walleymama Member

My advice if you are going that route is to make sure you exercise regularly so you can eat back more calories on those days. For example, I run 3x per week. On those days I get anywhere from 400 to 800 extra calories (depending on how far I run), which allows me to indulge a bit and not feel like I'm restricting myself.…

Hey guys. I'm 47 and I love being fit and being outdoors! Easy to do on the beautiful West Coast of Canada! I run 3x per week, around 24 km in total. I do yoga on my non-running days (Yoga with Adriene on YouTube). I ride my bike at once or twice a week (usually about 15 - 20 km each time), more if I can. I also enjoy…

First, I'm sorry if my questions were unclear. I'm a bit of a numbers geek, and these questions were meant to be theoretical. Basically, I was wondering if you could use TDEE as a guide for setting your weight goal (I think PAV8888 and Kallkell understood what I was getting at...). But...I made a mistake when I said my…

Ah yes, I forgot that MFP adjusts your caloric goals as you lose weight. In my case, I'm already at the lowest I can go (1200) so it won't cut me below that. It's the mathematics of weight loss that intrigues me. I'm curious because I'm unsure what my goal weight could be. I know I feel pretty good at 140 lbs (I'm just shy…

My advice is to think of this as a lifestyle change rather than something temporary. And lifestyle changes don't happen all at once. In my opinion, people have the greatest success in changing their lifestyle when they take it one step at a time. Do each step until it feels so "normal" that you don't really think about it,…

Yes, Mary, in the past that was my problem. Such a small amount of food! I was always hungry and felt deprived. Adding the veggies not only adds bulk but since the sauces are already there, the whole bowl becomes one tasty dish. Now I feel like I've stuffed myself. :-)

What a lovely and inspirational post! Congratulations from one runner to another!

I suppose it depends on why you want to exercise. If losing 20 lbs is your goal, you can do that without exercising. Truth is, exercise doesn't burn many calories, not enough to make a big difference in your eating allowance for the day (unless you are running 5K or more). But I notice that when I stay busy, I can get…

I have just started with the hot flashes and starting to delay/skip periods, so I think I'm on the cusp of meno. I have been running regularly for the past 2 years so perhaps that is why I have not noticed it affecting my weight. Mind you, I have not been more than 25 lbs overweight in my life, generally I fluctuate around…

I'm another oldie (47) who swears by my post-run stretching. After dealing with some aches and pains in my knees and hips, I took a tip from a friend and began doing a post-run yoga routine I found on YouTube (the Yoga With Adriene channel). The pain is gone and I feel confident I can keep running for many more years to…

I keep a stock of Halloween sized candy bars around (during the off season, many companies make mini or "snack" sizes you buy in the grocery store). One bar ranges from 45 to 60 calories, depending on what it is, and I find it a great way to satisfy my sweet tooth either with my afternoon tea or for desert!

Bumping this up, hoping for more replies. Cruising YouTube the choices are rather overwhelming. I did the Jillian Michaels 30 day Shred workout this morning, but some of the exercises were focused on quads (the lunges for example) and I'm already working those pretty hard with running and am not wanting to do more of that…

I weigh about 143 lbs, on average, and I burn about 600 calories for a 1 hour run (about 9 or 10 km). Running is, hands down, the best calorie burn/unit time that I have found thus far.

Thanks everyone. I have to agree that MFP numbers seem pretty good for running. I can see that it might be off for other activities. For example, when I cycle, I'm on a track that is railway grade with a slight incline heading out and downhill heading back. I fly on the way home, much faster than on the way out, yet I'm…

Look for a "Learn to Run 5K" program online. Use that to gradually improve your fitness. After that, if you are not running that distance in the time you like, there is a "Learn to Run 5K Faster" program to up your speed. The beauty of these programs is they take you on a steadily increasing pace/distance at a rate that…

That may be, but using MFP for exercise has worked great for me over the last year, so clearly it isn't too great an overestimate. I just assumed Strava (and other such apps) would be more accurate since they are measuring distance accurately and supposedly include elevation (though I sometimes think those numbers don't…

I don't believe in this "messed up metabolism" stuff. We evolved to deal with feasting/starving; we've never had regular meals continuously, so I don't think what you are doing is going to have any effect physically. Now, psychologically perhaps...but I don't know anything about that. You say you are worried that you will…

After I reached my goal weight I stopped logging because by then I had a pretty good idea of portion sizes and calories. I do find that logging can be a pain in the butt when you make your own recipes. I never use the exact same amounts of ingredients, and having to weight everything that goes in and then weighing the…

I keep myself busy doing something engaging. Have you ever had a day where you got so caught up in something - gardening, housework, a design project, a work assignment - and suddenly realized you had skipped lunch? Yeah, that.

I just wanted to say Thank You to Aaron for bringing intellectually stimulating discussions back to MFP. If I never see another "is the person above you hot?" thread, it will be too soon. As a former research scientist myself (cardiac electrophysiology), you speak my language. I've known for many years that aspartame was…

Given you have been doing this for so long, I'm going to guess that accurately tracking your food intake is not the problem. I'm assuming you weigh everything, including recipes you make at home. With that said, I think taking your charts to the endocrinologist is exactly what you need to do. Good luck!

I agree with sijomial. I've been on maintenance for several months now, and I have found that after a holiday or a few days of excess my weight can go up by about 3 pounds. I start tracking my calories (at the same maintenance level) and within 2 days it's all gone. So obviously I've gained water, not fat. This time around…

I'm exercising a bit less often now that I'm on maintenance, but that has coincided with less free time due to work. I've compensated for that by increasing my workout (I mostly run, so I'm running slightly longer distances than I was when actively losing weight). For me, I exercise because I enjoy being outdoors and I…

If you start adding 100 calories a day while also adding a new exercise routine, the worst that will happen is you might lose a couple of pounds. I would start your weights now if you are ready, also increase your calories as planned. If you continue to lose weight as you increase your calories (because of the added…

Great topic and very well said. I think one of the greatest things I have gained from doing MFP is a feeling of total control over my weight. I know that if I do gain a few extra pounds, I know EXACTLY how to lose them again. This is the main reason why I don't panic when my weight fluctuates. I say to myself "hey, if I am…

I'm just shy of 5'6" and lost over 15 lbs on MFP. I am now sitting at 138 lbs and am on maintenance. I'm pretty happy where I am right now, but may try to lost another 3 or 4 pounds later. I second the person who said don't try to restrict foods. If you like things such as chocolate, then work it into your daily calorie…

What I meant was that one of the selling points of the Paleo diet is that people lose weight without having to count calories. I did the Paleo diet for over a year and the whole point was that you didn't "need" consider calories if you followed the diet, which meant cutting out grains, sugar (a bit of maple syrup or honey…

The loss in weight is due almost entirely to water (moisture) when cooking. So the way I see it, you've still got the same amount of protein, carbs, etc in the food (i.e., those things that have a calorie count), even though it is lighter after cooking. Weighing before errs on the side of caution. OTOH you have foods that…

The real reason (IMHO) potatoes are "banned" from the Paleo diet is because they are very high in carbs (read: calories) and you aren't going to lose any weight if you eat them regularly. There are numerous arguments about whether paleolithic man ever ate starchy roots and tubers, some say you can have yams but not…

I think this is one of the biggest epiphanies I've had on this journey. That there is no such thing as "BAD" food. Now, with that said, I don't think a diet of fast food everyday is necessarily the best thing for you, and I happen to like the taste of whole foods, home cooked meals, crispy vegetables, etc. But a McDonalds…