mylittlerainbow Member

As a vegetarian who dated a vegan for a while, I know that there is protein in everything, even in your green salad. Some foods of course are more concentrated than others, but you can definitely get your protein in even if you aren't fond of beans or legumes.

You guys astound me with your daily protein achievements! I set my goal for 100 for the day, since my personal trainer told me 80-100 (but then she said she'd settle for 60 for me since I'm a vegetarian), but I can hardly ever get there even with supplementation. I can't even conceive of getting to 200 grams of protein in…

I set my calorie count for the day 100 calories higher one week at a time, until my weight seemed to be stabilized, and that's where I have remained on the average. I exercise 60 min per day but don't eat back my exercise calories, and it all seems to work for me.

It's wonderful that you didn't give up entirely and walk away but instead are back in the saddle again. Not everybody does that.

Thank you. I do have a treat every day - I prelog the day's calories and see how many I have left for that, and then I'll have an Enlightened bar or 1/4 c unsalted mixed nuts or 3 sq dark chocolate or a brownie made with avocado and protein powder. It all fits into my daily calorie count. That is not the same as having…

Thank you! I did weigh myself this morning because I want to make sure I'm heading in the right direction now, and I am. Not the huge drop I was hoping for from "recent/water weight" and other such mythology, but it leaves me hopeful that I have regained control early in the process and that I can get back to where I want…

Thank you all for your continued support. Yes, we do know how to do this - we're in maintenance, after all - but I was just hoping I wouldn't have to any more. It would be so lovely to live like a "normal" person and get to a point where I can stop tracking every mouthful. Sadly, that will probably never happen with the…

Thank you all. Yes, I recognize the binge-eating. We have no need to go through my whole childhood, but it became a coping mechanism for me, easier to deal with the feelings it caused than with the underlying problems in my real life instead. And yes, I've had years of therapy and have also belonged to E.A.T. and have…

That is definitely a stressful event that triggers overeating in me as well. I put on tremendous weight caring for two husbands, each of whom died of cancer. That and classes do me in. It's nice how we're all learning all the time! INCLUDING learning to be gentle with ourselves ...

Thank you for your very thoughtful remarks and insights. I've been involved in a whole string of classes the last few days and only came to MFP to log, no time to come to the boards. But I was not intending to ignore you!

I am so curious! You have to come back and tell us. Have you had your vacation by now? Was it lovely and you were relaxed about your eating? Where are you at now with your weight?

The net calories you're eating are the TDEE for SOME weight greater than zero. So you won't keep losing indefinitely - there will be a point where you level off. With that reassurance, others have given you good pointers for adding plant-based calories to your diet. I'd have no problem scarfing down more nuts or having…

I have terrible trouble reaching mine! I can usually get to the total calories (right around 1400 for the day), but I have serious trouble getting 100 g of protein and sometimes even getting to 80. I add protein powder to almost everything I can! Each meal is around 300 calories and the snacks in between (cottage cheese…

Everybody has made some really great points here. But I want to go back to the OP and congratulate you on this conclusion that you've drawn. That is so healthy, psychologically and emotionally as well as physically, and this determination can drive your decisions for the rest of your life. Good for you!

I'm also petite and older, and I find that I can maintain on just short of 1400 calories per day. Makes a difference! As for your original question, I agree with maintaining a deficit until you go on vacation so that you won't worry as much about any overindulging. I have done that before two trips now - got a cushion of…

Absolutely, you will find encouragement here! How wonderful that you recognize how much better you feel with these pounds gone. May you continue to keep them off.

I do think that sums up what I was trying to say! If your overall pattern is one of healthy maintenance and you don't let one lenience become permission to overeat wildly, then yes, you can take pressure off yourself and not judge yourself harshly for having a little slip or slide here and there. It probably won't have a…

I don't, either. That's why I prelog meals - I see how many calories I have left for the day and work in my treats! Just not ALL of them every day!! (sadly)

That's the crux of it, absolutely: Lifelong commitment. But of course we should have that toward our own health to start with! It's just soooo hard. Most people seem completely oblivious to what or how much they're eating - sure, a nibble from your plate or another trip to the buffet? No calculations involved - just eat…

Yes, I make a point of exercising at least 60 min per day, and varying my routine from day to day. I'd read that you need this to be able to maintain your weight. That's why I was so careful to refer to "NET" calories. I do move a whole lot more than the exercise I log already! I live on the third floor and routinely walk…

I definitely have been a stress eater throughout my life but, even more so, an emotional eater. I went to EAT and Overeaters Anonymous and a therapist, hoping any or all of them would help with this. What did happen was that I figured out that dealing with strong feelings, stress, and uncertain outcomes were too difficult…

I agree that some of us could be just by nature more sensitive to connotations of words than others. For me, it's when somebody says, "I was good today" or "I was bad today" in reference to the diet or exercise choice that they made. Value judgments are just plain not helpful to me. So if the phrase "cheat day" conjures up…

Congrats on your significant weight loss! As for maintaining, the best thing to rely on is your scale (and/or the fit of your clothes). Data that you log and the projections MFP gives you are helpful pointers along the way, but the results of regularly weighing yourself will tell you unmistakably that Plan A doesn't work…

I'm not sure I understand this. Is this plan for more optimal overall health? Because once we're maintaining, we aren't supposed to "torture" ourselves with unusual eating plans that include periods of deprivation. We all know that we can't ever "set it and forget it", but we should be able to live more normal lives…

Ah. Since I haven't socialized with friends for well over a year and haven't gone inside a restaurant in all that time either, my life is completely confined to the meals I make for myself and the occasional takeout food that I carefully consider and then log. So all my days are the same. Thanks.

Thank you. I guess all the days run together for me, even when there is no pandemic, and this pattern was something I found puzzling. I'm as likely to have a class on a Sunday afternoon as on a Tuesday night, for instance. So this is illuminating.

Oh, yum, socajam, both your salmon burger sandwich and your green smoothie sound so good!!

As a side question, I have noticed that many people bank calories through the week to save for the weekend. Why? Do you eat differently on the weekend than you do during the rest of the week for some reason? Or you're just saving up and planning 'treats' for yourself on days that are more leisurely? I guess I don't…

I have been doing it by VOLUME. I divide the quantity in the mixed meal (casserole or whatever) into quarters visually, as accurately as I can eyeball it, and then weigh the 1/4. I'm going to eat it all anyway, so within 4 days, I have that total number of calories.

Because I don't trust these devices, I don't eat back my exercise calories. (or at most, eat back half of what they say they are)