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Jan 2024
12:14pm, 29 Jan 2024
6,182 posts
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TheScribbler
I really want to lose some weight to be healthy. I've been squeezing into clothes that used to fit comfortably and was shocked to see that I was the heaviest I have ever been when I got on the scales recently. My BMI is in the obese category - so yeah, I want to reduce that to be healthier.
I realised that just 'cutting out the snacks' won't cut it and that I need to be in calorie deficit to lose that weight. So I've started tracking food on My Fitness App (free version). I have never really tracked calories before, and most of what I eat is cooked from scratch, so it's just ball-park figures.
My fitness pal started me off with 1,560 calories per day goal, and has now dropped me down to 1,240 which is a bit challenging. Thanks to @sallykate for explaining that it's trying to help me reach my goal of losing between 0.5kg and 1kg per week and for highlighting this thread.
I'd like to feel a bit more comfortable for my overseas trip in a few weeks, and I think that's why the calorie goal changed, but I'm not expecting to be at my target weight for some time.
Just making myself accountable and 'owning' the situation by being here. I have been on track all week, then a conversation with a colleague this morning sent me reaching for the chocolate! I have stopped at one largish chunk.
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Jan 2024
12:22pm, 29 Jan 2024
13,221 posts
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sallykate
Lovely to see you here  It's a very supportive thread.
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Jan 2024
12:40pm, 29 Jan 2024
6,183 posts
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TheScribbler
I knew it would be before I started reading the comments
The first few days I really didn't like feeling 'empty' a lot of the time, but that had started to balance out over the weekend. I really will have to treat my 'treat' of a hot chocolate as a treat, as it's almost a meal's worth of calories.
Annoyed at reaching for the sweet stuff today, but it's the first time I've given in, so just a blip and I'll get over it. Thinking of a strategy to avoid emotional snacking, and I think, move away from the keyboard, take some deep breaths, do some stretches should help.
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Jan 2024
12:42pm, 29 Jan 2024
19,791 posts
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SarahWoo
You can do it, Scribble. It will get easier to resist - promise!
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Jan 2024
12:42pm, 29 Jan 2024
19,792 posts
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SarahWoo
Sorry - autocorrect jumped in there. I know your user ID isn’t Scribble 🙄
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Jan 2024
1:42pm, 29 Jan 2024
576 posts
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Pam runs
My fitness pal has me on 1296cal a day.
Today I'm just eating normally to see where we are.
Surprised already that 2 slices of toast and 2 chocolate mousses comes in at 346cal. Not exactly filling either.
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Jan 2024
2:52pm, 29 Jan 2024
2,657 posts
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Snail
Just to say a really big thanks for this thread - the spreadsheet gave me somewhere to be accountable at the start of the year which means that I have been typing my numbers in and doing something about it rather than me just telling myself that I ought to try at some point. At end of 2023 my peak wasn't my heaviest in my lifetime but had been creeping up and I was at my highest for about 10 years at 14st
Good progress so far (9 lbs down in the month). Started the month with measuring calories at 1600 (really not sure I would want to drop much lower), and then allow say an extra banana etc if do exercise.
Found the My Fitness App really useful to get started as it helped educate me on some of the things that were more calories than I had previously realised. And I used it 10years ago when I lost a couple of stone. However now that I have a rough idea of what the 1600 calories looks like, I have just given myself some rough rules as I was finding the weighing of food etc, a bit of a faff.
Main things that I think are working for me are minimal bread (I think this is a huge one for me - I really like home made bread!), porridge for breakfast, minimal alcohol, minimal chocolate, decaf black coffees & fruit teas ie no milk in drinks, carrot snacks during the day rather than biscuits, minimal evening carbs and no snacking after evening meal (again a previous tendency). Allowing myself chocolate or cake if situation arises but more just as a taster eg 2 squares of choc or tiny piece of cake and being really careful if we go out for drink/meal.
Appreciate different things work for different people and most of the above is probably old news for most of you, but thought it might be worth listing what I've been trying this month.
Now having said all this need to make sure I stick to it in month 2!
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Jan 2024
9:01pm, 29 Jan 2024
577 posts
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Pam runs
Day 1 using MFP goal 1296cal actual 1310cal. Good start. 😁
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Jan 2024
11:52am, 30 Jan 2024
19,795 posts
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SarahWoo
Gained half a pound this week which isn’t surprising after 3 birthday lunches! 🤭
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Jan 2024
12:06pm, 30 Jan 2024
13,230 posts
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sallykate
Great work Snail! And a lovely post. I'm sure you'll build on what you've learned and continue to work towards your goals.
That half pound is not worth worrying about Sarah
Good luck, Pam runs. I'm having a couple of very low calorie days each week and find it surprisingly easy as long as it's all nutritious too - so big leafy salads with protein, or a vegetable soup.
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