paxbfl Member

For YEARS I felt like life was unfair. I was cursed with bad genetics. I had the metabolism of a snail. People around me could eat so much more than I could and not get fat. Nothing worked. Then I started doing MFP and realized how much I was eating. Well it's no wonder I couldn't lose weight! I was eating close to 4,000…

I do a free day pretty much every Sunday. It's a mental break as much as anything - a break from logging and stressing over every calorie. On that day, I rest from the gym and eat whatever I've been craving. I don't deny myself anything. Usually I feel so bloated and gross that I can't wait to get back on the program…

My wife did it first. She lost some weight (didn't have that much to lose) and firmed up by going to the gym every day. I was somewhat supportive (worked out with her) but didn't join her in watching what I ate. She didn't pressure me but as she got in better shape I decided I didn't want to be her "fat husband". When I…

You're welcome! I think 4 would be ok. People have criticized me for working out too much (6 days) but my response is that I always listen to my body. If I'm sore I either make it an easy day or just make it an extra rest day. Obviously you don't want to get hurt or make yourself miserable. Do what you can continue to do…

You lost 18 pounds in 3 weeks? DAMN! You're doing something right! :) Your obsession with the scale probably isn't super healthy. It's easy to shrug off those "fluctuations" when you're losing like you are, but it can become a source of frustration when the scale isn't moving like you want. And there will be periods where…

I take 200 calories off my TDEE 6 days a week, then make the 7th day a FREE DAY where I go 1200 calories over. With a few limited exceptions (like Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches), I only allow myself ice cream, candy and cookies on my free day - because I know how hard it is to eat them in moderation. But the free day…

Seriously, just get started. The first few days are rough but once you get into a rhythm you'll feel great and you won't want to stop. Before you know it, you'll be down 10 pounds and going strong. Let us know if you have any questions!

I enjoy Skinny Cow ice cream sandwiches too. I find it easier to have 1 sandwich than to measure out ice cream out of the container since I would probably eat a bit more to fill up the bowl. It's easy, convenient and tasty - and one satisfies me so why not. As for the OP, I understand... if you can't stop at just one, then…

I don't get the attitude that you shouldn't eat at Taco Bell. I mean, obviously it's not the healthiest place to eat. But if you're out on the road and have to stop somewhere, you could definitely do worse. At least they have some semi-healthy options. I get 2 Fresco Chicken Soft Tacos (with some FIRE sauce yum) and a…

I was 30 pounds overweight, worked out pretty hard 6 days a week for over a year and GAINED weight. How is this possible? Easy. I was eating back all the calories I burned - and then some. It's not surprising. Most people vastly underestimate how much they are eating. I definitely did. When I started MFP, I took a very…

Two things happened at the same time. A good friend nearly died from weight-related health problems, and I stepped on the scale to see the number 250, which I promised myself I'd never see. At that point I got angry and VERY motivated, and lost 40 pounds in 4 months. I'm now 204, and close to my ideal body fat %.

Thanks for the responses. I am eating the calories back. It's just a LOT of calories! As another poster said, it's close to 3,000 calories a day, which is quite a bit. It's weird for me because usually I run to lose weight. So here I am running in maintenance - to be able to eat back those calories is a pretty amazing…

I do the same thing but I watch my calories really closely. I counted my calories on a typical free day and found I was about 1800 calories over my TDEE. I know... Crazy but that's the number. So the other 6 days I eat a 300 calorie deficit (after exercise) in order to break even. It's working for me - weight is staying…

Good luck! The program really, really works! It really is a challenge, but you will see amazing results. I've done the program twice and it worked great both times. Unfortunately, I gained the weight back the first time. So I'm working hard to make sure that doesn't happen again. I recommend that you really commit to the…

Why do you want to lose the weight? Understand those reasons and use that to motivate you. I had two primary motivations. First, I have friends who are having serious health problems related to weight. I started to get concerned, I didn't want to get sick and put my family through that. The second thing was immense…

I've had shin splints and got rid of them, so hopefully this advice will help you out. First - about the shoes. For me personally, I found getting good running shoes worked best for walking and running. I would recommend that you go to a good running shoe store and talk to them about your problem. Let them fit you with the…

This is what I was thinking. Get to the gym. Take some classes so you meet some positive, optimistic, energetic people. If all else fails though, see your doctor. Feeling down is one thing, depression is a medical condition.

Great comments on this thread! Two thoughts to add: 1. We will not be defined by what happened yesterday. We will be defined by what happens tomorrow. So make tomorrow a great day - under your calorie goal, great workout, productive day at work, good times with family and friends, etc. 2. No problem in life (work, school,…

Focus on the things you can control. Maybe you can't control work but you can control what you eat and whether you work out. I workout first thing in the morning with the attitude that my work day can do whatever it wants - I can just smile knowing I got my workout in anyway! :)

As a general rule I would go by your HRM. I do the elliptical a lot... and I think the reading it gives me is a little high. I'm 45 years old, 205 pounds (it allows me to enter that data) and it tells me I burn 340 calories in 20 minutes. So unless you're significantly younger and larger than I am, 400 sounds high. Also…

I'm going to do some of those races this Summer too. Maybe a color run and zombie run. They all sound like fun.

I didn't think of that, but if you're in maintenance you're fit - so "passion" shouldn't be a problem! ;) Most of my MFP friends are still losing... they look at my diary in disbelief, amazed at the calories I eat in a day.

This is one of many reasons I recommend a free day. Eat what you want, drink what you want, take a day off from the gym. But understand that if you have a 1,000 calorie surplus on your free day (very easy to do!) then you need to work hard the other 6 days. For me, the free day allows me to indulge in things I enjoy…

I agree with aberc... we need to know your BMR, TDEE and how many calories you're consuming. Your calorie burn on the treadmill sounds pretty good. But are you eating those calories back? If so, STOP! MFP encourages you to eat those calories back because it says "You earned XXX calories from exercise today" and changes…

I sort of simplify things and say that my workout and my free day are "givens" in the equation. So my daily calorie deficit on the other 6 days have to be adjusted for that. For me, my free day puts me about 1,500 calories over my sedentary TDEE of 2,250. (I logged it a few times to get this number - I don't log it every…

I had to chuckle at this thread. I feel really badly for my MFP friends who see that I've lost 45 pounds, open my diary and say, "What the heck?" when they see me eating 2,700 calories some days. I wish MFP had a stamp or something that says "In Maintenance" so everyone realizes what's going on. I feel like I have to…

Thanks for this! I'm still figuring it out. I will say that it's nice being able to eat back exercise calories and not worry about gaining weight. I'm 6'2", 205 pounds with about 15% body fat. My TDEE without exercise is about 2200 calories. I generally burn around 500 calorie at the gym. So I can eat 2700 calories, which…

If I'm under my calorie goal the rest of the week, I allow myself a cheat day once a week. I rest from the gym and rest from logging. I log "free day" with 3500 calories and click "logging complete". Then it tells me how much I'd weigh if I ate like that every day. lol. I look forward to the free day all week long. By the…

Well, if there's one thing I've learned, it's that food is not the answer to feeling good about yourself. You may feel good for a few minutes, but that quickly fades. Then you eat more thinking that will help. Then you feel like crap because you ate too much. Then you feel even worse when you look at how much weight you've…

I'm in the same situation. I'm getting pretty lean (around 15% body fat) but still have flab around my lower abs and "love handles". I want them gone. If I could distribute that fat around the rest of my body, I'd be fine with it... but I don't like how it looks where it is. So I'm heading down to 12% body fat for Summer…