MFP Thread 9

[Not2bObvious]

New thread for those using mfp to lose/maintain weight

Need to regain control which I have lost, big time. Most importantly I need to stop drinking. Was going to do dry Sept, but things have got so bad I'm starting today. Will cut out the sugar too. Wish I wasn't so all-or-nothing. Need to get control back again. Need to stop feeling so damn too. Small steps. Starting today. Promise I'll try not to be so glum going forward.

Can I join in for moral support? I don't have a massive amount but it's the same 10lbs that keep coming off and going on and then some extra added each time.

5:2 worked in the past for me but am doing basic calorie counting now and if a fast day happens then that's all good too. Sticking to roughly 1200/day but looking at it over the course of a week (had 1700 yesterday, 670 today)

It will be maintenance mode that will be tough

I'm not drinking alcohol at the moment and that has made a massive difference

Kiki I'm sure not drinking wine makes a big difference. When I started MFP I was really surprised how many calories there were in a glass of wine. I think in my head anything liquid had no calories! That said I'm not being great at avoiding wine myself.

I went for a run today and then came back and had two biscuits and a cup of tea, so have ended up in the same place calorie wise. Still better than yesterday. No run and three biscuits.

Love the positive attitude Emily! I had a big workout this morning, but just eaten massive lunch. Not calorie counting this week, 1st week back. Is that bad? I was planning to concentrate on cutting out wine & sugar. Too drastic too soon & I'll never last the week. plus I don't want the shock of what the scales will tell me, so need a week to try and shed some bloat

sorry to kill off the thread folks. But on the plus side, day 2 of no alcohol or sugar. Cod, sweet potatoes and veg for dinner. Slimline tonic.

Very well done Bathsheba that sounds super healthy. I've had a bit of a mixed day. I did very well up till dinner time eating healthily and keeping active. Then circumstances meant that I missed dinner (I had a low calorie ready meal ready but had unexpected visitors at the time I planned to eat it.) Then ended up at a get together full of calorific treats which, as I was ravenous, I had no will power to resist. I've tried to honestly top up how much I ate but it's tricky.

Interestingly I'm not over by nearly as much as I expected, due, mainly I think to there not being alcohol available. I'd have had a couple of glasses for sure if they'd been offered.

Bathsheba when you say you're cutting out sugar, what do you count? Do you include fruit and (sweet) vegetables? MFP sometimes tells me off (well I feel that it is) on days when I eat lots of fruit, but I can't help feeling that it's good for me.

Sounds a generally balanced few days all round?

Interested re sugar as well - when I cut it out I still eat fruit but not dried (learnt the hard way that was a bad idea!)

Am also taking a break from alcohol for my liver health, is been a good two months of drinking every day and not just a glass or two of wine. I def also find as soon as I drink I'm more likely to snack on things I'd have otherwise not done

Did a kinda fast day yesterday at 678kcals and a low cal day today at 975

I don't stick to anything rigid Emily, but I'm such an all-or-nothing person, by saying no sugar at all to myself (cakes, biscuits, chocolate etc) then I can stop some of the binging. I could never do just two (three) biscuits as you do. Honestly. If I could stick to calories which includes 2 biccies, or 2 daily squares of dark chocolate I would. But I can't. I still eat all veg but limit the carb-heavy (potato, sweet potato etc)

No scientific diet for me. It isn't for blood sugar, etc. It's purely because I have no willpower.

As for fruit, I limit it. I did cut out fully for a while, but I found it restrictive, and life very dull. When I put my mind to dieting, I also say no snacking to myself too. If I find I am really desperate for something to tide me over and can't be bothered to chop a carrot I'll grab an apple. Plus I have berries at breakfast, pretty much daily. Need to keep nutrients up.

You're right on the dried fruit kiki - it's pretty much all sugar. And how do you feel without the wine? How far along are you? I think my body is still in shock (Day 3 today) but I know the benefits by far outweigh the pleasure of the 1st glass. But I still go back... !

On the plus side, I braved the scales. 11 9, which wasn't nearly half as bad as I thought it was going to be. I think I was 11 6 (11 5?) maybe beginning July. Am still aiming for the 10s. When are we going to get there Not?

Good luck today Kiki - two low days on the trot will help kick-start it, but deny yourself too much. And glad your "bad" day wasn't so bad in the end Emily.

Have a good day everyone, with some good food choices.

Welcome back Bath! You sound like you have a good plan. Making some healthy changes then worrying about MFP seems very sensible

Welcome Kiki Glad you found something that works for you!

I agree with Bath Emily. Loving the positive attitude! I need to take a leaf out of your book and focus on the good rather than the bad.

I'm enjoying having a lot more calories thanks Caggie. Glad to hear you're all fired up again!

How are you doing Not and Dawhead?

Thanks Porcus. How are you doing?

An ok day for food today. Ate sensibly, and no wine. Almost reached for an oat & raisin cookie, but knew I'd have to 'fess-up to you lovely lot if i did so resisted. Long work day tomorrow + travelling, so will have to plan ahead. Mini M&S at the station, so should be OK.

Everyone else OK? Keeping it together, and not letting one tiny slip turn into a huge derail? Be strong - every little bit helps

Another so-so day. Poured with rain so I didn't go for a run. Snacked a bit but didn't get out of control. Wine with dinner but just one glass and no pudding. I ended the day about 200 calories over but still on track to slowly lose weight.

Hello all! I said last time i posted i was going to get back to it. But i figured might aswell start again on the 1st Of sept! Ill weigh in tomorrow and hopefully get losing again soon! August hasnt been to good, ive lost a pound altogether😂 Ill check in tomorrow

1 lb is better than no 1lb caggie. Great to start tomorrow, and not wait until Monday. I'll join you and get back on it properly. Lets go for it in september!

Long work day, didn't get to eat lunch until 5.30pm - and then topped it off with a huge spag bol. Home made, yummy, but I think I need to address portion control.

caggie if you've lost a pound then you're definitely heading in the right direction. Even just staying the same weight (which is what I seem to be doing at the moment) is better than gaining. And if we lose the extra pounds slowly, but keep going, we'll get there in the end.

Today went pretty well all things considered. I had a soup for lunch that was, unbelievably, only 63 calories a portion and I went for a run, so I was well ahead by the time I went for my meal out. No wine, small helpings of high calorie food and big helpings of the vegetables meant for the first time in a while I came in under 1,200 and didn't feel hungry. I'm really hoping that there will be a good result on the scales tomorrow, though realistically I know that it takes three or four days of hitting the target calories before the needle shifts on the scales.

Well done you Emily. Hope scales reward your hard work.

Sadly ended up in the biscuit tin last night. No willpower! 1st Sept today, so fresh start for the month.

Im feeling very motivated for this September! Lets shift some weight
Since measuring myself from the start of Aug, ive lost 2 inches from my hips and half an inch from my thighs My waist and bust have stayed the same, but I would rather keep them the way they are and lose some more inches on my hips.
Its been a good day today, hopefully many more to come!

caggie that's brilliant! Well done!

Wow - shrinking away caggie. Hope the clothes are fitting better too. Almost gave in to flapjacks and wine, but have resisted both. 5 days no wine. Still have a headache, but that's hardly surprising really.

Now just need to get through the weekend. Hope everyone else are doing OK, especially the old-timers - Not & Daw - OK?

Hello all

That's great weight loss Caggie, well done!

Bathsheba sorry about the alcohol withdrawal headaches! I think I'm roughly 2 weeks in and it's ok, not even had a yearning for it which shows my body needed the break. Well done resisting wine AND flapjacks - both are things that I can't have just one of.

Well done to sticking on target as well Emily

I'm having a good week but rehearsals have started so I'm spending most hours locked in a theatre as opposed to working from home where constant snacking is easier. The Last two days I've been hovering round 1000 and have had some snacks in the eve to boost me up to 1200, because I should be consistently too low right? Isn't there some starvation theory thing? Although the boosts are in the form of Percy pigs and gingernut biscuits so it would prob be healthier to avoid those and stick to lower calories!

Anyone else find it odd that MFP tells most people to stick to 1200? Surely height and weight differences mean it should be a broader scale?

Will weigh in tomorrow but last time I checked (a few days ago) I was 3lbs down in just shy of 2 weeks so that feels good and sustainable

Looks like it's for everyone at the moment!

Congrats on the inches and lb Caggie You'll have to buy new clothes soon!

Well done for resisting wine AND flapjacks Bath I don't think I would have been able to do so ( and having one would mean I would have had the other as well)

1000 does sound very low Kiki but I imagine this is just a short term thing rather than your new daily goal. I don't really understand how MFP calculates the calorie thingumy as it's completely different from the figure my fit bit gives me.
What bugs me about MFP though is that it doesn't show how many serves of fruit and vegetables you've eaten. As long as you've added the details, MFP could do this easily. It just annoys me slightly that 100 calories of chocolate ends up being the same as 100 calories of vegetables.

I'm doing fine at the moment. Eating at maintenance has been a lovely change and I've been under most days so a good morale boost ( compared to being over every day!). Need to do a bit more exercise though. I weigh in on Sundays so that will be the real test!

Keep up the great work lovely ladies

I don't understand about the numbers either. Less food, more exercise, and don't eat-back exercise calories does it for me. Still have head-fuzz. Worse than a hangover . My body must be full of toxins. At a party this eve. Tempted to drink - i.e. restrict to social occasions, but will be strong and boring and stick to fizzy water.

Love the positivity Porcus. Your job sounds v glamorous Kiki. Am going to the theatre in a few weeks - shall I look out for you?

Yes it's short term boost for me - I know what I'm like with waves of motivation (ahem time of the month) also because rehearsals are just intense and I'm getting home late I don't have the time to willfully snack constantly which I do when I'm home - the show opens in 3weeks so am going to make sure I'm on 1200kcals a day of HEALTHY calories! Percy pigs to up the quota is prob not a good idea!!

Weighed in and I've lost 5lbs! Yay!! But I know weight fluctuates and tomorrow is my day off when I won't be calorie counting and if I go over then that's ok....I suppose I'm looking at my intake over a week/month rather than day to day at the moment - anyone else done that and found it worked?

Porcus did you work out yourself what your eating at maintenance amount was or did you follow one of those TDEE calculator things? That's going to be the challenge for me, I've had two years of the same 10lbs coming on and off which makes me feel in a perpetual dieting cycle

Bathsheba alas not really - it was getting there when I lived in London, we moved to LA in 2012 and I had a glorious summer th year before directing at the Globe. Sadly theatre is very difficult to make and see here so I'm "diversifying" (oh yes all the wank American terms slipping in!) and have been doing other forms of directing over the last few years, but keep my hand in with a theatre show once a year cos...well....soul and love and art and finding other ways to actually earn a living ;) what are you going to see?

Wow!! Good news Kiki on the 5lbs!!

Does sound like everyone is doing well so far, which really spurs me on.

Been a good day for me, ending on 1532. I am stuffed though, had a plate full of pasta with some tuna sprinkled on and a teeny tiny dollop of mayo. Then a warm brownie to follow Drank about 4 litres of water today as well, (the negatives are that ive nearly peed myself about 3 times at work today)

Hope you all have a good weekend and behave ourselves when it comes to food

So far, so good this evening. But, I am trying not to scoff the bag of chocolates not far from me. I have 3 calories left and know if I just have the one I wont bloody stop. Think its going to be an early night for me tonight. I cant eat when I'm asleep

Wasn't going to count today but just decided to do it and see - 1714kcals so low enough that if I stop it feels ok, anymore and the "fuck it" button would be presssed and I'd def be into binging

So across this week I've come in at an average of 1,145 a day, was def doing those super low days at the start of the week!!