Jozette99's Journal, 19 March 2016

Lowering your calories to your goal range is a start, however, your goal of 185 is ultimately too high (I realize that this may just be an interim number on the way down to your actual number). The amount of food we actually need is really not that much at all. People are typically surprised at what I eat and am able to maintain weight and muscle mass. Estimate how much you should weigh. Measure your wrist at the narrowest point just above the wrist bones (elbow side) and send me that number along with your height. What you want to know is based on your skeletal size (S, M, L), what is an "ideal" weight, and what is a healthy weight range taking into account normal fat addition from aging. Once you have that number, say 150lbs for example...subtract your goal Body Fat% for your age (27%) this leaves you with ~110 lbs of lean body mass. That is the number you need to use for your calculation of calories. In this example it would be between 1000 and 1210 calories. Each lb of lean body mass (LBM) requires 9 - 11 calories. We don't need to feed the fat, it is there to feed us. This is just an example of the method and the actual number can vary based on activity levels, etc... If you are stalled in your weight loss for an extended period of time, you are giving your body all the requirements for sustaining its' LBM and it has no need to use any stored body fat. Hope this helps...send me your measurement.. 

You could make your own. We were in Whataburger the other day, and a couple walked in and ordered 2 large coffees and a large water. They grabbed a few napkins, sat by us, poured half of their coffees into the empty water glass. Then the wife pulled a babyfood jar from her little purse, the husband one from the pocket of his leather jacket, and they emptied them into their respective cups. She pulled out a little battery powered hand blender and whirrrrrrr in seconds they had foamy, unbelievably delicious smelling spiced bulletproof coffees. She carefully wiped off the blender, put it back in a baggy and into her purse, Voilà!. Healthier than starbucks, and at a far lower price with no hassle at all. Butter, cinnamon/spice, coconut oil, all transport easily like that. My husband laughed at me, because I had talked about doing it several times before, and now he knows that probably the next time we go out, that's what I'll be making. Restaurant did not care - they sold 2 cups of coffee.  

But yeah, probably best to save those morning calories for the decadently Irresistible Cajun food :)  

Lowering your calories may backfire, protein shakes , kickstart that metabolism right out of the plateau!! 

Cathy - that is a pretty good idea. I have a frother at home, never thought of using it that way. Thank you! 

Karenwilliams - I was mistaken, I lowered them only by 100 cals. I don't think it is going to backfire. Well, before I take a protein shake I'd rather have another Bullet Proof ;-) 

Your quest sounds very familiar to mine. The parallels are a bit uncanny. When I signed onto Fatscret today, your profile was featured so I started reading before I entered my breakfast. It interested me so much I started paging through your journal. I have been in and out, started again and again. Have gone through so many ups and downs. The conclusion after all these years is that it is a life-long war that we wage. I honestly believe that the scientists have stumbled on something when they said they found a common gene in many people who constantly struggle with their weight. There are a lot of things, I have found that contribute to my inability to lose weight. I have finally found a doctor to help in my fight. At one point she tested my blood work to find I was deficient in vitamin D -- which in the northern states is not uncommon. Anyway, I wish you success and remember, this is going to be a lifelong journey - there isn't an end. Just enjoy the ride and your successes. Any time you would like to "talk" to someone, feel free to write me a note. The best advice I can offer anyone is - find a good doctor who specializes in weight loss. I mean a real doctor. Not a trainer, not someone who is a weight loss counselor or dietitian, because there are so many things that make us gain weight or keep us from losing weight, and sometimes, weight loss at the expense of muscle loss is not good. Diets, like those fad diets are just that 'fads' - they are meaningless in the long run.  

4.6 lbs two days with whey days for me 

Skydiverjim - Thanks for your kind words. I am well aware that this is not only a WOE but a lifestyle I have to adhere to. As to scientists, I am certain they do not have a real clue what is going on with our bodies. And then there is the problem with standardizing everything. Look what they did years ago with low fat diets - adding high fructose corn syrup to everything. Now they finally started looking into those carbs. And, most studies are industry sponsored, they would not publish studies that are to their disadvantage. Anyway, thank you so much for your offer to communicate, I will certainly keep it in mind :-) 

Karenwilliams - I am not saying it is wrong. It is for you, not necessarily for me. I try to stay away from liquid food as much as I can though in case of the Bullett Proof it is a fat shake *haha* No really, I want to keep the balance with 70/20/10 and a protein shake would throw me off big time. 

In the end..it doesn't really matter what diet plan you are on...if you are not losing weight and using your stored body fat, you are giving your body too much energy to work with. 

Thanks Mahjohn - I'll make some changes 

Hmmmm... 2 thoughts for you: Regarding exercise calories: because you are tracking them I assume you might be interested in your daily calorie deficit as much as you are in your daily calorie intake. However, if you look at those deficits, they appear to be HUGE when you do track them. Yet your corresponding weight loss would indicate little to no deficit. I had the same problem until I realized FS is too generous with calories burned for any activity other than true cardio. Now I only track things like continuous walking, treadmill, elliptical and the like. I ignore activities like sitting, standing, driving... not only can it lead you to think you can eat more, but it is a royal pain to keep track of that minutia! 2nd: Regarding calorie intake, regardless of your diet, your 217 lb bidy can maintain its weight with around 1975 calories, +/- 50 cals. With a 25% calorie deficit, you could eat around 1480.cals and lose about 1.0 lb a week... nice, slow steady pace, without ever feeling deprived. Depending on the individual, 1200-1500 is the minimum a female needs to maintain "housekeeping" functions. Some theorize... If your net calories for the day (cals eaten minus cals burned with REAL exercise) fall below that level for several days , your body enters starvation mode (even though you are eating) and starts burning muscle instead of fat... net result on the scale is a plateau. It seems counter-intuitive, but by eating MORE calories (100-300 more) it kicks you out of that mode and your body not only goes back to burning fat, it burns off much of the excess it was storing. See my April-May 2014 log... I was stuck at 228 lbs for 3 weeks, eating around 2000 cals a day, but I was burning 600 or more off in the gym. Turns out my housekeeping level is around 1500. By addind 300 cals a day, I lost 4 lbs the 1st week and another 4 the next week (even though the cal deficit said I should be losing at a slower pace), then my body happily resumed losing 2 lbs a week. The scooby site I reference in my profile can provide more details on why we plateau. Its a win-win... you get to eat more food and still lose FAT!  

CKworksalot - thanks for your input, much appreciated. /// I understand about the discrepancy FS has with logging activities. I mostly do it for fun (maybe a little bit OCD, can't stand empty fields or something highlighted (or crocked picture frames on the wall))./// As I said in my title, it is trial and error. I will lower my cals a bit and see how that will work over a few weeks. Also, I am determined to get back into exercising, slowly but surely, to increase muscle mass. But it will take time, time and patience.  

It may not be the calories - but the composition of your calories. Perhaps you were getting more healthy fats when drinking your BP coffee before..look at the macros, that is your protein, carbs and fats, Majohn is accurate in what he wrote, too. 

I thank everyone for the wonderful suggestions. It feels good to be supported in this journey, this time of change. There is a lot to work on - let's get started :-))))