, though you want to lose 20 lbs. For you, like chantybear, these pounds are going to take some time to come off. People like me, with hundreds of pounds to lose can lose a lot of weight by making just a few small changes. Don't get discouraged if you don't see the needle on the scale moving down. I think you had a great idea about getting those capris out so you can track your progress that way. Also, I don't know if you are doing all cardio, or some strength training in your exercise, but I really recommend strength training as well as cardio. Lots of reasons - (1) it builds lean muscle which keeps the metabolism up (2) Especially for women - as we age, and get closer to menopause, we start to lose bone mass. Weight or resistance training keeps our bone mass healthy and strong, so we are less likely to get osteoparosis. Even if we have it, we can reverse it with weight/strenght building. (3) If you have any problems like arthritis, strength training builds muscle that can help better carry your body and therefore put less stress on your joints and spine. (4) creates more definition, which is more attractive, until you get into incredible hulk range, which is really unlikely - you have to work hard for that.

EDIT: Oh, cyndee I forgot - that majic number of 1200 calories a day is kind of a minimum standard suggested by the World Health organization to determine basic energy requirements of an adult. The requirement is a moving target, depending on factors like gender, age, typical activity levels, and bone structure. So, a tiny, "bird-boned" person like you, versus a very large (nearly as tall as li4g, very large bone strutcure, my wrist measures 7.75 inches and I have a size 13 foot). So, the way MFP calculates your daily calorie needs is like this: (1) it takes your BMR (basal metabolic rate, or the amount of energy needed to just sustain your life with zero activity. So, it takes BMR and multiplies it by a number that is used to describe your general activity level. For example, my current BMR is 2646. I am generally sedentary, so you multiply that by 1.2 and you get 3175.2. That is the number of calories I need to stay the same weight. Then, I subtract 1000 calories, because I want to lose the maximum amount MFP allows, which is 2 lbs a week. A pound of body mass = 3500 calories of energy, so at the end of a week, I will have a calorie deficit of 7000 calories or 2 lbs. That allows me 2175.2 calories a day. MFP defaults to 1200 as its rock bottom low number for a lot of reasons, primarily, I suspect to be safe in not recommending too great a caloric deficit for anyone.

I am trying to stay closer to 1700 calories a day, because would like to lose more like 3 lbs a week. I can do that, because I have a lot of extra storage, so the larger deficit doesn't hurt me. For people closer to their goal, a larger deficit could result in the loss of muscle mass - because the body will burn what ever fuel is handy in order to sustain itself. If you have less handy fat laying around, your body will burn muscle instead. You don't want that. If you want to do some experimenting with your BMI, here is a kind of fun tool to use: http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/
The main thing is to be safe. Since you have other health concerns, you really should see your doc before deviating to far from the norm. And, maybe your inability to lose right now is more about the fibromyalgia than anything else? Anyway , I hope I haven't been confusing, and I hope this helps!


Jamie, I think this little check list might be helpful for you, too, maybe not, but its worth a try:
1. Are you eating adequate calories - but not too many?
2. Are you drinking plenty of water,
3. Do you spread your meals through out the day, eating about every 2 to 2.5 hours?
4. Do you get plenty of quality rest - at least 6-7 hours a night?
5. Do you do strength training at least 2-3 days a week?
I totally get you about the weight range thing - my healthy range is 129 to 174 lbs. I could maybe do 174, but its more likely that 190 - 200 is a healthy range for me (according to the director of the fitness institute at a local hospital). So, don't stress the numbers, go by how you feel, and how your clothing fits, what size you are in, and your general health.

Here is what songbyrdsweet said about strength training in the Banks Plan post: "-Lifting one day a week, unfortunately, won't cause lasting adaptations. De-training occurs after about 3 days, so lifting once a week will give you 6 days of de-training. You won't garner any benefit because you won't be stressing your system frequently enough to cause neurological or physiological changes. It's akin to just running one day a week and not doing any other cardio. You won't be able to improve your time or oxygen consumption efficiency. Even beginners should lift 2-3 days per week. What changes in time is the duration and intensity, and then you can add days as well."

Lisa, - how about turning that frown upside down because you really did lose those pounds and get back on track pretty darn quick. It seems like we all kind of hit a slump along about three weeks to a month in. Check out the check list, and hang in there. We can do this!!!

Everyone else, love you, and I gotta go exercise if I am gonna beat Li4g at this BMI challenge!

indianagranny - SW216/GW160/CW195.4 -4.8
indianagranny - STARTING BMI 31.6/GOAL 29.5

dewdrop - SW133.5/GW124/CW133.5 - (re)starting
dewdrop - S BMI20.9/G BMI - don't quite have a goal for this

get_fit2009 - SW 175/gw 140/ CW 165.5 - up a pound (it's ok, TOM)
I'll have to get back to you on the BMI thing. Last I checked I am hovering on the border between healthy weight and overweight.

jamierobertson - SW 195/ GW 155/ CW 187.8.....0lbs again!
BMI is 27.7 My BMI goal is to enter into healthy range....25.0

Manda1111 - down 2 pounds

cyndeebee - SW:136 GW:115 CW: I'll get back to you in a bit...
BMI: Start: 25.4 Goal in 1 month:24.4

nitag - SW 220/gw 145/cw190 - thats a 3 lb loss but its been 2 weeks
nitag - BMI Today 32.6 / Goal 25.0 or less

adopt4 - SW 273/GW 165/CW 243.3 - no change AGAIN
BMI is 38.1 I don't have a goal this month for BMI except for it to get lower. I'm on week 2 or 3 of no change, like Jamie, and it's making me nervous... but with a trainer now I think I might see some changes!

Chantybear - SW148/GW 127/CW 133.5 - Not really any change, but happy I did not gain!
BMI: Start: 24.3/ Current: 21.9/ Goal: 20.8

Stillkristi - SW 461/GW 195/CW 429 - lost 1.5 lbs
BMI Start 66.1/ Current 61.5/Goal < 60

lulubar-SW205/GW145/CW191 +2 lbs.:ohwell:
BMI Start35.5/Current34.6/goal??? Just lower.....

Losingit4good- Starting BMI 30.2 / Goal BMI 28.8 or lower.
Losingit4good- SW252/GW175/CW222 - no change (grr!!)

indianagranny - SW216/GW160/CW195.4 -4.8
indianagranny - STARTING BMI 31.6/GOAL 29.5

dewdrop - SW133.5/GW124/CW133.5 - (re)starting
dewdrop - S BMI20.9/G BMI - don't quite have a goal for this

get_fit2009 - SW 175/gw 140/ CW 165.5 - up a pound (it's ok, TOM)
I'll have to get back to you on the BMI thing. Last I checked I am hovering on the border between healthy weight and overweight.

jamierobertson - SW 195/ GW 155/ CW 187.8.....0lbs again!
BMI is 27.7 My BMI goal is to enter into healthy range....25.0

Manda1111 - down 2 pounds

cyndeebee - SW:136 GW:115 CW: I'll get back to you in a bit...
BMI: Start: 25.4 Goal in 1 month:24.4

nitag - SW 220/gw 145/cw190 - thats a 3 lb loss but its been 2 weeks
nitag - BMI Today 32.6 / Goal 25.0 or less

adopt4 - SW 273/GW 165/CW 243.3 - no change AGAIN
BMI is 38.1 I don't have a goal this month for BMI except for it to get lower. I'm on week 2 or 3 of no change, like Jamie, and it's making me nervous... but with a trainer now I think I might see some changes!

Chantybear - SW148/GW 127/CW 133.5 - Not really any change, but happy I did not gain!
BMI: Start: 24.3/ Current: 21.9/ Goal: 20.8

Stillkristi - SW 461/GW 195/CW 429 - lost 1.5 lbs
BMI Start 66.1/ Current 61.5/Goal < 60

lulubar-SW205/GW145/CW191 +2 lbs.
BMI Start35.5/Current34.6/goal??? Just lower.....

Swignal - SW 317 / GW 150 / CW 288 = 4 pound loss
BMI 53.4 Current / Goal BMI much lower!!!!

Congratulations to the people that lost and to the people who are frustrated - it is another week - change things up and see what happens. I will be doing that also as my loss was water gained that I had already lost

Kristi - thanks for hanging in there with me. I am actually smiling but trying to get those numbers to stay down down down. Sodium already high today but pushing the water. And take your advice. - don't concentrate on the BMI - concentrate on the weight losing and the BMI will go to. Mine I know is down two points since I started and I didn't realize it till now. So don'tthink about the BMI and see what happens. again thanks for all your support it really does help. Kristi I have a question - so you do not ever eat any of your exercise calories back. I read MFP SETS YOU AT 21??? and you eat from 1500 - 1700 i THINK. Do you feel this works for you? I am just wondering cause I wonder if something like that would work for me?

Prayerfulmom - thank you too. I might be trying that zigzagging calories and see what happens. I got to work on something. I am going to try to google it later tonight.

Jamie - I feel your frustration girl. Hang in there. It will come off. I am going to read more on the zig zagging I am pretty sure and see if that works.

Adopt4 - sneal me in to see your trainer with you. I want to hear his/her suggestions.

LI4G - I need to borrow your chocolate cow girl. I went to the store today and got the nesquik - WOW - sure helped out for thechoclate addition.

Sheila - hope your party went swell. I wished at times I could borrow some of your energy girl.

Team, I feel the frustration too:grumble: :grumble: :grumble:

lost a lb and gained it right back. :noway:

NO CHANGE
BMI 45.0

I have good news!! I finished Day 3 of week 3 of the couch2-5k and am ready to move on to week 4 starting Monday! I thought for sure I would have to repeat this week after last Mondays workout, but here I am at the end of week 3 and todays wog was pretty easy!! I even did arm weights for 45 minutes PRIOR to doing it!

Also, I spent some time curled up with my "You on a diet" book, which is more scientific and explains alot more than I really paid attention to before. Ive lost a total of 4 pounds in 3 weeks, burning 1000 calories a day at the gym, eating about 80-100% of those back in healthy things and have been religious about my water intake. SO....I decided to go back to my book and read up on some things like BMR and made some changes to my MFP food log to once AGAIN to see if I can nail down the science of it all. When I went back and looked at the history of my food journal, I was steadily losing until the end of Feb, then things kinda slowed a bit. I still had some coming off, just not like it was. Now its pretty much at a stand-still.

I think alot of it is the food Im eating. Back during the time I was losing regularly, I had the SAME thing for breakfast & lunch. Low cal, yummy, easy to make. Once I started experimenting with different things for those meals (mainly cuz I was getting bored with it) I also found it harder to avoid cravings for other foods I shouldnt eat. :grumble: So, Im thinking I need to automate my lunch and breakfast like I was, which is also what my book tells me to do since these are the meals I tend to rush through even if they are planned. Snacks and dinner still being the variable healthy stuff that I know is ok.

Just thought I would share this with you. Im also going to be continuing the wogging and adding in more weight trainings instead of doing a full hour of cardio. I did arm weights today for the first time in 2 1/2 weeks since I hurt my shoulder and so far, it feels great. We'll see how sore I am tomorrow. :laugh:

LI4G - You made such a good point here.. I agree with you, my loss slowed when I started changing up my foods and I also started craving the things I CAN'T eat.. I think I am going to go back to my old ways and eat what I was, it gets boring but I was losing more..

Adopt4, I am doing 40 to 45 mins of cardio 6 days a week and 3 days of strength.. I just saw my daughter in law for the first time since Easter and boy has she lost a lot of weight. She says she eats whatever but has started running on the treadmill 5 days a week and does 3 days of wii fit yoga... Lets keep in mind she is only 24 so that helps "dang youngins"...I like your trainers tips, keep em coming...

Kristi - thanks for hanging in there with me. I am actually smiling but trying to get those numbers to stay down down down. Sodium already high today but pushing the water. And take your advice. - don't concentrate on the BMI - concentrate on the weight losing and the BMI will go to. Mine I know is down two points since I started and I didn't realize it till now. So don'tthink about the BMI and see what happens. again thanks for all your support it really does help. Kristi I have a question - so you do not ever eat any of your exercise calories back. I read MFP SETS YOU AT 21??? and you eat from 1500 - 1700 i THINK. Do you feel this works for you? I am just wondering cause I wonder if something like that would work for me?

Thats a good question, and i don't really feel qualified to answer you. Remember, you and I have vastly different needs. Sure, we are both 50 year old women, we're both smart, funny, and we make a mean tag team! However, you need to lose (according to your profile) a total of 56 lbs. I, on the other hand need to lose a total of AT LEAST 266 lbs! If I go by the BMI range, I really need to lose more like 285 pounds to get to the high range of normal. (By the way, nice job, quoting me back to me to get me out of my funk.. Adopt4 does that, too!) Like Jamie said, I know my body and I think I will be pretty happy with myself when I get to 195 instead of 175, but we'll see. So, since I need to lose so much more than you do, I have a lot more leeway when it comes to skimping on calories. To explain why, I am quoting SHBoss (aka Banks) from a few months ago:

"energy usage:
Once your body starts digesting, the 3 main intakes are broken down into composite parts, proteins (amino acids) are delivered to the liver or directly to places that need them, the liver will break them down. Fats are turned into cholestorol, or delivered right to places that need them, and carbs are broken down into simple sugars for immediate energy, or recombined into adipose (body) fat and stored for leaner times. The less complex the carbs, the faster the body breaks them down. The body can only use a certain amount of energy at any given time (metabolism), all extra is stored as fat or free sugars in the blood. This is why simple carbs are bad for you, they are very fast to metabolize and thus much of it is stored.

stored energy usage:
If there isn't enough energy, the body will use the EASIEST available stored energy. In people with excess fat, that is usually what is used. In people with less fat, or "old" fat, sometimes, protein and lean tissue are easier to break down. This is why large deficits are not good for people near a healthy weight, because even though protein breakdown is more complex then fat breakdown, if the fat is too far from a viable transport (the blood stream) it will not be used primarily, or there isn't enough fat to cover the need, and higher levels of lean tissue are used. "

So, thats why I say, I just don't know. Depends on which source of energy is the easiest available source. So, maybe I can do a large deficit much easier than you can. Because I have a great deal more readily available stored energy. I do think what I am doing works for me, and I also think I would lose more weight if I were a workout Nazi like Sheila is. But, a girl needs her beauty sleep. So, I am not much help. One thing you might try, and I got this idea from adopt4. I kept wondering how does she know so much about how much sodium she is consuming? Then I realized I could change my food diary to reflect that information. I also adjusted my percentages of carbs, protein and fat. I like to eat fewer carbs. I am not cutting them out, or drastically reducing them, but I am reducing them a little and increasing the protein a little. I also added sodium and fibar to my food diary so I could see what was what there. Also, if you aren't doing any weight training, add it in, at least 2 days a week, and hopefully 3. Good luck my friend.


quote]
And now, after a second day in a row with a trainer, I'm going to go fall on the floor again and writhe in pain for awhile. No dogpiles, Kristi!!
[/quote]

Aww! You take all the fun out of it! And, since I have been working out, I am pretty sure I could take you!

Losingit4good- Starting BMI 30.2 / Goal BMI 28.8 or lower.
Losingit4good- SW252/GW175/CW222 - no change (grr!!)

indianagranny - SW216/GW160/CW195.4 -4.8
indianagranny - STARTING BMI 31.6/GOAL 29.5

dewdrop - SW133.5/GW124/CW133.5 - (re)starting
dewdrop - S BMI20.9/G BMI - don't quite have a goal for this

get_fit2009 - SW 175/gw 140/ CW 165.5 - up a pound (it's ok, TOM)
I'll have to get back to you on the BMI thing. Last I checked I am hovering on the border between healthy weight and overweight.

jamierobertson - SW 195/ GW 155/ CW 187.8.....0lbs again!
BMI is 27.7 My BMI goal is to enter into healthy range....25.0

Manda1111 - down 2 pounds

cyndeebee - SW:136 GW:115 CW: I'll get back to you in a bit...
BMI: Start: 25.4 Goal in 1 month:24.4

nitag - SW 220/gw 145/cw190 - thats a 3 lb loss but its been 2 weeks
nitag - BMI Today 32.6 / Goal 25.0 or less

adopt4 - SW 273/GW 165/CW 243.3 - no change AGAIN
BMI is 38.1 I don't have a goal this month for BMI except for it to get lower. I'm on week 2 or 3 of no change, like Jamie, and it's making me nervous... but with a trainer now I think I might see some changes!

Chantybear - SW148/GW 127/CW 133.5 - Not really any change, but happy I did not gain!
BMI: Start: 24.3/ Current: 21.9/ Goal: 20.8

Stillkristi - SW 461/GW 195/CW 429 - lost 1.5 lbs
BMI Start 66.1/ Current 61.5/Goal < 60

lulubar-SW205/GW145/CW191 +2 lbs.
BMI Start35.5/Current34.6/goal??? Just lower.....

Swignal - SW 317 / GW 150 / CW 288 = 4 pound loss
BMI 53.4 Current / Goal BMI much lower!!!!

healthymom - SW 208/GW 150/CW 188 -1 lb
BMI start 33.6/current 30.3/goal 29

hey gang. sorry I didn't check in until now, had one great day and one lousy one. Did 5 miles on the treadmill today. I am still amazed every time I see those numbers. Took wed/thurs off so will keep exercising through the weekend!

I too have food issues. I was losing more weight when I planned ahead and carefully measured everything. I too got bored and tried to "wing it" for a while. I only lost 3 lbs this month. So...back to the recipes from slimfast and curves I was using. they are yummy but I just got bored. Here's to a renewed sense of purpose for us all as we start a new month.:drinker:

Goal: another 20 lb weight loss by August for a family wedding.

I know I am not supposed to report any change on my scale till next week, but since I did not eat late last night and did not have salted popcorn, the scale dropped down by 1.5 lbs. :happy: :glasses: :smokin:

I gotta thank lulu and kristi for not forgetting me during my silent times :flowerforyou: :smooched: Btw, kristi, I was telling my mum during the visit home what an inspiration you are to me, for switching careers . Must be a tough job, but what a reward it has to be, to know you are helping people!