paxbfl Member

"Punishment" is the wrong word. But whether you do a "free day" or "cheat meal" or not, ultimately you have to be responsible for the calories you consume. Not being responsible is how each of us arrived in need of this site. I look forward to my "free day" every week. But I plan for it all week long by cutting extra…

Great job! You ARE a new person. I'm right there with you... a year ago it would have been impossible for me to believe I would be here. But it's even more difficult for me to look back and believe that I was where I was. I am never going back.

^ This is totally me. But you know what? It works for me. I go from feeling deprived to feeling satisfied to feeling disgusted and very motivated. One "cheat day" leaves me feeling motivated for the week ahead. I'm very strict the rest of the week and compute my "free day" calories into my deficit for the week so I…

BMR is "basal metabolic rate", it's the calories your body requires just for basic functions. So that's why I said you should always eat over this number - it's unhealthy and not sustainable to be under it for very long. The other number is TDEE, the total calories you burn in a day. Eat under this number, and you'll lose…

Curious to see responses to this. I allow myself a "free day" (this works great for me, helps me stay on track long-term). I always eat way too much on my free days, and usually feel ok. Definitely not as good as a healthy day - a little bloated and full, but ok. But when I overdo it on dairy, I feel terrible - like the OP…

I've been there! I felt like crap for the first week off sugar. I agree with the suggestion to drink plenty of water. Personally I'd stay away from all sugars (including fruit) and "simple carbs" - white bread, white rice, pasta, etc. during this first week or so. Complex carbs (whole wheat) are ok in moderation. I drank…

Let's back up for a second. You've already lost 21 pounds. Are you still losing or are you have you plateaued? There's a certain "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality here. If you're losing weight netting under your daily allowance, you're eating over your BMR, and you're feeling good, I wouldn't change anything.…

Assuming you're trying to lose weight, and you're eating over your BMR (and at least 1,200 calories a day), then I say do NOT eat exercise calories back. Put those calories toward weight-loss. That said, if you're feeling tired, weak, or legitimately hungry, it's ok to eat some of it back - as long as you stay under your…

^This Plus exercise brings many health benefits and will make you feel awesome.

I've seen a lot of women on MFP who run into this question. It's logical, right? Eating fewer calories = more weight loss. Except it doesn't really work that way. Often weight-loss slows down, you cut calories again and then again until eventually you feel like crap, get discouraged and just trash the whole thing. Check…

You're looking to lose 35 pounds right? I was confused by the last poster. Anyway, those numbers you posted look about right. Your TDEE might be a little lower, more like 1830 without exercise factored in. You MUST eat at least your BMR. This is the calories your body needs just to function. So eat between 1600 and 1800…

I recently got a Polar monitor to track my heart rate and calorie burn. It was an eye-opener, because I learned that the machines at the gym overestimated my calorie burn significantly - especially the elliptical. But I also learned that running KICKS BUTT. If I push myself really hard on the elliptical, I can get my heart…

Who conducted this study? This contradicts other studies. Another cycle is created when you lose control of your blood sugar: hunger for more big meals. The first time you have an especially large meal, your insulin response can bring down your glucose levels so low that you want to eat more because your body thinks it's…

I think people are being too quick to dismiss this advice. It's true, weight-loss is calories in and calories out. It doesn't matter if you eat 1500 calories in five 300-calories meals or in one 1500 calorie feast. HOWEVER... I find it MUCH easier to stay on the program by eating 5-6 mini-meals. Typically I eat 4…

BTW, I would recommend at least one rest day a week. If you really want to work out that day, maybe do something easy like a walk. Your body needs rest days to repair damage and build muscle. Plus it's nice to have the break mentally - helps you stay on track over the long-term.

I lost over 40 pounds in 4 months. So yes, you can definitely do it. The biggest thing is how much you're eating. That's where you'll have the most leverage. Do you know your BMR and TDEE? Do you log everything you eat? As for exercise, I really like HIIT - High Intensity Interval Training. That sounds hard, and it is. But…

Are you a model or female bodybuilder? If not, why do you want to go lower than 20% body fat? That's a VERY good number for women. What you're looking for, I think, is definition. I really like the lifting suggestion. "Iwantniceabs" should lift and do some seriously challenging ab work. Eat plenty of protein to feed your…

Eat at least your BMR every day - NO EXCEPTIONS. Based on your stats I get a BMR of 1650. If you want to exercise hard and net under your BMR, that's ok as long as you feel good (not tired or really hungry). So you could eat 1650, burn 500 calories a day and net at 1150. I would just about guarantee you'd lose weight doing…

I lost 5 pounds in a week when I was just starting out (with 50 pounds to lose). Then there were several weeks where I lost 3 or 4 pounds. So I didn't lose over a pound a day like you describe but it was still pretty amazing at times - almost scary. Like I said, it's hard to fully understand weight sometimes. You'll lose 5…

Definitely don't worry about it. You feel good so keep doing what you're doing. I experienced similar things in the midst of my weight-loss. I also experienced strange weight-gains or no weight-loss during weeks when I worked really hard. Sometimes day to day or even over a week it's hard to predict what your weight will…

Well, you're going to get quite a few responses on this... and maybe that's what you're looking for. :) By eating those cereals, you're not getting much (if any) protein in your diet. Protein is very important for muscle growth (and just maintaining the muscles you have). Most people find when they eat protein, they feel…

I'm surprised to see so many people looking at BMI. It's a "stupid" number - and I mean that literally. It's ignorant because it doesn't take body composition into consideration at all. Your Body Fat Percentage is a much more "intelligent" number because it is measuring what you want to know - how much body fat you have on…

I lost most of my weight by February. These days my close friends don't really comment unless to compliment me or ask questions about my fitness program. My family still comments... I just say that I'm at a healthy weight and will stay there. Usually they say "Well you look skinny to me." I reply "Well I trust the numbers…

I drink ice water all day long to stay hydrated but I don't enjoy water with meals. So at meals I drink diet drinks (typically homemade iced tea with Splenda) and have lost 50 pounds. While there's no definite evidence that diet drinks are unhealthy, I wouldn't drink them all day long. Plus by having them only with meals,…

I wish I could send a link to your photos every time I see a young woman post on here about how she is "flabby" and needs to "lose weight" when in reality she is near her ideal weight but needs to BUILD MUSCLE! Women think muscle will make them look "manly". You are proof that muscle is sexy. Great job!

My understanding is that you should always eat at least your BMR. If you end up netting under your BMR with exercise, that's ok as long as you feel good doing it (not really hungry, tired, hair falling out, etc.) That said I think 1350 is pretty aggressive since you're running quite a bit. You could probably eat 1500 with…

^THIS It's not the food, it's the calories in the food. So what? You were still eating too much. What's dangerous about your "logic" is that many people try to deflect the blame for their weight to some rare medical condition or whatever. I was 55 pounds overweight because I really like to eat, and I ate too much. The…

"Starvation mode" is a myth but the idea that metabolism can slow down on reduced calories is a fact, especially if you're eating under your BMR. OP had a few days around 700 calories of food TOTAL for the day. That's just not enough.

Yeah I don't get the "do less cardio" comment. Keep doing cardio - do MORE cardio if you can. As you continue to get in better shape increase the intensity or go longer (as long as you feel ok). In addition to burning calories, exercise helps boost your metabolic rate so you burn more calories. In contrast, eating less…

You're definitely not eating enough. BMR is the amount of calories your body requires just to function. You have to eat at least this amount every day - and that's without exercise! I wouldn't recommend that you eat back all your exercise calories (since you're probably over-estimating how much you burn - unless you're…