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howsyourdad, at that weight I think you'll have to work very hard for minimal losses tbh, so don't expect big jumps. Keep at it though!
Also if you're fit and healthy, don't believe the calories MFP tells you that you have burned, it will over-estimate by quite a bit.
I'd drop to 1600 kcals and write off any exercise based kcals burnt that aren't super high intensity.
yeah I discount the calories from exercise almost completely. the cycle to work and weights doesn't really do much anyway according to MFP, 600 calories total ish and its not new to me, ive been doing it for a year , so I think to myself yeah perhaps 200 calories max, a good snack if im hungry. The skiing however is serious calories and fairly new to me.
The day after I felt awful in the morning, couldn't think of anything except food so that's why I had 'more' than my allowance. But again say MFP says 1000 calories burned i'll assume perhaps 400, less than half, to be on the safe side.
I'll stick at it, xc skiing tonight and I am going to try to reduce carbs from fruit and snack on a can of tuna instead 🙂
Out of interest - why more weight loss? Is it body shape?
yes body shape. I have a fat back
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It's the challenge really, I want rid of it, new bike coming, want to be superfit and buff at one point in my life. Don't mind admitting it.
I've been ill/injured since Saturday so not done any exercise apart from walking but have eaten ~1600cals a day and i stood on the scales today 1kg heavier 😕
I read that book on the blood sugar diet yesterday (yes all of it) so I'm going to try that as a lot of it sounds too familiar.
Wiggles - it definitely works.
HYD - don’t we all! Hopefully you manage it. sounds like weight isn’t the issue then, but you need to look into proper training methods to get where you want to be imho.
dantstw13 where do I start with that then? 😀
Sounds very familiar, certainly sounds interesting but not sure but could handle such an extreme drop in calories.
That's the thing. If you are greatly overweight (and I'm trying to be polite but i think you said the same already) then clearly you overeat. Whether for psychological reasons or just because you like eating, (and I'm not judging here) you need a reset on what normal eating is like, what it's like to be hungry, and the knowledge that you won't die of it for a LONG time.
The other simple fact is that you have enough stored calories that you won't starve. You have enough fat to last for ages. Your body will use it up if it isn't getting enough through the piehole and unless you're in a massively energetic job will adapt mechanisms over to use it up fairly quickly. And I'm also going to go out on a limb and suggest you aren't digging all day or mining coal or whatever, otherwise you probably wouldn't be overweight in the first place.
So now unpicking your statement; what you're saying is that you don't think you could handle being hungry. Which is fair enough, but us fatties need to learn to manage that, and i do that in 3 ways:
1/ eat - foods that are high protein / low calorie that fill you up longer, so lots of lean white meat like chicken, lots of eggs, fish, etc.
2/ cheat - I've said before, hot water triggers the satiated sensation so when hungry have a mug of hot water, maybe with a bit of flavour (half a stock cube is single digit calories) and let the hunger pass
3/ stay busy - no-one ever felt hungry on a skydive. A lot of the time it's boredom hunger, so when it comes go and do something that occupies your mind better and let it pass.
It is doable, but it takes effort and a bit of sacrifice and discomfort but it doesn't have to be impossibly hard.
I've had arguments about this in the past, and I'm going to start another. I don't > personally < find daily weighing healthy because from the PoV of my psychology, to get a day / few days like yours where you think you've been good and then get no reward on the scales kills me. I think 'what's the point' and open a bag of Pork Scratchings. So i only weigh weekly; same day / time each week and when I was running ChubClub 2017 last year only recorded group weigh ins every two. That way the variability is removed and you only see trends. Others argue that weighing daily you can see both the impact of a bad day or a good day, and ALSO the trend, the trouble is as a depressive with a food crutch, good days don't register and bad ones are like a kick in the balls. YMMV but IMHO if you are frustrated by lack of progress in 4 days, either learn to ignore the daily fluctuations or put the scales away until mid month and then see if you've made progress.
@theotherjonv, cheers for that and I take your point. I will bare that in mind if I do feel like giving up, but at the moment I am very determined. I also understand the 'bigger picture' and the trend is downwards, but again much appreciated.
the trend is downwards
There you go - you're a winner already 😉
Tapeworms! Get your tapeworms here! Guaranteed results!
Just tempt them out with a mars bar, see attached pic of Rob demonstrating (NSFW), when you're done.
Tapeworms! The sensible way to lose weight!
dantsw13 and Jonv -
The book helped a lot to understand how so many things you always accepted as "facts" like losing weight quickly is bad etc are just not true.
I think you are right that it is about a full on reset to understand what hungry and normal really are. So going to give this a proper go* and wait for the results 🙂
*Excluding Friday night as it's my birthday this week and I probably will go out and get pissed enough to buy a kebab
Although I am not taking part in this one, I thought I would comment on some of the posts above about severely dropping calories or not counting exercise.
Be very careful doing this - yes you will see quick results but it will be very hard to maintain and you will get demotivated and probably quit. You need to think of this as a lifestyle change and something you can keep doing forever to keep the weight off.
If you enter your stats into MFP and tell it how much you want to lose, the app calculates the deficit needed, there is no need to drop even lower than this. You should also capture exercise (even if it is only a percentage if you feel Garmin/Strava etc over estimates). This is the fuel you body needs to survive. It also allows you some space for a few beers/pizza/curry or whatever it is that will keep you motivated and stop you from quitting.
PS - I have lost 5.5 stone (and so far kept it off) over the last 6 years using MFP, cycling and going to the gym.
Hooli - I completely agree that a long term change is needed. That doesn’t make losing it quickly bad. It merely means you need a secondary long term strategy.
Yes the idea is this is a 8week recalibration as such after which you move on to a more flexible long term approach to eating.
PS - I have lost 5.5 stone (and so far kept it off) over the last 6 years using MFP, cycling and going to the gym.
I've lost over 7 stone! in the past 5 years also, 2011 is when I started recording it 😀
Problem is I've also found 6 stone 😯
Losing it is easy, losing it forever seems to be quite hard....
2012 = Yo-yo '13 = yo-yo '14 = yo-yo '15 = yo-yo '16 = Worst yo-yo eva!
Tiger - what is your strategy for maintenance, or is that the problem??
dantsw13 - That's true, from my experience that is not an easy way to do it but it could just be how my mind and body work.
Tiger - Completely agree. That didn't come across in my post but the weight I quoted is start vs now, the bit in-between isn't a straight line and I must have lost and regained the same stone about 10 times.
Good luck chaps. It is a long and hungry road but hopefully a worthwhile one 😉
Well that was a pretty rubbish weekend, we lost MrsMomos grandma early hours of Saturday morning and ended up having a few drinks and a takeaway in between sorting things out. Yesterday I ended up in the office until late, only just made it home in time to bath LittleMissMomo and put her to bed.
The end result is that after dropping from 108.9kg on Jan 2nd to 105.7 for the initial weigh in, I was back up to 107.7 this morning.
The lessons that I'm taking is my self control needs a little more work and I need to have some emergency healthy(ier) food with me in case I have any more late sessions in the office (which at the moment is getting more likely) to prevent me raiding the vendors after hours!
One other comment and I'll leave you to it is check out the MFP forums if you have a few minutes. There is an awful lot of rubbish on there* but also some very good information on how your body reacts to a long term calorie deficit, muscle loss vs fat loss etc.
* You have been warned, it is bad.
Momo - have a look at Nakd bars for emergency snacks at work. Try cup a soups too.
Hooli - I was concerned with that hence I monitored body composition quite closely. No muscle or water % drop.
I tend to keep hummous and carrots in reserve for snacking (plus we get fruit at work). After lunch I'm on about 600 calories for the day so far and just did around 600ish on a ride at lunch. Given tomorrow is my beer and pizza night, I need to earn some credit 🙂
For me I find the trick is not to have meals. As in the rigid formula of breakfast, lunch, tea. Just eat as and when. For example today I have not eaten yet, and probably won't till this evening. Which means I could have a pizza or bacon sandwich and still be under 1500kcals.
Not exercising tho, and my body is probably being broken by the random routine 😀
but doesn't that method mean you crave 'bad' food, like its not sustainable..? So for me its sugar and alcohol. I find it easier to avoid them totally. I can't have one beer, I just think about another...?
Oddly no. But even when I do, it’s ok as you’ve usually got the excess/surplus calories to play with. But I agree there could be a risk of eating crap. But then I remember that scientist who did the Twinkie diet, so it would work, but not sustainable.
Also, to call it a method is probably giving it too much credit.
Edit: http://articles.latimes.com/2010/dec/06/health/la-he-fitness-twinkie-diet-20101206
dantsw13 - Member
Tiger - what is your strategy for maintenance, or is that the problem??
No strategy
Hence the up and down
Really have to stop it now though
My problem was that maintenance relied on the bike. Winter rolled in, had to go away for work for a week or so, then the snow and frigid monsoon season struck, then Xmas arrived and lo and behold, put on 3kg. Got most of it off since I dramatically changed the diet since 1st Jan.
The lesson for me is not to rely on exercise to balance out my eating as sure, I can have a pizza and a few beers if I'm riding on average an hour a day but as soon as I'm not, it's a quick slide back to 80kg and beyond.
Bought some digital kitchen scales today to make sure I'm not just guessing with how much i am eating.
Just got to stop being an idiot and a not give up like I normally do
The lesson for me is not to rely on exercise to balance out my eating as sure
For me it is more than that, anything more than moderate exercise leaves me feeling starving. My strategy this time is to limit the intensity and amount of exercise I do, and concentrate mainly on diet. I will do some exercise just not too much too hard.
Bought some digital kitchen scales today to make sure I'm not just guessing with how much i am eating.
an absolutely essential piece of equipment, good work wiggles!
For me it is more than that, anything more than moderate exercise leaves me feeling starving. My strategy this time is to limit the intensity and amount of exercise I do, and concentrate mainly on diet. I will do some exercise just not too much too hard.
Ah the thing is I like riding my bikes so I'm not exercising for weight, I'm exercising because it's fun 😉
I am always more successful losing weight when not heavily exercising. Cardio at any rate.
needing to ride getting itchy, fed up with the lurgy
Ah the thing is I like riding my bikes so I'm not exercising for weight, I'm exercising because it's fun
yep me too, but I have been steadily gaining weight for years, and doing both isn't working. I think am probably the heaviest in the group, and it is getting a struggle to get up the hills now.
I need a new approach, hopefully cutting back on the exercise for 3 to 6 months will see better progress so when i return to doing more i will benefit.
Personally, exercising more, albeit on a turbo trainer has really improved my mood during this dark, shite, month. And it's motivated me to keep with the health eating to not undo my hard work
Forgive me, I have sinned. Massive pizza and choc biscuit binge last night after getting home from work late. Hey ho, such is life. Food planned for today and a bit of a pedal later.
Rob,
Hi, I tried emailing twice to join up but don’t seem to have received any confirmation email. I was using my work email and it is a big firm, so not sure if it went to spam.
Do you mind checking please? I have not been able to get access to the sheet to fill in any details.
Chris
My birthday today so going out for lunch with my mum... This may not be so good for the 800 calories idea 😳
one day won't ruin the program. What ruins it is thinking that one day ruins it, so why bother tomorrow or the day after as well.......
Happy birthday, eat well but wisely if you can (most places will let you swap veggies for chips for example) and don't lose sleep.
I've got my work Christmas do tonight. Let's see if I can practise what i preach......
I had a thai lamb curry last night. I was exercising before thinking about it. it was good. brown rice though, 50gms. haha
Happy birthday wiggles!
Very good advice Jon, that has always been my downfail in the past eat one bad thing and then think "well diets ruined now" *eat everything in sight"
Yeah Just avoiding eating chips would at least be a victory
make that a target for today then. Swap chips for something better. Then you've got something you can succeed at, rather than 'failing' to hit an unreasonable expectation for today.
I'm aiming for no pudding personally, and if I get home drunk and wake the house up then my wife will ensure that expectation is fulfilled.
That’s today’s 1600kcals....
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The marshmallows and biscuit really show you are on a strict diet
dodge that salad