MFP to lose weight

[Emz449]

Hello! I'm starting this thread to make myself accountable and as motivation. I've been using MFP for 16 days now and have lost 6lbs, really enjoying it and finding it so easy to use. I'll be posting weigh ins as and when as I am a frequent weigher! Hopefully the loses will continue I started in Janaury as 14 stone 11lbs but I've become complacent

Starting weight - 14 stone 11lbs
Current weight - 12 stone 5lbs
Goal weight - Currently 10 stone 11lbs but I think that I will aim lower once I reach that

On 1,450 a day with an active lifestyle. Would be great to see other peoples loses and experiences with MFP, annoyed I didn't start it sooner!

smilla that's good though! 0.7kg is over 1lb a week, which is about right for long term healthy weight loss. I know what you mean though -I am finding the same, and it's frustrating to see the scales haven't changed over a day or two, but over time you'll get there. If you carry on like that, you'll have lost 5.6kg in two months, which is loads!

I've been doing MFP for 5 weeks now, and although the weight is going down slowly (6lbs or thereabouts), I am really seeing a difference in some areas. My belly is still larger than it should be, but I have lost a lot of back fat - I hated the way the fat went over my bra before, specially now it's summer and T-shirt weather - and my jowls have definitely shrunk.

Keep going, you're doing great.

Thanks Dogseggs. I've read that 'slow and steady wins the race' isn't actually backed up by research, and that outcomes are best for people who lose fast at the start, but I guess that's understandable because it's easier to give up mid-way if you complacently drag it out!

I know 0.1 kg per day is still great, I'm pretty happy. Though it was a bit galling today to find my old 'starting weights' from the last two rounds of using MFP, in May 2012 and Jan 2014 respectively. I was lighter than I am now both those times.

In fact I'm 156.5 lbs now, and my goal is to get to the low 140s ASAP and see how I feel. I noticed that I was 154 when I started in Jan 2014, and worse - I was 145 lbs in 2012! And clearly felt that was fat enough to require use of MFP. I've clearly got used to being way fatter than I used to be. Which is obvious I guess, or I wouldn't have got this fat! Unless I was tracking for muscle weight gain back in 2012? It would kind of make sense, but I'm not so sure it was that.

My current mental goal is to get to 9.5 stone and avoid ever getting to 10 again.

That's interesting about the quick start approach, I never realised that! What do they say about the slow and steady approach? Is that not a good way to do it anymore?

I just seem to have stalled at 11stone my last attempt I had a lower starting weight too, I'm not sure what else I can do to get it shifting again, I don't want to join a weight loss plan or group, I know for me (from bitter experience) that it's not long term possible to do slimming world or weight watchers (I know some people can and do but it's not for me)
I'd be more than happy with slow and steady but at the moment I seem to be static.

I don't think slow and steady has been deemed to be a bad approach (especially if you worry that you might be someone who will end up yo-yo dieting instead of maintaining if you use too drastic an approach to shift the weight), just that losing lots and quickly seems to have better outcomes. The thing I'm taking home from that is that I don't need to worry if I really go for it at the start - contrary to the myths, it doesn't actually mean I'm more likely to gain back the weight later by doing it that way.

How long have you been static, Titsalina? Women seem to have greater problems with water retention messing with their nice downward-sloping weight loss graph than men do. If it's been less than two weeks I wouldn't worry at all, you might find that the expected weight suddenly comes off in one go later. If that doesn't happen, I'd cut another 200 calories off your daily allowance for a week or so and see if it starts going down again (but that really depends on what your allowance is now and whether you're managing it - if it's already 1200 and you're 5'8 and moderately active, I would suggest it's not the calorie allowance but either water or accuracy in counting the calories that is the problem).

Titsalina, you seem to have lost 4 lbs in the last 7 days, I'm not sure I'd term it stasis but I understand the impatience.

I've got a new tactic this week - I'm trying to make sure that my 'snacks' calories don't exceed the calories I've earned through exercising. So no exercise = no snacks. I think it is going OK so far.

In fact I think this week is going quite well. I've been under on my calories for the past 3 days, and I've only used a few of my exercise calories. But a lot can still happen between today and my weigh in at the weekend.

Harry good plan re snacks
On the calories thing, everyone please be careful - if you go below 1200 calories you risk switching your body into starvation mode, where it clings to fat and starts sending all kinds of danger signals to your major organs. That's why MFP sets that as a daily minimum and why it won't let you log less than that. If your weight loss starts to plateau at any point, instead of reducing calories further and causing damage to your body, it's actually more effective to eat more for a couple of days - this challenges your metabolism and kick starts weight loss again.
I'm still on 11st 13 3/4, but getting back into full tracking etc and I made it to Pilates last night. My mega goal of a ten pound loss in July is no longer realistic, so as there's teo weeks left I'm going to aim for four pounds off instead. I made myself a progress chart at the start of this, with a tracking line based on losing 1lb a week, which would see me reach goal in February, and I'm a couple of weeks ahead of that already, so it's good to be able to compare against that chart as well. Have a good day all.

Good morning all! How are we today? I weighed in at 11 stone 10 this morning. 11st 9 doesn't seem too unrealistic anymore but will see. Been making sure I'm drinking a lot water.

I have another eating out questions! What would you go for between a roast baby chicken, rice with black beans, corn on the cob with Cuban coleslaw Or pork belly slowly roasted served with spinach and chorizo? I'm aiming towards the pork belly meal as it would be lower in carbs? What do you think? This is where we'll be eating Friday night

Pork belly will be higher in calories though (massively so) because it's mainly fat.....

I'ta losing and gaining the same 2 or 3 lbs though, I can be 11st one day then 11st 3 the next and it just goes between the 2 everyday even though I'm not exceeding my calories.

I'm not logging anything until I get s reliable reading over a couple of days. I did walk all my 10,000 steps yesterday and I aim to do a good amount today too.

I'm on 1400 a day calorie wise, I'm only 5ft and although I don't do and formal exercise I do run around after 4 children and keep a house tidy etc so I'm hardly idle. I'm also breastfeeding a hungry 12 week old baby a lot of the time.
I average 8k steps a day with dd in a sling on my chest.

15st 11.75 this morning. Woo hoo. That's 1.5lbs down from yesterday :-)

I'd go for the roast chicken emz less fat, and will be more filling with the black beans etc. Maybe don't eat all the coleslaw as that can be really heavy on calories.

Morning ladies I weighed myself this morning 10 stone 11 its usually up or down 2 or 3 pounds want to lose a stone and a half before Xmas comes round i snack too much and have no will power I exercise for a hour a day but the weight isn't shifting nowhere fast

well done coldfeet

Yeh calorie wise it would probably be better to have the roast chicken. i do love pork belly but it's not diet friendly! I would be aiming for a lower day anyway though as I do when I eat out in the evening. Might leave some of the rice to keep it lower carbs

Jonty, starvation mode is yet another weight loss myth.

There are perfectly acceptable, even doctor-supported diets of 500 kcals a day for people who need or want to lose weight fast. The only issue is getting all the necessary nutrients into those 500 kcals (and in some cases, not getting hopelessly constipated!).

The idea that eating some more for a while will 'kick-start' your metabolism during a plateau is also a weight loss myth, as far as I remember.

If your loss stalls for more than three or so weeks, start thinking about whether you've eaten much more salt recently (possibly causing you to hold onto water), or whether you've been tracking your calories inaccurately, or whether you've just reached a point where you've lost so much weight that the calories you're now eating are more or less what you need in a day and not a significant deficit.

And bear in mind that the scale going up and down by a few pounds each day is food/water in your system. Only ever weigh yourself first thing in the morning, before drinking or eating, after peeing (and other excretions), ideally naked and if not, with exactly the same weight of pyjamas on. Consider whether you've gone for a number 2 recently. If not, then that's probably your weight loss being masked right there.

If you're breastfeeding, Titsalina, I would wonder whether maybe related hormones are somehow affecting your water retention or something, beyond just what you need to produce milk. I don't know enough about that just yet though (med student).

I'm 0.3 kg heavier than I was at weigh-in yesterday, but I'm sticking to my calories so I'm not worried.

Going to attach a screen shot to see if this seems right to all of you, roughly added the calories for tomorrow night. I have to say I'm so glad that I can speak to everyone on here rather than bore my boyfriend and colleagues with it with diet chat! The calories for the coleslaw are low because I won't really eat it.

I find it amazing that one nice "normal" dinner out can be over a day's calories. Enjoy every bite Emz!

Now I have a question. Do I send all my clothes that are now too big to the charity shop? Am really really hoping I'll never get back up to that size again. Something is holding me back. But I should just get shot of them, shouldn't I, and vow never to be in the 12's (or 13 stone bracket ) again?

And it is amazing how different shops have different sizes. I'm still in a size 14, but depending on where the clothes are from some are really loose, and others now just do up!

Hope you are doing OK Jonty . Joints still sore?

Great advice everyone. You lot are really keeping me motivated with a blip of 2 x GnT's last night but I had a v bad day emotionally, and so justified them being my sanity and exercise calories

It's very annoying! But I'll have some exercise calories that should make it go into the green, plus all the dancing later on

Definitely send those clothes to the charity shop! Or eBay? That's what I did and then bought myself a lovely dress in a size 10!

Size 10? to go with your size 10 jeans? Go girl!

None of my clothes are really worthy of ebay, as I have stuck with basics (gap, m&s) for the last couple of years as refused to buy anything nice as disgusted with my size. My 1st big investment - when I make it to a weight / size I am comfortable with & think I will be able to maintain - will be a decent pair of jeans. I've been wearing the same 4 pairs of size 32's for the last 2.5 years. Gulp. I had a pair of 31's in my cupboard from then too - label still on - that now fit nicely.

I recently read that you can take bags of old textiles and clothes, in any condition, to H&M and they'll take max 2 bags (of any size, apparently) a day per customer, and give you a £5 voucher in return (to use when you spend £30 or more). Might be something I look into sometime soon.

I've a pair of H&M skinny jeans I bought in January because I was too fat for much of my older clothes, and they're a little loose round the knees today.

I visited the UK a couple of weeks back and got some size 14 lift and shape skinny jeans in Next. They look reeeeally good, actually. Shame that I won't be a 14 for all that much longer, hopefully. At least I'll have a backup pair of non-raggedy jeans if I somehow put some weight on again. Though that is definitely not the aim!

ah fair enough, have to say, it got to January and I said to myself I would not buy any more clothes in the size I was. I'm glad I didn't. Although now I have lost weight it's hard not to buy clothes!

I have to say I don't really understand my body and clothes size in relation to my weight. I can fit into a size 10/12 with no problem now (thankfully) but my weight is still classed at the higher end of overweight? This isn't a stealth boast I promise, but I find it a bit frustrating that the nurse, when I go for a check up, will mention that my bmi is higher than it is but I look a healthy weight if that makes sense?

I am a size 12 but my bmi is 30

I know in the past there have been threads where the op has asked what height/weight and dress size you are and when I say what I am they all think I'm deluded!

Yeah, clothes sizes are a big mess all round, really. They vary so much from shop to shop, they change over time, etc. Plus I don't think I'd ever get to the point of wearing a size 8, simply because my ribcage is too big to fit in it. I can lose all the weight I want, my ribcage isn't going to get smaller!

Large amounts of muscle can skew BMI. I think the 'looking a healthy weight' thing conflicting with BMI can also be down to where you tend to gain fat. I have very small boobs, so when my BMI goes up you can really see the fat sitting on me in places I'd rather it didn't. Someone who put it on just on boobs and hips might still look a good shape.

Hi all! How is everyone getting on today?