Swiftdogs Member

The big change for me was bringing my lunch instead of running out to a fast food joint (ouch). The second biggest was adding a Fitbit to get a better activity measure. Smaller changes include: - replacing carb snacks with fruit and Greek yogurt - walking extra steps at every opportunity - cooking more and reducing…

That sounds like your activity level on MFP is set almost exactly right compared to what your Fitbit measures. It's bouncing around a little bit based on the estimate for the rest of the day.

I make it a policy never to guess weight (or age, or when a baby is due). You're heavy, and have other lifestyle changes you need to make to meet your goals. You know it and you've started the journey. Kudos! :flowerforyou:

Hello, all! I can't usually follow these long threads, but thought I'd chime in. My goal is simple - keep it up. Deb (54) from north Texas

I just checked mine, and it's right up to date. Maybe the problem is intermittent?

Sorry. I thought about that, but that board seems to be more for the big successes (like some that have posted on here with FANTASTIC numbers on their tickers :flowerforyou: ).

I hit the same pattern. My weight dropped quickly (too quickly) the first couple of weeks. Then NOTHING for almost two months, just bouncing around the same couple of pounds. Finally, last week my scale thought I'd lost four pounds, and I'm set for a half pound a week loss. It is definitely not linear. Just make sure your…

Another walker here. I love my Fitbit. A bad hip and foot problems make walking my best option.

Add me to the "If I want it I'll fit it in" group. But so far fast food and juice haven't been worth fitting in.

I strongly agree with #1 on p4ulmiller's list :smile: . You are young, so the habit changes you make now will last a very long time. Losses are good - celebrate those. There will be times when you don't lose, or even gain. Stick to your numbers, and you WILL reach your goal. Good luck!

I'm just jealous of having 1800 calories to play with! That's a full day's maintenance calories for me. But I thoroughly enjoyed my Hershey bar and wine (not together).

My weight (according to the scale) pops up from an active weekend, which for me involves a lot of walking and some hauling of equipment. I'm 54, so I figure my old muscles think just hauling me around is heavy enough :wink: . It's water - no worries.

I keep mine private. I prefer to be brutally honest with myself, and don't want the temptation to omit or fudge less-wise items. If I eat it, I log it. I also log quickly from my phone when I'm traveling. Some of those entries may be the first thing that comes up and I go back later and find better matches.

Motto: "Will walk for wine." :drinker:

Another way to log long-duration, low-intensity exercise is to take the number from the MFP database, but subtract your base rate for the same amount of time. That way you only take the difference between what you burn walking at work versus the calories you naturally burn watching TV or whatever.

Certainly treat yourself to some new clothes. But also see if you can fill in by having some of the too-big pieces tailored.

Only one woman at work has commented, but they know I'm "dieting" because I turn down most of the goodies in the breakroom. I'm tall and broad shouldered, so it may be a while before anyone notices. Clothes that had been relegated to the back of the closet and now fit are better for morale.

Bingo! With 48 hours off ibuprofen, the scale thinks I've lost 2.6 pounds this week. Most of that is water, but it's sure nice to see a good number.

Your boss is a sadistic @#$%! Wow. With a first week like that, you should be golden from here on. Stay strong!

I'll echo the advice to look at size rather than the number. I'm older than you, and was surprised that I wasn't heavier when I first stepped on the scale starting this journey. Translation - I had lost muscle in addition to adding fat. So I have a target number for calculation purposes, but my real goal is a pair of jeans…

I'm glad this post was bumped back up! I was extremely discouraged after the scale went the wrong direction after a ton of exercise last weekend. But I was taking ibuprofen for a badly bruised wrist/forearm! I stopped yesterday, so I'll see where the numbers go.

I needed to read this today. I started at 163 and am aiming at the neighborhood of 140 (5' 9"). I dropped the first 12 pounds in a couple of weeks, but the trend line has been nearly flat for a couple of months. I weigh/measure everything and don't cheat. Someday ...

Scales vary, and tend to have a memory. Try this trick: step on the scale and let it settle. Step off and let it zero. Pick up a small weight and repeat. THEN step back on and take that weight.

Oh. My. OP, you have my sympathy. How about cutting it in half and throwing one piece in the trash, quickly? Or walk back down that line and offer the second half to a random person. That could be fun :smile:

Before I started using a FitBit, that's exactly what I did with any sort of lower-intensity, long-duration exercise.

Sorry :tongue: If there's some sort of support (e.g. "That bowl looks like it's about a cup.") then it may be a SWAG - Statistical Wild A** Guess

If I have to estimate a portion, I always inflate my first guess by a percentage based on how big a WAG it is. If I have to guess portion size AND pick the closest match out of the database, I may even double it.

5' 9" female age 54 SW 163 CW 149.4 GW 140 (approx.) I target 1440 plus around half of my exercise calories (primarily walking, per Fitbit). The scale is moving, slowly.

Lean meat (grilled or fajitas) is better than ground (tacos). Pick black or borracho beans over refried. Tortillas can add up in a hurry. Good luck avoiding chips and salsa, my personal weakness!

No, TDEE includes your exercise. The MFP method is based on your lifestyle (job, basically) outside of exercise, then adds calories to eat back based on exercise you log.