MFP thread 6

[Not2bObvious]

New thread as old one's nearly full

I went waaaaay over today, thanks to a 500cal slice of cake. It was delicious though, and so worth it!

Finished day on 1450. Am reasoning that it's not THAT bad as I don't log exercise calories - would have been way under 1200 if I did (excuses excuses!).

To me anything under 1500 cals is an okay day, but I try to stay around the daily target that MFP sets me. So try not to feel to bad Running!

I was easily consuming at least 2k calories before I started tracking what I ate. I thought I'd struggle, I've had the odd day where it's been hard or I've gone off track (that fateful day at McDonald's) but at almost 3 weeks in I'm finding it surprisingly easy so far. I'm learning that I can still have the things I enjoy but in moderation and I appreciate those 'treats' more as a result. It's still early days but I really hope I can stick with it.

Thanks spud - I know it's not too bad really! And it was delicious cake too.

Illustrating how things add up, for me, is the beauty of MFP. Friends of mine who are trying to lose weight might say they can't understand why they're not losing, as they "only" had one slice of cake all week - but thanks to MFP I know it's almost half a day's calories, so has to be balanced out somewhere!

I've been doing MFP for years (with breaks for two pregnancies). I use it to maintain my ideal weight and also to lose the baby weight both times. My "rule" is to think of the calorie goal over the week, rather than each day, and that works for me.

I know I could stop, as I know by now what 1200 cals a day looks like, but logging keeps my weight in check and helps me feel more in control. If that makes sense!

Yeah you definitely get a sense of control and awareness. It's far to easy to think "oh it's only one slice of cake" but like you said that could easily be half a days calories which needs to be balanced out somewhere. Now if I choose to have a slice of cake at a cafe or something, I cut down elsewhere for that day. If I know in advance in going to be a bit naughty and have a takeaway, I'll 'fast' until evening or cut down as much as I can as a way to limit the damage. Whereas before I would have just eaten normally then had a takeaway on top of that. Ideally I would just have no take aways but I'm not that disciplined - have cut down on them a lot though.

I used to be one of those people who wondered why I wasn't losing weight

sugar you inspired me to make a similar casserole for dinner, with butternut squash, lentils, spices and lots of other healthy veg. So very tasty. And I made a huge dish so have lots of leftovers including some homemade ready meals for the freezer.

Well done spud

That day looks OK for cals running

Hope you had a fun date night loli?

Welcome newbies.

I finished the day just 9 cals under. Feeling very satisfied after dinner too. That works for me.

Not had time to catch up today, but wanted to get down my total, 1260. Keep up the good work everyone!

Finding myself a little demotivated today.

Firstly, no change to my weight today. I know I've been eating maintenance for a few days (although back down to 1,500 yesterday), but I confess I find myself slightly appalled that 1lb of last weekend's weight has not come off. I reckon I was over by perhaps 1,000 calories one day and at maintenance on the second, yet apparently I am an actual pound heavier .

Also, having been more careful about carrying my phone round in my pocket, and checking the pedometer in it regularly so having faith that it's fairly accurate, I am really disappointed in how few steps I am generally doing each day. I am, to all intents and purposes, a SAHM (I work during naps, evenings and weekends), so I'm on my feet all day, but I am regularly not getting over 5,000 steps. We live really close to school, so that doesn't add much, and apparently there are only so many steps involved in constant laundry/rushing up and down stairs looking after DC3. I know this is in my power to change, but I am so busy (see aforementioned working hours!) that the idea of fitting in an hour or so's walking every day on top of everything else is really not appealing. I need to do something though - I'm close enough to target that I can't expect weight to keep coming off without being a bit more determined about it.

You may well be seeing that mystery pound from 10-14 days ago hope, most weekend gains are without doubt bloat but if it's really unexplained & honestly recently undeserved then it can be the sins of our past (that might be a Catherine Cookson novel) Maybe look back at the diary around that time, what were the calories like? I've often seen people who start working on loosing weight, they declare their start weight and then a few days later after being good as gold they weigh in to find they're heavier than originally thought and they're really upset. How could they have gone through all that starvation to gain weight? It was just what they last binged on (what poss spurred them to go on diet) eventually came home to roost. I'm doing rubbish on my steps these days but as you know I feel exercise is mostly for mind at the levels I can do it - does bugger all for weightloss.

Officially 3 stone lighter than I was in April . Now to get that last stone off. I'll still have a bmi of about 26 but at 46 I don't want to look haggard. I think that will have be at a size 12/14 (I'm probably a 14 ish now but I'm not buying any new clothes except I desperately need a coat!), and I'll be happy with that.

Three days later into my mid cycle bloat, haven't lost an ounce, still 3lbs heavier than my Friday weight. At least I haven't slipped back into the 12 stone mark but still

ahhhh hope, sorry you are feeling so disheartened. I would agree with Not that the steppage won't really be burning off too much - even though you are very active by day. What worked for me was to have 2 days sub 1,000 back-to-back, then get back to maintaining. Sorry to not be able to wave a magic wand for you.

Congrats Loli

Am sure you will have a well-deserved whoosh soon over.

At least you dared get on the scales. I'm feeling tired and blegh. Didn't want to be upset by seeing a 12 so steering clear a day or two of the scales. Haven't overeaten, except yesterday 1500 cals instead of 1200, but that's not much. I eat loads veg & fibre but my system has just ground to a halt. Things improve for you not?

Sorta bath, I had a 1700 cal day yesterday & nothing doing first thing so decided I wasn't going to weigh in to get cross. Cup of tea, glass of water had some movement but now I'm me + tea + water. That's no doubt a weight gain on yesterday so I'm going hear no evil, see no evil😉 What's very good and doesn't mess up the system is those microlax things, sorry not something nice to think of but they can just "clear" out the blockage. Sorry again folks, all this poo talk so early. I didn't resort to that this time but only cause I had none in & hate asking the chemist for them😳 Weekends really bung me up, can take 3 days to get back to normal. I reckon if I had a colonic I'd be 10.12!

loli 3 stone off in 6 months is absolutely amazing! It's taken me a year to lose regain,lose a stone so I appreciate how much effort you've put in to get this far.
over it's just fluid don't be down - as you've said you're still under 12 & that's to be celebrated, just not with cake😉 Which reminds me I have half a bar of chocolate in my bag that I'd best put away, like having a ticking time bomb

I've decided to stay away from scales for a few days again. I'm super bloated after my fibre filled meal last night and midcycle which doesn't help.

Hope maintaining isn't bad for a short while, especially so close to goal. I'm well off goal and hitting plateaus from time to time now. As regards the steps, I find if you don't have a day which has you going places it's hard to hit them. Until late July I was in a busy hospital job so hit around 10k on a normal day and 15k on a long day/night shift. Now I'm lecturing I'm stationed between a few sites so I do about 5 10min walks a day as well as walking to and from nursery/tube so I'm hitting 12-16k. At weekends at home I generally only reach 5/6k unless I make a conscious effort. I don't think the steps make much difference to weight but I do like to see them hit 10000!

Not hope things get moving for you.

Bath and Over fingers crossed the bloating settles soon.

Loli congratulations!!! It's great hitting these milestones! I also need a coat. If you find a decent one that isn't double breasted/oversized for a reasonable price please let me know!

I think I started again after reading Musts posts. She kept going despite the constant plateaus. Looked at VLCDs because I know that doing this much slowly won't work. Yoyo-ed endlessly. 5:2 was my last good loss, but failed hopelessly sticking to 500 cals in the evening. So despite 5:2ing I was v close to 100kg mark. 40kg over my good weight.

Congratulations to Cora, Cinder, Loli and April.

Running, talk of 1/2 marathons is well impressive.

Good luck made.

Welcome Roar and Don't and welcome back Sausage.

Loli sorry to hear you were ill but glad you are doing so well.

So after a week with constipation and a 200g loss things are now moving again, thanks to a couple of doses of Lactulose. Apparently with the VLCD constipation is common, but with IBS I'm used to the opposite.

Was also bloody starving at times last week. So upped my fibre with homemade green soup (broccoli, courgette, leek and apes in stock) and with full packets of slim rice and slim pasta/noodles. 18 calories for 200g if you can get past the fishy smell. Result more in and not much out!!

My size 14 dress arrived (eBay bargain) looks great and fits like a glove. It's a bit elastic so hopefully it will still fit like a glove for 26th.

That said I'm still very much a size 16 in normal clothes.

DD1s 12th bday so I just had to look at cake rather than eat.

81.9kg this morning. Which makes me 12 stone 12lbs 9oz so finally into the 12s.  16.9kgs lost.

Target one to get into the 80 kgs.

Target 2 to loose 3 stone which will be at 79.7 kg

Target 3 to weigh less than DP who is currently hovering around the 76kg mark.

I've been listening to the audio book of a Year of Running Dangerously which stupidly made me think I should try C25K again.

2 days later I still have hideous thigh burn. I have to throw myself at the loo. And because my core muscles are so shit I need to pee as soon as I break out of a walk.

In my ultimate rentativeness I have created a little chart for my bullet journal with kgs/stones lost and weights.

Bloody miserable. 165lb a week last Sunday, 164lb on Sunday just gone, 100% on plan (2 days sub 1000, 2 days sub 1200) since last weigh in, now back up at 165lb. Don't know why I'm bothering with this.

Aw Scribble, that's rubbish. I really feel for you as I hate having weeks like that!

Any chance you're eating back too many exercise calories? As I said upthread, I don't lose any more unless I discount exercise calories altogether.

But it could just be water retention/constipation/your body prepping for a 3lb loss next week?!

Wally. I have the same target to weigh less than DH. It's so annoying he is smaller than me!
I think you should keep going with the C25K. I did it and I love running now. I'm doing the 10K extension now.

Scribble. That's so annoying. Just keep going and I'm sure you'll see results soon. Try not to go under 1000 too often or your metabolism will slow right down.

That sucks scribble. There'll be no talking to you when you feel like this (cause here's your sister!) but as you've all gathered I loves the sound of my own voice & itmight help someone else too:

1. Is losing 1lb worse than gaining 1lb?
2. See my ramble to hope earlier about past transgressions showing up, so you may have been a tad heavier starting than you thought
3. Weighloss isn't linear, the scales is inanimate object that cares little for our efforts
4. It could be bloat/undigested food/fluid hiding another 1-2lb and realistically 1 to 2lb a week is what's considered fine
5. Despite what you may thing 165 isn't a huge weight to begin with

We all have to start somewhere & must is the perfect example of someone who lost a pound 1 week, stayed the same for 3...quite a few times iirc. 1lb a week is nearly 4 stone in a year. Chin up chuck

Scribbles that happens is all occasionally. Often inexplicably. Scales are treacherous. It's all about the long game (we all get excited about reaching the new stone etc but that's just to make the process less boring!).

I've just had leftover chickpea and sweet potato stew for lunch and am going to be seriously bloated after I think! Have beef and vegetable casserole (450cals/portion) in my slow cooker. (Polishes halo for chopping veg and browning meat at 630am!). Made enough for 2 days because tomorrow DD is having her second men B vaccination, and she was pretty miserable after the first so thinking she will need cuddles. Also I have my first Pilates class tomorrow. I'm half excited half anxious about it- as the most poorly co-ordinated human on the planet I am worried I'll look very silly.

I always think of Pilates as being full of lovely tall graceful women folk, I definitely wouldn't fit in! You'll have to let us know how it goes sugar, fair play for trying something different. I'm not able to go to my last bootcamp today, mainly cause I've too much on but more so cause I'm exhausted and cannot face it. Oh well I've made 5 out of 6 classes, that's something right??(the guilt!!!) I'm trying to not stray off the path with food today, but at 800 already, this does not bode well😫

I think I am coming down with a cold, when I'm ill I tend to seek comfort from food (could really do with a papa johns pizza right now...). I really hope I can stay on the straight and narrow and I get over it quickly. I did well last week when it was totm so a cold should be a synch.

I did my first Pilates class last week. I was the youngest by least 20 or 30 years. And I was so crap. I only stopped hurting yesterday when my thighs made me forget my stomach!

It's just lying on the floor doing not much but bugger me I've not a single functioning lower stomach muscle. It hurts under my joey pouch iyswim.

You are all making me not want to try out Pilates!!!

Not I'm fairly dumpy, but I envision myself becoming longer and leaner after some sessions! Wally my core is very weak after a difficult pregnancy and emergency c-section with complications afterwards, so I'm hoping these classes will help!