Murph1908 Member

I started with a goal of 2 per week, and averaged 2.7 at the start. It slowed to 2.3 near the end of that stage, as I bought an HRM and got more comfortable eating back exercise. It came off pretty steadily during that time, with a few short plateaus. I then dropped to a 1.5 a week goal and lost that on average for a…

I am 6'1", and started at 285. My original goal was set in MFP at 2 pounds a week. The 1000 a day deficit put me at about 1800 calories a day to start. I was playing basketball on Tuesday and Thursday nights, and because I didn't have a heart rate monitor at the beginning, I was estimating the calorie burns. The estimated…

I'm calling Shenanigans. That's your daughter! j/k Congrats, and way to go!

You don't need Optifast. Just follow the MFP program and monitor your calories in and out. I lost my weight, and didn't give up any kind of food. And like someone said, it's not a permanent solution. What happens if it does work for you, and you get off of it. Likely you'll be back to your old habits. Once I hit my goal, I…

I didn't take progress pics. But pictures that were taken at my biggest WERE motivation, big time. It was motivating to plan for my Success Story post, knowing how much better I'd look in those pictures.

I subbed for a softball team last weekend. I was on third base, and the third base coach told me to go ahead and try to score on a ground ball. "You look quick." HA Haven't heard that in a while, if ever. I am normally the guy who makes sure the ground ball gets through the infield before he even thinks about heading for…

Since I cut my goal to 1 pound a week, I am in a woosh cycle for sure. I go 3 weeks where I remain steady or even go up a pound or two. Then suddenly 3 or 4 pounds will drop in a day or two. Then it's back on the flatline for 3 weeks. When I look back at my weight report, I am seeing a drop of 1 to 1.5 per week over time.…

I've lost my weight eating ice cream, pizza, and cheeseburgers. I stay under my calorie goals, and it works. That's one of the things I think works about this system. If I have 100 calories to spend, I can have a guilt-free treat. Like i said in another post, I do try to eat my calories in a more healthy way (during the…

I would say I do "Moderation within calorie limit." If I have calories remaining at the end of the day, I'll have an ice cream bar or other dessert snack. But I try to eat my calorie goal with more nutritious items. I really should eat those calories in a veggie snack in the afternoon. Sometimes I do, sometimes I don't and…

If you are trying to build muscle, you might be gaining weight back in muscle that you are losing in fat. Therefore, you might weigh the same but be smaller and leaner. If this is your strategy, perhaps get a scale that calculates body fat. I have been more interested in that number recently since I reached my first goal…

Congrats! I recently went shopping for new pants (again) and got into 36s. I can't remember the last time I wore that size. College maybe.

Saw a heavy guy I play golf with for the first time in a while. I was riding up in the cart, called him by name, and put my hand out to shake his. He had this confused look on his face. It wasn't until he was close enough to grab my hand that he recognized me. Next day I saw him again, and he had another confused look on…

Congrats! I'd chat you up at the pub.

When I started in January, I had a primary goal of 50 pounds. I've hit that, and am working on keeping up the progress. Working on the first strecth goal of an additional 20 pounds (though now I am more focused on body fat percentage than lbs.) What helped me is the milestones. Every new 10's on the scale was a reachable…

Thanks, all! Here's one more pic that my sister just sent me. If you right click on the pictures above and select View Image, you can see the full picture. You'll see the weight my sister and my wife lost too!

I did, Jackie, and it took me to this thread. =P

Congrats on the 43 pounds! As long as you are logging correctly and staying below your calorie goal, you will lose fat. So the answer must be one of the following: A) you are losing fat and gaining muscle with your exercise. Have you been measuring your waist, hips, etc? Perhaps a body fat scale will benefit you. I bought…

I'm at 52 pounds lost. I too had that feeling of 'so far to go', and it was disheartening. What helps me is the milestones. I strive for the 'new 10s', and each 10 pounds lost. I started at 285, so I got a milestone every 5 pounds. (279 - New 10s! 265 - 10 pounds lost! 259 - New 10s! etc). Before I knew it, I was half way…

I do the same. I 'save' most of my exercise during the week for weekend meals. Pizza on Fridays. Dinner out with the wife on Saturdays. I am usually at maintenance on those days, and under my deficit goal during the week, to even it out to me my weekly goal. Works for me, as I too like to have beer, nachos, ice cream, and…

I use a HRM, and I only eat back about 80% of what it says, just to be safe. That way if my restaurant meals and other questionable calories end up being more than what's logged, I'm covered somewhat.

One week is nothing. Weight loss isn't linear. I've had "plateaus" on my journey that have lasted 2 or 3 weeks. They'll happen, preceeded or followed by weeks where I lose more than my goal. It averages out over time if you stay on track. Plus, from what I understand, women will experience some water retention every month…

I am in a similar but different situation. I've recently cut back from 1.5 pounds a week goal to 1. That extra 250 calories is turning out to be quite a lot. I am getting to the end of the day with most of that still remaining, as I haven't been hungry during the day and my dinner is filling. So I've started doing what…

I've done this. I've done it for a week long vacation, and for one-off special events (birthdays, holidays, etc). For the vacation, I actually allowed myself to go over maintenance by 500 a day. I did gain that pound, but lost it back the following week as designed. Made for a great week where I went wild, but not out of…

Some weeks I lose none. Some weeks I lose 4. Water, glygogen, and food still in your system can cause noticble fluctuations. If you do what MFP suggests, it should be pretty accurate over the long run. It was for me. So since you lost 3.5 this week, don't freak out and post that you've hit a plateau when you don't see any…

Those two things aren't mutually exclusive. Having a mini goal of losing 11 pounds is fine. Having a goal to lose 11 in 4 weeks isn't good. When I was at 285, I was worried that the 2.8 I was losing a week was too fast. I've lowered my goal to 1 a week now. I am not sure what you are at, but 3 pounds a week can't be good…

I use them as door stops. When I DO get back to using them, I'll do curls, bench presses, butterflys, and tricep extensions. I really want to get a lifting cage and do the 5x5 heavy routine. But I am afraid I'll do that about as much as I am using the dumbells.

I calculate the calories in the entire recipe, then estimate out the desired fraction. If I want a third of the total, I scoop out a third of the pan. If my wife wants a third, she takes half of what's left.

I agree with this idea. I got my HRM a month or so back, and started eating back about 80% of what it said I was burning. I am still dropping weight. Before I got the HRM, I was afraid to eat them back. My workouts weren't easily estimatable. My main workout is pickup basketball 2 nights a week. How long was I actually…

How long has the plateau been going on? I recently went through two, 2-week flatlines. It happens. As long as you are staying with the calorie goal accurately, it'll move again.

Ok, I usually don't comment on topics that have gone even into the second page. But I had to comment here. This was the most inspiring story I've read on this site. Way to ****ing go. I didn't need much more motivation for myself, but this may prompt me to reach out to a friend and try to inspire him. He's probably at 4…