errollmaclean Member

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-health-fitness-and-diet-must-reads#latest These posts will get you up to speed on everything you need to know. They also address a lot of nonsense that we hear about fitness, dieting and health.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300331/most-helpful-posts-getting-started-must-reads#latest These should also help. They cover all the basics and are super informative about clearing up all the bad information that people hear about health and fitness all the time.

Excellent! I'd say use the digital food scale for everything to tighten up your accuracy. It's likely you're actually slightly above with your calories and that is what is slowing you down. That is the most common issue. The more accurate you are with your calories (Both calories eaten and calories burned) the better your…

What is your current calorie goal? Do you use a digital food scale?

I had it for a year. I've used MFP free for a few years, then the premium for a year and back to free for the last year. It's a little more convenient, but functionality remains pretty much the same. It was nice to be able to set actual grams for your macronutrient goals, instead of %. If I recall correctly it displays the…

I plan a nightly treat too. Right before bed. I tend to fall asleep faster if I feel full. Plus going to bed means there's not much chance I'll over indulge. I usually plan my week ahead of time to make sure everything fits and I get all my macronutrients. Then I can just make small adjustments if I feel like something…

Finding a protein powder or protein bars you enjoy is usually a hit or miss journey that takes a while. If you can find small taste test packs do that. It's not very fun having to finish a giant container of protein powder, that you don't like. I get Combat Muscle Pharm , cookies and cream from Costco. Inexpensive with a…

Don't forget audiobooks!

I always save calories for a before bed snack. Otherwise I'm up in the middle of the night and getting into the peanut butter :|

Some people don't notice a difference, because they already get enough creatine in their diet. I noticed a huge difference. Took it on a strength plateau and it definitely allowed me to lift more. It's pretty heavily studied and safe, so if you're curious, try it. It's pretty cheap too.

I agree with all the "routine" answers. Routines become habits, and habits don't require motivation. Even if you start small, doing something is always better than doing nothing.

I had a comment a ling time ago on a thread about maintenance being harder than weight loss. Basically the premise being that: you don't get the constant encouragement of slowly getting closer and closer to your goals. Maintenance is static. There's no "new" every week. But you adapt. You make new fitness based goals or…

Definite progress. 5 weeks is a pretty short amount of time. As for tips, make sure you're doing all the basics: using a digital food scale and double checking diary entries from the database to make sure they're accurate, to make sure your calorie logging is accurate. Be cautious of eating back all your exercise calories,…

Similar to this. It's just part of my schedule and routine. It's a habit that I don't even think about anymore, other than specific goals. I use an app that automatically switches to my next set and exercise with a rest timer that prompts me to start that set after a time interval. (FitNotes for android). You just have to…

I have an exercise bike. It's really quiet, with the added bonus of being one of the cheaper pieces of cardio equipment.

I tried EVERYTHING for mine, but what finally worked was a TheraBand FlexBar. It was like magic.

Why are you trying to stay away from protein supplements? The easiest way I've found (other than supplements) is to add egg whites to your eggs. You can increase protein without adding too many extra calories. The general recommendation is 0.6 to 0.8 x your bodyweight = grams of protein per day. 0.4 x your bodyweight for…

Outsmarting yourself is tough. I've always found maintaining harder than losing. Maybe it's because losing has a lot more positive feedback as you hit each pound lost and maintenance is just static. I have other fitness goals that keep me on track, like daily cardio helping me wake up and feel energized in the morning and…

100% worth it. Weight loss is about calories in vs calories out. The closer you get to being accurate with the calories in part, the easier it all gets.

Have you tried meal prepping? Make all your dinners ahead of time, so that when you're exhausted, you can just pop them in the microwave. It's super convenient. I make 30 dinners and just freeze them. Saves a ton of time during the week. Also is your deficit too large? Are you being too restrictive, causing you to binge at…

I noticed strength improvements.

Originally I was motivated by just wanting to look better. Then when I found MFP and it actually worked, I was motivated to see what I could accomplish. Somewhere along the way it just became habit/part of my day, like brushing my teeth. Now I'm motivated because "I know how", kind of a waste of I don't use that knowledge.

I've found habit and consistency are key for me. Motivation helps in spurts to push me to new goals, but the boring everyday habits of tracking, logging, and just doing the work are where all my progress is made.

You really need to figure out your maintenance calories first, then you can adjust up or down as needed. Your Apple watch estimates seem incredibly high. I would ignore them and watch what your weight does on the scale, that is the ultimate arbiter of your calorie intake. If your weight is going up, your estimates and or…

"clean" foods is basically an outdated idea. Foods that fit within your calorie goal and either contribute to your daily macro nutrient and micro nutrient goals or mental well being (ie: fun foods that make your calorie goals sustainable and not a hard to maintain slog). People forget that mental health and long term…

Think of calorie goals as an estimate. Then use what your weight does; is it staying the same, going up or going down as expected, as an indicator of whether you need to be more accurate with your calorie logging or if you can add or reduce calories based on your goals. Calories burned during exercise, is also an estimate,…

Read the stickied posts at the top of each forum section to learn the basics.

Your goals mean you should be eating high calorie foods. Ice Cream, pizza, peanut butter, nuts, etc. The fun foods. These foods are generally considered "unhealthy" because most people eat over their maintenance calories. But as part of a balanced diet, where all of your macronutrient goals are met (protein, fat, carbs and…

Protein and fat are minimums. It's totally ok to go over.

What do your macronutrient (protein/fat/carbs) totals look like? If you open your diary, people will be able to give you more specific information. Dinner and desert look tasty!