about to give up on EM2WL
Options
Replies
-
Girl_Bomb, I'm glad you were able to see some positives when typing up your reply. :happy: It's really easy to get wrapped up in the numbers...trust me, I'm a total Type A & I do statistics for a living. I've had times where I got so stressed about the "right" numbers that I forgot the most important thing: to enjoy my life.
Instead of trying to find the "right" numbers that will force the scale to succumb to your will, try focusing on finding the calorie level you feel most comfortable eating at. And it doesn't have to be a particular number, peoples' appetites vary from day to day, but I'm sure you could pick a range (mine is 2150-2500). Then do a level of exercise that makes you feel energized & accomplished & productive. Too little & you may feel guilty, too much & you'll feel like crap.
Do that, & before long you'll be posting stuff like this:The biggest change...I feel GREAT! I'm eating 1450-1600 a day and Feel AWESOME! I have energy...I'm getting out and walking more...I'm never hungry. I love it.0 -
I am gonna give some suggestions based on your numbers and your diary.. these are only suggestions...
So I ran your numbers in the calculator at moderate exercise (20% cut) and your at 1913 calories, but I see your status messages on exercising and your probably more strenuous so 2129 calories (same cut).. Ok So here are the numbers.
From your diary, your still only set at about 1800, I would suggest upping this to 2000 calories a day.. I know more food not what anyone wants to hear BUT I also want you to adjust your macros and raise your protein at either the expense of your carbs or fat.. I would say 40/40/20, your doing alot of work and your body needs that protein and your under what you should be getting.. daily goal of protein is 60's.. I am thinking more 140's..
Second on your big burn days (What yesterday or whatever you burned 600) you need to eat some of those and try to eat back with protein filled foods.. have a protein shake after your workout.. It seems your still netting below your BMR on these big days, so you may still be in that starvation mode where your body is just holding on for everything cause it doesn't have enough..
Your working hard, so its not only time to feed you body but also give it the proper nutrition to build your body the way you want it.
Again all a suggestion0 -
for the 3 months i had my calories set to 1860 and when i worked out i would eat 2000-2200, netting over my BMR of like 1560 having all these doubts befor i upped my calories to that, and trust me compared to how i used to workout i cut it down a lot and added in much more weight training.
iv decided to Take my weight and multiply by 14 (based on how active you are you could multiply it by 10 or 11 for sedetary, 12 or 13 for mildly active, or 14 or 15 for active and 16 for extremely active)
so lets say im 150....150 * 14 is 2100 calories per day. Regardless of my exercise or not. ill take 15 % away so i create my own deficit. So aim to eat 1785. im going to try it for 4 weeks, my cousin was going through some issues and messaged me the idea saying it has began working for her.0 -
Girl_Bomb totally hearing you about the ready to give up
Unfortunately my BF% has gone up as well, my scale weight has maintained within about 1-1.5kg but i feel so damn pudgy, and my measurements i think are a tad higher now, but not really sure, i haven't done them properly. But my BF% has gone up about 3%
I have finished my HM program, so am now incorporating more strength based work outs, 2 days a week plus a kettlebell class over the last 2 weeks.
But yeh i ended up lowering my intake to 1680, then 1630, though i was still going over by about 30cals :laugh:
It got to the point of me thinking why did i bother lowering them anyway, if i keep going over now! I had got to 1800cals a day.
So disillusioned about it all, but like you i can't go back to 1200calories, i really have no clue how on earth i survived on so little, especially when i was burning a minimum of 500cals a day! (HRM)
I ran my exercise schedule past someone to see if i was in the moderate or active range and they asked my other stats and said to set my daily calorie intake to 1400 and keep my workouts to under 1 hour a day, and 5 days a week.
But now reading the responses here i am again torn about the whole thing. I just can't quite shake that there is something right about EM2WL, even though it doesn't appear to be working for me :laugh:
The other thing that annoys me is that unlike a lot of others here i never did reach a plateau on the 1200cals and only had about 5kg (10pounds) to lose, but i can't go back to 1200cals because i feel so much better on the extra food and my workouts are stronger!
i dont think i reached a plateau either!!!!! and now im gaining, so frustrating and annoying. although i stopped being so serious about weight loss last year for a few months and just maintained, then got MFP and lost 10lbs, started doing EM2WL and gained weight.0 -
one more thing, this post is definetly not discouraging EM2WL, i know it has does miracles for others and its about being healthy but at the same time everyones different and maybe another approach is what my body needs (and im not talking about 1200cal)0
-
It doesn't work miracles...it just helps people realize that VLCD aren't the ONLY way to the lose weight. It presents the truth that you don't need a 1,000 calorie deficit a day to successfully diet and you don't need to starve! Everyone on EM2WL who has lost and is losing weight is following the same truth about diets since the beginning of time: they are on a caloric deficit. However, no one here wants to starve or damage their bodies so the caloric deficit is simply less than it is when you attempt to survive on 1200 cals/day. This is just a healthier approach to weight loss and maintenance. it IS about what is unique to your body - there is a lot of necessary numbers playing here (even if you use scooby or a fit bit or a BMF) you still have to find the numbers where you feel good. If you are eating at your projected TDEE and feeling awful drop those numbers down until you are feeling (1) satisfied and (2) healthy. Not eating at your full TDEE does not mean you are "giving up" on EM2WL it means you need to tweak ur numbers a bit and find ur body's happy place!
that sounds preachy...but sometimes on the forums it seems like people think they are "quitting" EM2WL if they aren't stuffing themselves silly, I eat 1800-1900 cals/day, feel happy and satisfied. I think sometimes people feel pressured to do a full reset rather than find where their body is happy. don't give up!0 -
EM2WL sounds so complicated but in reality the principles are simple and how you approach it depends on where you are coming from diet wise.
If you have come from a VLCD or yo-yo diet, then it is very likely that your body no longer trusts in a steady food supply. It will attempt to hang on to every extra calorie you give it for a while. If you have seriously damaged your relationship with your body, then that is where the reset comes in. You have to forget about weight loss for 8 weeks and concentrate on repairing that relationship with your body and your metabolism to the point where it will be able to accept that the food supply is going to be consistent and plentiful. At that point, it should be able to recognize a 15% deficit as an actual deficit. Until then, it may only see any increase in food as a temporary source energy for STORAGE because it expects it to run out and this will simply cause you to gain or stabilize at a higher weight even if you ARE at deficit. If you have tried a true 15% cut for 4-6 weeks with only a gain/stabilization, then that is usually a pretty good indication that you need to reset. If you have not yo-yo dieted or been on a severe VLCD, then it is more likely the 15% cut will work just fine for you.
It sounds a bit like you are only trying to make sure you NET BMR, you aren't trying to keep your deficit to 15% or smaller. Your deficit may still be much too big....often when people concentrate on "just netting BMR" they are really still netting below it because their daily activities have not been factored in at all. I really encourage you to try the EM2WL recommendations of working from tdee down (TDEE -15%) before you give up instead of working from BMR up. Also, you really need to be honest about your activity level when figuring out tdee...do not estimate too low...
When I first started with EM2WL, I chose an activity level that was too low, and did not eat enough for the exercise I was doing. All I did was gain weight and inches during that time. I was tired, frustrated, and not a happy person. Once i made the adjustment and brought my cals and exercise in proper alignment, and had a true 15% cut my weight gain stabilized and I lost a few inches, I was no longer tired. My body stabilized at 15% so I needed the reset, but then I also came from a VLCD history of 20 years.
I often see people saying this isn't working for them and when I read what they are doing, they are often not following the EM2WL recommendations of TDEE - 15%, set their activity too low, or refuse to accept that they need a reset. The thought of eating the amount of food required for our bodies scares the living tar out of most of us....me included. But, if we don't follow the recommendations, the plan, the science laid out in front of us properly, if we try to work 'around' it in a way we are comfortable with, then we can't say it didn't work...we can only say we couldn't do it. (I'm not talking about tweaking for each person, I'm talking about not following the general guidelines)
This method is not comfortable at first, it's not easy, it's not fast. It's slow, uncomfortable, mind boggling, scary as all get-out, and down right frustrating. But, it is the healthy, lasting approach to fat loss. Whether it works for us or not, depends on how much we are willing to do to do it right. It takes tweaking as you go, but the general guidelines get you started.
Don't give up....don't let your fears win....You can do this! I was in tears for many weeks when I first started, and only just recently is my mind and body starting to heal, adjust and move forward. It's worth it...just do it fully!0 -
I’ve gone from a size 13 pants to a 7 (32 to 27 depending on pant sizing) BUT just had to buy a size 9...BOO.
Oh my god girl..
how can you be upset when you dropped so many pant sizes?!?!?
Who cares what the # on the scale is is you look smaller, fit into smaller clothes and are visably changing for the better?
I think you have to change your mindset of putting your self worth based on the # on the scale.. it sounds like you are doing amazing!!!
Maybe you should put the scale away for a few weeks and make your determinations based on how your clothes are fitting or what your measurements are.0 -
I am not going to reiterate what the other mods have said, so
Not to be creepin on your pics, but you look fantastic *shrug*.
Are you sure your not packing on lean muscle? From the looks of the legs you are carry a lot and that's a great thing.
Also you went form 2 hour cardio sessions to weight training right? The excess weight could be Glycogen storage that your muscles use for fuel. Every 1g of Glycogen thats stored, gets stored with 3-4g of water.
Mike0 -
Girl_bomb sorry to hijack your thread, I have been really enjoying reading the responses here.
Would these type of weekly activity be classed as moderate or high?
Monday i do about 45mins to an hour of running, sprint intervals, plus 45min kettlebell class at night.
all up i burn about 800calories.
Tue is mostly body resistance type strength training, such as lunges, push ups, tricep dips, squats, a bit of cardio such as step ups, burpees in between some sets, plus about 2 or 3 sets that require dumbbells ( about 5kg each arm at this stage), ab circuit about an hour all up, burns around 300 calories.
Wed similar to monday, minus the kettlebell class so i go for about an hour and burn around 500cals.
Thurs similar to tuesday ( plus in the evening i have been doing a pilates class though there are only 3 weeks to go of this)
Friday is a light 30 to 45min jog or take the dogs for a walk for about 30min depending on time, lower burn of about 200 calories day.
Saturday is normally a mix of HiiT (mixed with some body resistance strength) or a long run, I work out for about 1.5 hours to 2hours and a burn between 700 and 1000 calories, more for extra long runs, though now i have finished the HM training i am not doing so many long runs.
Sundays tend to be a day of rest, so just a light walk with the dogs.
Would this be classified as medium or active??
I am just baffled with how do we class medium activity and how do we class strenuous activity??
Because really its possible to do 6 or 7 hours of activity a week but not necessarily be highly active?
LIke the strength days can be hard work, but they don't work up a sweat like the running days do?
or i could go for an hour walk a day and still not be working out hard for ME! I do understand for some people starting out 1 hour of walk would be considered really hard work
I don't know if i am making sense but i think i am stuck on the whole moderate versus strenuous workout factor, so i am finding it hard to go on the hours guidelines given?? If it said 3-5 ours of exercise a week or 6-7 hours of exercise a week I would know to just pick the 6-7 hours, but those words moderate and strenuous really throw me. Maybe i am just too damn anal :laugh:0 -
Wow Bomb_Girl!! I had to go and look at your photos too after Mike's comments :laugh:
You are the Bomb !! You look Hawt!! Loving that definition in your legs!!!
Also your before and after shots are so striking! Mind you i think you were very pretty in your before shots too!
Awesome fancy dress themes too :laugh:0 -
I was thinking the same thing! In my early 20's i worked out 6 days/week, 2 hrs a day, doing cardio and weights, and lived on chicken breast and broccoli and i weighed 145.. some of us just arent meant to be tiny.I know you must be so frustrated, but with all due respect, you look great. Maybe your body is where it should be. Please do not lambaste me for saying that. It was a compliment. :bigsmile:
But i feel you, and you gotta do whats best for you
Honestly thats what i like about being older, i just want to feel good, so i eat when im hungry, regardless of how many cals i've had. I figure if my body needs food, it will tell me.0
