TanyaHooton Member

It's harder to lose the last 10-20 lbs because there's just not as much cushion if I accidentally underestimate calories or overestimate exercise. The logging has to be so tight it squeals. The willpower to say no to the second Krackel or Mr. Goodbar has to be iron-strong. The exercise gets tiring and can be hard to…

Yes, it's quite normal. I lost 37 lbs over 9 months a while back and learned that, specifically for me, my weight is highest of the month on the Sunday my actual flow starts and the lowest of the month on the Sunday after it ends. Tracking this helped me keep perspective (and emotions in check) if I stepped on the scale…

Yes, that is the design of MFP; you can eat back your exercise calories. Agreed with the other person, I suggest eating back only half or three-fourths of your exercise calories because they can be inflated but also because it gives you a bit of cushion in case you accidentally underestimate during the week or have some…

Yeah, I've been on MFP on and off for 10 years. This has always been an issue. I finally realized that I could only rely on the calculator, not the crowdsourcing, for the most part. In short, I only use 1) my recipes which are calculated mathematically for my by MFP, 2) the food labels on packages, and 3) restaurant menu…

Pasta should be weighed uncooked, because the water absorbed during boiling can greatly affect the final weight. What I do is either 1) weigh out a specific amount of pasta, like 8 oz dry, and then when finished, eyeball 1/4 of it and then assign the appropriate amount of calories, or 2) weigh the pot emtpy, weigh out a…

I search for the USDA entry (with the green check mark). For example, I'd type "ground turkey 93% lean USDA" and look for the best-matched entry. Another user above mentioned that different species of salmon have different fat content, so that's another specificity that'll get you close. For fruit, the same, search with…

I hear you on the vanity pounds. Some years ago I started at 167 a goal of being in the middle of a healthy BMI, around 133-135. When I got close, I started dreaming of 124 lbs, which is a 20.0 BMI, which is the lowest possible appropriate BMI for an adult woman of my height, according to my doctor. But I never made it…

I'm not sure whether you're referring to some recipes that MyFitnessPal posts (do they do that?) or just random recipes found in the food search catalog. If it's the latter, I never trust those. Here's what I do instead. When I make food, which is pretty often, I do this whole process of weighing everything, and write all…

Yes, it all adds up. Have an apple with breakfast, grapes with lunch, and some berries for dessert after dinner - that might be 250-300 calories. I log just about everything, including the vitamins I take in the morning (20 cal a serving) and the "zero sugar" lemonade I drink (10 cal a serving). I may skip logging a slice…

Your body has been through something traumatic, and it will take time to recover. The recovery will probably be slow, dissatisfying, and frustrating. It will probably take longer than you think (it maybe be several weeks or a few months) and definitely longer than you want. Try to focus on sleep and rest. Do not try to…

I abide by the 80-20 principle. If I am diligent about staying at or under my calorie goal for 80-85% of the time, then the remaining 15-20% of the time, I can indulge a bit. I save those indulgences for special treats (like birthday cake) or for that time of the month when I want to eat everything. It does make the weight…

My British ex used to say that he was disappointed when he found out that girl scout cookies were not actually made of girl scouts! My sisters told me that you can recreate Thin Mints with Ritz crackers, chocolate, and peppermint extract. I have not tried that yet. My husband is like a locust with Samoas, too. It's a…

You should try to enter your 40s and 50s in the best shape of your life. Overestimate your food and underestimate your exercise. Let go of a bad day or a bad month. MFP will be there again when you're ready. Practice the "abundance" mentality and not the "scarcity" mentality. When you feel hungry, ask yourself if an apple…

I like the elliptical a lot, but I have a hard time believing that I burn like 350 calories in 35 minutes or whatever those machines tell you. As far as numbers, I try to ensure I hit a specific pace (10 or 11 minute mile, for example) but I use this site to calculate my calories:…

It takes 3500 calories to gain a pound. If you've gained a few pounds, do you really think you've overeaten recently by 7000 to 10,500 calories? Of course what you are seeing is retained water aka bloating. When the body is stressed (and it is during a cold; all systems are haywire and working overtime, particularly your…

MFP is a bit inconsistent with this, I've found. Sometimes when I record a new weight, it will give me a new (lower) calorie goal. And sometimes it won't but I don't realize that for a while. Then when I've gotten fed up and decided to switch into maintenance...and then realize I don't want to be in maintenance and go back…

Where on your head are the headaches that you get? Are they at the base of your skull? Temples? Behind your eyes? There are diagrams on the internet that explain the likely causes of headaches. I also found this: https://headaches.org/resources/the-complete-headache-chart/. Fwiw, when I told my doctor that I got headaches…

I remember in college I lost like 30 lbs my freshman year by working 4-5 nights in the cafeteria - on my feet, walking, wiping down tables, taking out the trash. Plus all the walking to class, carrying heavy books, etc. But by my junior year I ballooned up to almost 180 lbs because I no longer had that exercise-heavy job.…

I just do yoga or PT exercises and some dog-walking when PMS hits, maybe swimming in summertime. None of the weight lifting or elliptical. I do try to burn some calories as I'm likely to overeat at TOM but I just dont push it for 3-4 days.

Yes, you will. But it goes frustratingly slow the closer you get to goal. Like, even if your logging is very accurate it can take 5 months to lose 10 lbs. So, watch out for that and be patient.

I'm 5'6" and weigh 134-135 lbs. My goal is to get to 124, which is 20 BMI just to prove to myself that I can do it. Then I would like to settle between 130 lbs after putting on muscle. I have a slim build and narrow hips for a woman so even at 134 now I look healthy but not underweight. My good friend who has a 10 in.…

If you push yourself now, it will take longer to heal. And if you end up doing something bad and you're out for even longer, was that worth it? I had my wisdom teeth out at 33, and I was only a soft food diet for a week. Lots of banana, avocado, coconut milk ice cream, greek yogurt, etc. I didnt even attempt to count…

I weigh daily, after peeing and before shower or coffee. I did this before I lost weight, while losing, and while maintaining. The only time the # affected my mood was prior to losing. I see daily weigh-ins the same as keeping an eye on your bank account and budget. It gets away from you if you don't keep it in mind.

I'm 37F and 5'6". Trying to lose 10 more lbs at .5 lbs a week. My activity level is highly variable so I set it to sedentary and then add in exercise. B/c my weight is already normal, I get 1390 cals per day....so I really try to get my steps to increase the cushion. Most days I eat 1550 to 1700.

Yes. I have noticed that if I end my previous day with a lot of sugar, like ice cream or soda, then the next morning my stomach tries to tell me it's very hungry. But I've learned it's really not. It's just a chemical reaction to the processing of that sugar. I have noticed that if I skip a meal, I'll be hungry, but that…

I work out on an empty stomach. I tried both ways, but I found that when running I didn't like anything (not even water) sloshing in my stomach, when doing yoga some poses left very little space in my abdomen and left me a bit sick or breathless, and weightlifting meant I would be HUNGRY later so I may as well save my…

I bake a lot and I must also taste my food to ensure the sweet to tart ratio is correct, there's enough peanut butter or cinnamon, or the confirm the texture is correct. On those days I "quick add" a couple hundred calories (more if working with peanut butter). Of course that doesn't get macros accurate, but it's better…

For my back pain, I did PT and yoga. Going to a chiro helped, as did the occasional twisting stretches in the pool. Overall I've lost 30-35 lbs. Losing the weight helped in two ways: less strain on my lower back, and now I can adjust my posture to avoid anterior pelvic tilt. That was nearly impossible 30 lbs ago.

Yes, I get mine within about 12-16 hours of the same day every month. But I'm on birth control that regulates everything, so it's super easy to predict. Before I was on birth control, it was every 3-5 weeks. I never quite knew. I frequently had accidents or ended up wasting supplies. It doesn't matter what's "normal." What…

I find it harder to lose weight in the summer. There's a bounty of food like pies and ice cream and lemonade and macaroni salad. It gets humid here too so some days it's dangerous to walk the dog (where I get my exercise). Nor do I want to get hot and sweaty at the gym, and then go into the hot and sweaty air outside. And…