ChickenKillerPuppy Member

Think of weight loss like the weather. Between September and December the temperature trends down, but that doesn't mean every day is colder than the last, or even the same. You have unseasonably warm and cold days, but overall, the average temperature is moving downwards. Same with weight loss.

Have you tried shifting your focus from getting to goal to transitioning to maintenance? I think when we think of this as a journey with an end the tendency you posted about is amplified, but if you start thinking about bumping up your calories to get closer to maintenance, you can think about how to build in more calories…

I’m 5’4 and 120 and I’m usually a size 4, though sometimes a 2 depending on the brand

When I was losing I weighed in weekly. In maintenance, I weigh daily. And I use Happy Scale weight trending app. I have mixed feelings about weighing in. I feel like weighing in daily helps take some of the power out of the numbers, because if I can get past the emotional part of seeing the fluctuations, I get that my…

I know this is not what you asked, so feel free to disregard, but have you examined why you feel the need to lose those last 3-5 pounds? It's hard to imagine your clothes would fit any differently, or your activity would be affected, or that you would feel any different day to day. Sometimes we get a number in our head and…

Agree - no reason to be embarrassed. We are all here because we struggle with our weight. Small sustainable changes are key, rooting for you!

Just want to urge you to think about coming up with a plan like this knowing life will happen and derail you sometimes - will you be able to deal with it and stick to your goals? Do you have habits in place that will help you achieve those goals on days you feel tired, hungry, and are lacking in motivation? Assuming 1600…

Yes- I echo the comments about just trying to take a small deficit, either by doing maintenance calories 3-4 days a week and taking a small deficit the other days, or by just taking a very small deficit (maybe 2300-2400 calories a day?). It will take longer but you'll still lose. And honestly, kudos to you for knowing your…

Calculators are just estimating - your maintenance calories are whatever you can eat and maintain your weight. Have you thought about actually establishing your maintenance calories by eating at 1800 (or 2000 or whatever) for 6-8 weeks and logging your weight during that time to see if you are maintaining, gaining or…

I totally endorse breaks, and think they are key for both your mind and your metabolism, but I would not say "going off your diet" as much as trying to eat your maintenance calories for a period - even for 4-6 weeks or so. It is so nice to have some extra calories to play with every day, and equally important, it gives you…

I can only tell you about my own experience. I am approx. 122 pounds, 5'4" female who is 49 years old and I am a regular runner and do strength training (have been maintaining my weight for several years). I had CRAZY high blood pressure this past fall and my doctor put me on 3 different meds to get it under control (now…

I have to manage high cholesterol so for me I look for low saturated fat, protein, and in a perfect world high fiber. My go-to foods are: lentils and beans which have both protein and fiber, turkey, roasted edamame (store-bought) makes a great snack and has a ton of protein vegan sausage, turkey sausage, steamed edamame,…

My method is not for everyone, but I eat basically the exact same meal for breakfast, lunch, and snack every weekday (not the same thing for each meal, but the same breakfast, the same lunch, and the same snack), and I have about a dozen dinners I rotate. I love what I eat and this makes it very easy and allows me to shop…

Ditto the Half Size Me podcast recommendation

I alternate these two lentil soups every week they are so good and packed full of protein and fiber, not to mention how totally delicious and calorie friendly they are! They are very different from each other too. One uses red lentils and one uses brown lentils and they have different flavor profiles. I often add some soft…

You may need a subscription to see this, so I apologize if it doesn't come through, but made it this week and having it again tonight it was so delicious and calories friendly:…

I’m your size too - 5’4” and about 122 pounds. I am 49 FWIW. I think that if you haven’t been eating 3500 calories over maintenance (to gain a pound of fat), you have not gained fat. That is generally my realty check - does the math make sense. Even if you were eating 200 calories a day more than maintenance, you wouldn’t…

I so hear you, but eating at 1200 calories is not sustainable, and you want this to be something you can sustain, so as hard as it is to do, I urge you to try and eat in a calorie deficit without being so extreme. To give you context, I am a 49 year old woman who is 5'4" and weighs 122. I can lose at 1700-1800 calories a…

Agree with all the posts above! Just work on eating less than you currently are - there is no finish line - you don't "win" by losing weight quickly, you win by keeping the weight off, which involves slower changes that are sustainable for you. Love the advice of Snowflake954 above - do what you are doing but go from 7…

I had a physical about six months ago and my BP was in the high - 140s/80-something. My doctor told me to get a cuff and monitor at home. I started consistently getting readings as high as 175/115 - in that range for several days in a row. I was terrified. My doctor put me on medicine right away but it took about a week to…

If you are logging your calories accurately (weighing everything, counting everything), then I would note 1200 calories sounds very low. I am similar stats - I'm 49, 5'4", and I weigh about 125. I can lose weight eating 1700-1800 calories a day, and I maintain at around 2100 calories day. Now I am very active, but still.…

If you are on Twitter, you can try DM'ing them or doing an @ post to them asking if their armrests go up (you don't have to explain why you want to know). My husband has had some success getting large companies to reply to questions by reaching out to them on social media. Having said that, I fly all the time for work and…

I would suggest looking at your entire weekly calorie intake relative to what your maintenance calories are. You could eat your maintenance calories 3 days a week and take a deficit 4 days a week and you would still lose weight, albeit slowly. That is the beauty of knowing your maintenance calories! It changes the whole…

Throwing this out there only bc I had an epiphany for myself recently, that in the winter months, I don’t want salad. I want vegetables, but I want them hot. If this resonates with you, and it may not, have you thought of packing various roasted vegetables that you could microwave? You can easily add a protein. In the…

For me, I wouldn't necessarily say "mental health" as much as "mindset." In other words, how I think about my eating and who I am and how I deal with life and food mentally is the most important component of what lead me to get to my goal weight, and more importantly, to keep it off. And believe me, I still struggle. It's…

Also curious why the depravation - are you trying to cut these out of your diet permanently? I only ask because if your goal is to make long term habit changes, feeling deprived frequently backfires. And what happens after the two weeks? Have you considered cutting back on soda and sweets, or if you are a regular (not…

I have been trying to lower my cholesterol while maintaining a healthy protein intake and it’s a little challenging and involves a fair amount of label reading and research to manage less saturated fat and more fiber while still getting enough protein. I eat a lot of lentils, fish, beans, fruits, nuts, chicken, veggies,…

This is what gets me through fluctuations. If I know it takes roughly 3,500 calories ABOVE MAINTENANCE to gain a pound, I think about the number of calories I have consumed, and assuming I have confidence that my logging is accurate, I feel comfort knowing that there is no way I actually consumed enough calories to gain a…

One more note - plan and record the cookies ahead of time, not after you eat them. That way you know you get to enjoy three cookies and you can do that, opposed to just feeling unmoored at cookie-time and going crazy. And don't just record one if you think you will eat two or three - be realistic!

You should absolutely enjoy your cookies - just come up with a plan and stick to it so it doesn't become a free-for-all. If you record you food, just plan on recording 2 or 3 cookies, whatever you realistically think you will eat. Try to approximate the calories the best you can, and if you record your calories, just make…