ottermotorcycle Member

1200 calories works well for people over 40, under 5'2" and with a high BF%. Unfortunately, MFP often assigns 1200 calories to people taller, thinner and younger than that. I signed onto this website for the first time at 18 years old, 5'4" and 135lbs (I had recently gained about 10 and wanted to lose it again)... and was…

Wear what you want. Don't let people shame you for it. Your body, your rules. I honestly can't even believe there's a debate, as if you should be obligated to cover yourself up. What people don't seem to be realizing is that self-respect is YOUR respect for YOURSELF. You don't owe society or your husband anything.

I guess that depends on what those numbers are. There's nothing wrong with eating more on exercise days than on non-exercise days, and in fact many people find that helpful. I recommended the same to someone who had less to lose. But if TDEE - 20% is very far away from your BMR, I have to wonder what the deficit will look…

Since you're close to maintaining, you're going to have to do some guess and check. Even people who have been on here for months losing weight have to guess and check a little bit when they switch to maintenance. A lot of people use TDEE but of course you still have to pick an activity level. I think it gives you more of a…

Don't panic, and keep track. Chances are, if you started your healthy lifestyle all at once, that you lost a significant amount of water weight that your body was retaining. The heavier you are, the more water weight you lose initially. Some people also experience a big "whoosh" in the beginning of their weight loss…

The idea with switching to losing a half-pound a week is two-fold, in that it is best for people who are small to lose more slowly (for example, if you had started at 130 pounds, many of the people here would have suggested you lose at .5lb/week the entire time you're losing weight) and to not create as big a deficit,…

The caloric deficit is really the bottom line for weight loss, but whey protein can be a good supplement as long as it fits into your calorie goals. Since your workouts are somewhat strength-based, the whey protein either after your workout or before you go to bed at night will help your muscle recovery. Strength gains and…

I'm sorry to hear about your developing eating disorder. It seems clear to me from here that you're undergoing a huge emotional event and that it is damaging your relationship with yourself, your body, and your diet. Consistently eating less than 1000 calories a day is NOT safe behavior, it's disordered. I'm not trying to…

I'm surprised by this, because it has never been my experience. It's sort of like a video game - sometimes you have to do some grinding, but leveling up (or lifting heavier weights) is worth it! Maybe you would have more fun doing body weight exercises. You won't be picking things up and putting them down, and it'll be…

I eat extremely slowly. It can take me 45 minutes to finish a simple meal. If I don't do that, I usually have the second half of whatever I'm eating for later - and later can be an hour or the next day, depending on what I'm feeling. It's just become the way I eat, and it works out. I get to spend more time in my day…

Super gritty and chalky? Maybe you can mix it with some paint and make yourself a chalkboard :laugh:

If you are logging accurately and consistently and you are in a caloric deficit, you will lose weight. You just have to be patient. Are you eating back your exercise calories? You may be overestimating them, which can stall weight loss. Many people try to eat 50% of their exercise calories back, or they use the TDEE…

- Yes, it is hard to gain muscle while losing weight. Actually, it's an incredibly slow process that takes place over the course of months known as body recomposition. You can make improvements in your strength and I do encourage you to keep lifting as it will help to preserve your muscle, but at a significant deficit…

You need to eat back exercise calories from lifting. The bad part about this is that it is extremely difficult to calculate calorie burn from lifting. I use "calisthenics" because the numbers for "strength training" seem really low, but that's just my approach. What is your deficit like? 500 calories? 20%? You're down to…

In the meantime, measuring cups and spoons are your friends. Look for the USDA listings in the database (the ones without the asterisk). They're pretty accurate and have multiple ways of measuring. For example, right now I'm eating "Apples - raw, with skin" and I chose "1 medium - 2-3/4" diameter" but there were options…

It's likely that this has to do with your muscles. Definitely keep lifting and make sure you're hitting your protein goals. Protein is essential. It also might have to do with how much water you are retaining - i.e. the difference between bloat and fat - but I don't have any sources to back that up, it's just a guess. ETA:…

Chill out, friend. As long as your average calorie number is less than maintenance, you will lose weight. The more you go over, the more slowly you will lose, but if you are within 100 calories either way of your goal I would consider it met.

There's nothing wrong with carbs, but when you're limiting your intake of meat, it's important to focus on protein. I think a shake or meal bar at your lunch is probably a good idea since you can't get much protein without meat at fast food, and it seems like you need the fuel for your job. You've been eating quite below…

Yeah, you've got to go to your diary settings and make it public for us to review it. Tip for lunch though: a protein shake? Quick, nutritional, low in carbs, and portable. I like chocolate protein powder blended with skim milk and a banana.

Yep, everyone above me has it right. Strength train (heavy), get adequate protein, and keep a slight deficit. I'm shooting for 1g protein per pound of body weight, but it isn't easy, and more often than not, it puts me over in dietary fat - not calories, just fat, so I still consider it a victory! I know you only need 1g…

You can't tell people how to diet, and MFP is really just a catalyst. I talk to my friends about my fitness and nutrition sometimes and it has gotten them to sign up, but I'm always surprised when they get on and log - the drive to really be a fitter person isn't always there, and you can't make someone have that. MFP also…

If you're doing strength training it's a good idea to get enough protein. Anywhere from .75g to 1.5g per pound of body weight is good - I aim for 1g/lb, but I often don't make it. Ah well, all about constant improvement! Assuming you're not vegan, low-fat dairy and egg whites are great sources of protein, as are protein…

I've been doing the New Rules of Lifting routine. There's a NROL for women book that you can read first before you get started. I found it very entertaining and informative. It starts you out serious on squats and deadlifts, but of course you start at whatever weight is appropriate for you and work your way up. Definitely…

I wonder what the point of this post is, because you don't seem to be asking a question. Weight loss is solely determined by caloric deficit. Do you know what /weight/ really is? It's your relationship with gravity. It tells you your relative mass according to the planet that you're standing on. It honestly has nothing to…

You probably just made a huge switch. Assuming you were not watching what you ate before you joined MFP, eating less than 1500 calories is a drastic change. Do you know what your maintenance number is? Keep that in mind, and when you're feeling like this, give yourself the leeway between 1500 and your maintenance number.…

Edit your exercise logged to have only a 1 calorie burn. A few people on my friend's list do that so you've still kept track of your workout, but it won't add any calories.

Lifting weights preserves muscle, so while you are losing fat due to a caloric deficit you will have a tighter, more toned looking tummy. Posture makes a big difference in the appearance of your stomach as well, which weight lifting can assist you with.

Opening your diary would make it much easier to help you! But just as a sidenote I think diet dew tastes pretty similar if you want to give it a try, save the regular for special occasions.

So you're concerned with dropping pounds but not with the appearance of your body? Do you want to be lighter or less fat?

You're in a healthy weight range... now it's just time to be healthy. Focus on keeping your water retention down and staying active. Your workout plan sounds great, just make sure you are eating enough protein to support weight training. And try to ENJOY your last 6 weeks of college!