Hi!

I've been EM2WL for 6 weeks now with no scale progress, and I've just about gotten myself mentally ready to do a full reset. I have a question, though. I have a BMF which shows a TDEE range from about 2400 on rest days to 2800 on lifting days. I've been using the average of 2533 as my TDEE and eating at a cut from that. So if I reset, could I just eat 2500-2550 every day, or would it be better to eat 2400 on rest days and 2850 on lifting days?

I have been eating at my average for the most part and it's worked just fine for me. It's easier to keep one goal in my head every day.

Does anyone else miss the feeling of losing weight? What i mean is i started this journey nearly 6 years ago so for nearly 6 years its been all about losing (which I have been successful at)....now suddenly im at a place where im just hoping to keep my gains at a minimum...mentally its very weird for me cos it feels like im not "accomplishing" - i realise resetting my metabolism will help me long term and this is all about healing (altho that said dont know that my metabolism has really suffered) and its very hard to not want to a week into the reset just go to a cut so i can get back to working towards my ultimate goal

I absolutely relate to this! I am so ready to feel that feeling again....4weeks of reset almost down, 4 more to go! ugh.....

Quick question for y'all:

I am in the middle of my 4th week of my reset and dang I am TIRED! Like don't blink to long because I might fall asleep at my desk tired...

I thought I had read that this is normal but can't remember...so figured why not ask my own personal panel of experts

Anyone else experience tiredness? And when how long did it last?

I experienced excessive tiredness early on and then again around 4 weeks. Each time it only lasted a few days, though (thankfully, because it made me SO tired I nearly fell asleep driving home from work---yikes!).

Thanks! That makes me feel a little better because I have almost fallen asleep driving into work for the past 3 days and here I thought working out in the morning was supposed to give you energy?

Was anyone else wondering if we feel soooo bloated/fat eating TDEE now, will we feel like this forever once we hit our goal weight/size and up back to maintenance? I do NOT want to have this over-full, fat, bloated feeling forever! Anyone?

The bloat goes away even during a reset eventually. It will come and go in smaller waves just with regular life but the overfull, uncomfortable bloat feeling won't last. I'm in my 5th week of reset (I've been eating more now for a total of 12 weeks) and I only started to feel the bloat go away 3 weeks into my reset. (then it came back worse than ever for TOM, but it's gone again now). I am currently heavier with weight/water gain by about 7 lbs, but I don't feel bloated anymore.

Once you lose the weight and go to maintenance, you should find that any bloat will be short-lived and due more to sodium, TOM, or other factors than your body reacting to more food.

Tomorrow marks the end of my first week of reset. Weight has been up and down about 3-5lbs gain-I've had some high sodium days so I'm ok with that! I'm near TOM so I'm also retaining a LOT of water...I feel really puffy right now. Is there anything I can do to help diminish that feeling other than drink water and watch my sodium?

Also does anyone feel a bit sick eating their TDEE? I eat 3 solid meals and lots of little snacks throughout the day. After I ate my lunch today I just felt SO full and kinda queasy. Not sure if this is a normal feeling?

Total normal feeling...I used to roll around on my bed in tears because I felt so ill, wondering how anyone could enjoy feeling full and that was at tdee -15%!! It gets better...promise.

As for reducing water...other than what you've said, I'm not a great adviser in that area....my body just does what it's gonna do, and I try to watch my sodium and drink my water....and hope for the best...haha!

Was anyone else wondering if we feel soooo bloated/fat eating TDEE now, will we feel like this forever once we hit our goal weight/size and up back to maintenance? I do NOT want to have this over-full, fat, bloated feeling forever! Anyone?

Most definitely not. Not sure what week you are on, but it seems like with pretty decent consistency, that feeling goes away around week 3 or 4.

Well...dare I say I am feeling a teensy bit better. Had a great weights session this morning with my DH, and I have finally wrapped my mind around the fact that I am on the right path. This after two weeks of constantly second guessing myself.
My DH and I are working with a husband and wife trainer, and had a talk with them about a week ago about stuff. I shared my metabolism reset with them and they raised quite the skeptical eyebrows and then proceeded to tell me I really needed to do this Advocare cleanse thing (they're also distributors of Advocare-supplements) and cut my cals to 1500.
WHAT????
At first, I was totally like: NO,NO,NO!!!!
But after continuing to hear about it, and watching my DH start the cleanse, AND being frustrated with not seeing results, I've been wondering if they arent right. After all, he is a professional bodybuilder, and she is a figure competitor. They look amazing, and I'm feeling pretty frumpy. And I'm pretty sure they have learned things in the 12 years they've been doing things that actually work.
I've been sticking to my reset, but I just feel so burnt out, so ready to cut, so ready to get things done, and to be honest, I'm really feeling tempted to take their advice. I've been moping around and a very difficult person to live with, not feeling my workouts, and in general, just a real pleasure to be around.
Anyway, I'm in a better place. I've come to the conclusion that I"ve come so far (almost to week 6!) and I need to stick this out to the end. And then, Kiki posted this video this morning and it is so good! Could not be more timely for me!!! I had to share it here, even if your goals are different (I have no intention to actually DO fitness competitions, but wouldnt mind having that look, lol), I think it speaks to all of us. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IirSqtulw08&feature=channel&list=UL

I am so happy to hear that you are going to stick it out! If you didn't, eventually I am sure it would creep in the back of your mind, "what if?" You can always do the cleanse and lower cals. But this takes time and mental strength. You would have to start over because while that way of life may work for them, it very well may not for you. I can't wait until you cut and start dropping fat and inches and show those trainers a thing or two and that hey, maybe they don't know everything!

And you will do it all with out having to drink nothing but liquids and take a bunch of supplements! I just read a small article in Marie Claire about an athlete who runs at Olympic levels, had qualified for Olympic trials and eats 3500 cals a day. And is definitely fit and very thin.

..... I wonder if part of it is this heat too. It was already humid at 5:00am this morning when I took our dog out. I wonder if that's part of why I decided not to run. Heat seems to suck the life out of me!

Anyways, I'm hoping my energy kicks back in soon. I really need it in order to function!

I know for a fact that heat wipes me out before I even get started for the day...so it could definitely be a factor!

Raynn- I meant to give you a shout out too. You're doing so well! I'm going to be honest - I think you should really try for the extra two weeks. My thought is that if you cut two weeks short and then don't have the results you want at cut, you'll be starting over at week one again. That's honestly why I decided to go ahead and go eight weeks even though I'm so ready to be done with this reset. In the grand scheme of things you may be very glad if you hang in two more weeks!

Thanks Hun:) I actually am going to go for the full 8. I had a long talk with myself last night and again this morning, and again with a friend, and its exactly right. I dont want to get to the point where I look back and wonder if I should have gone for the full 8.. It will eat me up inside later on.. So I will suck it up and do the full 8.. it pains me to think about it though, but at least then I will have given myself 4 months of solid heavy eating.. if my metabolism hasnt reset after all of that, then I think I just might shoot myself:)


As for the heat, it can definitely affect my energy levels.. its a "mild" 20 degrees (celcius) here, but its enough to zap my energy!

re: the bodybuilders and the cleanse... Personally I shy away from anything called a "cleanse". There is no scientific proof to show a cleanse does what its claiming to do, and considering at they al are basically water and very little food, of course people lose weight on it.. Its enough to make people believe its a good thing, adnt he weight comes off, but then once they resume regular eating again, the pounds come back... and then repeat the cycle months later..Shrug.. just my opinion..
I would rather go slowly at this and lose the weight the "right" way, rather than ever get to a point where I make myself miserable drinking cleanse liquids and feeling like crapola.. Just because they are bodybuilders/trainers does not mean they are 100% perfect and know everything... Also, since they are sellers of this cleanse stuff, they make money, so of course they want their clients to have it.. it gets them more cash because they hit the most vulnerable.. the people who are already going to them for weight training help.. why not tell them to drink this stuff too?? Know what I mean? It is just my opinion, but at least mine is free:)