Losing weight/fitness thread

[Neilds]

I am putting everything in, but some of it is total guesswork. For example, I got ho fan noodles from the Chinese on Saturday night. Impossible to know how many calories, so I just search and selected an option with a high number of calories. Any time I have a physical product with a barcode I can scan, I do it that way of course.

I think this is why I always get fed up of MFP when I've done it in the past. So much of it is guesswork. On Sunday, we had breakfast at a café (mushrooms and fried eggs on sourdough toast for me, then a courgette & lime cake), and my mum and dad cooked us Sunday lunch (some kind of beef casserole with mushrooms & carrots and mashed potato). I do my best to put every ingredient in but there's no way to be 100% accurate with it.

Takeaway, cake, fried breakfast at a cafe, full sunday dinner - and you wonder why you only lost 1 lb?!?! The problem isn't what you are putting into trackers.............

 

[Orikoru]

Takeaway, cake, fried breakfast at a cafe, full sunday dinner - and you wonder why you only lost 1 lb?!?! The problem isn't what you are putting into trackers.............

Sunday went slightly over the target but every other day last week I was under the calorie target.

 

[SteveW86]

Sunday went slightly over the target but every other day last week I was under the calorie target.

Are you just tracking what you eat, or are you reducing what you eat and also tracking that?

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Sunday went slightly over the target but every other day last week I was under the calorie target.

You maybe under calorie target but what else are you doing to put yourself in a deficit. Have you increase your activity, are you drinking enough water, what you’re putting in might have you under calories but you could still be eating crap. Water alone could be an issue not getting enough will cause your body to hold it in other areas so the scales may not move.

Plus one day of over eating could still put you in excess for the week if your weekly goals takes you over that overall number.

MFP won’t make you lose weight no matter how you track it. It’s everything else you do that will, it’s about making smarter choices everywhere everyday. I’ve said it before and it’s boring but the key to losing weight is like a good golf score Consistency matters you can’t keep fluctuating in different days and hoping it’ll work.

 

[SteveW86]

You maybe under calorie target but what else are you doing to put yourself in a deficit. Have you increase your activity, are you drinking enough water, what you’re putting in might have you under calories but you could still be eating crap. Water alone could be an issue not getting enough will cause your body to hold it in other areas so the scales may not move.

Plus one day of over eating could still put you in excess for the week if your weekly goals takes you over that overall number.

MFP won’t make you lose weight no matter how you track it. It’s everything else you do that will, it’s about making smarter choices everywhere everyday. I’ve said it before and it’s boring but the key to losing weight is like a good golf score Consistency matters you can’t keep fluctuating in different days and hoping it’ll work.

I think it’s all relative to what you have been doing before. My diet has been terrible for the last 9 months and it has shown.

I weighed myself 2 weeks ago roughly, since then I haven’t tracked anything but I’ve been 90% consistently good diet and been to the gym 2-3 times a week. (not as much as I’d like).

Down 4 kg without really doing anything other than cutting out what I shouldn’t have been having.

 

[Paperboy]

So my point of view, I lose weight easier when I use MFP.
For instance I batch cook alot. I weigh all the veg, take the weight of the meat from the packaging. Then sometimes it's 7 portions other times it's 8. So if any of the weights are different from the previous batch they are changed and the portions I get are altered if needed.

I then know for those meals in theory are this many calories. Yes each portion isn't exactly the same but the closest i can get it.
I then put my main 3 meals in for the week and see what calories and Macro's I've left and try and fins health snacks for the calories / Macros my coach has set for me.

 

[Bazz]

I am putting everything in, but some of it is total guesswork. For example, I got ho fan noodles from the Chinese on Saturday night. Impossible to know how many calories, so I just search and selected an option with a high number of calories. Any time I have a physical product with a barcode I can scan, I do it that way of course.

I think this is why I always get fed up of MFP when I've done it in the past. So much of it is guesswork. On Sunday, we had breakfast at a café (mushrooms and fried eggs on sourdough toast for me, then a courgette & lime cake), and my mum and dad cooked us Sunday lunch (some kind of beef casserole with mushrooms & carrots and mashed potato). I do my best to put every ingredient in but there's no way to be 100% accurate with it.

Not the point, but courgette and lime cake?

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

I think it’s all relative to what you have been doing before. My diet has been terrible for the last 9 months and it has shown.

I weighed myself 2 weeks ago roughly, since then I haven’t tracked anything but I’ve been 90% consistently good diet and been to the gym 2-3 times a week. (not as much as I’d like).

Down 4 kg without really doing anything other than cutting out what I shouldn’t have been having.

That’s my point though you have 90% of the time been consistent (nobody unless they’re boring will be perfect ) you’ve also been going to the gym to create a bigger deficit. I guarantee that 90% is better than what you’d been doing the previous 9months.

the original poster has said before he doesn’t exercise and refuses to cut out takeaways whether that’s once a week etc, plus in one day a breakfast day out , cake and then full roast. You can’t out train a bad diet and equally you can’t lose weight if you don’t make some changes. Which you have

 

[Bazz]

For the first time in a long time, I listened to my body yesterday, just wasn't feeling it after doing 13 miles over the weekend so left it....and then did 7 miles this morning before work and told my body to stfu.

 

[Bazz]

I think it’s all relative to what you have been doing before. My diet has been terrible for the last 9 months and it has shown.

I weighed myself 2 weeks ago roughly, since then I haven’t tracked anything but I’ve been 90% consistently good diet and been to the gym 2-3 times a week. (not as much as I’d like).

Down 4 kg without really doing anything other than cutting out what I shouldn’t have been having.

90% is really good consistency, especially coming off the back of a terrible diet you mention.

 

[SteveW86]

90% is really good consistency, especially coming off the back of a terrible diet you mention.

2-3 weeks of pain to change the habit then it will be easier.

New job is more office based and they have unlimited free biscuits, it took a steep downward curve. Then chocolate and sharing bags of crisps on an evening.

I’m in trouble when they break out the jammy dodgers, god tier biscuit.

 

[Bazz]

2-3 weeks of pain to change the habit then it will be easier.

New job is more office based and they have unlimited free biscuits, it took a steep downward curve. Then chocolate and sharing bags of crisps on an evening.

I’m in trouble when they break out the jammy dodgers, god tier biscuit.

Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels....apart from jammie dodgers, chocolate hob nobs, steak McCoy's etc etc....

 

[Orikoru]

Are you just tracking what you eat, or are you reducing what you eat and also tracking that?

Well, both? My normal diet Monday to Friday was already under the 1750 target it gives me anyway, for the most part. But the act of tracking calories obviously affects my decisions at times, to just have less chocolate etc when there's not many calories left for that day.

Not the point, but courgette and lime cake?

It's basically similar to a carrot cake in terms of texture and consistency. Beautiful.

 

[Orikoru]

You maybe under calorie target but what else are you doing to put yourself in a deficit. Have you increase your activity, are you drinking enough water, what you’re putting in might have you under calories but you could still be eating crap. Water alone could be an issue not getting enough will cause your body to hold it in other areas so the scales may not move.

Plus one day of over eating could still put you in excess for the week if your weekly goals takes you over that overall number.

MFP won’t make you lose weight no matter how you track it. It’s everything else you do that will, it’s about making smarter choices everywhere everyday. I’ve said it before and it’s boring but the key to losing weight is like a good golf score Consistency matters you can’t keep fluctuating in different days and hoping it’ll work.

My layman's understanding is that if you're in a calorie deficit - i.e. you burn more than consume - then you should lose weight. Irrespective of what the calories going in comprise of.

The water is a fair point, I have about 500-600ml a day max I would say, so very little.

 

[SteveW86]

Not the point, but courgette and lime cake?

Almost counts as 1 of your 5 a day

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

My layman's understanding is that if you're in a calorie deficit - i.e. you burn more than consume - then you should lose weight. Irrespective of what the calories going in comprise of.

The water is a fair point, I have about 500-600ml a day max I would say, so very little.

In layman’s terms kind of. You’ll lose 1lb roughly by being spot on with your diet and no treats and getting at least 2L of water in per day without any exercise.

But you’ve pointed out you’re not drinking enough so you’re likely holding onto water, and you’re not being 100% on diet every day. Let’s be honest nobody is ever going to be 100% unless they’re boring, are competing professionally for some sort of sport or have a disorder. So realistically without increasing your exercise activity and based on how your eating drinking your current progress is right and nothing to do with MFP being poor.

You don’t need the gym mate, few extra steps at work, short walk at lunch etc. or dare I say it that walk board you said your Mrs couldn’t have

With what you’re doing will get results it’ll just be very slow.

 

[SteveW86]

My layman's understanding is that if you're in a calorie deficit - i.e. you burn more than consume - then you should lose weight. Irrespective of what the calories going in comprise of.

The water is a fair point, I have about 500-600ml a day max I would say, so very little.

To lose 1lb of fat a week I think you need a calorie deficit of about 3500 for that week.

I’ve read articles that suggest it doesn’t matter where the calories come from, but for me that’s a load of bull. I’d rather eat lots of calorie “light” food, than not much calorie dense food.

I don’t know the answer, but what how many calories do you think that slice of cake had? There are so many hidden calories in food when eaten out, even just from how the food is cooked that it can be a bit of a minefield

 

[Lucifer MorningStar]

Sooo my first session today in what must be 10days due to my ass getting kicked by that god awful bug.

Kept it simple to test out the lungs and get ready for work this weekend. 1hr on the treadmill, incline set at 10%, speed at 5km/h and carrying a 40lb Day Sack. Did the full hour and got a sweat on and lungs were holding up though a bit chesty at the end. Same again tomorrow but a bit more weight and distance. Normal training will resume properly from next Thursday when I get some stand down time.

 

[Orikoru]

In layman’s terms kind of. You’ll lose 1lb roughly by being spot on with your diet and no treats and getting at least 2L of water in per day without any exercise.

But you’ve pointed out you’re not drinking enough so you’re likely holding onto water, and you’re not being 100% on diet every day. Let’s be honest nobody is ever going to be 100% unless they’re boring, are competing professionally for some sort of sport or have a disorder. So realistically without increasing your exercise activity and based on how your eating drinking your current progress is right and nothing to do with MFP being poor.

You don’t need the gym mate, few extra steps at work, short walk at lunch etc. or dare I say it that walk board you said your Mrs couldn’t have

With what you’re doing will get results it’ll just be very slow.

I do this already, my normal daily step count is between 5000 and 6000.

Maybe losing a pound every two weeks isn't as bad as it sounds. That is nearly a stone in six months to be fair.

 

[Neilds]

My layman's understanding is that if you're in a calorie deficit - i.e. you burn more than consume - then you should lose weight. Irrespective of what the calories going in comprise of.

The water is a fair point, I have about 500-600ml a day max I would say, so very little.

Your understanding is correct. What is not correct is how many calories you are actually consuming - and not what an app tells you. To basically stay the same weight, then you obviously weren't in calorie deficit. If you are seriously wanting to lose weight then you need to cut out the snacks and takeaways, not just cut down and move more, be it walking, gym, football, whatever. Stop making excuses that you don't have time, etc as you are only fooling yourself.

Sorry if this is coming over a bit harsh but sometimes people need to hear the harsh truth to give them the kick up the backside they need.