paxbfl Member

One thing that really helped me is the concept of "mini-meals", where you eat 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day instead of the traditional 3 larger meals. When I'm hungry, I have ZERO willpower. If I'm hungry and I have a bag of chips, I may find the bottom of the bag also. By eating all day long, I'm never hungry and…

Interesting! I think that's a different problem. Losing the last 10 pounds (or 15) gets to be a challenge. I'm down to about 5. For me, I've increased the intensity of my workouts. I bought a heart-rate monitor watch (Polar FT7) to more accurately track how many calories I burn (not nearly as many as MFP or the fitness…

While I agree with your decision to up your calories (2000 sounds about right if your BMR is 1875), I wouldn't eat back all your exercise calories if you're still trying to lose weight. Eat 2,000 calories and work out hard. If you burn a ton of calories, great! Put them toward fat-burning. If you're feeling tired or…

I would set your goals for 1 pound a week. If you have a good week and lose a bit more, great. But you don't want to limit your calories so much that you slow your metabolism or feel like crap. Eat more, and you'll have more energy to fuel your workouts... you'll boost your metabolism... you'll burn more calories... you'll…

For me, I ate just over my BMR and lost weight quickly - 40 pounds in 4 months. But my body type is the type to put on muscle and fat easily (endomorph), so regaining lost muscle has not been as big of a problem as it might be for others. So while I understand the wisdom of eating 2500-2600 calories (to lose fat slowly and…

^THIS I've been successful doing "free days" where I eat pretty much whatever I want. Although I will modify my program for my specific goals (cutting fat, gaining muscle, maintenance, etc), I will ALWAYS have free days as part of the program. I include them in my weekly calorie calculations and am responsible for them,…

I used to have this problem. Two recommendations: 1. Eat smaller, regular meals throughout the day. I find if I eat a large dinner at 5 or 6, I'm starving by 9 because of how the large meal affected my blood sugar. 2. Find a satisfying evening snack that fits into your calorie quota and stick to it. I go for Skinny Cow Ice…

Normally I'd say eat over your BMR (BMR - Basal Metabolic Rate - is the calories your body needs just to function, so you typically don't want to eat under this). However, your BMR does seem high to me (Mine is 1870 and I'm a 200 pound guy). I think you could get away with eating between 1800 and 2000 calories and you'd…

^THIS. If you posted that your BMR is XXXX, your TDEE is XXXX, you eat XXXX (carefully logged), you burn XXX a day through exercise, for a weekly deficit of XXXX, and you still can't lose weight, THEN I'd be curious to look deeper. Yeah, it could be a medical issue, or genetics, or whatever. But it's probably not. One…

I'm curious how you know that you need to lose 15 pounds. What is your height and weight? Based on your comment about caring how you look more than what the scale says, I'm wondering if what you really need is muscle gain so you look firm, toned and sexy. That's a whole different workout - more lifting, less cardio - and a…

I call them "FREE" days, and I'm a firm believer in them. It gives me a break from logging (I just log "free day" and click "Complete" in the morning.) and allows me to indulge in those things I've been craving that I don't typically allow myself (like candy and ice cream). They also motivate me because I usually feel like…

I hear what you're saying. I achieved my initial weight-loss goal, went into maintenance... and then decided to lose a bit more. If I lose 4 more pounds, I should hit my body fat percentage goal (12%) - and will be in maintenance once again! I'm planning to run a half-marathon in the Fall (first time in about 10 years!)…

Will pray for your complete recovery. My father-in-law had base-of-tongue cancer. He beat it and several years later is now officially cancer free. So you can do this. One of the best things he did was get a port in his abdomen for feedings. There were days when he just couldn't eat - his throat was too messed up from…

I wouldn't eat back the exercise calories. Eat over your BMR - absolutely, positively YES! So eat at least 1600 calories every day without exception. But if you burn 750 calories at the gym, I wouldn't advocate eating 2350 calories that day. Put those exercise calories toward fat-loss. That said, listen to how your body…

BFL is a tough sell today. Most people don't want to work that hard. I posted how I lost 40 pounds in 4 months - following BFL fairly closely - and people attacked me as being "extreme". I didn't even know how to respond. Sure, you can lose weight with less strenuous exercise but you won't do it nearly as quickly. For the…

Some interesting responses here! I agree with the water suggestion. I find drinking a LOT of water helps me feel full. I also agree that sugar and simple carbs like white bread and pasta are best avoided when you're really trying to drop weight. Also... try eating 5-6 mini-meals throughout the day instead of 3 larger…

I agree with what's already been said. Log everything carefully - at least until you know how everything adds up. You have to know the real numbers, not guesstimates. One other thing I'd suggest. When computing your TDEE, use "Desk Job with Little Exercise" to calculate it unless you have a very active job - like you walk…

Maybe your math is wrong. What is your age, height, weight, BMR, TDEE? How many calories are you eating every day? Are you eating at least 1200 calories? Do you allow yourself a "free day" or is every day about the same? Not being able to exercise makes it a lot harder but if you have 50 pounds to lose you should still be…

Awesome post. Speaks to me with vacation coming up. I'm already agonizing how I'm going to do my workouts, etc. I like your attitude - do the workout if I can (and feel like it) but don't sweat it. Rest up and work out hard upon returning. It comes back to doing it long-term. If you beat yourself up and get injured or just…

I think the key is HEALTHY. I've just lost almost 50 pounds. There's a significant difference in how I look, and a few people have suggested that maybe I've lost too much weight. But I simply tell them that my body fat is now in the healthy range. I think we as a society are so used to everyone being overweight that we…

Thanks for this. After losing 48 pounds, I'm close to my ideal weight and am currently training for a half-marathon. So I'm running a lot. But I plan to really shift the focus to muscle-building after my race in the Fall, so I will bring back HIIT in moderation (which I was doing initially to drop the weight). I've been…

Heidi, I lost 30 pounds, fell off the wagon and over about 10 years gained it all back... plus an additional 20. Now 45 years old, I started to feel a sense of urgency. Losing the weight wasn't going to get any easier as I got older. So maybe I'd be 50+ pounds overweight the rest of my life. Then a friend of mine nearly…

Check out this calculator. You can put in different weights and see how it affects BMR. http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/ My BMR was 2093 when I started 48 pounds ago... now it's 1875. So yeah... you have to make adjustments as you go along but it's a small price to pay. I feel so much better these…

I don't really like the whole "why can't I lose weight" mentality because it's so often focused on causes like thyroid, medication, genetics, etc. Don't get me wrong, these things can play a role in your metabolism but it's much more likely that your problem was caused by eating too much and not exercising enough. I think…

Getting your head in the right place is so critical. Why do you want to get in shape? You need to be honest with yourself and recognize the seriousness of this situation. This is your life we're talking about. Clearly you're not satisfied with your life right now. You shouldn't be - because it could be so much better!…

I logged my free days for several weeks so that I'd know how many calories I consume. It's a LOT. My estimate is 1,800 calories over my TDEE. Sounds crazy but it's so easy to do - and in understanding that you understand why obesity is such a problem and why I gained all the weight in the first place. So... if I'm going to…

This Is what I meant by sustainable. I want to be healthy (above all else) and I want to look and feel good. But I also want to be able to have a beer and a slice of pizza now and then. I'm not going to eat cottage cheese and protein shakes for every meal. So 6-8% probably isn't in the cards for me. :)

Thanks for the replies. You've basically supported what I've been thinking. I'm going to continue on my goal to stay around 12% - look good and feel good without getting too extreme about it.

Welcome to Onederland! Great job!

Thanks for that link! I'll figure something out! :)