ottermotorcycle Member

Most of the advice here is good, but I'd like to add - if you are eating 1200 calories a day currently, and that's not under the direct advice of a doctor because of a diagnosed condition, you've been starving yourself. Be very careful not to panic if the scale fluctuates while you return to a more sustainable eating…

Hi Morganbone, It sounds like a low carb diet in particular, but perhaps any very restrictive diet, doesn't work for you. Low carb works well for other people, but I, like you, would feel deprived. Staying mentally healthy is absolutely essential to success, especially when you've got a baby to care for (congratulations!)…

Meeee. I cook 90% of the time and keep my diary open, even when I'm not having the healthiest of days. Any other ladies are welcome to add me :)

In the absence of a food scale, I typically log pasta by what portion of the whole box I ate. Since I'm usually the only one eating it, it'll even out even if my exact portions are wrong.

Drinking more water should cause you to drop water weight, not hold on to it, but I have to agree that it's too soon to expect progress. If you're actually bloated (eating lots of salt? alcohol? starchy carbs?) and looking for a diuretic, laxatives are super dangerous, but some green tea wouldn't hurt.

Cabbage is sooo easy. I just steam it and season it with salt, pepper, and nutritional yeast (grated parmesan would work too).

Congrats on your progress!! You've done so well already. Honestly, you could eat at maintenance 6 days a week and still reach your goals - but it will slow you down. Once a month or once a week and you'll still see steady progress that gives you that motivation to keep going! If you need more room than maintenance, I would…

Hi OP, it might be difficult for you to feel satisfied on a calorie deficit of over 1000 a day! I strongly recommend you reassess that goal and go with what MFP recommends for you at a weight loss rate of 2lbs/week. If you lose weight too quickly, even if you are very overweight, you run the risk of not only losing lean…

Find a BMR calculator and use that as a minimum. It's a gentler system than MFP can be. Your BMR is the vare minimum your body really needs to like, have your organs function. Everything you burn above that is a loss! Depending on your activity level, even that may be too low.

I have lots of filling meals in the 400 calorie range. Some examples: 1/4 box of protein plus spaghetti, 2 tbsp romano cheese, 1 tbsp nutritional yeast - 403 calories 1 cup of cooked rice, 1 can of tuna, 2 tbsp barbeque sauce - 372 calories Baked potato, 1 oz cheese, 2 slices turkey bacon, 1 egg cooked however - 330…

LOL genuinely, sitting next to the scale with one leg and then the other might give you a good approximation, if you really want an answer.

I'm in the same spot and just want to add - it can get difficult, fast, to do squats and deadlifts with dumbbells if your grip strength isn't great, so train that or get straps or whatever when the time comes, I'm still figuring out my solution to that...

If you want a flat abdomen, you need to lose overall fat. Unfortunately, you can't spot reduce. So, in a way, all exercise will bring you toward your goal!

Proud of you for taking this step!

The best workout routine is the one you will consistently do. That said, if I were you, I would train harder for shorter periods of time. Do weights first. Use heavy free weights and lift 3 sets in the 8-10 rep range. Do compound exercises so you don't have to do 8 of them. The right weight will be one where you almost…

ew, morning? what is that? lol

I recommend finding a beginner-friendly program to follow. Makes it easier not to feel overwhelmed :) Teach yourself or have someone teach you a few major exercises (squat, deadlift, bench press) and you'll be improving before you know it!

I added some of you! Everyone feel free to add me too. I log everything including my workouts :) I'm just starting NROL4W for the... third? time.

I think you should look into counseling.. drastic restrictions, asking for others to fat-shame you, not being able to see a 20lb loss... I really think you should talk to a professional about those things.

I set my "meal names" as times as a way to track fasting. So when I log, it's not "lunch" or "dinner," it's "Pre 2pm" or "6-8pm" etc.

Sent you a friend request because I'm also losing weight for my wedding! I have a lil mantra. When I start to think "Why am I doing this?" I tell myself, "To look my best on the happiest and most photographed day of my life!" I think the others are on to something - of course, the goal is to build healthy habits. Rewards…

Take rest days in between. Rest is important for your muscles!

Do you have access to a full gym? I strongly recommend New Rules of Lifting for Women. The book explains everything and the program is progressive and focused on major lifts with heavy weights, which are the most important points!

That doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility for me, but only you know how strenuous your workouts are and what results you get. Are you always exactly on target? I think eating back 58 calories won't effect much either way.

I'm actually in full support of the IIFYM "lifestyle." It all adds up the same, but I think it's healthier to count macros than to just count calories. I counted macros while doing NROL4W in my last year of college (lifting progressively heavy weights 3x/week, doing occasional hula hooping/yoga as cardio) - I seriously…

Gotta love MFP's gut reaction to the word "detox." OP, as someone else focusing on my wedding (I have longer to go though!) I assume you mean a diet that will minimize bloat and make your hair and skin look its best while leaving you with energy to finish wedding planning :) Make sure you keep sodium down and eat enough…

So ... personally, I think this whole post is a mess. But my short recommendations to you in getting to your goals are: cut the cardio, and eat a lot more protein. Eat better foods, and you will see results. Also if you binge, ever, there's something wrong with your diet. I like intermittent* fasting, but if it causes you…

If you're new to exercise, you might want to start with regular interval training. Maybe something like Couch to 5k?

Congrats on your new baby! It sounds like you are losing plenty of weight at a good clip. This might be a natural, temporary stall in your progress that will then be followed by some kind of "whoosh." Two things I want to say for your safety:* At your height and activity level, PLEASE eat back at least some of your…

I would look up "fat bombs" and other "keto" recipes to find things that will fit your macros (seems like you eat mostly carbohydrates.)