One Pound a Week

[musicgal]

Hello everyone-  We have a cruise booked this Fall and I am joining you in shedding some pounds.  I have an August goal of being under 145 lbs. As a pound of body fat  equals about 3500 calories, I plan to do what I've done in the past and create a 500 calorie deficit each day and lose about a pound a week.  If I stay active, this is actually not all that painful- except for cutting out the nightly glass of wine:(

Eating about 1200 calories and exercising will do it for me.  How about you?  If you lost a pound a week, where would you be in June... or August... or October? A year has 52 weeks.  Where would you be if you lost 52 pounds this year?

[Sdancer]

I am retired and go on about 4 cruises a year. I might gain 1-3 pounds if I do not lift weights on a ship but it is gone in less than a week upon return because a body is always trying to return to it’s normal state (it is a rule - homestead).

 

I never count calories but rather make sure that I eat every 3-4 hours and have enough muscle mass to burn calories. My workouts are mostly resistance weight training and no cardio (high cardio will burn muscle mass).

 

Deficit calories slowdown metabolic rate  and body burns less calories.

Also, deficit calories  intake is not a permanent solution.

A healthy lifestyle by not overindulging (except on cruises 🙂

) while not depriving myself, not skipping meals and lifting weights works very well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by Sdancer

[Sdancer]

I re-read the original post. I should not have had posted, sorry.

 

On the positive side:

Losing 1-2 pounds a week is a realistic and healthy weight loss goal.

It is best done with the right exercise program, healthy nutrition plan without deficit calories to make it a lasting result.

Deficit calories is an old school and never works in a long run.

I taught “Healthy Lifestyles” and “Diets” in our school district with good results.

 

On the lighter side (pan not intended):

To answer your question where would I be If I lost 52 pounds this year - I would be 6 feet under 😀.

 

 

Edited January 21, 2020 by Sdancer

[pacruise804]

5 hours ago, Sdancer said:

I am retired and go on about 4 cruises a year. I might gain 1-3 pounds if I do not lift weights on a ship but it is gone in less than a week upon return because a body is always trying to return to it’s normal state (it is a rule - homestead).

 

I never count calories but rather make sure that I eat every 3-4 hours and have enough muscle mass to burn calories. My workouts are mostly resistance weight training and no cardio (high cardio will burn muscle mass).

 

Deficit calories slowdown metabolic rate  and body burns less calories.

Also, deficit calories  intake is not a permanent solution.

A healthy lifestyle by not overindulging (except on cruises 🙂

) while not depriving myself, not skipping meals and lifting weights works very well.

 

 

 

 

What determines a "normal" state?  Is this normal vs over/under weight or a different normal?  This doesn't make sense to me.

 

 

20 hours ago, musicgal said:

Hello everyone-  We have a cruise booked this Fall and I am joining you in shedding some pounds.  I have an August goal of being under 145 lbs. As a pound of body fat  equals about 3500 calories, I plan to do what I've done in the past and create a 500 calorie deficit each day and lose about a pound a week.  If I stay active, this is actually not all that painful- except for cutting out the nightly glass of wine:(

Eating about 1200 calories and exercising will do it for me.  How about you?  If you lost a pound a week, where would you be in June... or August... or October? A year has 52 weeks.  Where would you be if you lost 52 pounds this year?

1200 calories plus exercise seems excessive for 1# per week loss.  I have had success tracking food (and regained when I stopped tracking and was less aware of intake).  A pound per week is should be healthy and doable and I wish you well - there is a weekly weigh-in thread that helps with accountability if you want to join.

 

Not to nitpick too much, but a pound of fat can't equal 3500 calories - one is a measure of weight and the other a measure of energy.  I have heard though that to lose a pound you need a 3500 calorie deficit (through diet, exercise, or a combination) from your base metabolic rate (what your body burns just to keep you alive), or a 3500 excess to gain weight (yes, some people have that issue too).  I am also aiming for around 1# per week loss, giving myself 2 grace weeks for holidays and rounding down to 50#/year.

[musicgal]

32 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

What determines a "normal" state?  Is this normal vs over/under weight or a different normal?  This doesn't make sense to me.

 

 

1200 calories plus exercise seems excessive for 1# per week loss.  I have had success tracking food (and regained when I stopped tracking and was less aware of intake).  A pound per week is should be healthy and doable and I wish you well - there is a weekly weigh-in thread that helps with accountability if you want to join.

 

Not to nitpick too much, but a pound of fat can't equal 3500 calories - one is a measure of weight and the other a measure of energy.  I have heard though that to lose a pound you need a 3500 calorie deficit (through diet, exercise, or a combination) from your base metabolic rate (what your body burns just to keep you alive), or a 3500 excess to gain weight (yes, some people have that issue too).  I am also aiming for around 1# per week loss, giving myself 2 grace weeks for holidays and rounding down to 50#/year.

 

[musicgal]

Since I have a certification in Personal Nutrition Counseling, I won't argue with you. Suffice it to say, it works for me and has worked for my clients.  Up the activity and cut out some calories. Since basal met is about 1300 for me, burning an extra 400 a day is no big deal.  

[wesorbeth]

I lost 70lbs 13 years ago in 7 months by eating less and exercising more.  I maintained my goal until about 18 months ago now I need to lose 15.  I will do it by making tracking my food and portions. I will eat 1200 - 1400 calories a day and increase my activity.

 

[JenGi]

On 1/20/2020 at 7:58 PM, musicgal said:

Eating about 1200 calories and exercising will do it for me.  How about you? 

I'm doing the same as you are.  Its been difficult for me to exercise lately,  too cold outside but still trying.  

[musicgal]

5 hours ago, JenGi said:

I'm doing the same as you are.  Its been difficult for me to exercise lately,  too cold outside but still trying.  

Keep up the good work, Jen.

[musicgal]

I think what I find most about people who insist that "diets don't work" is that when they see someone successfully losing weight by modifying their eating habits- say, "Oh, you'll just gain it back once you start to eat normally."  Well, no you don't.  Weight creeps up over a period of time unless you habitually gorge on high calorie food or alcohol.  I was down at my goal last Spring, but hosted a ton of parties where I cooked and took some nice vacations where I indulged myself.  I had a lot of fun and drank good wine with my spouse and our friends and family.  I don't begrudge that to myself or anyone- but as my husband and I laugh about it... if you do the crime you gotta pay the time.  I estimate being close to my personal goal around Easter, at which time I will just go into maintenance mode.   

[pacruise804]

12 hours ago, musicgal said:

I think what I find most about people who insist that "diets don't work" is that when they see someone successfully losing weight by modifying their eating habits- say, "Oh, you'll just gain it back once you start to eat normally."  Well, no you don't.  Weight creeps up over a period of time unless you habitually gorge on high calorie food or alcohol.  I was down at my goal last Spring, but hosted a ton of parties where I cooked and took some nice vacations where I indulged myself.  I had a lot of fun and drank good wine with my spouse and our friends and family.  I don't begrudge that to myself or anyone- but as my husband and I laugh about it... if you do the crime you gotta pay the time.  I estimate being close to my personal goal around Easter, at which time I will just go into maintenance mode.   

 

I'm not trying to argue, but rather understand (one negative of forums is not getting non-verbal communication).  How is weight creeping up not gaining the weight back?  I lost over 50# a few years ago by reducing calorie intake and increasing activity.  Where I fell apart was maintenance mode: eating "normally" (not paying attention 😉 ).  While I didn't gain it back overnight, the weight did come back.  My husband and I more found when people wanted to know our secret and found out it's the tried and true "exercise and eat less" they weren't interested since that's work.  Many people want a quick fix and no effort.

 

Do you have any tips for staying in maintenance mode?  I suspect for me I will always need to track my calories to avoid the creep up, but I also have a strong enough family history of diabetes that I will likely be tracking one way or another 🤷‍♀️

 

 

 

 

[musicgal]

14 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

I'm not trying to argue, but rather understand (one negative of forums is not getting non-verbal communication).  How is weight creeping up not gaining the weight back?  I lost over 50# a few years ago by reducing calorie intake and increasing activity.  Where I fell apart was maintenance mode: eating "normally" (not paying attention 😉 ).  While I didn't gain it back overnight, the weight did come back.  My husband and I more found when people wanted to know our secret and found out it's the tried and true "exercise and eat less" they weren't interested since that's work.  Many people want a quick fix and no effort.

 

Do you have any tips for staying in maintenance mode?  I suspect for me I will always need to track my calories to avoid the creep up, but I also have a strong enough family history of diabetes that I will likely be tracking one way or another 🤷‍♀️

 

pacruise-  Weight "creep" is unfortunately a very normal part of life as most of us live it... from the mid 20th century to now.  If you look at photos from the 70s, you will see that people are much leaner in general.  This is even truer when you look at photos from the 40s and 50s, which we've been doing lately in an attempt to scan family pics into a digital format.  There are tons of reasons why- from hormones in meat to misinformation about fats and cholesterol- to a very high rate of antidepressant use which encourages weight gain, to disrupted sleep patterns, stress and cortisol, the wide availability of fast food and a culture which heavily promotes alcohol and soda.  What I have seen generally, is that people have a preset conception of how they can lose weight- (which is generally scientifically wrong), but they never implement their system for longer than a couple of weeks because a system that actually works involves prolonged effort and discipling.  

It is absolutely normal to gain weight back over a period of years of eating "normally".  I think that people feel guilty about it though, and that compounds the difficulty in the thought process about losing it again.  The rationale may be something like "I lost if before- I know I will just gain it back so why bother".  That's wrong thinking.  People don't feel that was when they put gas in their tank only to have it run out.  They go and refill it again.

In maintenance, I think what is important is that you set limits for how far you will let it go and then work at it for a period of time before it gets out of hand.  For example:  I had a friend who wanted to hire me several years back... very nice person.  She and her husband had allowed themselves to get to the point where it was hard to walk even and they were not disciplined in their eating habits.  They needed to attack the weight issue at least one way and since they didn't want to pursue cutting calories, they needed to exercise at least.  I suggested walking, light weight training and swimming- none of which struck a chord with them.  I've lost touch with them, but I would imagine they have probably pursued bariatric surgery by now- which ironically forces you to do (eat less) what you could have done earlier when  the weight hasn't caused peripheral issues that make it hard to move.

 

14 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

 

 

 

 

 

[sft429]

13 hours ago, musicgal said:

I think what I find most about people who insist that "diets don't work" is that when they see someone successfully losing weight by modifying their eating habits- say, "Oh, you'll just gain it back once you start to eat normally."  Well, no you don't.  Weight creeps up over a period of time unless you habitually gorge on high calorie food or alcohol.  I was down at my goal last Spring, but hosted a ton of parties where I cooked and took some nice vacations where I indulged myself.  I had a lot of fun and drank good wine with my spouse and our friends and family.  I don't begrudge that to myself or anyone- but as my husband and I laugh about it... if you do the crime you gotta pay the time.  I estimate being close to my personal goal around Easter, at which time I will just go into maintenance mode.   

 

My weight loss experience ignored calories and exercise.  I'm fairly active anyway but have never "exercised".  I'm male, 66 years old, 6'2" and started the first time at 245 pounds two years(?)  ago.  Got down to 185 in about 3 months;  that was too thin... Stopping the sugar and flour made the weight seem to just fall off.  Love eggs and meat and butter so the only hardship was losing the bread, potatoes, and dessert.  Lettuce and carrots with ranch dressing are my vegetables and blueberries in a keto mug muffin recipe are pretty darn good.  A friend of mine tried the same thing but couldn't get the same results.  I'd crept back to about 230 while doing a bit of indulging thinking I could eat some of the carbs in moderation but it didn't work.    As far as alcohol goes, I just stopped drinking the hi carb beer and stopped mixing my booze with coke.  Straight rum and whiskey aren't so bad after a while and most have zero carbs.  Cruising in two weeks and am down to about 215 hoping to make it to 200 by cruise time.

[pacruise804]

Thanks for your feedback, @musicgal. 

 

I think another big difference now from 40-50 years ago is we have a much more sedentary lifestyle now, and being overweight is more socially acceptable.  When my husband and I lost our weight I was still considered medically overweight but most people couldn't believe I still thought I should lose 10-15 pounds (I'll actually settle for 10-15# overweight as my "normal").  My husband was in the "normal" BMI range and could have still lost 30# and not been underweight, and people were concerned that he was ill with how thin he looked.

 

I was talking with a friend this morning about diet and nutrition and we both agree that what were "treats" when we were young (in our 40's now) have become common daily - sometimes multiples times a day - indulgences.  Compound that with more processed "convenience" foods and less whole food cooking and it's no wonder we have the obesity epidemic.

 

A couple years ago my dad reached the point where he considered bariatric surgery - thinking (correctly) he needed to lose weight and (incorrectly) that he couldn't do it on his own.  Fortunately they required a loss of a certain percentage before proceeding and adhering to a post surgery diet, which caused him to jump start his weight loss.  He also started walking, which continued his success.  Later his cardiologist wouldn't approve the surgery because of blood thinners, but he still lost a total of 100#, and is keeping it off!  He is now no longer insulin dependent, is much more active, and I couldn't be prouder ❤️ It is hard work, but anything worth having is.

 

I got serious about my health again this year and am trying to lose 1# per week.  I track my calories on the LoseIt app which surprisingly gives me a calorie budget of 1,760 calories, plus I try to get 4-5 miles (10,000 steps) per day and strength train twice per week.  I've lost over 3 pounds in the last two weeks and am very encouraged.  I know the calories allowed will decrease as I lose weight, but the old habits I had when I lost the first time seem to be coming easier than I thought they would now that I am determined.  Now I just need to keep that focus 🙂 

[JenGi]

On 1/20/2020 at 7:58 PM, musicgal said:

Eating about 1200 calories and exercising will do it for me.  How about you? 

I'm doing the same as you are.  Its been difficult for me to exercise lately,  too cold outside but still trying.  

 

You are both doing awesome.  I've been trying to lose a pound a week and so far it's been exactly that.  I started on Jan 2nd and have lost a pound each week since. 

 

I also do the lose it app and love it although it gave me less than 1200 calories per day.  I maintain 1200 calories anyway and do exercise In the morning when I get out of bed.  My job is a sit down most of the day thing so it doesn't help with weight loss.  

 

Have a great trip in a couple of weeks.  I still have to wait until mid May before mine. 

[pacruise804]

@JenGi I'm guessing you weigh significantly less than I do (~205) for the calorie difference.  I'm sure once I get closer to my goal weight the calorie allowance will be a lot less.

 

Congrats on the consistent weight loss.  I saw a cute post this morning that I thought applied to us:

 

I cruise mid-May also - Eastern Caribbean on Carnival Legend, how about yours?

[JenGi]

This post made me laugh out loud! I work at a post office and see lots of Amazon parcels every day. 

 

I weigh 138 right now so that is why the low calorie count. It sure is tough staying with that budget but for the most part,  I do. 

 

We are flying to Rome, staying there  3 days before our 10 night Greek Isles cruise on the Explorer of the Seas,  can't wait!! 

 

We usually go to the Caribbean and decided to go on a big one before I retire and can't afford it any longer.  

[pacruise804]

I haven't been 138 in almost 30 years 😮 That definitely explains the calorie difference 🙂 I think when I used My Fitness Pal and was around 155 my calorie allowance was in the 1300's.

 

Rome and Greece sound wonderful.  We've mostly stuck to the Atlantic coast (a few Canada trips along with Bahamas/Caribbean), but hope to do farther travel once our youngest is out of school.

[dodger26]

All of the above makes sense, especially less calories more exercise (movement).  I have found that self hypnosis can help keep you in the right mind set.  Really helps if you crave sweets!  You can find some good self hypnosis on YouTube - 30 to 40 minutes a day.  Works for me!

[JenGi]

21 minutes ago, pacruise804 said:

Rome and Greece sound wonderful.  We've mostly stuck to the Atlantic coast (a few Canada trips along with Bahamas/Caribbean), but hope to do farther travel once our youngest is out of school.

This I'd our first cruise outside of the Caribbean so it's a big deal for us.  We probably won't be able to once I retire next year so we're spending the big bucks now while we have them lol

[pacruise804]

@JenGi congratulations on your retirement next year.  You might be surprised at what your budget is like once you retire.  With small exceptions, I haven't "worked" outside the home in over 15 years, but possibly contribute more economically as a homemaker than I did in a "paycheck" job.  Having the time to really pay attention to our budget and finances, doing more scratch cooking, less transportation costs/clothing costs/etc. made a big difference for us.

 

My bigger concern for the future is health (my mother suffered from a chronic illness), which is part of why I'm focused on being healthy now and staying healthy when we reach retirement.

[JenGi]

On 1/27/2020 at 1:53 PM, pacruise804 said:

outside the home in over 15 years, but possibly contribute more economically as a homemaker than I did in a "paycheck" job.  Having the time to really pay attention to our budget and finances, doing more scratch cooking, less transportation costs/clothing costs/etc. made a big difference for us.

I sure hope you're right.  I wouldn't want to leave cruising behind but I will work part time if I have to in order to get my fix,  lol

[Sdancer]

On 1/21/2020 at 7:29 AM, Sdancer said:

I re-read the original post. I should not have had posted, sorry.

 

On the positive side:

Losing 1-2 pounds a week is a realistic and healthy weight loss goal.

It is best done with the right exercise program, healthy nutrition plan without deficit calories to make it a lasting result.

Deficit calories is an old school and never works in a long run.

I taught “Healthy Lifestyles” and “Diets” in our school district with good results.

 

On the lighter side (pan not intended):

To answer your question where would I be If I lost 52 pounds this year - I would be 6 feet under 😀.

 

 

I am 5’6” female, 118-120 lbs, my body fat % is in athletic range all my life though I am not young. I am strong and energetic.

I never count calories and never on restricted caloric diet.

I keep my muscle mass high by lifting heavy weights and eating often to keep my metabolic rate high.

Muscles burn calories 24/7.

It works.

 

Restrictive calorie diets is not a good lifestyle, especially in a long run.

I hope that my post would be helpful to someone.

 

 

Edited January 31, 2020 by Sdancer

[onetimearoundtheworld]

The idea of meal frequency and metabolism has been debunked long time ago https://examine.com/nutrition/do-i-need-to-eat-six-times-a-day-to-keep-my-metabolism-high/

 

[Sdancer]

35 minutes ago, onetimearoundtheworld said:

The idea of meal frequency and metabolism has been debunked long time ago https://examine.com/nutrition/do-i-need-to-eat-six-times-a-day-to-keep-my-metabolism-high/

 

Thank you for the link.

The most important part is “Higher frequency of meal consumption may be beneficial for preserving muscle tissue. ”

Muscle tisue is the key in metabolic rate.

Lifting heavier weights to increase muscle mass and eating 6 meals containing enough protein burns more calories.

It was proven that adding just 2-3 pounds of muscle increases metabolic rate by 10-15%.

The study compared 3 meals to 14 meals which is way out.

Also, this study did not mention about the subjects used in this study.

Men and women are very different in muscle mass which effects how weight is lost.

Men have at least 5% body fat less than women.

It takes longer for women to achieve a change in metabolic rate.

From my experience training others in the past it takes about 3 weeks for women to see an increase in metabolic rate and even longer if there was restrictive calories diet(s) in the past.

 

Whenever study mentions BMI it is a suspect study.

 Body builders have the highest BMI because the BMI formula uses hight and weight only - it does not use body fat % that the fitness industry uses for more than a few dozen years.

Have you ever come across the expression “skinny fat person”?

It is a person with low body weight (great BMI!) and flabby body (often fat folds/tires around the middle) because of high body fat%.

I very often can tell by how a woman looks if she lost a lot of weight without incorporating a proper weight resistance training - the loss comes from losing  mostly muscles, not fat. 

 

Body fat % number is fat weight proportion to whole  weight.

Last time I looked up, 35% fat in women was considered obese, unhealthy.

 

It is better to concentrate on lowering a body fat% by losing fat lbs and keeping/gaining muscles rather than just pounds.

 

I do not want to mention my age, just that I retired many years ago.

I started lifting weights with my father in my teens, unusual for a girl that many years ago. 

My body is at least 30 years younger than my age and my face about 18-20 years younger according to a medical and fitness community. 

I enjoy my 6-pack abs and can tell you for sure that menopause and child-bearing are not the culprit. 

 

If only one person from this thread stops starving and starts a proper nutrition combined with a resistance weight training (with a proper form and programing!), It would worth my time typing😊.

 It will be my last post.