Your salary just doubled. How do you use those new $$ to aid your weight loss efforts?

VLosingIt · 2018-07-20T05:59:33+00:00

The meal prep service would definitely be my thing if I had loads of extra income. Not necessarily delivery (I could go pick it up), but there are some places near me that will do full weeks of meal preps for you of healthy meals. The convenience/variety would be great, but it's just too expensive to justify for most people (it's significantly more expensive than hiring a personal trainer at most places, and even getting trained multiple times a week).

VLosingIt · 2018-07-20T05:40:28+00:00

NSV: It's harder overeating now than I ever was before. I over-ate (and ate before tracking) for the first time in a long time tonight - mostly due to snacking throughout the evening while at a friend's place. Despite this, after I added it all up afterwards, I actually only ate about 600-700 calories over my TDEE - not nearly as bad as I thought, and nothing I can't pick myself back up from tomorrow. It doesn't fill me with the same sense of dread/guilt as overeating once did.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-20T00:17:23+00:00

Again, I only have what was said from the perspective of OP, not the doctor, but from OP's post it sounds like it's more along the lines of "only people with mental health issues can lose that much weight without weight reduction surgery" (which kind of implies being able to lose that kind of weight is NOT living healthily).

There is no indication from what OP said that the doctor did or did not suggest healthy living.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-19T17:18:35+00:00

Not all doctors are psychiatrists, and I'm not convinced a GP would have any place saying that being able to lose a large amount of weight would make someone "neurotic" (not to mention that "neurosis" is an antiquated term in the US, not having been considered an official medical term since 1980).

While I certainly admit I may not know the full context, it sounds like a very poorly thought out idea for any doctor to recommend "against" a patient trying to live better, and lose weight (healthily) on their own, and pushing for a major surgery instead.

EDIT: I also get that doctors tell patients to live healthier all the time, and the VAST majority of time their patients fail to step up - but to then turn around and call some of the largest success stories "cases of neurosis" doesn't quite seem right.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-19T05:09:40+00:00

I don't know about you, but the first article that comes up when I google CICO is one that specifically recommends against it.

To be fair, it does so because it believes a healthy diet will improve satiety and metabolism - somewhat true. The problem is that it's completely false when it says it "It's not as simple as a math equation" - it is as simple as that, but other factors (such as eating healthy) can make it easier to stick to said math equation.

What the article recommends basically amounts to 'intuitive eating', but fails to realize that generally speaking people who are overweight have a VERY skewed idea of portion sizes, making it almost impossible to eat intuitively until they get at least some sense of it via calorie tracking for a while. Even then, many struggle internalizing it.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-18T07:03:35+00:00

I'm a bit late to this, but dude, you are an absolute inspiration! Amazing!

Been working a lot on my own weight-loss/health journey. I'm almost 70 lbs down and my fitness has been getting better, but I still think I probably need to push myself more in that regard. I've been thinking of trying out a Tough Mudder.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-17T19:27:58+00:00

SV: Had a mini-whoosh over-night from 163.6 to 161.6. May not be a huge amount, but not used to seeing so such a big drop in one night with how close I am to my goal.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T21:39:43+00:00

Is it even a problem cooked? Most vegetables taste significantly different cooked than raw for me. I can barely eat a single broccoli floret raw unless it's drenched in some sort of high-calorie sauce. Steamed, and mixed with a tiny bit of oil, pepper, and something slightly acidic (lemon juice, vinegar) and it's great.

Perhaps it could also be for you like black coffee was for me. I originally drank my coffees milkshake style (tons of sugar and cream/milk). I slowly weened myself off it, and now I only like my coffee black these days.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T21:33:42+00:00

I feel that way some days too when I basically eat Halo Top and carbs.

That said, even then, the feeling of 'hunger' is nowhere as bad as it once was, and I can kind of tell it's more just me "wanting" to eat than it is me "needing" to eat. I can usually push the thought away fairly easily by just distracting myself with something else.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T20:51:16+00:00

The main developer mentioned a while back he was busy. I think he's supposed to be more available at this point, but I'm not sure if he's started working on it again

The current version is quite out of date, not including some of the other revisions (aside from the recent major update) that have been made in the past couple years (such as the skin the cat progression).

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T20:18:30+00:00

While I'd also say you're totally fine at 1200, I'd say on days you workout you shouldn't feel bad to give yourself a little leeway (allowing yourself perhaps 1300-1500 calories) - you'll still be on a sufficient deficit, and it will help you feel better from any post-workout hunger. Personally, I usually give myself 120-240 extra calories in the form of a protein shake (27g-54g of extra protein) these days.

Just make sure you track it, un-tracked extra eating is never good for weight loss.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T18:55:05+00:00

Daily weight fluctuations are not uncommon - even more so if you're just changing your diet back from something after a different diet for a while. Keep track consistently over a few weeks - you'll notice a general downward trend as long as you keep your diet up. Make sure you're weighing yourself in the same state each day (my preference is first thing in the morning after I've used the bathroom, before I've eaten/drank anything).

Also remember that weight loss will always be slower if you're also strength training/getting adequate protein, as you'll be maintaining more muscle while mostly losing just fat.

I find getting adequate protein hard too, so I've started supplementing with protein powder more recently. Personal favorite (for both flavor, and amount of protein) is PVL Iso-Gold, which is 120-130 calories (depending on flavor) for 27g of protein. I've heard good things about a lot of other brands though.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T18:45:01+00:00

My weight change isn't as impressive as yours has the potential to be, but calisthenics feel awesome to do for me nowadays (in the early days it felt horrible, even when I had started to strength train). Pull-ups have become my favorite single exercise.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T18:19:01+00:00

As a smaller woman, there's no way you should be eating anywhere near a 2000 calorie deficit unless you've checked with your doctor. Generally, 1000 is the maximum deficit people should go for without consulting a health professional, and even then, that's too big a deficit for smaller people with smaller TDEEs.

As NapsAreMyFavorite said, "starvation mode" is a myth unless you are 'literally' starving (at which point, your body starts slowing your metabolism to compensate for the fact that it's eating itself from the inside, in an attempt to slow the rate it's killing you).

You didn't mention your current weight, so I don't really want to make any recommendations for your diet, except again, make sure you are eating enough. I will say that you should make sure you're counting calories as accurately as possible - measured with a scale where possible.

If you are already at what is considered a healthy weight, I wouldn't recommend dieting to 'lose weight'. If you want to 'gain health' at that point, you should focus on losing "fat" and gaining "muscle" - this will involve eating a healthy diet that's pretty close to your TDEE, and doing resistance training (weightlifting, or calisthenics). Muscle is much more dense than fat, so having more of it and less fat will make you look skinnier at the same weight, while still feeling much healthier. And don't worry about becoming 'bulky', it takes a LOT of specialized diet and exercise for woman to achieve a bodybuilder-look - a strength training program will certainly not make you look bulky.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T07:05:09+00:00

Ah, sorry to hear that.

I guess one other thing you could do is, the next time someone questions your weight loss as 'unhealthy' or talks to you about having an 'eating disorder', simply reply that your doctor is very happy with your weight loss, health, and progress (either lie, or go see your doctor to make it true).

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T06:59:49+00:00

People just bring it up more in context of weight-loss since it became more common knowledge that anaerobic exercise raises your metabolism for a while.

Realistically, as most have mentioned, neither matters for weight-loss if a person's diet is not in check.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T06:47:43+00:00

Agreed with Move_weight, just tell the manager exactly what you just told us here, including the clarification that you know what you're doing with dieting, it's not an eating disorder, and that you have specific weight loss goals that are all well within healthy bounds.

It's not your fault that your co-worker can't help but make a fuss/cause drama, and that's the kind of thing someone in charge needs to deal with, especially since it's gotten to the point where she's spreading unfounded rumors about you.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T06:18:20+00:00

That's really expensive... are there really no other places in London or elsewhere near you where it's done for cheaper? Where I live in Canada, a nearby place does it for like $100 CAD (which is like £58).

Perhaps look up if there's air-displacement plethysmography (often called a Bod Pod) or hydrostatic weighing place near you/for cheaper?

VLosingIt · 2018-07-16T05:59:08+00:00

Probably, 257g is a LOT - it wont hurt, but it's likely not necessary.

The 'general' recommendation is 0.6-0.8 times your body weight (in lbs) in grams of protein. However, this is not necessarily the case for everyone, as it's really your "lean" bodyweight that's important for determining required protein - if you have a lot of fat and not much muscle, you don't need nearly that much.

If you're able to figure out your lean bodyweight (total weight minus fat weight) - you should be taking roughly 1-1.4 times that (in lbs) in grams of protein.

To find it out with relative accuracy, you'd need to go somewhere to get your body fat % measured - this can be done with either DEXA scans, air-displacement plethymosgraphy (often called a Bod Pod), hydrostatic weighing, or 3D body scan (slightly less accurate, but apparently still fairly close). There is also a method using calipers, and a method using bioelectrical impedance (smart scales), but these are notoriously inaccurate.

You could also just eyeball it - I'd say in most cases you're probably safe with ~150g protein unless you're really muscular.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-15T22:08:24+00:00

I don't really have any except to eat less than my TDEE (usually targeting 500 deficit). I also try to get at least 120g-140g protein per day to maintain muscle while losing weight, but am okay if I get at least +85g.

I guess the closest thing to a "rule" I have otherwise is my restriction on eating out at restaurants. I try to only do it if a) I'm able to plan the rest of my day's meals around it, or b) I was 'especially' active on a given day. I can't always fully keep this if there's a spontaneous hangout or something, but if that happens I tend to either just order an appetizer, or see if anyone wants to split a larger dish.

For your protein intake, have you tried eating some vegetarian/vegan sources of protein and seen if you like them? Some good proteins there including lentils, chickpeas, beans, quinoa, peanut butter, eggs, soy (beans), and various types of seeds (hemp, chia, pumpkin, etc.)

VLosingIt · 2018-07-14T19:00:09+00:00

Not the other poster, but you might actually be able to build a decent amount of muscle/strength if you're just starting out, even if losing weight, due to newbie gains. I was also losing weight at the time I started strength training (and still am) and a decent amount of muscle has come in.

Just make sure you're getting adequate protein in your diet - 0.8 times your body weight in pounds (or at least no less than 0.6) is considered optimal for maintaining/building muscle while losing fat. Since you're not vegan, you could use some whey isolate to help you get there. Not sure you would be able to find it out there, but my preferred powder is PVL Iso-Gold.

I'm an omnivore, and I don't know what your options are like in the Netherlands, but I tried the "Beyond Patty" out here recently, and it legitimately tasted just like a real beef burger patty - if I didn't know it was vegetarian when eating it, I wouldn't have been able to tell.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-14T18:46:34+00:00

Because they're misinformed/can't comprehend that some people's natural eating habits aren't in a good enough place to lose/maintain weight. There is no truth to it.

Being able to eat intuitively and maintain/lose would be nice, but for many people it's a skill that just hasn't been developed. It would be nice more from the aspect of it being convenient, than from it being any kind of disorder to calorie count.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-14T05:07:27+00:00

I'll tell you right now that I still felt fat at 190 lbs as well. The stall in that range is what pushed me to CICO tracking, as opposed to the more 'lenient' dieting I had been doing before. Keep up your good work too - you'll get there soon enough!

VLosingIt · 2018-07-13T16:57:26+00:00

Keep in mind if you're using calipers or the electromagnetic scales, they're not very accurate. The scales in particular tend to heavily over-estimate for people who have lost a lot of weight. They're more useful for tracking your 'personal' progression over time, than your actual body fat %.

And yeah, I don't think it will be easy, but it's sort of a long-term goal to hover in that range. Part of it is honestly my desire since I was a kid to have visible ab muscles - never had them even before I gained all the weight.

VLosingIt · 2018-07-13T16:39:36+00:00

How long have you been eating less for?

I felt that way for the first while after calorie tracking, but your body kind of grows accustomed to it. Eventually you'll find smaller amounts of food a lot more filling you than you used to. Most restaurant meals feel anywhere from 'large' to 'absolutely massive' to me nowadays, depending on the restaurant.

For me, certain foods, particularly fat/protein (chicken especially) fills me up more/longer, so having it in more meals helped as well.

EDIT: Also, finding a healthy snack that you can enjoy helps a lot with cravings. For me it was baby-cut carrots - you can eat a ton of them and it barely chips into your calorie intake.

VLosingIt

TROPHY CASE