bajoyba Member

Your TDEE is your maintenance calories. If you eat your TDEE every day, you will maintain your current weight. To lose weight, you subtract 10-20% from that number. The TDEE method includes ALL exercise you do throughout the week, so if you choose to calculate your calories this way, you would eat the same amount of 2068…

TDEE is your Total Daily Energy Expenditure - it's the amount of calories your body burns in a typical day. You should calculate your TDEE to include any regular exercise you do during the week. If you eat your TDEE, you will maintain your weight. In order to lose weight, you should cut 10-20% from that number. And since…

There's also a third option. A weak-minded person can become a strong-minded person by learning about proper diet and fitness, developing patience, and creating long-term, sustainable habits that last a lifetime. Was I impatient when I first started? Definitely. Would I love to be at my goal weight right now? Of course.…

Welcome! It's a process and a gradual evolution, but if you're patient with yourself, you will get there. One thing that has really helped my mindset along the way is the idea that there is no failure. The only way to fail yourself is to give up on yourself. There will be bad days, but they're just bumps in the road, and…

lol But seriously, when I go out to a non-chain restaurant, I usually just try to find something similar in the database and aim high as far as calories go. If you only have to estimate your food once in awhile, it shouldn't affect your progress. :smile:

May I ask what it is you hope to gain from diet pills and meal replacements that you don't think you would get from good old fashioned diet and exercise? Most over-the-counter diet pills instruct you to use them in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet and exercise plan, so I'm not too confident that the pills work on…

Basically all of that. It's not that intuitive eating doesn't work. All that's needed for weight loss is a calorie deficit, and that can certainly be created without counting calories. But the reason why calorie counting websites like MFP are so popular and so successful is that for many of us, especially those of us who…

Agreed. I'm a vegetarian for personal reasons, and I love it, but if you make the decision to eliminate any major food groups from your diet, you need to do a lot of careful research to make sure you can continue to fuel your body appropriately and make sure it gets the calories and nutrition it needs. Keep in mind that…

Yes, if you want specific advice, you'll want to open your food diary. :smile:

MFP is designed for you to eat your exercise calories back. So yes, I always ate them back, and I lost 45 pounds that way. I now use the TDEE method, which already accounts for my exercise. So in a way, I'm still eating them back. I just account for them differently. If you're unsure about the accuracy of your calorie…

Hello! You've gotten some really great advice above, especially from Trog. If you apply it, that information will get you started and carry you a very long way! I definitely know how you feel. When I started MFP, I was 5'6" and 235 pounds. I wore a size 20 and had a very difficult time finding jeans that fit me. I grew up…

NO. ^ Also, if it's only been a week and a half, you shouldn't worry too much about it. If you're sticking to your calorie goal and logging your food accurately and consistently, you should give it more time. My weight frequently "stalls" for a few days or even a couple of weeks at a time, but it's not a big deal. Weight…

Before I joined MFP, I looked at a few supplements. They all seemed to say things like "use in conjunction with a reduced calorie diet and regular exercise" or caused anal leakage. I also looked into herbalife (too expensive) and It Works (the seller herself told me the results were only temporary). Then I joined MFP and…

I agree that you should get a food scale. They're cheap, and they're a great investment. If you really want to be precise when logging your food, you have to weigh it. I especially make sure to weigh calorie dense foods like nut butters and cheese. 1/4 cup of shredded cheese does not necessarily equal a serving of cheese…

Some people do choose to go by a weekly goal rather than a daily one, and some save their exercise calories to enjoy larger meals on the weekend. As long as your numbers are coming out the same in the end, it should be fine. :smile:

Amen to that. I don't want to go to bed even slightly hungry or wishing I had had that chocolate cake. PLUS, I cannot work out on a full stomach. If I eat a meal, I have to wait 2+ hours before I can do my usual workout, so it makes more sense for me to eat a big meal AFTER I get my major activities in. Also, I'm not…

To lose weight, you just have to eat fewer calories than your body requires to maintain its current weight. Calorie deficit for weight loss, exercise for fitness. The best exercises you can do are the ones you enjoy doing. I honestly haven't done a whole lot of cardio because I don't particularly like it. I run a mile 3…

There are lots of great exercises to increase the strength of your core. Planking and planking variations are great, as are body weight exercises. But if you're looking to decrease the size of your stomach, you can't spot reduce. The only way to get a smaller stomach is to lose body fat. And the only way to lose body fat…

If eating that many carbs isn't working for you, you can change your macro percentages. A popular one is 40% carbs, 30% fat, 30% protein. :smile:

Just do what works for you. I stay on track and maintain my deficit because I enjoy the way I eat. Personally, I generally like to have at LEAST 800 calories left for dinner and dessert at the end of my day. I like the last meal of the day to be my biggest meal, so that's what I do. Sometimes I eat breakfast, and sometimes…

Agree with all of the above. If you want to change your eating habits, just start making small changes here and there. There's no need to detox from anything. If you're feeling a little blocked up, just add some fiber and water to your regular diet. Pooping is the most satisfying detox I can think of. :smile:

I think you may want to consider doing the 1500 calorie diet without the HCG. :smile:

I don't have any articles or scientific evidence to support my opinion. I'll just say that I regularly eat my dinner later than 7pm and almost always have a snack or dessert around 10pm or later. It doesn't seem to have affected me negatively. Also, I'm confused about why the body might digest and process a night snack…

My weight fluctuates quite a bit on the regular, so it might be nothing. It's only been about a week and a half since you last lost weight. I know it can be difficult to see fluctuations, and it's frustrating not to have a scale loss in that time (happens to me all the time!), but it doesn't necessarily mean that you're…

I measure and log anything that has calories, but I'm especially careful to accurately log things like butter and oil because they are very calorie dense. A tbsp of olive oil is about 120 calories, and butter is about the same. Not logging them means I'm eating an extra 100+ calories that's unaccounted for, and not…

Same here. I regularly eat late. I'm actually eating my dinner right now (10pm) and will probably have dessert too.

This is an old thread, but.... It works as well an any meal replacement product (like Slimfast or Special K), which is to say - yes, it works. But I think it's important to understand WHY it works. Weight loss is completely dependent upon a calorie deficit, which means you have to consume fewer calories than your body…

I really can't add much to the responses you've already gotten. Great advice. The point is not really to lose weight as quickly as possible. The point is to make the time and effort to create healthy, sustainable eating habits and learn how to fuel your body appropriately. You should be working toward eating and exercising…

I agree. Even when I ate way above maintenance on Thanksgiving, I logged everything to the best of my ability, because I like knowing what I'm eating and what my numbers look like. Knowledge is power, and weight loss is all about the numbers! But I will occasionally eat above my goal. Sometimes it's planned and sometimes…

This. It took me almost a year exactly to lose 60 pounds. The good news is, if you start now, imagine where you'll be in 12 months!