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You can also look at your calories over each week (the mobile MFP app has a handy chart that will add up your weekly intake). Say you want to have 400 cal or ice cream tonight rather than 200... Do it, and cut out an extra 200 tomorrow. Sleep in and skip (a portion of) breakfast. If you net only 1000 tomorrow, you won't…

Don't know the specifics, but as you get older, your BMR goes down. BMR is what your body needs to maintain essential functions, organs, etc. Perhaps as we get older, organs get smaller/less effective? Seems like I have heard that as we get older, cells die off and are not replaced by the body. I'll bet a doctor could…

Sounds like a good plan. Try it, see how it makes you feel. Sorry, no science to quote on the benefits/problems with your question... If you are not getting enough protein daily to maintain/gain muscle (0.8 - 1.0 grams per pound of weight), then your body will probably benefit from the shake. (So, if you are 200 lb for…

I don't think you have any muscles in your midsection that would bulk up enough to cause you to not slim down when losing fat. If you are not losing inches around your midsection, you have not yet started to burn off the calories stored as fat in that region. Unfortunately, you cannot target where you lose fat cells. They…

Don't worry about the carbs - most of them will be complex and good for your energy stores. Enjoy them. They are not evil. It takes 3,500 calories in excess of what you burn in order to gain 1 lb of fat. So, let's say you indulge and come out with an extra 500 cal/day that you eat (which is quite a bit), in on week that is…

For most people, that would suck. But punch some numbers into BMR calculators... There are people who fit into the range of 1200 maintenance. Smaller people, older people... If you only need 10 gallons to fill your gas tank, why try to stuff in more? Now I like to think that I exercise so that I can eat more (cause I…

Crikey. Keep logging like you have been, and cut more calories. Simple. If your food measurements are off, cutting more will solve that issue (by bringing you to a true deficit). Don't need to change HOW you have been measuring, just eat less. **Eating less food always works to lose fat. Try it for a couple weeks and see…

So you can do it... If your deficit is not "too large"... Which is subject to debate (what is "too large".) Get at least 0.8 grams of protein/lb of body weight, do strengthening exercise, and you will maintain (or even grow) your muscle while losing fat. You will be fine with the plan you have.

So, let me get this straight: 1 - yes, you can gain muscle in a deficit. (agreed) 2 - so this "pump" looks like muscle growth, acts like muscle growth, but is not really muscle growth? You need to continue to work out regularly in order to keep it, and if you don't, it goes away. Sounds like what happens to "real" muscle.…

Untrue. If you get enough protein and do strengthening exercises, you will gain muscle and lose fat at the same time. If you eat more than your are supposed to, you will gain fat.

Right. If you want to lose weight even faster, don't report your exercise and eat the 1618. That would put you at an additional 300 cal deficit for the day. For me, when I set my goal at 0.5 lb/week (250 cal/day deficit, or 1750 cal/week), I lost closer to 1.5 lb/week. Point one - the numbers are estimates. Point two - the…

You definitely are not starving - until you are at a very low body fat percentage, your body will convert stored energy (fat cells) into the energy you need to function (and exercise, and work) throughout the day. Watch your weight loss and stay at 2 lb/week or less. High protein foods, complex carbs, and nuts are good…

You won't hurt your metabolism with what you did/are doing. If you eat less calories in a day than you expend (BMR + Exercise), you will feel hungry at times, and that is your body telling you it is converting stored energy (fat) into the energy you need. If you stall out on weight loss, cut more calories. Eating less…

Some things that work for me - Protein will help you feel fuller, so meats, eggs, etc. Complex carbs (whole grains, sweet potato/yams) will be more filling than simple carbs (processed sugars, flours). Eggs over easy over rice is quite filling. I make a millet porridge that is very filling. However, the coconut milk and…

Hell yeah. Never give up! You can indulge while losing weight, if you make up for it. Or, forgive yourself and keep trying. Once we meet our goals, we have to maintain our weight for life. Don't worry about one day now. If you enjoy your weekend (like I surely did), no worries. Make up for it this coming week. This is a…

Freakin' awesome work! Looks great. You have the tools to lose those last 6 lbs - after the 50+ lbs you already lost. That is like a bag of cement you are no longer carrying! Once you do a bit more time with a calorie deficit and lose those 6, you can go to your maintenance caloric intake (for your new weight and activity…

I forgot to add.... Remember, once we reach our goals, we are all in the same boat for the rest of our lives. We need to keep in balance. If, for example, we allow ourselves to eat 100 calories a day more (NET) than we need, that adds up to about 3,000 extra calories a month – nearly one pound of fat a month. In one year,…

No problem - glad it helps! It was not until I found out the 3,500 calorie = 1 lb of fat relationship that it "clicked" for me how a 250 cal/day deficit = 0.5 lb/week, or 500 cal/day deficit = 1 lb/week. You can also look at your overall week and use that as a benchmark. Say you splurge one day and go 1000 cal over your…

Another thought on something to check into: Go to your “My Home” tab and click the “Goals” tab. Hit the “Change Goals” button. Do the “Guided” method and “Continue”. Update your current weight (if needed) and goal weight. Now, this is the tricky part: Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job) –…

You are not starving and storing fat. That does not happen. 1200 NET calories is a reasonable intake depending on your height. If you were "starving" and your body was using up muscle to feed itself, you most certainly could not keep up with 7 miles of running and children every day. 3,500 calories = 1 lb of fat. So, eat…

Per those numbers, your BMR is 1630 calories/day, if you do nothing but rest. At the least, MFP should have you at close to 1950 calories/day to maintain that weight. Assuming that, with no exercise, you should be eating 1,700 cal to lose 0.5 lb/week (0.25 kg), or 1450 cal to lose 1 lb/week (0.5 kg). The most I've seen…

Your body won't think you are starving unless you go days without eating anything. If you eat less calories than you burn, your body will use stores of fat to make up the difference. 3,500 calories = 1 lb of fat... So, if you run a deficit of 500 calories per day, every day, in one week you will lose 1 lb of fat (500 cal x…

From a man's perspective who takes self defense seriously, I fully agree with the quote above. I have found that aggression is not something that many women take to. If you do not think of yourself as aggressive, GIVE YOURSELF PERMISSION TO BE AGGRESSIVE and tell people to back the F up if they are making you…

If it is a weekend event, I try to sleep in, so I wake up already missing breakfast. If I can, I'll only have a protein shake early afternoon (200 cal), to keep the hunger down, and give me enough of a full belly to get me to the event. So, for me, I've got easily 1500 cals I can eat while there, and still be on track to…

Man - you've lost 53 pounds... That's like a bag of cement that you have gotten rid of. That is freaking awesome! If you can do that, you can lose the rest of the weight you want. Update your "Goals" and make sure things are current - if not, you may not be eating in a deficit, but with your weight loss, may be at…

The following quote is from someone on another forum I am part of, in a thread on "Dieting for fat loss" (colorful language edited). The way he put it finally made IF make sense for me. Remember, about 3500 extra calories = 1 lb of fat, and a deficit of 3500 calories = 1 lb of fat loss: "So how do we fix this? First, only…

I'm doubtful that my scale with body fat % is perfect, but I can use it to track ups and downs over time. Carbs are a good thing - your body uses them for energy. Too few and I feel sluggish, too many and they get stored as fat. I definitely notice a difference on days when I am low on carbs and go running. I think you are…

Do you have a body fat monitor of some sort? It would be good to know where your %fat is - to check your perception of your image. (You specifically mentioned your perception, and we can be our own worst critics and see things that are not there). Am I to understand that you are running a 100 calorie deficit? When 1 lb of…

Remember - 1 lb a week is 50 lbs in a year! That is an awesome accomplishment! Be patient and be proud of the hard work. It will pay off.

Like others said - no worries. You are on the right track. Keep up with a moderate calorie deficit, and you will lose fat as your body turns to draw stored energy from fat cells (rather than from what you ate). Think of it as every time you feel a bit of hunger and decide not to eat - you are burning fat! Be patient. I do…