[quote=mars2kids]Honestly, the big deal for me is that if I give in to a piece of cake then I'll eat other junk because I had a piece of cake.[/quote] Yeah, people who have issues with things like stress eating or disordered eating in general may have to go cold turkey on stuff like that. Glad you pulled through!

Personally, if I wanted the cake, I'd eat it and either rearrange my food choices/do some extra exercise that day, or for the next few days. What's the big deal?

I take it back, I just ran your stats through the Harris-Benedict formula and with your 30 min of exercise 3x/week, it comes out to 1925 calories per day intake to lose about 2 lbs/week. That's a great level, it leaves you plenty of room to eat foods you enjoy. Personally I would NOT recommend dropping down to 1500 because as I mentioned, you'll have to continue dropping your target as you progress and eventually you'll have nowhere to go. You'll be at this for a while so you have to think ahead. The people who rush into it trying to get the weight off as quickly as possible inevitably hit a wall before they hit their goal and have to readjust. Doing it more responsibly will make it easier for you later, I promise.

No, you need to eat the 2400. Possibly more if you're exercising. I know it seems like too much, but think about how many calories your body burns hauling itself around all day even without exercise. Eat the food, as you lose weight your calorie target will drop & eventually you'll wish you had eaten more when you could and still lose!

My advice is to set fitness goals. I've gone for MONTHS without losing an ounce, yet I was able to run longer & faster & lift more weight at the end of it compared to the beginning. Regular exercise is good for your health whether you're overweight or not. If I manage my intake & follow my exercise program & the scale doesn't move, I don't tell myself it was all for nothing. Whether I lost any weight or not, my body got healthier & stronger because of what I did, & that's good enough reason to do it again tomorrow.

It's true, we kind of have a huge shared mailbox. Not only do the recipients' message show up as read if you open them in your outbox, but if you delete things from your outbox, they are deleted from the recipients' inbox as well. It's a very odd way to configure things, but that's how it is here.

I don't find myself in that position often, but that's mostly due to the fact that I keep my guidelines for intake pretty flexible & make changes according to how I feel. Most days I feel like eating light, so I do. Other days I feel like indulging in stuff I don't usually eat, so I do. If I'm at some kind of event or occasion & am eating selectively, it's because that's what I feel like doing so if someone asked, that's what I'd tell them. Even if I had ethical reasons for eating or not eating certain foods, I wouldn't feel obligated to explain that to anyone, even if they asked. How & what I eat is my business & how someone else might feel about it is their problem, not mine.

Haven't posted for a little while but ended up doing a progress pic today by accident. Was cleaning up some old files on my computer & came across a pic of me & my nephew from a year ago: [img]http://stubbysticks.files... Less than 15 lbs between the two, if you can believe that. It seems the exercise has been making dramatic changes in my body composition. Scale schmale. :) Great job everyone!!! (FYI my [b]before[/b]-before pics are on the first page of this thread, no sense in reposting if they're already here, right??)

To me, staying hydrated makes me feel a lot better in general. My skin looks better, my digestion runs more smoothly, & my weight doesn't fluctuate as much. No, it doesn't make sense to reduce your water intake as you lose weight, because your tissues will be more likely to retain fluid due to dehydration. Drink water because it's healthy to do so. A bonus is that it helps control your appetite. I find that the more water I drink, the less I crave sweet drinks like soda or juice. The specific amount that is "ideal" for each person varies, 64 oz is a good place to start, & you may have to work up to it. But you'll find a level that's comfortable for you.

[quote=CorsetLady]How much exercise is optimal? Not just enough, but the best amount.[/quote] The best amount is the amount you will consistently do on a regular basis & feel energized overall. If you only have time for 3 workouts a week then obviously 5 is not optimal for you. If you're never breaking a sweat, then you're not doing enough. If you're in crippling pain after every workout & exhausted, you're doing too much. Personally, enough exercise means I'm doing enough that I feel challenged by my workouts & am able to progress somehow each week, whether it's lifting more weight or running farther. It's also important that however much exercise you decide to do, that you're fueling your body properly. Log all of your intentional exercise in your exercise diary, & shoot for an average Net (kcal) of around 1000 (with the green arrow). It'll be higher or lower some days, but you want it to average out to 1000. A little higher is ok, but any higher than, say, 2000 may give you unpredictable results. Note that this means if you're exercising a lot, you may end up exceeding your RDI every day to average 1000 & that's ok. If you don't eat enough to support your exercise you'll feel like crap & be less likely to stay in the habit.

[quote=jenkie5]I've read many posts about plateaus with conflicting advice. I've been on this journey for 17 weeks (anniversary today). When should I expect get to reach a plateau, and what is the definitive solution? (This is one area my doctor has not addressed other than to say just gauge progress by the fit of your clothes.)[/quote] Congrats on the anniversary! You probably won't like this but there is no definitive way to avoid a plateau. If you're going to working on weight loss for a while, i.e. trying to lose more than just 10-15 lbs, you can't reasonably expect to lose consistently the entire time. Plateaus are only bad if you let them discourage you from staying focused on your goal. I've gone for months without hitting a new low. MONTHS. I don't think anyone would call my efforts a failure. (And if they didn't, I wouldn't really care.) To keep me occupied I set fitness goals & work on those. I will tell you one bit of good news though: plateaus always end. Always. There has never been an overweight person who has continued consistently eating at a reasonable deficit with regular exercise their entire life & stayed overweight. If you hit a plateau then start eating like crap & don't lose weight, it's not the plateau's fault. Keep your eye on the prize & the big picture & you'll be fine.

[quote=ray_wilson]1. What's your biggest problem or frustration losing weight?[/quote]I've been at this for a couple of years so I've been floating around this site & another one the entire time. My biggest frustration is seeing other people do unhealthy things (like eating super low calories) just to lose weight without regard to how it's affecting their health. It's even worse if whatever they did actually does make them lose some weight, because then they jump on the forums & start telling all the new people this is how to lose weight. [quote=ray_wilson]2. What have you tried so far that hasn't worked for you?[/quote]Low calories. If I'm averaging any less than 2000 I'm cranky, tired & ineffective in the gym. [quote=ray_wilson]3. What's your biggest fear when it comes to losing weight?[/quote]Had to think about this one. I don't fear "not being able to lose the weight." I manage my intake & exercise almost every day. The excess weight has no choice but to come off eventually. It can't possibly take forever, so what is there to be afraid of? However, sometimes I wonder if I did too much damage to my body all the years I stayed morbidly obese, so I guess sometimes I fear that my body won't be able to withstand all of the training I'm asking it to do these days. Will my knees keep holding out? [quote=ray_wilson]4. What worries you? What are you afraid will happen if you don't do something immediately?[/quote]Not worried or afraid. I'm doing everything I can right now to improve my health & fitness. When I first started out though, I knew I was going to continue getting fatter & my body would fall apart. Initially I was afraid that even if I tried to lose weight, that it wouldn't work, but that passed within a few weeks as I realized my consistent effort was getting results. [quote=ray_wilson]5. What would you be willing to do to solve or get the outcome you want?[/quote] When I first started I made a commitment to do whatever it took [i]without compromising my health & safety[/i] to lose the weight. Although it is important to drop the excess weight, it's counterproductive if what I do to make it happen damages my health even more. [quote=ray_wilson]6. If you could have one question answered about losing weight, What would it be?[/quote]If I did have one question about losing weight, I wouldn't ask you because I don't know who you are & therefore don't know if you're a credible source of WL information. Nothing personal. So I guess that's my question: Who are you & why are you asking US these questions? [quote=Snow833]I already know all the facts about dieting[/quote]No one person knows all the facts about dieting, or anything else for that matter. Don't limit yourself by thinking you can't learn anything new. We all can. All the time.

[quote=skong] [quote]During the persistence hunt an antelope, such as a kudu, is not shot or speared from a distance, but simply run down in the midday heat. Depending on the specific conditions, hunters of the central Kalahari will chase a kudu for about two to five hours over 25 to 35 km (16 to 22 mi) in temperatures of about 40 to 42 °C (104 to 108 °F). The hunter chases the kudu, which then runs away out of sight. By tracking it down at a fast running pace the hunter catches up with it before it has had enough time to rest in the shade. The animal is repeatedly chased and tracked down until it is too exhausted to continue running. The hunter then kills it at close range with a spear. [/quote][/quote] Hey, this sounds a lot like the way my husband got me to go out with him.

The guy who wrote the article may say he's a doctor, but he doesn't write like a professional so it's hard for me to take anything he said seriously. He didn't provide citations for the majority of what he claimed the effects of cardio are, & the one citation he did include related lung function & risk of heart attack, not cardio & lung function. Plus the journal cited is from 1988. Bottom line is that everyone needs exercise to be healthy. If you like cardio, do cardio. If you don't, do something else. Just move.

[quote=Verblstar]Protein will help get your count up so long as it is lean.[/quote] Fattier cuts of meat will get your count up even faster. If the OP is looking to increase calories, fat is the best way to do it. Why would you recommend less fat? [quote=ekun]I also eat three meals instead of five, as they say is the healthiest. [/quote] Who are "they"? Stop listening to "them." All that matters is the total calories you eat in a day. It doesn't make a difference if you eat them in 6 meals or 2. Do what works for you. ekun, there are plenty of ways to increase calories without turning to junk food, & I disagree with the others suggesting low-fat stuff like veggies for your snacks. If you're already having trouble eating enough & you eat more stuff with lots of bulk & few calories like veggies, you'll end up feeling stuffed & still won't be able to meet your calorie target. Don't get me wrong, you should definitely eat vegetables. But eat them for the health benefits, because they won't help you get those calories up if that's what you're trying to do. Is there a particular reason you're avoiding the natural sugars in fruit? Fat is the most calorie-dense of all the macronutrients at 9 calories per gram, so to up your cals with the least amount of volume, [b]increase your fat intake.[/b] Olive oil, butter, avocado, cheese, nuts/nut butters, fatty meats/fish are great ways to get healthy fats into your diet. Plus they are delicious. If your calories are too low, try to break yourself of the erroneous mindset that you have to limit fat in order to lose weight, because if you're undereating this is simply not the case. Eat some bacon!

For weight loss, ideally you want to keep that number between 500-1000 with a green arrow next to it. Go too low or too high, & you will have unpredictable results. So make sure you log your food the best you can, & log intentional exercise. Note that the exercise diary here has entries for mundane activities like Desk Work & Sitting. [b]DON'T[/b] use these. The general consensus around here is that those numbers are overinflated. This is bad because it could lead you to believe you burned more calories in a day than you really did, so if you eat more to get in that target deficit range, you could eat your way out of good results.

The only issue with eating dinner too late is that after a certain point you have to call it breakfast. [quote=holfraz]I have read that you should eat supper early enough to allow your body a 12 hr. fast before eating breakfast. This way your body has enough time to burn a little fat during that time. [/quote] You're reading the wrong stuff. Your body burns fat around the clock. I regularly eat dinner after 9 pm. All that matters is that between your total intake & expenditure you are carrying an average deficit [b]over time[/b], ideally in the 500-1000 calorie range (Net (kcal) in your Diet Calendar). As long as you're doing this, you'll lose weight. If your deficit is too small or too large, you won't get predictable results.

Is there a particular reason you want to go with shakes? That said, I started out with SlimFast Chocolate - the powder only, premixed is nasty tasting - but eventually didn't feel it was substantial enough. The SlimFast bars did a better job of keeping my appetite under control. Keep in mind that diets like SlimFast are intended to be short-term weight loss solutions, for those with maybe <20 lbs to lose or who plan to transition into something else after a month or two.

Welcome!

[quote=Fairstein]Basically the idea is that you eat a massive amount of calories in one day to kickstart your metabolism and confuse your body so that it doesn't get used to getting very few calories.[/quote] No. Not a "massive" amount. As kingkeld explained, it's a redistribution of your weekly calories so that you eat at a lower level for 6 days & bank the extra calories to be eaten all on the 7th day. Across the entire week you should still have the same total deficit. It absolutely works if you can do it, but it's not for everyone. The spike day is supposed to be no more than 2x your BMR so you have enough calories for the rest of the week. I would recommend you do a little homework on WHY it works before you go off half-cocked trying something you read about on a weight loss website. I did follow The Spike Diet for quite a while & loved it. Go to Amazon & look for the book by Russell Branjord. I picked up my copy at a discount bookstore. It's a quick & easy read.