GameGal

Almeeker - I am older than you I am 55 and still struggling like the 30 yr olds so we have even more in common. (plus I see you are in Michigan and I went to college there and now live in Chicago area.)

Changeisgood - I understand your non-hunger all too well. If I dont eat all day, then I am not hungry until dinner time and then wouldnt eat again until dinner time the following day. However, there were times I would have to eat earlier.. like meeting a friend for breakfast or lunch or seeing those 'to die for donuts'.. and once I started eating, no matter what it was ( usually high sugar *carb*, high fat items.). then I had problems stopping eating that entire day. In fact , it would usually trigger a binge for the day.

And, like you, it wasnt that I was overdoing the calories etc at the evening meal... but the prob was eating an entire days caloric/carb/fat/protein intake all at once. It's kinda like a kid coming to you and saying he/she is thirsty and you give them 96 oz of water ( that must be drunk immediately) and then nothing until the next day. The intake of that much would most likely make him sick and then hours later, he would still be thirsty.
I have discovered though that it isnt really that I didnt/dont feel hungry.. its that I have lost the ability to realize what true hunger and true 'fullness' feels like. And I am needing to retrain my inner signals.

Recently I was diagnosed with diabetes, and have had to force myself to eat regularly so my body can evenly distribute the sugar thoughout the day.. its the same principle for eating, whether diabetic or not. You have to learn to spread it out because like the kid with too much water, your body feels overloaded and so even though it may be a normal caloric intake.. stores it... knowing it wont get more until the next day. Does that make sense?

I didnt do so well yesterday For days this craving has been building in me for Churches Chicken Biscuits. I am not sure if they are buttermilk or bisquick lol but I had to have some. I went in determined to get 1 , 2 at the most. But once in there, I justfied saying since I wasnt having the chicken, then I could buy 6 and space them out. Yeah right! I ate one, put them away ( and I have to confess I added butter to them!)... decided wellll just one more.. and 'just one more-d' all day long. So yesterday was a food failure although I did swim for a few hours... but today is a new day to make better decisions!

Have a good one everyone and remember! We are all rooting for each one of you!

Pixie5477

Good advice on the protein. I almost never eat meat (in my mind this includes poultry and seafood). But I do happen to love tuna fish and I love eating it for breakfast. I had forgotten about it though. I haven't done that in years. Great tip.

I've been wondering... what exactly is greek yogurt? I see it mentioned all the time and I saw it at the store, but I have no clue what the difference is between regular yogurt and greek yogurt.

Goals-- When I set my goal on fitday, I only set a mini-goal. I am getting the impression that most of you set your ultimate goal. I wonder if that would be the better choice. I'm kind of jealous that you can see the date you will reach your ultimate goal. I just thought setting small goals would make me feel successful along the way. Thoughts?

myoutwardbeauty710

WONDERFUL!!! That really helps. I was so concerned about the aspertame in them that I stopped completely. But I just found crystal light FIBER packets. SO aspertame or not, it is just one more way for me to get my fiber and conquer this horrible constipation (yes sorry, TMI) that I have from my thyroid issues and medicine side effects. blah (hey, whatever works, ya know?)

WOOO!!! You are now BELOW 160! WOOT! You are ROCKIN' IT girl!!! Keep up the good work, I know you must be SOOOO proud!

Don't feel bad... I had a piece of pizza yesterday, saying, just one. Well when hubby had his later on last night, he didn't finish one piece, and well, it was just sitting there... ugh so I had TWO! What was I thinking! ? ! So I went to bed with a hurting stomache and kicked myself all night for it. We all make stupid decisions at times, but it is what we do NEXT that matters. So yes, today is a new day to make better decisions!!!

Pixie, I set several as you can see in my signature. I set a First goal, then a Mini Goal (which is about half way) then an overall goal which is almost where I want to be in the end and would be very happy there. That way I can always see where I am, and where I am going. Just because you set one goal or 30, doesn't mean you will get there THEN or get there EARLIER than the time you set, but for me it is just a fun thing to do. I set mine by going back and forth with the goal weight section and seeing what seems more realistic for me and my situation. It took several times before I felt comfortable with my goals. You do what is best for you, whether it be several mini goals or one huge main goal. It is all in how it makes you feel, and what encourages you most!

myoutwardbeauty710

OK off topic here... well, not really. I don't know what happened last night. Like I said to GameGal, I lost it yesterday and ate two pieces of pizza. Ok, fine. No problem. Well, I was also struggling with reading other posts, forums and sites, and realizing that perhaps I have been putting my "goal calories" waaayy too low at 1200, when the different sites including this one recommended a MINIMUM of 1720 a day for me. So. I went back and forth on trying to figure out if maybe THAT was why I hadn't lost anything in the past 3 days (ok, I know, stay OFF the scale, right?). ANYWAY, after eating the pizza and the sauteed squash and zuchinni in OLIVE OIL and TWO fiber bars (can you tell I am desperate for fiber?) Well I hit just a tad over 1700 calories yesterday. AAAHHHHHH!!!!!! Low and behold I hesitantly stepped on the scale this morning and was DOWN half a pound! WHAT THE HECK? So does that mean it is true I am not eating ENOUGH to lose? I am still so confused on how you eat MORE and lose more. Well, if that is the case, I upped my calorie take to 1500 per day. I really don't want to eat 1700 calories, because if it weren't for the two slices of pizza, I would have only been at 1270 for the day.

So the way I was thinking, is your deficit for the day supposed to be subtracted from the 3500 which equals a pound per day? (so with a 1500 cal/day max would mean a 2000 deficit?) Or are you supposed to subtract the deficit from a different beginning total?

Once I figure this out it will really help. But I am still SHOCKED that I ate sooo much yesterday and STILL lost a half pound, when I was staying UNDER 1200 for the past 3 days and didn't lose a thing. WIERD!

GameGal

Everyones needs are different.

I have talked to my doctor as well as several dieticians and nutritionists. Some may say they are all old-school but they have all said women 30 -65 should not eat more than 1200 - 1500 a day unless they are extremely active all the time, every day. And I believe for men it was like 1800 - 2000, but dont quote me on that one.

I also have a friend who is maybe 40 lbs overweight but she is tall and looks like a lot less.. she works out 5 days a week at a gym and so her nutritionist told her to increase her calories from 1500 to 2000 and she would lose 2 lbs a week! I was like what??!!?? So she did what she was told. She kept her same workout routine. She didnt change anything other than her calorie intake * and she was mostly a healthy eater anyway*... and sure enough.. she GAINED 3 lbs a week.

If you think about it, if you arent losing after changing your lifestyle to healtier foods and you have added exercise, then in my thinking, you are having too many calories.

Also, to prove his point, my doctor took a urine sample and tested for the presence of keytones or something? which would have shown him my body was into starvation mode from not enough calories and I would have needed to up my calories. No such luck for me.. 1200 calories a day was not causing me any physical abnormalities.

I am not sure how to explain why a lot of places use the higher calorie intake other than we are a nation who truely supersizes everything by nature.. from serving size to weights. Remember not too many years ago when the national insurance commission ( or whoever ) decided that americans no longer fit into the old weight/height chart and so instead of insisting people re-learn how to eat/what to eat... they simply upped the acceptable weight for peoples height. Clothes are made much larger now than they used to be and called the same size. Anyway, I have gotten off track ( as usual lol). So I think you need to do whatever you think is realistic for you that gets results.

almeeker

For what it is worth, here is my take on intake. If you eat fewer calories, you tend to have lower energy, lower nutrition and lower muscle tone. If you up the calories a little (sometimes but not always), and you also manage to up the nutritional value of those calories, you tend to have more energy (hence you burn more calories), more frequent BM's and more muscle tone. But it's a delicate balance and those extra calories can be a slippery slope down into the evil vortex of carbaholism.

When I started this at 244 lbs, I ate 1,200-1,300 calories/day religiously, put in 60 minute workouts and lost weight like crazy, but I was the Galactic Bitch from Hell. It was no way to live and I could feel myself headed for a swan dive off the diet wagon (or getting shoved off by my family). Then I found fitday, and have since been able to better determine a way for me to have "skinny" habits yet eat enough to keep me human. I'm a pretty big eater, so finding a way to eat plenty, yet keep it healthy and the calories in check is pretty critical for me to keep it off long term. I've actually upped my intake, most days I'm at 1,500-1,700. Admittedly it's not coming off quite as fast as it was in the beginning, but it wouldn't no matter what diet I was on; I'm so much lighter now my workouts don't burn nearly what they used to, and my muscle tone is still increasing. It's been a very eye opening experience to realize that being thin is NOT about starving myself. It's much more about eating right and being very active. I have a sneaking suspicion that when I've hit goal weight I'm going to be one of those people that eats all the time, but is still skinny. I've already been accused of it.

I don't think that giving all women a general range for calories is right. We're all different sizes, burn different amounts just sitting still and eat totally different foods which our bodies process in different ways. I think it's sort of like bra shopping, we all like and need a little something different, and it takes some time to figure out what that is. Of course then you have a baby or three, trip on down to menopause and what you knew to be absolute truth about yourself is no longer valid, for bras and diets alike. I think it's all about finding a healthy lifestyle and a set of healthy habits you can live with, and sooner or later your body will adjust down to the right weight for those variables. And sometimes it takes 3-4 days of good behavior to get a drop, it's not usually about how good you were yesterday, so much as how good you were the whole last week.

When you're trying to lose weight I believe that keytones in the urine are desirable. Keytones are produced when your body burns fat. Keytones are also flushed from the body by drinking lots of water. If you don't drink enough water while you're in fat burning mode, the keytones will actually work with your body to store more fat once you do eat, so drink drink drink that water. It's also one of the reasons that water can be unappealing when your dieting, your body doesn't really have any interest in losing those keytones.

The calorie deficit is the difference between the calories you ate, and the calories you burned. If you burn more than you eat, your body will be forced to burn either fat or muscle. If you eat lots of protein, it will burn fat, and use the protein to build muscle. Well it will use the protein to rebuild muscle if you've damaged them, ie worked out. If you don't need all the protein, your body will make sinkers out of it (poop that sinks to the bottom of the bowl). BTW, too many carbs make floaters.... I know it's TMI, but it's a "solid" way to keep things in check. Too much protein can also be metabolized and turned into fat, so it doesn't pay to over-do it.

Well I gotta go tuck in the kiddos. G'Nighty night.

almeeker

Glad to help with the tuna, I LOVE it for breakfast, well anytime really.

Greek yogurt is strained yogurt, it comes plain and in flavors, and with or without fat. The plain stuff tastes and looks very much like sour cream. It's good with fruit, or mixed with taco seasoning and dumped on a salad. I also like it mixed with ff ranch dressing and used as dip. It has a ton of protein, like 13-15 grams per serving. Brands vary a little in terms of calories, but the one I like best is called Fage Total 0%, it has 90 calories, 0 grams of fat and 15 grams of protein per serving, and it costs $1.69 for a single serve tub. I also buy a brand called Chobani, when I need a bigger tub.

changeisgood29

Hey gals, happy weekend to you all.

Mstaff - Thanks for the vote of confidence that it's not a bad idea to not eat when I'm not hungry (holy negatives in that sentence), haha. I find it difficult at times to jive what my body tells me or how I actually eat/live with what I read as being 'healthy,' if that makes sense. It's a work in progress, but I really do feel a-ok during the day. When I was in college and working in food service, constantly on my feet and doing the hustle, I sure did eat more (and weighed less to boot, bah). Now at an office job... the hunger's just not there. So far the weight's coming off at a pace I'm good with, so aside from minor adjustments that I'd like to make, I think I'm doin okay.

GameGal - Good to know I'm not alone on the 'non-hunger' during the day bit. I think a part of me just wanted to know that I wasn't alone in experiencing that. Maybe that's a bit silly, but true. What you describe as spacing food out over the day makes a lot of sense, and I like your analogy of the little kid and water. I don't think I can eat very much during the day, but today I had some fruit late in the afternoon (around 3 or 4) when I felt a bit hungry as opposed to saying "eh, screw it, I'll just wait until dinner to eat" like I usually do - so, I figure that's a bit better than usual.

Almeeker - thank you as always for the great protein tips. You are the protein masta!

I wanted to say something in regards to diet missteps, for lack of a better word. So, last night, we ordered pizza, and my husband overdid it and had a bellyache later that night. He said, "Man, I ate too much. But I'm not sweating it and I don't feel bad about it. But I don't want to do that again!" I thought that was smart... To be able to have a mentality of "oops, that sucked" and to take the lesson and move on. Just my little 'ah-ha' moment courtesy of my (typically ) better half.

Thanks to everyone for sharing. Always good to get some moral support.

almeeker

I don't know about being the "protein masta", I probably struggle with it as much or more than anyone else. But you could say I've had to do my homework on the issue, because my diet used to be almost completely carbs and fats. Left to my own devices I naturally gravitate to a vegetarian diet. I like meat, but only ever crave it when I'm pregnant or have PMS. I'm also lactose intolerant, and borderline allergic to eggs, poultry, soy, peanuts and beef. I tolerate each one on it's own and in limited amounts, but have to be careful not to have too many servings in a given week, or I'll suffer the consequences. Fitday has been a huge help in that department! I also learned about Greek yogurt on this site.

changeisgood, congrats on having the hubby on board, well headed in that direction anyway. My DH and I had strawberry daiquiris last night, I made them with a little rum, a splash of coconut mixer and almost a quart of frozen strawberries. They were super yummy, only about 300 calories, and we each drank just 1. We used to split 2-3 full pitchers and make them with lots of alcohol and sugary bottled drink mixer, so fresh fruit was a big step in the right direction for us. And you know what? I didn't miss the sugar or the alcohol one bit. It's all about little steps and making better choices.

mstaff4564

My take on the whole "what calorie range is best" thing is that it really depends on the person. My calorie range right now is 1500-1800, and it works for me at 241lbs. If for some reason it stops working, or I lose more weight & don't need as many calories, I will play with the range. But not only am I watching calories, I'm watching carb & sugar intake because I'm IR. Before, I could be in that range to lose weight, but if all my calories were carbs, I struggled to lose because my body would not react well.

I also try to focus on the 1000-calorie deficit. I try to average a 1000 calorie deficit between food & exercise daily. That's 7000 a week, and a pound is 3500 calories, so this should result in a 2lb loss per week. Sometimes it's more, sometimes it's less, but I can usually figure out what causes a bigger or smaller drop (major exercise, water retention, etc.).

So far I've been pretty successful with this, but I really took the time to research and find something that works for my unique body chemistry.

Hope all of you are enjoying your weekends. Weekends should really be 3-day weekends all the time...boo.

So I got my swimming in this morning. 32 laps in 1 1/2 hours. I did a combination of freestyle (11), backstroke (11), & using a paddleboard (10) to work my legs. I did 4 other laps to cool down, plus spent another half hour just goofing around in the pool. I felt good, but I felt EXHAUSTED. I got home and napped for 3 hours.

It's a good thing I did such a good workout this morning though. We had a gift card for Outback Steakhouse, so we decided to use that for dinner tonight. I did pretty good with the dinner, eating most of the house salad (mostly plain - didn't like the dressing) and a 6 oz. sirloin with some steamed broccoli on the side (no butter). What I didn't do so well on is the 2 drinks I had. I tried the Wallaby Darned, which was a 2 for 1 special, and wow it was so GOOD. I rarely drink alcohol, but since we had the gift card, I thought I'd indulge a bit. I checked the calorie content when I got home and YIKES, one drink is 582 calories. Once again, good thing I worked out and went light on meals today.

Even with those drinks, I still had an 850 calorie deficit for the day, so I'm pretty pleased. Today was a lesson in moderation & still enjoying special occasions. I did get a piece of the cheesecake, but I think I'm going to wait a few days & enjoy that another night. The two drinks were enough of a treat for me today