MFP to lose weight - Part 4

[Emz449]

Part 4 Already! Thought I'd get things started before the old thread got full! Will be posting in a sec to see what my weight was at the beginning and end of the old thread

I'm with you on the bloat hopefully, after yesterday's win, my weight went up by 2lb this morning. I'm not even going to bother logging it as there's no way I could physically gain 2lb of fat in 24h and yesterday's calories were pretty much on goal.

I've never had confetti either

AF just throws everything out doesn't it? For me it combines a depressing gain on the scales with the need to eat all the carbs

Hi everyone, I'm new here - can I join

I've been a lurker on MN for a long time and have posted a few v personal things under various names (and got lots of help).

I am starting - yet again - today with MFP to see if I can sort myself out. I'm in quite a bad place in my head lately - feel like I've completely lost my spark for life. I lost 27 lbs last year using MFP (and felt great until I fell off the wagon) so I know I can do it again, my issues with food are mostly in my head and also I have very little support in RL.

Haven't read this thread in full yet but hope I can support others as well as being given a kick up the bum myself when I need it.

Wednesday is my weigh-in day and today I am 11.13 which I am taking as a sign, as it's exactly the weight I was on my 40th earlier this year (I was 3 lbs heavier at one stage since then - no idea how I lost that). My first goal is to get down to my wedding weight of 10.5 (ultimately I should probably be at around 9.7 but that is a long way off).

Is there any thread where people are posting what they eat every day? I have seen it on the SW/WW forums and could really use some inspiration for low calorie lunches, as that is always the weakest part of my plan (well - and chocolate - and takeaways/eating out.... erm).

Speaking of which, for me today:
B: Porridge made with milk/water 190
L: Poached egg, 2 slices bread, sliver of cheese, WW bar 510
D: Birds eye fish fillet, baby potatoes, steam veg 580

For the first time in years, I also used my knackered old treadmill this morning (in lieu of walking the dog) for 30 minutes. Got up to 4mph and felt brilliant afterwards. I tried jogging for a minute and thought my chest would explode but I am going to try starting c25k next week (again - also did that in the past) so want to build myself up verrryyy slowly

Sorry for the essay - I do tend to overshare

Hi Dawhead, nice to have you along. I am a TERRIBLE snacker, so the meals themselves look fairly healthy, but the snacks tell another story. Yesterday my main meals were:
B: half an avocado mashed onto 2 rough oatcakes
L: homemade baked beans
D: small jacket potato with plenty of tuna mayo and cheese
Snacks: various rice cakes with butter, slices of cheese, apple, small chocolate bar.
I do a lot of exercise (1hr ashtanga yoga every day, plenty of walking, some surfing and swimming every week), so can maintain on this enormous quantity, but need to get it under control in order to lose.

Am at myself for not dropping any AF weight again - my carb cravings before/during AF for the past 2 months have resulted in a proper 2lb gain each time that takes me the best part of the month to lose. Finding it immensely frustrating that in real terms I am losing about 0.5lb a month. I know I need to cut down the carbs (and the butter! Rice cakes and butter, toast and butter, veg with butter on. I bloody love butter) to see a change, but just can't seem to do it at the minute. Going to try to get myself and the DCs out of the house a bit more to try to limit the temptation.

Thanks Hopefully I was worried I was going to start my MN life as one of the famous Thread ninjas

I hear you on the snacking..and TOTM is always a big danger for me in terms of chocolate (even worse than usual). Your exercise levels are fantastic though so you should be v proud.

Do you know your TDEE/BMR calorie allowances? When I did this last time (successfully for a while at least) if I was having a bad week I would allow myself upto my TDEE amount - so at least I shouldn't gain even if I didn't lose any. That way you could use all the 'extra' calories completely for snacks guilt-free. Btw I'm full of advice but whether I follow it myself is another story

So I survived Day 1 on target, felt a bit tired/hungry at about 6.30 but I eat quite late (7.30/8ish) so twas to be expected.

I've got up to page 22 of this thread and I'm so impressed by everyone that's posted here - every one of you is fab , not just on the weeks you lose but also when you struggle and then start back again - you're so inspirational. I have also seen so many things that ring true for me and I've learned so much already. I hadn't heard of a 'nsv' before but I love it can't wait for one of those. Also didn't realise there was a name for a 'soup day' which is me today...

B: (same every day) Porridge with milk/water/sweetener 190
L: Cup-a-soup, slice of bread, WW bar 230
D: Ravioi and bog sauce with shavings of fake cheese 540

So I am under 1,000 today but will need that extra cushion at the weekend - my weekends are always really bad.

Does anyone else hate the idea of soup beforehand, but then find it's no so bad when you start eating it?

bit in absence of a confetti emoji you get a gold Is that any better...?

dawhead welcome I did C25K, about 3 years ago now. I think it's a great programme. I'm still running and if I'm good and it stay's dry I will try to go out later. Today my meals are:
B - Muesli, yoghurt and fruit
L - very cheesy work canteen pasta, cauliflower and an apple
D - I haven't planned it yet
Snack - if I need it I have a 25g portion of nuts in my bag and some clementines
I've got mfp set on half a pound a week loss (slow and steady), so I get 1650kcal a day, which is a lot more sustainable for me and I won't ever get hungry.

hopefully I read an explanation that in the second half of the menstrual cycle, your core body temp goes up slightly which in turn increases both your metabolism and the carb cravings that go with. I had a big snacking problem behind my most recent weight gain and it was all down to healthy (ish) stuff - toast, nuts and cheese - which I used to constantly nosh on. Is there anything you can swap out or substitute for your go to snacks? Eg swap low fat cream cheese for butter or ditch the carby snacks all together and swap for filling high protein snacks like cottage cheese or eggs?

Aww thanks sesame

Hello Dawhead nice to "meet" you

Today I've had / am having:

B: egg, toast, beans
L: big salad and some roast chicken with salad cream then some of the Icelandic yoghurt and strawberries (it's very nice BTW)
D: Hairy Bikers Lamb, Potato and Spinach curry

I'm going to the gym tonight. I am doing C25K on the treadmill - just finishing week 5. This time last year I was running 5k regularly but I have got fat and unfit

Well I'm at my parents and managed to come in on target two days running. Aiming to maintain this month as on holidays, and get back to losing in September. I've taken over the cooking here!

Sesame I badly need to swap the snacks for better choices - when I choose high protein versions I am far better at sticking to calories. Need to remember to have things like hard boiled eggs and cheese slices ready to go in the second half of this month.

Stuck to calories yesterday and went for a long walk, and spending the next few days in London so will do tons of walking (the double benefits of calorie burning and being physically outside the house, so harder to snack constantly), so I'm hoping that I will come home lighter than when I left!

Morning all, broke my fast on Wednesday (to eat a Twirl!), ate a load of utter rubbish yesterday and tonight is takeaway night with a gentleman friend but planning to fast on Sunday and hopefully not have gained anything! It's not easy. Have done a class and a few weights sessions at least.

Waves to Dawhead
Sugar, cooking is a good plan!

I got confetti!

20lbs off be 10% gone!

Thanks everyone for the welcomes

Sesame it's so great you're still running - it's v inspiring to read all the threads on here about people who did c25k and kept it up

Congrats bit on the confetti!!! Woop Woop! 20lbs is fantastic

Sugar I find being with any family a complete nightmare in terms of eating sensibly. We're Irish so it's a case of classic Mrs Doyle g'wan g'wan - esp with my Mum. Well done on taking control!

Hopefully have a lovely time in London - my favourite city in the world. Haven't fully caught up yet so not sure if you have a step tracker? Would be fantastic to see how much distance you cover.

Hi shortaris wit woo takeaway with a gentleman friend. How come that sounds so much more romantic than me having pizza with my H last night

Speaking of which....Day 2 and I failed (sort of) already. I got really hungry yesterday evening so I might have mentioned pizza first to H (in a - if I wasn't calorie counting now I'd be suggesting going for pizza - way) and then later he suggested it back. So we went to pizza hut. I had 4 large chicken breaded bites thingies and one slice of large pizza which is the most restrained I've ever been. But it was lovely and I felt full. I've had to guess at MFP (that's another day's rant about calories on menus) so I've come in at 620 meaning I was still under 1200 yesterday thanks to my soup. Not convinced 620 is enough though.

So today:
B: porridge (again) 190
L: egg, 2 slices bread, WW bar 430
D: yesterday's planned ravioli 540

Going to try my treadmill again tonight...hopefully.....

Mentally I feel good already, but physically I feel tired - not sleeping great not sure why. Weekend will be a challenge but going to dig out our Hairy Biker/Dieter books (inspired above) and try to buy some nice 'fakeaway' food so that we don't have another day like yesterday.

Also my goal for next week is to not write such long essays sorry everyone

Hi Dawhead

Well done on the Pizza Hut restraint but you're right, 620 is not enough!

The Hairy Dieter books are my bibles when I'm dieting. We had this last night. Lamb, Potato and Spinach Curry and it was delish. I only had a tablespoon of rice with it too. Go me!

sugar well done for taking over the cooking, sounds like the best tactic.

hopefully hopefully the change of scene will make a nice dent

short enjoy your takeaway with the gentleman friend… It does sound like the fasts are helping you keep the balance.

bit that’s awesome news! Congratulations on the achievement!

dawhead just take it day by day. And feel free to post as much as you need to – we’re here for support. When I crave pizza, I have them in the house already portion controlled in the freezer. A portion is really meant to be half one of those medium sized pizzas you get from the supermarket which is 400-500kcal – not the whole thing which I used to routinely eat when I was a lot bigger. My trick is to cut them in half before they go back in the freezer when I get home from the supermarket (I would do the same for the posh fresh ones too). Then I take out the half, add some extra chopped veggies (tomatoes, pepper, olives etc) and herbs and cook in the oven. I then cut into slices and serve with freshly cooked veg and a salad – this means my plate looks nice and full and makes for a very satisfying meal.

Well I still have mid cycle bloat and I’ve not seen the 10st 8 again on the scales. Hopefully with a little bit more activity over the weekend and a run, I will see a little more progress.

It was great thanks all. The pizza was lovely too

Sesame Good tip about the pizza. Ooh I do love pizza!
Bit that looks lovely. I must dig that book out and have another look.
Dawhead and Sugar my folks are feeders too, always trying to force extra food down my throat!
Hopefully hope! you enjoyed London. I love it. Going for my bday in October. Need to drink less than last time though. I vomited in the lavs at an exhibition. Cos I'm classy like that.

Off to the gym before it starts to rain and then food shopping.

Quick hello today - staying on plan so far. Did my 30 mins on the treadmill yesterday - wahoo - felt great afterwards and even jogged (verrryyy slowllyyy) for 3 minutes.

Today's stats:
B: Porridge 190
L: Costa coffee bacon roll (no choccie extra like I'd normally have) 400
D: Sweet n sour turkey and rice 500

Sesame thank you for the tip about the pizzas - that's a really great idea. My big problem is that my H won't eat supermarket pizzas - I used to love them. Not sure how to tackle that really

bit that piccie does look lovely - just about to start going through my hairy dieter books picking out next week's experiment dish.

Best of luck everyone for the rest of the weekend.

Gave in and had sweet on the train with the DCs yesterday and ended up feeling quite hungover from all the sugar. Good incentive not to eat ALL THE SUGAR again. Have done some exercise this morning and will be walking lots today so hopefully the effects will be minimised as long as i stick to my cals for the next couple of days. I usually lose a couple of lbs when I'm in London as we walk so much, so fingers crossed!

Hope everyone is having good weekends!

Aw hopefully I know that guilty feeling already but we can't deprive ourselves completely. I'd say that sugar was gone with the exercise alone! Hope you're all having a brilliant time.

Weekend going better than I expected foodwise, still on plan-ish. H decided to raid a pack of WW digestives I got from my Mum last night so I had one - 52 cals but still under 1200 yest.
Today's list:
B: 2 slices of toast with marmalade (my weekend treat) 260
L: Sausage roll (guessed at 440 in MFP)
D: Fish fillet, veg and baby potatoes 550

Puts me over 1200 today but my daily avg for the wk so far is 1160 and soup day planned tomorrow so v pleased with myself - just keep reminding myself it's v early days.

Hope everyone is having a good w/end.

Hello all - sounds like everyone is doing well

I've been a couple of hundred over on Friday and Saturday. Not food but wine

I shall me dry and angelic today

short glad you had a nice time

dawhead well done for sticking to plan and for all the exercise. When is your weigh in?

hopefully train journeys are my weakness, I always feel the need to snack. It's a self reward mentality - cos I'm worth it....

bit well you can at least feel virtuous that you still kept logging all the into mfp!

Still no more losses for me. But I'm still staying pretty much on target food wise. I missed my midweek run too, but managed to make it out for a run this morning - so hopefully that will make a difference.

The run must have helped as the scales show I’m back to 10st8 this morning, after carrying random mid-cycle bloat all week. They’re actually showing a fraction below, but I like to round up to the nearest whole pound – so I’m still hopeful I might manage to see another pound off within the next few days. I’m now just 2lb away from a ‘healthy weight’ bmi of 25.

Aw bit a couple of hundred isn't much, esp when it was only . It's always a great achievement to stick to food calories

Sesame that's great you're back on track! It must be so good to be that close to 25 BMI - it's the first milestone goal I have.

Weigh-in day for me is Wednesdays but I've seen that so many people on here weigh daily I'm considering trying it. I'm just concerned that if I have a 'good' day I might think I can eat more the next day.

Still going to plan - had a trip to dentist today and ended up with a lot of horrible unexpected work on back molars on each side. Nothing kills my appetite more than a sore, numb face. So today is:
B: Porridge 190
L: Half a cup of soup and half a slice of bread 100 (twas all I could face after dentist )
D: Turkey, pasta, veg and philadelphia sauce 510

I allowed myself a variety pack of rice krispies before I hit the treadmill (yay) which added 120 but still a v good day.

Phew that's horrible Monday almost over.

Dawhead I find daily weighing keeps me on track, and means I've got to know my daily/monthly weight gain/loss cycles and how salty food and exercise affect my weight, so I don't get alarmed by sudden fluctuations. It is hard not to get cross when there is a random bloat, but other than that I find it good for keeping me on track.

I am not even logging this week - we are doing lots of walking so fingers crossed it will be ok when I step on the scales on Thurs!

Can I join please? I'm a MFP follower. I started dieting in April, weighing 16 stone 2 (I'm 5ft 8"). Started MFP thanks to MN in May, plus exercising 4 hours a week (Zumba, Latino fit and swimming) I'm now 14 stone 5. I stick to under 1200 calories a day and very low carb and no crap. An example of a day's food...
2 raisin Ryvita (only carbs) with wholenut peanut butter and a sliced banana.
Tin tuna with salad, no dressing.
Fat free yogurt.
3 egg omelette, baked plum tomatoes, spinach.
3 cups of tea no sugar.
3 litres of water (fun for my 46 year old bladder!)
Plan to get to 14 stone by September, 13 stone by January and 12 by July next year.

Welcome and well done Loli

Sesame I'm nearly at healthy BMI too.

3lb off today and 2 last week so chuffed with that.

1 week til holiday!