Just signed up at 'My Fitness Pal'. Any advice, experience, or desire to join me?

[worriermum]

I read about the website, myfitnesspal.com on MN. Am truly desperate to stop the ever rising weight gain - I have just topped my full term pregnancy weight. I've never really been a dieter, or even believed in diets, but I Have To Do Something. Would love to do it with some other Mumsnetters - anyone interested in joining me?

All the weight loss threads seem so bloated, if you'll pardon the metaphor. I'm intimidated by 537 messages, or 219 messages. Feel I cant be arsed to read through all that and I will never be part of the club if I dont read the history. Advice please?

[tookoolforskool]

waves at ChicksalinaBumSquash from the lone parents thread
have added you :)

[hairypotter]

Betty that's fantastic!! Well done. Can't wait til I can say I've lost a stone, although I think I might have to...

We are all on our way, I think it's really helping me to have all you as well as mfp.

Tried shred DVD last night and can truthfully say it was hard going. I'm not too sore this morning though which is good, I'm sure as I get into the swing of it I'll push myself more. Will do it again today as well as a longish fast walk. I'm trying to build up some excercise credits because I'm out for dinner with friends tomorrow and I know there is no chance of sticking to allowance

worrier the only way I can bold names is to put a * at either end of word you want to bold with no spaces.

[foreverondiet]

tool well done that is totally fab.

I also did shred yesterday after not doing it for a while. It is quite hard going, even if you are fit, but its a great way to "buy" an extra 200 calories from the comfort of your living room. I try to do it on non gym days...

Today is going to be hard for me - am currently on a train on way to Liverpool with work for the day. Will not get home until late, so probably no chance to exercise, plus will have to see what there is to eat.

[tookoolforskool]

hairy - well done for doing the shred. its not meant to be easy :)

I did it back in dec and loved it. But, and i have no idea why, it didnt seem to help my weight loss. Being overweight i kind of want to get back to a healthier bmi first. and i decided that the amout of effort i put in, was not worth the result i got out of it.

mid nov to mid dec i lost 8 lbs.
mid march to now ( 4 weeks) and my another week i should have lost another 2lbs.
so basically, same time frame, no difference in weight loss.

im saving it until i need a real boost and my weight loss has slowed right down.

i realise that goes aganist everything we have been told and i have no doubt that the shred is great, ( i know it works) but im just going to hold off on working out that hard until im nearer my goal weight.

[tookoolforskool]

oh. im dim. i have lost 8 lbs already.. and i started diet on the 15th.. so actually sat will be a month.
so, not shredding, for me, has resulted in a quicker/greater weight loss in the same time frame.

[foreverondiet]

tool the shred might not help WEIGHT loss as it helps tone and build muscle, which weighs more than fat, so if you loose fat but gain muscle weight loss will be slower. But in long run muscle is more metabolically active so with more muscles you can eat more and maintain weight/shape. I care more about how clothes fit, how I look and body fat% than weight... but I agree with your logic, more important now to put effort into diet until you are closer to goal weight and want to focus more on toning.

In terms of giving diet a boost, look at WHAT you are eating. Cut out / cut down on the white carbs & high GI foods they slow down weight loss.

[tookoolforskool]

I totally agree, which is why I'm.saving it at the.momment.. if I didn't have so much to lose and was closer to a healthier weight then I'd be doing.it now. It is fab and.I loved pushing myself and sweating.. and I felt amazing...

Have avoided white carbs and hi gi pretty much since I started.

[ChicksalinaBumSquash]

Right I have started again this morning and I'm back on it.

Thanks for all the friends requests I have added you all.

I have had Kellogs Krave for breakfast with skimmed milk, not the healthiest but I have no food in so I am going to have a nice long walk around Tesco.

I can't do the shred, I have hypermobility syndrome and last time I did it I ended up on crutches for a few weeks! I do have the 'My fitness' on the Xbox Kinect which I really like so I might do some of that tonight.

[ChicksalinaBumSquash]

I will do my dreaded measurements when I return from shopping.

[hairypotter]

tool I've heard that you can end up putting weight on with shred although as forever said it will be muscle but I am a wee bit worried. I suppose when I do measurements the difference will show. Fingers crossed. Well done on losing 8lbs, that's fab!!

[foreverondiet]

hairy and everyone else... please don't get too fixated with weight. Its just a guide. What is more important is how you look, how your clothes fit etc. That being said, I have steadily lost weight though, even with gym and shred.

Now my target is on body fat % (as its indicative of how toned I am) now under 24% - and honestly I would be happy to be 0.5 stone heavier provided it was all extra muscle. After triathlon am going to try and maintain weight but get body fat to 22%.

As example my SIL weighs the same as me (and she is taller) so lower BMI. I am toned all over, flat stomach with beginnings of muscle definition. She is slim as she "forgets to eat", she does not exercise but looks 5 months pregnant as has "muffin top". Which would you prefer?

[tookoolforskool]

ah yes, but when your bmi is over 30 it is quite important to be fixated on getting the weight off first i think.

My bmi is 30.1 and it is very important to me that i get it inside 25. Once it is i will be shredding ( it does work and i did lose an impressive amount of inches.. even though my weight didnt shift any extra becuase of it)
I just think getting to a healthy weight and then toning is a better option for me personally.

toning up while im covered in a fair amout of fat and slowing weight loss isnt really going help me stay motivated, and thats the hard bit with any diet. stcking to it and keeping at it... seeing the lbs drop off is and then toning and really seeing a difference will be the icing on the cake.

( and it was 12.5 inches i lost doing the shred last time)
So yes, it does work. But my bmi was still over and as i said, ive lost more weight, in the same time frame by not doing it and i cant say how disheartned i was each week getting on the scale after working out so hard, daily, literally giving it everything i had... to see no difference in the weight...
i can totally understand the importance of toning. but only when you are a healthier bmi than i currently am.
( because, if i had been weighed at the doctors, my bmi would have still been the same, wouldnt have mattered if i told them i had been shreddiing everyday and had dips in my arms from muscle defination, i would still be an overweight bmi)

[foreverondiet]

tool thats is the big failing with BMI. A very athletic man could have a BMI over 25 (or maybe even 30) but be a healthy weight. Similarly another man could have skinny legs and arms and a big "beer belly" and be dangerously overweight despite having a healthy BMI. Its very unlikely to happen for women though as its not possible (unless you go in for steriods etc) to get that muscular, and women less likely to put all weight onto stomach). The best gauge for being a healthy weight is your waist measurement - which should be less than 32 inches.

My BMI was around 30 at the start... I started with cardio exercises, eg like elliptical training, treadmill (initially fast walking on incline), swimming.

But yes, focus on the weight loss for now, lots of time to shred once BMI under 25. There are other exercise options though that would burn fat but not especially built muscle, maybe focus on them for now?

[tookoolforskool]

That's exactly what.I am and will.continue to do.. along with mfp and getting my.bmi back to normal and my waist back in too... I think I'm pretty much at your starting point right now.. same height too...
Heres hoping, given 6 months time ill be where you are now.

[foreverondiet]

Tool Yes, you are at my starting point. I basically lost an average of 1.5lb a week, although it was around 2lb a week and slowed down to 1lb a week once BMI under 25 and slower still once very near target.

Opening measurements at BMI 30:
Date Waist Hip Hip/Waist Chest Bicep Thigh Calf Body fat %
12/10/2010 36 43 0.837 41 11 25 15 40%

[ChicksalinaBumSquash]

Gah I have put on 4lbs since last using MFP

Oh well my fridge is now full of nice health things, I have planned dinner tonight and I am under my calorie allowance but 2 over on carbs and over on protein. I will try and have a lower carb day tomorrow.

I really have to do this, this time! I am so sick of being a flump.
I have a tiny waist (compared to the rest of me) but a huge bum and huge boobs plus I have horrid flabby thighs.
I am 155lbs and 5ft - not great.

[foreverondiet]

chick Don't worry about being over on protein. I have adjusted the protein/carb/fat mix manually to give 45% carbs, 40% protein and 15% fat. Still sometimes go over on protein through but try never to go over on carbs.

[ChicksalinaBumSquash]

What do all you low carbers have for breakfast? I always struggle to think of something that doesn't involve bread or cereals!

[tookoolforskool]

I've been having Greek yoghurt and various different berries, or, if I'm not at work, eggs.. boiled, or poached.. or grilled bacon and tomatoes.

[ChicksalinaBumSquash]

Now I remember why I got fed up with MFP!

I have only eater just under 1000 cals today so it is complaining I'm not eating enough but my carbs are at the limit and my pro is already over. :S

I want to do a workout tonight which is going to leave me well down on the cal front so do I either eat more pro or more carb?!

[foreverondiet]

don't worry about the proteins limit, eat as much as you need.

[ChicksalinaBumSquash]

Cool, I will get to grips with this!

I added the sugar total on my food diary, eating fruit had pushed it well over the goal today.

[gilbonzothesecretpsychoduck]

I'm finding my estimates of calories before using MFP was so far out. I put in a day's food that I would normally eat and it's 734 cals! No wonder I spent life in eternal dizziness. I'm hoping for some serious weight loss next week after none this week. I have slimmed down going by clothes (and dh's comments) but I've gained muscle on my arms and my bum - it's firmer!!

[foreverondiet]

gilbonzothesecretpsychoduck you mean a day of diet food - otherwise why are you overweight?

[ChicksalinaBumSquash]

No to be honest if I put in what I usually eat it would only ever amount to about 500 cals, my GP says im overweight because I g used to eat a lot more and got fat then started eating hardly anything and my body has gone into starvation mode and hangs on to the fat because it slows your metabolism right the way down. That is the hard part for me, eating enough of the right foods, before I was eating a tiny bit of junk so my fat , salt and sugar intake was mahooshive my my cals still quite low.