Weight Loss Thread

[Alex+R 0]

Last night I had only ate about 1300 cals and I was not hungry but I did ended up doing about 45 mins on my elliptical and my mom (she is a dr so she might be right) told me I needed to eat about 1000 calories more because of the the time I spent working out so I ate lots of whole wheat pasta with marinara and 2 pieces of garlic bread. It was still only like 700 calories more but it made her happy.

Your mom's right. If you're down to 1300 calories, your body is going to go into OMG I'M STARVING caveman mode and won't shed the weight. 2300 might be more than you need, depending on your height, but 1300 is a very severe calorie restriction.

1300 is not a severe calorie restriction! It's completely normal for a dieter. It would be severe if Amber weighed upwards of 300 pounds, which I don't think she does. But in that case, anyway, most doctors would recommend a severe calorie cut for initial emergency weight loss.

[Caladan 19]

I know for sure that I lose inches here and there and some weights but I don't understand that every time I weigh myself , the scale results same now... is building/adding muscles weigh too? I must don't make sense but I know someone out there (Nessa? Help! ) can tell me , I appreciate it, thanks!

Yes, that's what's happening, and it's really common in people who are close to their ideal weight. It's a good thing! Lean muscle mass usually means a higher metabolism, which means that weight loss is easier to keep off, and it also means you're doing exercise that's making you healthier and stronger.

I weigh myself periodically, but I also have started measuring myself and I find it to be a much better predictor of how healthy I am. I've only lost three pounds since I've gotten back to the gym, but I have dropped a couple inches and I can lift more weights. I'm fine with my current weight, as it was what I weighed in college, but I'd like to have the same body composition I did back then, which I so totally don't given that I was an athlete back then. So I figure either I have to get stronger, or drop ten pounds.

[Caladan 19]

Last night I had only ate about 1300 cals and I was not hungry but I did ended up doing about 45 mins on my elliptical and my mom (she is a dr so she might be right) told me I needed to eat about 1000 calories more because of the the time I spent working out so I ate lots of whole wheat pasta with marinara and 2 pieces of garlic bread. It was still only like 700 calories more but it made her happy.

Your mom's right. If you're down to 1300 calories, your body is going to go into OMG I'M STARVING caveman mode and won't shed the weight. 2300 might be more than you need, depending on your height, but 1300 is a very severe calorie restriction.

1300 is not a severe calorie restriction! It's completely normal for a dieter. It would be severe if Amber weighed upwards of 300 pounds, which I don't think she does. But in that case, anyway, most doctors would recommend a severe calorie cut for initial emergency weight loss.

1300 is so a severe calorie restriction! That's why it's only recommended for initial emergency weight loss! Like two weeks, max. Not a long term health management solution.

(Literally, it's 60% of maintenance calories for me, according to the mypyramid site.)

I'll shut up now. I hate crash diets with a passion. Slow and steady.

[Alex+R 0]

Last night I had only ate about 1300 cals and I was not hungry but I did ended up doing about 45 mins on my elliptical and my mom (she is a dr so she might be right) told me I needed to eat about 1000 calories more because of the the time I spent working out so I ate lots of whole wheat pasta with marinara and 2 pieces of garlic bread. It was still only like 700 calories more but it made her happy.

Your mom's right. If you're down to 1300 calories, your body is going to go into OMG I'M STARVING caveman mode and won't shed the weight. 2300 might be more than you need, depending on your height, but 1300 is a very severe calorie restriction.

1300 is not a severe calorie restriction! It's completely normal for a dieter. It would be severe if Amber weighed upwards of 300 pounds, which I don't think she does. But in that case, anyway, most doctors would recommend a severe calorie cut for initial emergency weight loss.

1300 is so a severe calorie restriction! That's why it's only recommended for initial emergency weight loss! Like two weeks, max. Not a long term health management solution.

(Literally, it's 60% of maintenance calories for me, according to the mypyramid site.)

I'll shut up now. I hate crash diets with a passion. Slow and steady.

But people who are on a diet are not maintaining, and people who don't work out super intensely every day rarely need more than 2000 calories to maintain. Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig have most participants on about 1200-1500 calories a day.

[Amby 490]

Last night I had only ate about 1300 cals and I was not hungry but I did ended up doing about 45 mins on my elliptical and my mom (she is a dr so she might be right) told me I needed to eat about 1000 calories more because of the the time I spent working out so I ate lots of whole wheat pasta with marinara and 2 pieces of garlic bread. It was still only like 700 calories more but it made her happy.

Your mom's right. If you're down to 1300 calories, your body is going to go into OMG I'M STARVING caveman mode and won't shed the weight. 2300 might be more than you need, depending on your height, but 1300 is a very severe calorie restriction.

1300 is not a severe calorie restriction! It's completely normal for a dieter. It would be severe if Amber weighed upwards of 300 pounds, which I don't think she does. But in that case, anyway, most doctors would recommend a severe calorie cut for initial emergency weight loss.

thanks alex. I've been trying to actually stick to like 1500-1700. I am 5'11" and if I eat like 1300 calories I really don't feel hungry but I feel maybe a little sluggish. I think that the 1500-1700 is a better amount for me right now. However the 2300 was quite a large amount for me...I had to eat 2 dinners!

[Alex+R 0]

Last night I had only ate about 1300 cals and I was not hungry but I did ended up doing about 45 mins on my elliptical and my mom (she is a dr so she might be right) told me I needed to eat about 1000 calories more because of the the time I spent working out so I ate lots of whole wheat pasta with marinara and 2 pieces of garlic bread. It was still only like 700 calories more but it made her happy.

Your mom's right. If you're down to 1300 calories, your body is going to go into OMG I'M STARVING caveman mode and won't shed the weight. 2300 might be more than you need, depending on your height, but 1300 is a very severe calorie restriction.

1300 is not a severe calorie restriction! It's completely normal for a dieter. It would be severe if Amber weighed upwards of 300 pounds, which I don't think she does. But in that case, anyway, most doctors would recommend a severe calorie cut for initial emergency weight loss.

thanks alex. I've been trying to actually stick to like 1500-1700. I am 5'11" and if I eat like 1300 calories I really don't feel hungry but I feel maybe a little sluggish. I think that the 1500-1700 is a better amount for me right now. However the 2300 was quite a large amount for me...I had to eat 2 dinners!

I bet Caladan would totally approve of 1500-1700 anyway. Good luck.

I kinda blew it this weekend with a trip to Astoria Queens, where we went to the Brazilian grocery store, ate dinner at a Colombian restaurant and bought dessert at a Greek bakery. I feel queasy...

[Amby 490]

I finally figured out how to eat with chopsticks so I've been having everything with them for the past day. I'm going to make some stir fry for lunch just so I can use them I would much rather go to a chinese place and stuff my face though. I will resist the temptation at least for today

[sereia 0]

i have to agree. i've plugged in my stats online and was told to eat around 2000 calories a day. I don't think I'd be losing much if I did that! I've dieted before and ate around 1500 and lost weight much better that way! But I also happen to be tall at 5'8".

I miss Astoria! Which Colombian restaurant did you eat at? The one on Steinway? Buy the Amazon Mania Acai (if you even like acai) its the best one by far!

[Alex+R 0]

I miss Astoria! Which Colombian restaurant did you eat at? The one on Steinway? Buy the Amazon Mania Acai (if you even like acai) its the best one by far!

No, although I was into that one. We ate at Tierras Colombianas, which is like a diner of Colombian meat dishes. It was pretty good, and certainly had a lot in common with Brazilian food.

I'll have to tell Rey about the Acai. He likes it but I'm not a big fan.

I bet Astoria misses you too.

Edited January 27, 2008 by Alex+R

[Caladan 19]

Last night I had only ate about 1300 cals and I was not hungry but I did ended up doing about 45 mins on my elliptical and my mom (she is a dr so she might be right) told me I needed to eat about 1000 calories more because of the the time I spent working out so I ate lots of whole wheat pasta with marinara and 2 pieces of garlic bread. It was still only like 700 calories more but it made her happy.

Your mom's right. If you're down to 1300 calories, your body is going to go into OMG I'M STARVING caveman mode and won't shed the weight. 2300 might be more than you need, depending on your height, but 1300 is a very severe calorie restriction.

1300 is not a severe calorie restriction! It's completely normal for a dieter. It would be severe if Amber weighed upwards of 300 pounds, which I don't think she does. But in that case, anyway, most doctors would recommend a severe calorie cut for initial emergency weight loss.

thanks alex. I've been trying to actually stick to like 1500-1700. I am 5'11" and if I eat like 1300 calories I really don't feel hungry but I feel maybe a little sluggish. I think that the 1500-1700 is a better amount for me right now. However the 2300 was quite a large amount for me...I had to eat 2 dinners!

I didn't mean to jump on you. I just felt bad because you seemed sad over eating a very healthy dinner after exercising and I hate to see people beating themselves up. 1500-1700 is probably a good range for moderate weight loss.

2200 is what is recommended as maintenance for me, which I think I normally come pretty close to, but I have a very stubborn metabolism. I don't gain or lose weight very easily, even with calorie restriction. The only thing that budges it for me is exercise.

[PlatyPius 5]

Well, my weight loss stopped today. Same weight as yesterday, after losing 2 pounds per day for 6 days. Not unexpected, of course. Especially since I kinda binged yesterday... Mags and I went to the Chinese buffet here in town. I didn't eat a whole lot, but you know how buffet Chinese is.... lots of bad stuff. So, when I got home, I popped a Xenical immediately. Today at weigh-in, no change.

I was on 2200 calories (although I rarely reached that) for the first week. I had no issues, so now I'm at 2000. It's warmer today, and is supposed to be 50° tomorrow, so I'm going to try to get a bike ride in later today and tomorrow. That'll burn off 1000-3000 calories each time.

So far today I've had 325 calories. I'm getting a little hungry and light-headed, so I reckon I should eat. I've been busy working on my office (bookcases and wiring) and frequently forget to eat when I'm doing that.

[sereia 0]

I miss Astoria! Which Colombian restaurant did you eat at? The one on Steinway? Buy the Amazon Mania Acai (if you even like acai) its the best one by far!

No, although I was into that one. We ate at Tierras Colombianas, which is like a diner of Colombian meat dishes. It was pretty good, and certainly had a lot in common with Brazilian food.

I'll have to tell Rey about the Acai. He likes it but I'm not a big fan.

I bet Astoria misses you too.

I've eaten at both Colombian places...and although its somewhat similar to Brazilian food, I much prefer Brazilian food. lol Did you ever get to Brasilianville Cafe? Its really close to that market you shop at (I assume you go to that big one?) Its really good per-kilo style food!

Defininitely tell him about the acai. I miss having that one as you can't buy it in CA without ordering it online. Boo!

[Amby 490]

Congrats on the weight loss Platy! Everyone hits a plateau eventually and you just need to add to what you're doing. How are you doing on the Xenical? My aunt took it and wasn't really into the side effects that came with it. 2lbs a day for 6 days is an awful lot of weight loss but as long as you're feeling ok I think you'll be fine. I'm going to the dr tomorrow to have a weigh in and talk to him about how many calories I should actually be eating. I think I will print out my food logs from calorie count to show him.

I ended up making some stir fry veggies and adding them into the much anticipated lean cuisine hunan beef dish...I enjoyed it but it didn't have enough sauce for me since I added in lots of veggies and I thought that the beef tasted more like pot roast than chinese beef. I would definately eat it again though but I don't think I'll add so many veggies the next time. I also had a mint 3 musketeer bar...yum-o

Edited January 27, 2008 by Amber&Neil

[PlatyPius 5]

Congrats on the weight loss Platy! Everyone hits a plateau eventually and you just need to add to what you're doing. How are you doing on the Xenical? My aunt took it and wasn't really into the side effects that came with it. 2lbs a day for 6 days is an awful lot of weight loss but as long as you're feeling ok I think you'll be fine. I'm going to the dr tomorrow to have a weigh in and talk to him about how many calories I should actually be eating. I think I will print out my food logs from calorie count to show him.

I ended up making some stir fry veggies and adding them into the much anticipated lean cuisine hunan beef dish...I enjoyed it but it didn't have enough sauce for me since I added in lots of veggies and I thought that the beef tasted more like pot roast than chinese beef. I would definately eat it again though but I don't think I'll add so many veggies the next time. I also had a mint 3 musketeer bar...yum-o

I haven't had any issues with the Xenical. I only take it when I really need to, so once a day at the most. I rarely eat over 30% fat anyway, so the side effects haven't bothered me. (The main, nasty side effect...spontaneously crapping yourself....is said to only happen if you take it and eat a fat-rich meal.)

It's been really hard for me to find foods that fit into my diet plan. I need foods that are: low fat, low calorie, low sodium, and no High Fructose Corn Syrup. There are only 3 breads available locally that don't have HFCS. One of them is low-cal, the rest aren't. The low-cal stuff is $3/loaf - when it's available. So, I'm eating Aunt Millie's wheat bread at the moment. No HFCS, but 80 calories per slice, versus the 35 calories per slice for the low-cal stuff.

I've been eating a lot of Egg Beaters and Veggie burgers - neither of which is known for being low sodium. (I have high blood pressure, so I'm trying to do an entire diet make-over at once) Oh, and I can't have high carbs in the morning.... I get weak, dizzy, and have to sleep for a few hours after the carb spike is over. So, no carb-rich foods for breakfast....gotta be high protein.

As for the 2 pounds/day thing.....

When you weigh as much as I do, that's pretty common. I started on the 19th at 304 (the most I've ever weighed in my life), and I'm currently at 292. My goal is 250 by my birthday on July 19th. After that, we'll see... I'm a big guy, even if I'm not fat. I think 220 is the lowest I could go without looking like a famine victim. (I have a LOT of muscle hiding underneath the fat.... I was a weight lifter for years, and I'm a cyclist. There's a lot of muscle mass there. Hence my ability to just sit here and burn more calories than most of you do while working out. (My computed calorie requirement to just keep everything going is 3500 calories. So, as long as I eat under 3500 calories/day, I'll lose weight.)

[Amby 490]

Platy I usually eat the All Whites egg whites instead of the egg beaters I find that they taste better to me. Also, I'm having a hard time with making things lower in sodium. I've been aiming for lots of fresh fruits and veggies. The new thing I've been doing a lot this week is making a microwave meal for lunch like lean cuisine and then adding 1/2 bag of steam fresh veggies or some other steamed or grilled veggies to go with it. Do you like fish? I'm thinking about grilling some fish tonight since it's warmer today than it has been for awhile.