Okay. deal. I'm not messing around this time...
Get in and Get the heck out of deficit.
Excellent - I think you're going to have a breakthrough. And if you do, maybe paleo is the next step. Might help immensely with the 'miniature chocolate' things, another weakness of mine...
(Says the girl who had two protein bars for dinner tonight. And low-carb ones at that. Sheesh)
__________________ "My yoga class had me trembling and sweating and I feel MUCH better." - Fang
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Tenacious Training and Tweaking (the A lotta Alitteration thread)
__________________
Vegetarian, consumer of large quantities of Quark cheese
Working my way from 76.4 to 58 kg (168 - 127.6 lbs)
Lifting a bit, schedule varies. Barbell weight: 22kg/48.4#
Looks like good advice from Leigh.. When I train people I always tell them to try to stick with foods that have 3 or less ingredients. I think that makes things easier overall. Can't wait to see what happens with this test.
__________________
The BIGGER I get the smaller you look
Looks like good advice from Leigh.. When I train people I always tell them to try to stick with foods that have 3 or less ingredients. I think that makes things easier overall. Can't wait to see what happens with this test.
Karla,
ll, I didn't want to nit pick with Leigh, but I have over the past 5 years extremely reduced my "processed" foods, so that I have perhaps 1 processed item during the day, which might be boca burger, or a Trader Joe's seafood/tomato sauce mixture that I add shrimp and rice to, etc. Probably 200 cal of my total 1370 cal. Ultimately I think dropping from 1370cal to 1100-1200cal will cause a significant change, whether I give up that 200cal item or not. That said, I am VERY excited that she gave me the go-ahead to lower my calories, and I think there is going to be great visible progress now. I am really psyched!
I will be focusing even more on 1-ingredient foods, and I will downplay my protein bars. Oh, haha, in addition to the above, I was treating myself to 1/2 Builders' high protein bar daily as part of a snack and within my macros. Really satisfied my chocolate craving..
I'll be exploring whether continuing to have those small "infringements" have any effect on progress or not on an 1100-1200 cal diet.
It's interesting:
1. I had rarely been hungry on 1370 calories
2. I am nervous that my "maintenance" is 1350-1700cal, rather than a hoped-for 2000 cal. But that's well into the future, and I have some intuition that says my particular body needs to go really low deficit to lose weight, but has a wider range for maintenance. I think some posters on JP Fitness forum have found that they have a wide maintenance range.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pips
Good luck Etana!
Quote:
Originally Posted by misstenacity
Excellent - I think you're going to have a breakthrough. And if you do, maybe paleo is the next step. Might help immensely with the 'miniature chocolate' things, another weakness of mine...
(Says the girl who had two protein bars for dinner tonight. And low-carb ones at that. Sheesh)
paleo diet: "combinations of lean meat, seafood, plants, fruit, and nuts."
do you eat that? That's about what I eat, except I add greek yogurt and cottage cheese and about 2 oz hard cheese/week........ hmmm never heard of it.
Well, again I didn't contradict Leigh, but I had changed from having 9-15 hershey's kisses, to ONE Hershey's kiss maybe 4 times a week (counted in my food), so I was very proud of myself for managing and enjoying my chocolate. Again, I may find that I do not change this. We'll see how I progress with lower calories.
And I will focus much more on 1-ingredient meals for an even greater role.
Funny, no mention of eliminating Greek yogurt or cottage cheese. I'll bet it's all in the # of calories eaten and expended. period.
Yesterday's food:
1. 3/4 oz cheese
2. Greek yogurt, blackberries, strawberries, davinci sugarfree syrup
3. Builder's protein bar (before I read Leigh's PM)
4. chicken and 1/2 avocado and 1/4 of a lousy peach
5. TJ's plain buffalo burger (only meat, 46g protein), green and wax beans with 1/8c salsa, brown and wild rice (plain), lime ice pop
Is salsa a 1 ingredient food? Not unless I make it myself... ugh, I'll never do that...
I'm really psyched. I really think this will work!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I so needed to shift into some plan that would give me some real results
"Results is the name of my game!"
COMMENTS:
1. FOOD: good; easy
2. EXERCISE: B2: My step ups and rear lunges were much stronger, although still shakey form and balance. Still like how T-ups feel on my ribcage. Lots of cardio: went to a new dance cardio class at work which was really fun (latin and African beat), and then loved dancing and toning to the youthful music of Jazzercise
3. RECOVERY: no
4. GWF: It did not register correctly yesterday for all my cardio. I thought it was low; then when I looked at the chart, it said I slept through both cardio classes, so perhaps it was showing a green light but had a low battery, since I hardly ever charge it. We'll see how it shows today.
5. HUGE change in my program. Via PMs with Leigh about my v-e-r-y slow progress, she suggested:
a. lower calories to 1100-1200 (from 1370)
b. 1-ingredient foods (decrease my processed foods)
c. Water lowered from 1-gallon down to 1/2 gallon YEA!!
d. Morton's lite salt (I have to buy this)
I am really really really happy to lower my calories. I have never been AN so I don't think it will be a problem. And I had hardly ever been hungry on 1370, so perhaps whatever the numbers, maybe my body needs more of a deficit, or a lower calorie point, to lose weight. I really think I will be losing now consistently and significantly (goal 4-6 lbs per month). I am happy!
Habits to strengthen:
RECOVERY 4-7 times per week
1/2 gallon water daily
SLEEP!
Do you have a plan for trying to stop obsessing about those numbers?
It is good I obsessed the numbers. Actually, I recalculated the numbers. That is what Leigh suggests when there is no or little progress, "take another look at your numbers." It identified the problem.
I never lost weight, eating palm of protein, fist of carbs.
Now, from "obsessing about the numbers," I have new numbers. I am still tracking in Fitday.com my calories and macros. I am still using my GWF. I will be tracking numbers until I have done 1 year of maintenance or can maintain my goal weight without tracking.
I do feel very relieved now, and I do have a plan now... if that's what you mean
I am so glad you are feeling relieved and positive, Etana. Great advcie from Leigh, this is bascially what I have been doing to start to see weightloss after the long stall. 1100-1200 cals and paleo style ie only one ingredient, veggies, fruit, eggs, meat, nuts, oils etc and i have reduced dairy; it has been working for me
I was wondering if any of the local nutrition gurus had data or experience with diets and post menopausal women? I never thought there would be any difference in weight loss between older and young women, if they follow the exact same program.
That is, of course, until I passed menopause myself. I was always thin my entire life, now I have to work like hell in the gym, and eat far less calories than I used to, just to maintain my weight. Not to mention my bodyfat%, which has all gone to visceral fat, no matter what I do.
In order to calculate my maintenance calories now, I no longer include exceptions for my gym activities, which is mostly weight training. My "furnace" no longer burns as hot as it used to, as my metabolism has slowed with age.
So, Etana, perhaps this is why your calculated calorie requirements no longer fit into the basic equation, they are too high for us "mature" gals. We must now get by with less, and learn to become creative with our menu plans and our cooking.
Good luck. And I love Greek yogurt, too, it's delicious and has twice the protein and half the carbs as regular yogyrt.
I was wondering if any of the local nutrition gurus had data or experience with diets and post menopausal women? I never thought there would be any difference in weight loss between older and young women, if they follow the exact same program.
That is, of course, until I passed menopause myself. I was always thin my entire life, now I have to work like hell in the gym, and eat far less calories than I used to, just to maintain my weight. Not to mention my bodyfat%, which has all gone to visceral fat, no matter what I do.
In order to calculate my maintenance calories now, I no longer include exceptions for my gym activities, which is mostly weight training. My "furnace" no longer burns as hot as it used to, as my metabolism has slowed with age.
So, Etana, perhaps this is why your calculated calorie requirements no longer fit into the basic equation, they are too high for us "mature" gals. We must now get by with less, and learn to become creative with our menu plans and our cooking.
Good luck. And I love Greek yogurt, too, it's delicious and has twice the protein and half the carbs as regular yogyrt.
Aging women and diet was the first question I asked Leigh when I first discovered FLTS and Leigh. She didn't really have a response, but I do think it merits study.
I think Leigh would say we move less in general NEAT and our MET is lower. When I look at 4 year olds, they are just a volcano of energy, aren't they... running and jumping and fidgeting with large movements all the time.
Yes, the protein rich greek yogurt was a big discovery, can't believe I spend for it, when I can get 3x as much with regular yogurt for the same price, but I think, hey, I'm eating so much less, and I'm worth it. It still makes for a cheap meal.
I am so glad you are feeling relieved and positive, Etana. Great advcie from Leigh, this is bascially what I have been doing to start to see weightloss after the long stall. 1100-1200 cals and paleo style ie only one ingredient, veggies, fruit, eggs, meat, nuts, oils etc and i have reduced dairy; it has been working for me
Your experiences, Jedi, were what got me going on the math. You, too, were having huge GWF deficits and no weight loss, though you are at a lower weight than I. Then when I read that your new trainer lowered your calories below 1200 and you were getting results, I said DANG! I want some of that.
But so many here said don't lower your calories. That's why I'm so glad I got the go ahead from Leigh.
I do not think I am calculating calories eaten wrong.
I do not think the GWF is overestimating.
I think I just need more than a 3500 deficit to lose 1 lb
I think I my body is "survivor-type" that holds onto the fat
Do you have a plan for trying to stop obsessing about those numbers?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Etana
It is good I obsessed the numbers. Actually, I recalculated the numbers. That is what Leigh suggests when there is no or little progress, "take another look at your numbers." It identified the problem.
I never lost weight, eating palm of protein, fist of carbs.
Now, from "obsessing about the numbers," I have new numbers. I am still tracking in Fitday.com my calories and macros. I am still using my GWF. I will be tracking numbers until I have done 1 year of maintenance or can maintain my goal weight without tracking.
I do feel very relieved now, and I do have a plan now... if that's what you mean
I think perhaps Juleske was referring to this part of Leigh's message:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Etana
In the meantime, you have got to stop obessing with the numbers. You are NEVER GOING TO KNOW FOR SURE, EVER. Ever. Not going to know. Everything is a estimate and to gain we move up, and to lose we move down.
I would take picture from now on, compare those, and go from there. Stop obsessing over the numbers and if cutting calories doesn't work then you can look elsewhere. If you want to eat more you need to move more and like I said you will then have to readjust your trend.
__________________
"Time and patience are the 2 elements that most people don't include in their plans."
-Alan Aragon
"The scale simply tells you how much the earth loves you on a particular day."
-Ogedei (Keith)
Yeah, I'm sorry, I was referring to that! I should have expanded my question a little
Leigh stressed it so heavily, I was wondering if and how you were going to follow up with that. I know the numbers are a great freedom from guilt for you, but that they also cause great frustration for you since the numbers clearly spell out loss that isn't visible. I'm not sure why Leigh hammered on that point, and I was wondering about your reflection on it.
Etana, I'm 100% positive a lot of people will be cheering you on during this experiment.. let's hope lowering cals will work out well for you & not cause you to get sick or whatever (that's my biggest fear).
Also, as one obessive calorie counter to another, I'm not 100% sure if you are going to have less chance of error on Paleo-like foods.. as I've said a few times, it is easier to standardize 'junkfood' than it is to 'standardize' natural food.
Mother Nature is never precise or exact. Sugar content of food can differ by a lot..
However... however, since generally natural food isn't calorie-dense, the absolute margin of error is smaller, even though sometimes the relative margin of error may be larger.
For instance, both my father & brother were dairy farmers.. the whole milk was always slightly different in protein/fat content, but in the factory it's standardized.
Standardization won't happen as readily for say potatoes. But they are often sold in standardized sizes. Etc. and so forth.
So what to do? Like you said, still count and try to be as exact as you can, while knowing fully well you can never expect exact numbers. Neither from the food you eat, nor from the calories burnt according to the GWF.
By the way I don't really think your food numbers are that far off. However, it could be that you respond better to natural food than to processed food just because of the higher quality (lower GI, more vitamins etc.). Please also don't give up on chocolate.. a very tiny amount goes a long way Otherwise, consider raw cocoa.. it's a nice addition to coffee!
Finally, if you are still eating the greek yoghurt, draining regular yoghurt yourself is the easiest-peasiest thing to do.. just get yourself an old fashioned plastic coffee filter & those paper coffee filters to put inside.. and drain the yoghurt overnight.
I'm preferring the one that is cultured in the pot and has this smooth top layer with a little bit of fluid over it as it tends to have slightly less lactose. I don't know the English words for them but we call them 'stir' (non-pot-cultured) versus 'stand' yoghurt (pot cultured).
I'm glad you have a plan now, Etana! Definitely hope it works for you, but I agree--Leigh did very much emphasize getting away with focusing on "numbers as progress," which I think is quite different from "numbers as analysis."
Tom Venuto's book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle has a good point on that, I think--he emphasizes looking at no change in numbers still as some sort of result rather than as a "failure," because it's still feedback. I.e., the numbers are showing what doesn't work for me, so now I'll try to find something that does--which I think you are doing. But I also think you would benefit from tracking your progress through pictures or something else less number-oriented.
__________________
They call me Amanda, that being my real name, and "They" being people who know me in person as I don't go around introducing myself in real life as "scribess." 'Cause that would just be strange.
Yeah, I'm sorry, I was referring to that! I should have expanded my question a little
Leigh stressed it so heavily, I was wondering if and how you were going to follow up with that. I know the numbers are a great freedom from guilt for you, but that they also cause great frustration for you since the numbers clearly spell out loss that isn't visible. I'm not sure why Leigh hammered on that point, and I was wondering about your reflection on it.
In 5 weeks I lost 1 lb. I was happy that my measurement were going down. When I saw, last week, that the measurement had gone up, I needed to make some change.
Leigh stresses just as heavily that numbers do count. You have to burn more than you eat. I think maybe where I was worried about going to a 1.2 multiplier, which is called sedentary, and here I am, gardening and 7 exercises and lots of walks etc etc.
Perhaps it's when you make the numbers MEAN something. They just don't mean the same for everyone. It could even be that it takes more than 3500 cal for me to lose 1 lb.
I just couldn't stand ignoring the numbers and not making a change to what was only working a tiny tiny bit.
I don't know why she went on and on about the numbers. Rereading her message to me, there is some stuff that pisses me off:
1. I am eating 1 hersheys kiss instead of 11, or 3 tater tots taste, or 1-2 proccessed foods out of all the foods I eat and she focused on that.
I was so paying attention to the fact she said I could lower my calories. I think that this is what will make the difference. My food is really very 1-ingredient food. Does that mean I didn't have 2T Ken's lite ital salad dressing tonight? No, I did not make homemade salad dressing, and probably never will.
I think I'm rambling. I have a headache. 1150 calories, I do miss that extra 200 cal right now, but I am fine.
Oh, my other foot hurts. I don't know what's wrong. I have been doing less NEAT this week because it hurts under the bunion. I think maybe I'm not used to the lift on the Dankso sandals, which are not flat shoes.
I'm going on to answer other posts here and then go to bed with my headache.
I guess the more I think about what I'm not supposed to be doing with the numbers, the more confused and pissed I get. I can't see that measuring lamb, nuts, or red peppers is any more accurate than measuring a protein bar. I can see that living on protein bars might not be healthy. But I can't see how 1/2 protein bar instead of a chocolate bar will stall my deficit.
I think it is in the numbers. In the calories I consume. and burn.
Etana, I'm 100% positive a lot of people will be cheering you on during this experiment..
Also, as one obsessive calorie counter to another, I'm not 100% sure if you are going to have less chance of error on Paleo-like foods.. as I've said a few times, it is easier to standardize 'junkfood' than it is to 'standardize' natural food.
So what to do? Like you said, still count and try to be as exact as you can, while knowing fully well you can never expect exact numbers. Neither from the food you eat, nor from the calories burnt according to the GWF.
By the way I don't really think your food numbers are that far off. However, it could be that you respond better to natural food than to processed food just because of the higher quality (lower GI, more vitamins etc.). Please also don't give up on chocolate.. a very tiny amount goes a long way Otherwise, consider raw cocoa.. it's a nice addition to coffee!
YES. I think my numbers are not that off. YES. I think numbers are a guide, not precise science. YES. I think processed may be more accurate to count than natural foods. So all that of what Leigh said confused me, but it's not that important really. It is not a science, losing weight, even though we watch our numbers. (Same as the stock market lol).. thanks for the words of support. I'm sure all the slow losers here will be interested what lowering calories will do.
Quote:
Finally, if you are still eating the greek yoghurt, draining regular yoghurt yourself is the easiest-peasiest thing to do.. just get yourself an old fashioned plastic coffee filter & those paper coffee filters to put inside.. and drain the yoghurt overnight.
I'm preferring the one that is cultured in the pot and has this smooth top layer with a little bit of fluid over it as it tends to have slightly less lactose. I don't know the English words for them but we call them 'stir' (non-pot-cultured) versus 'stand' yoghurt (pot cultured).
Well, if I do that, how can I count the grams of protein and carb and fat?
I'm glad you have a plan now, Etana! Definitely hope it works for you, but I agree--Leigh did very much emphasize getting away with focusing on "numbers as progress," which I think is quite different from "numbers as analysis."
Well said!
Glad I have a plan too!
Quote:
Originally Posted by scribess
Tom Venuto's book Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle has a good point on that, I think--he emphasizes looking at no change in numbers still as some sort of result rather than as a "failure," because it's still feedback. I.e., the numbers are showing what doesn't work for me, so now I'll try to find something that does--which I think you are doing. But I also think you would benefit from tracking your progress through pictures or something else less number-oriented.
I am taking weekly measurements. It's when the measurement went up that I decided I HAD to change something, and wrote to Leigh.
I read Venuto's BFFM; thanks for the reminder about failure vs feedback. I am just not gonna sit here a watch Pips get skinny and my pants are still tight after 5 weeks. Hopefully I will start losing.
NUMBERS again: I'm only reducing my calories by about 200 cal/day, or 1400 cal per week, which, by the numbers, is only 1/2 lb weight fat loss per week. No wonder women think about eating 800 cal per day. So although I am feeling confident this will finally work, I'm also dubious when I think of numbers. My goal is 4-6 lbs per week. I don't think I can increase my NEAT any more than it is now. I don't know how women do 3000-5000 cal NEAT. I don't think I have it in me. So the alternative is calories eaten
I have photos from October from One Big Meal. I was going to take photos after 4 weeks, but I don't need to look at me being the same as then or 5 lbs heavier. I'll either take photos at end of week 8, or more likely at end of week 12. And then hopefully, I'll be making visible progress and take photos monthly.
Hey, guys, I'm a bit irritable, headache, tired. All this was stream of conscious unedited, so I would get answers out and my log up to date. So if I've been grouchy a bit, please don't take it personally.
I wouldn't let Leigh's comments on numbers throw you for a loop or take it personally. I think the main point is nothing is precise especially when it comes to human bodies. I would focus more on the trends and the overall picture.
Sorry about the headache. Hope you feel better and that lower calories accomplishes what you want it to.
I wouldn't let Leigh's comments on numbers throw you for a loop or take it personally. I think the main point is nothing is precise especially when it comes to human bodies. I would focus more on the trends and the overall picture.
Sorry about the headache. Hope you feel better and that lower calories accomplishes what you want it to.
I think maybe where I was worried about going to a 1.2 multiplier, which is called sedentary, [...]
I put my activity level in fitday on 'sedetary'. Though its true I cycle to work, lift, and take long walks on non-lifting days (which I all enter in fitday ofc.), most of the day I'm still just sitting on my behind at a computer. Since I always feel numbers on activity calculators are too positive, I rate my activities as low as I can. Nothing wrong with 'sedetary'
__________________
Vegetarian, consumer of large quantities of Quark cheese
Working my way from 76.4 to 58 kg (168 - 127.6 lbs)
Lifting a bit, schedule varies. Barbell weight: 22kg/48.4#
Etana, I'm on the same page when it comes to doubting the margin of error of Paleo vs junkfood , but again : the quality is not the same and the absolute margin of error for natural foods will be less as they simply have less calories.
What will Leigh say when someone goes on a bulk, starts adding more 'unclean' foods and yet, doesn't gain weight? Huh?
That leads me to the biggest part of why you aren't losing is simply what you said.. you're aren't an ectomorph, nor an endomorph but a survivor.
Plain and simple, your maintenance went down as your intake went down. So, the hope we hold now is that by lowering your intake again, your maintenance won't follow along.
Another Q: do you know how your protein intake was in the OBM experiment versus now? The higher the protein intake, the higher your TEF (thermic effect of feeding). Try to aim 1gP/lbs BW as a minimum.
Finally, can you do me a favour? Start tracking your morning temperature = what it is after waking up but before going out of bed. Gives you something else to 'obsess' over and is a very decent indicator of maintenance.
There's a rule of thumb that metabolism goes down by x % for every degree it drops. Too bad it's in frigging Fahrenheit and even more bad I forgot by how much it drops, but seeing it drop and feeling cold is most definitely a very clear sign of a drop in metabolism.
That is.. unless you're still menstruating. The box above goes per cycle and BBT goes up and down with it.. when you ovulate the BBT will almost literally jump UP by 0.2°C or more. For me, my highest temps are close to 37,1°C while for the same cycle the lowest one , often 1-2 days before I ovulate will be 36,4 and sometimes even 36,3°C.
Having a BBT below 36°C is definitely NOT a good sign. Generally a refeed should manage to bring it back up by approx. 0,5°C.
Mine never really goes down as much but I do get to see a small bump after a bigger refeed, generally only 0,1-0,15 °C. http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ is a good starting site. Another problem, which seems more prominent for Etana is stress. I'm recognizing some of her traits in myself = being a worry-wort and over-analyzer. Very typical stuff for someone with high cortisol levels. I'm swearing high cortisol was & still is my biggest nemesis in fat loss. It will make you sleep lousy (I used to sleep terribly and her sleep is not 100% either) & blood sugar levels go out of wack = poor fat loss.
Trying to let go and reduce anxiety by yoga, stretching etc. etc is a big one (hah, I'm forgetting too) & at least I've recognized that 3 workouts = good & 4 workouts = bad bad bad news. http://drrind.com/therapies/metabolic-temperature-graph is another important information source.
Etana, I'm on the same page when it comes to doubting the margin of error of Paleo vs junkfood , but again : the quality is not the same and the absolute margin of error for natural foods will be less as they simply have less calories.
What will Leigh say when someone goes on a bulk, starts adding more 'unclean' foods and yet, doesn't gain weight? Huh?
I was eating unbelievably healthy unprocessed food for my history of junk food, maybe 80-90% unprocessed, but this week I've upped that percentage. (cut out the 1/2 protein bar "treat," the 1 hershey's kiss , the processed Trader Joe's dinner, (that I love because and it is like eating restaurant international food, but I can "count the ingredients" ... TJ Indian Punjab Choley (chickpeas) 150g, TJ Eggplant Parmesan-small 276g, TJ spicy green beans, and especially TJ Cioppino Seafood Stew 245g and TJ chicken chili verde 227g. For a non cook who's always busy, these dinners were a real dieter's treat that I'm sad to eliminate from my week.) I did cook MUCH more with OBM, but didn't enjoy the time spent. It seems to me that 80-90% unprocessed, with that other 20% being mostly pretty healthy stuff, should not cause breakdown in results ... huh? ... especially since I don't understand the rationale of why this relatively healthy food is as much of a problem as french fries and donuts. Isn't it all relative?
Quote:
That leads me to the biggest part of why you aren't losing is simply what you said.. you're aren't an ectomorph, nor an endomorph but a survivor. Plain and simple, your maintenance went down as your intake went down. So, the hope we hold now is that by lowering your intake again, your maintenance won't follow along.
Yes, that is the fear, that my body will adjust to 1150 cal. The only 3 times I successfully lost weight (40lbs), it was when I fasted the whole day and then ate about 600-800cal for dinner.
Quote:
Another Q: do you know how your protein intake was in the OBM experiment versus now? The higher the protein intake, the higher your TEF (thermic effect of feeding). Try to aim 1gP/lbs BW as a minimum.
I can look it up. This week, on lower cal, my protein is in the 40-50% range, or about 115-140g. For the 5 weeks of OPT, it has been in the 25-35% range, or about the same 115-140g... ahh, average over 5 weeks of 115.4g. Ahh, thanks to my google spreadsheet: for OBM it was about 115g protein on 1375 calories ... that was when I lost 9 lbs that month: all water???
Quote:
Finally, can you do me a favour? Start tracking your morning temperature = what it is after waking up but before going out of bed. Gives you something else to 'obsess' over and is a very decent indicator of maintenance.
Okay I will.
Espi, Thanks from one math geek to another. You know I was gonna be a math teacher, but I failed calculus.. so became an artist. Then got into typesetting and computers which was the perfect marriage of math and art.....
I put my activity level in fitday on 'sedetary'. Though its true I cycle to work, lift, and take long walks on non-lifting days (which I all enter in fitday ofc.), most of the day I'm still just sitting on my behind at a computer. Since I always feel numbers on activity calculators are too positive, I rate my activities as low as I can. Nothing wrong with 'sedetary'
Well, Pips, consider your self fortunute that you're losing fast on 1375 cal and a moderate exercise routine. You're young. Don't gain the weight back; harder to lose when you're older...
Are you really only eating about 5 food items per day? Are you doing IF and only eating 1 meal? And 120g protein of that is the Quark cheese? (I looked at some of your fit day)... Could you write what you eat over a few days in English, so I get an idea of it? ...given your fast results... (how much are you losing a week/month?)
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ is a good starting site.
Another problem, which seems more prominent for Etana is stress. I'm recognizing some of her traits in myself = being a worry-wort and over-analyzer. Very typical stuff for someone with high cortisol levels. I'm swearing high cortisol was & still is my biggest nemesis in fat loss. It will make you sleep lousy (I used to sleep terribly and her sleep is not 100% either) & blood sugar levels go out of wack = poor fat loss.
Trying to let go and reduce anxiety by yoga, stretching etc. etc is a big one (hah, I'm forgetting too) & at least I've recognized that 3 workouts = good & 4 workouts = bad bad bad news. http://drrind.com/therapies/metabolic-temperature-graph is another important information source.
I don't consider myself a person with stress. I don't hold things in, rather, I speak my mind. However, during OBM, I did very light exercise, I have my log to look it up, but I barely did resistance because my foot was hurting. I think I did do my Jazzercise at a light pace, also due to foot.
Now hoever, with OPT, I'm exercising my life away. 7 exercises in 6 days is just ridiculous in my humble opinion. I am not lifting 70% of whatever acronym, R or something, because I don't want to re-strain my back etc, but I am lifting heavy on a lot of the exercises, and I am doing supersets, (which I enjoy the sweat), 4 friggin times a week, which is 1-2 times too many. I am doing 3 days (3 hours) Jazzercise, which I just love, 40 min of dance aerobics and 20 min of "toning" or whatever the bodylifters make fun of... Anyway, I get a wonderful total body stretch, a sweat, and an hour of fun pretending I'm a dancer.
And for all that resistance work, the GWF registers nada burned. Even dripping sweat yesterday, I only burned 1925 cal. Plus you can take those DB Get Ups and shove them.
I do value lifting for keeping muscle as I age. I do really notice how climbing stairs and general strength has improved over these 5 weeks since recovering from surgery immobility months. So I do think there's a value to lifting. But 4 days a week ya gotta be kidding. I'd much rathe do 2-3 days, and 4 days aerobics.
and none of this 7 exercises in 6-day crap. Where's the time for a good walk in the woods, then?
Now, ya know, if I were losing 6lbs / month, I'd be extolling the virtues of DB Get Ups as the key to weight loss
Results: TUES June 9, OPT Week 6
1925 cal burned
-1192cal eaten
733 cal deficit (deficit is the same though I've lowered the cal)
OPT for Fat Loss:
YES: food (1100-1200 cal)
YES: exercise: OPT B2
NO: Recovery
NO: water (64oz/8 cups): 6 cups
NO: sleep: 6 hours only
COMMENTS:
1. FOOD: My investment club meeting was last night. I brought my dinner with me instead of snacking. They had bagels and cream cheese and tortilla chips and salsa. I had NONE. and those foods would have caused Major Damage... I'm proud. I also passed up the free M&M dish two out of two times yesterday at work.
2. EXERCISE: OPT B2: Just couldn't do the DB Get Ups yesterday. My right bunion has been bothering me and I didnt' want to stress it out more. So I did crunches instead. I did everything else fine. On the Wide Grip Deadlifts, I have to check the form on youtube; I don't know if the DBs should be put on the floor each time.
3. RECOVERY: no
Habits to strengthen:
RECOVERY 4-7 times per week
2 liters water daily
SLEEP!
They had bagels and cream cheese and tortilla chips and salsa. I had NONE. and those foods would have caused Major Damage... I'm proud. I also passed up the free M&M dish two out of two times yesterday at work.
Woohoo! And way to go on those M&M's, I had some several weeks ago, and then I had to look them up to put into fitday.. they're one of the worst kinds of candy if you look at kcal/100 g. (Milky Way bars seem to be least bad.)
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Vegetarian, consumer of large quantities of Quark cheese
Working my way from 76.4 to 58 kg (168 - 127.6 lbs)
Lifting a bit, schedule varies. Barbell weight: 22kg/48.4#
However, during OBM, I did very light exercise, I have my log to look it up, but I barely did resistance because my foot was hurting. I think I did do my Jazzercise at a light pace, also due to foot.
Now hoever, with OPT, I'm exercising my life away
You ate the same during OBM as you eat now, but you are way more active.
You'd not be the first person to not lose when being overly active and undereating.
What about scaling back on the sweat-inducing activity and stick to boring slower walking & only do resistance exercise plus maybe one fun cardio session?
Ah.. and I hear you about being a non-cook. I love to eat but am afraid to stray from recipes that invariably are a 4 person's meal that I *used* to also eat by myself (someone had a sig saying that one should stop having 4 p dinners by myself). I gained the most in the 2 mo. period I tried to cook for me & SO when we moved into this house.. he nearly invariably didn't like what I picked so I ended up eating most of it myself.. bam big wt gain!
My reply to Leigh...
, the processed Trader Joe's dinner, (that I love because and it is like eating restaurant international food, but I can "count the ingredients" ... TJ Indian Punjab Choley (chickpeas) 150g, 
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