Getting back to Day One

Weight loss is the easiest thing in the world. Just don't put that doughnut, that bag of chips, that ice cream, that pizza in your body. Just leave it where it is. You don't have to eat to join in. You don't have to have a snack to enjoy the latest episode of Game of Thrones. Your nighttime routine isn't empty without a plate of food and a joint to accompany it.

That was my attitude for around weeks 2-10 of my weight loss routine. I was lucky, I started dieting after a long family vacation. That vacation upended my schedule enough that when I set out, the changes came thick and fast. The first two weeks seemed like hell, I remember. But then I got into the swing of it. I finally got on the scales after about 6 years of scale anxiety and liked what I saw. I enjoyed totting up the calories on MFP, using my scales so I could measure down to the last grain of rice. I wanted to hit my FitBit goals every day. Walk 250+ steps every hour to get that little red dot. Drink my two liters of water a day. Hit my steps, even if it meant going for a walk at 11.30pm.

I got to 15kg lost. I was so happy. There is a contributor here who posted some before and after photos. She'd been losing for a long time and the weight loss so far equally the size of her dog, who she held in the photos. That was one of the first things I saw on here that really inspired me to make a change. My dog is a lot smaller than hers - just 14kg - but I couldn't wait to meet that milestone. To hold my dog up and think "gosh I've lost a whole one of him."

And then things slowed and they've been slow for 4 weeks. Maybe its a plateau, maybe I'm just eating too much. Well, I'm definitely eating too much. Not over maintenance most days - but some days. My TDEE is around 2500. For the last three weeks, I've eaten anything from 1000-3000 calories a day. It's not the end of the world, I haven't put any weight on (per se), but I feel out of control. The focus I had is slipping. Yesterday I knew I was going out for a big dinner, but I got hungry earlier in the day and instead of having a light snack I had a bag of fries. And then once I'd done that, I thought f*** it, I'm going to eat over maintenance today, might as well have a bag of chips too.

I feel really gross today, I'm coming down with a cold which I'm sure is related to my poor food choices of the last week. Even the days when I've eaten under my goal 1400 calories a day, these calories have mostly come from processed foods - oven meals and bags of chips.

So why am I posting this? I've been using LoseIt less and less as each week goes past and I get more confident. That was a mistake. This community is invaluable for reminding me that what I'm doing isn't abstract, which it can sometimes feel like and I'm not going it alone. This community is full of people who are either ahead of me, showing what I can achieve, the same place as me, keeping me motivated and offering amazing advice, or a little behind me who I can cheer on as others have cheered me on. I hope this post makes me confront the reality of what I'm doing, what I risk losing if I don't refocus. And I hope if anyone else is like me this post will help them as well, get back on track.

I want to go back to Day One, while I'm still on the bandwagon. I don't want to allow myself to fall off and have to clamber back on 6 months or 6 years down the line when I've wasted even more of my youth on this horrible disease of obesity.

And Day One, way back in January, was baby steps. So here are my baby steps:

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For the next 5 days I will:

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- Track every single bite I put in my mouth. No more squirreling a bite of my housemate's pizza and calling it "free calories." No more thinking "oh I have no idea how to track this so I just won't." If I don't want to track it, I won't eat it.

- No more "oh I'll eat more calories today and then have a 1000 calorie day tomorrow." Every day = 1400 calories. That's the rule.

- Drink some goddamn water. I've so quickly fallen back into my habit of drinking exclusively diet soft drinks and stevia coffee. It is making me constipated and lethargic.

- Go to bed at 11 pm, wake up at 8 am.

- Only smoke joints outside. Smoking in my room encourages snacking and makes me wake up feeling drowsy from sleeping in the smoke.

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After five days; review, tweak and repeat. Forever. No more slipping off the side of the bandwagon.

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And I've also set myself a new goal, with a new reward. When I hit my next big milestone - which will be 100kg and roughly half of the total weight I want to lose - I'm going to buy myself the Millenium Falcon collector lego set. I've been hankering after it for a couple of years now, and I want it so bad that I really think this will help motivate me.

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Help please everyone. I desperately need your help.

Hello everyone.

My name is Rodanthe, I'm 40 years old and live in the EU. I have always been a fat kid/teenager/adult but things have been horrible the last 4 years. I am now 150 kilos (319 pounds). I desperately need to lose weight. I am motivated and I am ready to do what it takes, for as long as it takes.

My question to you all is, how do you start? Like, literally. Practically. For instance, I say today, tomorrow I am starting my effort. But what do you do? You wake up and then? What do you eat for breakfast? When do you exercise, what kind of groceries do you buy?

I have no money to enroll to a gym (full time working single mom), I live paycheck to paycheck. I am also an extremely bad cook, as I absolutely hate cooking. I cook basic healthy meals for my kids only and they (my kids) are super healthy.

Please help me with some practical advice on how to begin. I want to do this, I am just totally and completely lost. There is so much info on the net about weight loss and I am so confused by the amount of information, I just turn everything off, panic and continue on how I am. I don't want that anymore. I'll do whatever it takes.

Thank you in advance if you read so far.

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How Many Calories Should You Be Eating?

Fad diets seem like magic: Just eat lots of butter and bacon while skipping bread, or channel your inner cave-person, and you’ll lose weight—without cutting calories! Well, not really. When it comes to weight loss, there is no magic. There’s just math. And that math is calories: They’re a measure of how much energy your body takes in, and how much energy your body uses. So in order to lose weight, we need to ask ourselves: How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

When your body is using more energy than it takes in, you lose weight. So even if your coworker Diane swears she’s losing weight fast by eating avocado and coconut oil smoothies with gold flakes that have the same amount of calories as her old diet… she’s wrong. Unless she’s on medication that’s affecting her metabolism, her quick weight loss diet is working because she’s burning more energy than she’s taking in.

Healthy Alternatives: 6 Lunch Swaps That Save Major Calories

Read More

That’s how Nutrisystem works, too: The weight loss program is high in fiber and protein, nutrients that help you feel more full even when you’re eating fewer calories. But they still have fewer calories than you’re used to eating—meaning you burn more than you take in, and you lose weight. And the best part is you don’t have to measure those calories or your portions—because Nutrisystem foods are already perfectly portioned for weight loss, you just unwrap, prep, eat … and lose weight!

So how many calories does your body need to lose weight? Read on to find out what you’re burning now, how much less than that is healthy, and why counting may be even harder than it seems.

How many calories do I need?

That depends on your height, weight, gender and age. This information, inputted into an equation, will provide you with your basal metabolic rate, or BMR. Don’t get this confused with BMI: Your BMR is a measure of how many calories your body would burn every day if you did basically nothing. If you’re a 35-year old female, for instance, who is five feet, six inches and weighs 195 pounds, your BMR is 1649 calories. That’s how many calories your body requires to maintain your weight even if you did nothing but lay in bed all day. You can calculate your own BMR using any number of online calculators.

But you don’t lay in bed all day—you go to work, pick up the kids and move. All that burns calories, and the Harris-Benedict Equation has been used (and updated) for almost a century to account for your activity, according to Original Research Communications. The equation multiplies your BMR by an activity factor to account for the extra calories your body burns from exercise and other activities.

To note: There are many caloric calculators that can be used. Another popular caloric and activity calculator that can be used is the Mifflin St. Jeor.

If you don’t exercise much or at all, for instance, your BMR is multiplied by 1.2 to get the “real” number of calories your body needs to maintain your current weight. In the case of our 35-year-old female, this would increase her daily caloric needs to 1978.8. If she eats less than this, she’ll lose weight.

If you are a “light” exerciser, your Harris-Benedict multiplier is 1.375. Moderate exercisers, who work out three to five times per week, multiply their BMR by 1.55. And “heavy” exercisers, who hit the gym just about every day, multiply by 1.725.

How to Save 600 Calories a Day

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So I just eat less than that, right?

Dropping your calories by a drastic level won’t help in the long term: In a review of studies, published in Obesity, on “Very low-calorie diets” compared with “conventional low-calorie diets,” scientists found that in the long term, people eating way less than they needed didn’t wind up losing more weight than those using a modest calorie deficit. Maintaining a “very low-calorie diet” is much tougher—you’re starving!

So how much of a deficit should you have? Health organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommend eating a deficit of 500 to 1,000 calories per day for a healthy weight loss rate of one to two pounds per week.

Throughout your time on the Nutrisystem program, your caloric intake will remain consistent— typically around 1200 calories for women and 1500 calories for men (once you get past the first week of FreshStart). We encourage you to contact your weight loss counselors for any specific questions on adjustments to your meal plan throughout the duration of the weight loss program, or if you drastically increase your activity level. You can easily contact our weight loss counselors by calling 1-800-585-5483, or you can live chat them here >

Lower Carb Versions of 10 Popular Meals

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Counting isn’t as simple as it seems.

Keeping track of your calories seems easy, but people are notoriously bad at it: In a 1995 report from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists found that in a number of studies, people reported eating far fewer calories than they actually did. One study of 16 patients found that patients under-reported their daily calorie intake by 1100 per day. Scientists also reported that in similar studies, some patients over-reported their physical activity levels. If you think you’re eating less than you really are and exercising more than you really are, it’s going to be frustrating when you can’t lose weight!

It’s not like these study participants were “lying” about how much they ate—we’re just really bad at estimating how much we’re eating. A study in Nature found that Americans overestimate the sizes of fruit and vegetable portions, and underestimate the size of snack and carb servings.

It can also be useful to learn what a proper portion size looks like—your hand is actually a great tool for measuring, and this “handy” guide can teach you how to use your palm, fingertip and fist to determine proper portions >

But while it’s important to learn about healthy portion sizes, you can diet to lose weight fast without measuring: That’s the beauty of Nutrisystem. All the meals, snacks and shakes have been pre-portioned and pre-measured for you. You’ll eat a caloric deficit without all the math, and lose weight. You will have opportunity to practice appropriate portion sizes through their snacks and Flex meals, so they are learning how to continue their healthy habits after they reach their weight loss goal.

And, if you’re worried about how many calories you’re eating with the grocery items and flex meals you get to add in, NuMi, our FREE tracking app is your perfect solution. With NuMi, you can track your food, water, weight and activity. Plus, when you download this useful tool, you’ll get access to hundreds of healthy recipes, weight loss tips from our dietitians and even exclusive discounts and offers. Learn more about the benefits of NuMi here >

Ready to start losing weight the easy way? Get started on Nutrisystem today >

The post How Many Calories Should You Be Eating? appeared first on The Leaf.

from The Leaf http://bit.ly/2J1Kv9G

Day 1? Starting your weight loss journey on Tuesday, 07 May 2019? Start here!

Today is your Day 1?

Welcome to r/Loseit!

So you aren’t sure of how to start? Don’t worry! “How do I get started?” is our most asked question. r/Loseit has helped our users lose over 1,000,000 recorded pounds and these are the steps that we’ve found most useful for getting started.

Why you’re overweight

Our bodies are amazing (yes, yours too!). In order to survive before supermarkets, we had to be able to store energy to get us through lean times, we store this energy as adipose fat tissue. If you put more energy into your body than it needs, it stores it, for (potential) later use. When you put in less than it needs, it uses the stored energy. The more energy you have stored, the more overweight you are. The trick is to get your body to use the stored energy, which can only be done if you give it less energy than it needs, consistently.

Before You Start

The very first step is calculating your calorie needs. You can do that HERE. This will give you an approximation of your calorie needs for the day. The next step is to figure how quickly you want to lose the fat. One pound of fat is equal to 3500 calories. So to lose 1 pound of fat per week you will need to consume 500 calories less than your TDEE (daily calorie needs from the link above). 750 calories less will result in 1.5 pounds and 1000 calories is an aggressive 2 pounds per week.

Tracking

Here is where it begins to resemble work. The most efficient way to lose the weight you desire is to track your calorie intake. This has gotten much simpler over the years and today it can be done right from your smartphone or computer. r/loseit recommends an app like MyFitnessPal, Loseit! (unaffiliated), or Cronometer. Create an account and be honest with it about your current stats, activities, and goals. This is your tracker and no one else needs to see it so don’t cheat the numbers. You’ll find large user created databases that make logging and tracking your food and drinks easy with just the tap of the screen or the push of a button. We also highly recommend the use of a digital kitchen scale for accuracy. Knowing how much of what you're eating is more important than what you're eating. Why? This may explain it.

Creating Your Deficit

How do you create a deficit? This is up to you. r/loseit has a few recommendations but ultimately that decision is yours. There is no perfect diet for everyone. There is a perfect diet for you and you can create it. You can eat less of exactly what you eat now. If you like pizza you can have pizza. Have 2 slices instead of 4. You can try lower calorie replacements for calorie dense foods. Some of the communities favorites are cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash in place of their more calorie rich cousins. If it appeals to you an entire dietary change like Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian.

The most important thing to remember is that this selection of foods works for you. Sustainability is the key to long term weight management success. If you hate what you’re eating you won’t stick to it.

Exercise

Is NOT mandatory. You can lose fat and create a deficit through diet alone. There is no requirement of exercise to lose weight.

It has it’s own benefits though. You will burn extra calories. Exercise is shown to be beneficial to mental health and creates an endorphin rush as well. It makes people feel awesome and has been linked to higher rates of long term success when physical activity is included in lifestyle changes.

Crawl, Walk, Run

It can seem like one needs to make a 180 degree course correction to find success. That isn’t necessarily true. Many of our users find that creating small initial changes that build a foundation allows them to progress forward in even, sustained, increments.

Acceptance

You will struggle. We have all struggled. This is natural. There is no tip or trick to get through this though. We encourage you to recognize why you are struggling and forgive yourself for whatever reason that may be. If you overindulged at your last meal that is ok. You can resolve to make the next meal better.

Do not let the pursuit of perfect get in the way of progress. We don’t need perfect. We just want better.

Additional resources

Now you’re ready to do this. Here are more details, that may help you refine your plan.

• Quick Start Guide - Build your foundation!
• Loseit Compendium - Frame it out!
• FAQ - Answers to our most Frequently Asked Questions!

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NSV: I no longer hate working out or eating healthy.

When I started my weight loss journey I hated working out, I hated sweating and the ache in my muscles, so for like the first 8 months I didn’t work out at all. I also hated the foods I ate and I hated being in a calorie deficit. I always wanted to eat high calorie foods and junk or processed foods so I did. I preffered to eat a slice of pepperoni pizza for lunch which was 330 cals instead of a huge salad or meal you could make with this amount of calories, and it didn’t even fill me up. Now I no longer hate any of those. I feel more energetic and good when I eat natural and healthy foods and I no longer hate myself when I exceed my calorie limit or I eat something “i was not suppose to”. I love homecooked food and I really enjoy the crazy salads my boyfriend makes. I also love working out. I love strenght training, I love sweating and aching bc it means the workout was a good one. And my favorite moment of the day is my evening jogging which I always look forward to. Just thinking about it makes my day better.

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from loseit - Lose the Fat http://bit.ly/2V2XVnC

Starting again

So many years ago I got super into weight loss as I had had enough of being overweight. At the time I was about 110kg. I watched a lot of Scooby on YouTube and pretty much devoured all the information I could find regarding weight loss and so I bought some food scales and signed up for MyFitnessPal and started calorie counting.

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As someone who seems to look at food and put weight on, I was amazed at how fast and how calculated weight loss was if you accurately measured calories. Eventually I signed up to the gym and started doing small amounts of cardio and mostly strength training. I got down to about 85kg at my lightest - however I distinctly remember looking into the mirror and still seeing a fat person. I became really good at saying no to junk food if I wasn't going to be able to fit it into my calories.

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I had to get rid of most of my clothes and buy new ones as my 3XLs didn't fit me anymore and I was starting to wear Mediums and sometimes Smalls.

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Fast forward maybe 7 or 8 years, started working full time, moved in with a partner and over time I got slack and the weight sneakily piled back on to my highest of 130kg!

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I applied for a new career which requires more fitness than I had so I decided I'd jump back on the wagon and was able to lose 10kg. I managed to get the job and had to go away from home for 10 weeks for training. I met new friends and we ended up going out a fair bit for drinks and meals during the 10 weeks and I put 5kg back on.

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If anyone wants to be friends with me on MyFitnessPal please add me, username is the same - dbfuru.

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Thanks for reading.

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SV Down 50 lbs from New Years. What worked for me.

Progress Pic

Weight Data Chart

Graph of Weight Loss

28 yr old male, 5’10”, went from roughly 174 to 125 in a little over four months.

Started with keto, which I’d done some of before. I found it easier to start by changing what I ate before I worked on how much I ate. For me, switching to a bunch of meat and cheese early on made it easier down the line to restrict calories. Also, seeing the daily measurements from my wi-fi connected scale was a HUGE motivation factor.

After a month or so I started restricting when I ate and how much. I slowly made my way towards IF and OMAD (intermittent fasting, one meal a day). The last month or so I tried every other day fasting (one meal every other day with water or zero calorie drinks only in between.) I was having trouble sticking to it towards the end, so I tried a couple of extended fasts. First a three day, then a seven day. These worked for me, but of course be careful and do your research if you try it.

A lot of the time I was sporadically going to the gym, but it was on and off. Went nearly every day at one point, then would miss a week. :-p

If you have any questions, let me know!

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