Good morning everyone. I have been really busy with work and have just been managing to record my weight and track but haven't really engaged on FS for the last 10 days. Things have now calmed down and I have breathing room. During this time I have now been at 146 for a couple of days. I find that like everyone else I fluctuate daily, and have been at 146 a couple of times last week but didn't record it. My goal was/is 145. But it is such an arbitrary number, that I think I have achieved my goal now. I know that looking at myself I don't want to lose really any more weight as now I would start to look on the too thin/unhealthy side. This seems sort of funny to think that way, when you are so used to looking, quite frankly, obese.
I still have fat around my belly and I have been looking at perhaps changing my diet. Online, I have read articles that a lower carb diet, is best for losing belly fat. But I do not want to cut carbs out of my diet. I am wondering if I lower the percentage of carbs I eat in a day, how much should I lower it by? Obviously I would have to increase protein and fat. Does anyone have any advice/opinions on this? I currently eat about 50% carbs, and roughly 20-30% each of protein and fat daily.
I also have to figure out maintenance and how many calories (roughly) I should consume in a day. I average about 1700ish right now and probably need to work up to 1800-1900 to maintain. This will be trial and error on my part. How do I up my calories to get the extra 100-200 per day? I am not sure. I am so used to cutting calories that now I am not sure how to add them back in. Any thoughts?
I work out with free weights at home 3x/week and get 30-45 minutes of brisk walking in daily. Is there something else I should be doing? Any thoughts?
I think FS is even more important right now to maintain as I have never been in this position before - sort of scary because I don't want to gain and throw away all I have achieved. Thank you for all the support you give to me and we give to each other.
|
146.0 lb
Lost so far: 91.2 lb.
Still to go: 0 lb.
Diet followed reasonably well.
|
Diet Calendar Entry for 04 May 2023:
|
412 kcal
|
Fat: 11.82g | Prot: 17.32g | Carb: 63.98g.
Breakfast: Beatrice 0% Skim Milk, Loblaws Flax Bread, Manba Manba Spicy Peanut Butter Crunchy, Banana. more...
|
losing 3.7 lb a week
|
![](https://m.ftscrt.com/static/images/box/membersicon.gif) Comments
I’m no expert on carbs but will share what works for me that have been helpful.
I’m a type 2 Diabetic and always been a carb lover. Discussing my diet, likes/dislikes with dietitian at the clinic, up to 45 gm carbs at meals and snack up to 20 gm. I aim for net carbs to be no more than 135 gm a day. I choose lower glycemic index carbs. I like Fat Secret, it helps me to monitor. Not to mention all the support, helpful hints and motivation, meal ideas everyone shares!
My journey is slow and steady and I have lost 4” around my abdomen since Christmas. I wasn’t measuring but pulled out my Fanny pack for a walk, snapped it on and it fell to the floor 😅. A pleasant surprise and great chuckle! I only measure once a month now and looking forward to the end of May.
Your journey is inspiring, seeing how much you have achieved. Like I said, everyone’s progress and stories is appreciated, encouraging.
04 May 23 by member: Angie..R
|
Thank you Angie..R for the carb info. I am going to research lower glycemic carbs - I never thought of that. Congrats to losing 4" around your middle - well done! 👍
04 May 23 by member: Karsiob
|
Congratulations on achieving your goal! 🎉 I don’t really have advice on how to change your eating habits now that you are satisfied with your weight. One thing I can tell you is that for me, as I have plateaued and maintained for a long period of time, I found that the fat around my body still changed a bit visually. I understand your concern with your belly fat but would suggest not making a big change in your eating habits since what you’ve been doing has apparently been sustainable for you and your calorie intake is decent. Congrats again and take your time to enjoy your achievement! 💪🎉🥳
05 May 23 by member: DomOlive
|
Thank you DomOlive! I appreciate your suggestion about maintaining what I am doing. This makes sense to me. I should just stay the course and concentrate on keeping my weight steady for now. I realize that even though I have lost the weight, I don't feel totally secure that I can maintain it. Now is not the time to change what has been working for me. Summer and all its temptations is coming up which will provide challenges for me. Better to stick with what I know works for me. Congratulations to you for maintaining your weight, that is inspiring to me. 🙌
05 May 23 by member: Karsiob
|
Karsiob, have you looked into specific exercises geared for the stomach area? Those may help you as they can also help you develop your core muscles there which in turn should help lessen the look of extra belly fat. Or throw on some tunes and dance. Dancing is an easy way to get moving those core muscles and have fun doing it. Or you could go swimming. Again, the movement of the front crawl, the back crawl and the breast stroke would also help. I would not recommend the butterfly unless you know how to do it properly. They say that swimming is an easier sport but take it from me, you can injure yourself if you do not know the mechanics of it. I used to be a speed swimmer in high school and got to close to the wall doing a flip and hurt my knees. For a regular swimmer though, there shouldn't be any problems. Just a couple of idea's to get you started ;)
05 May 23 by member: Heather MacD
|
Thank you for the suggestions Heather MacD. I have been doing core exercises and I have lost a lot around the middle. But there was a huge amount to begin with. Unfortunately when you are so overweight for so many years your skin loses it's firmness and now there are consequences because of it. I just want to get the deep fat gone. I will never have a flat stomach. Dancing around my living room is a good idea, thank you. 😊
05 May 23 by member: Karsiob
|
Decisions. Decisions. No great advise on diet. You can play with your macros, etc. to figure out what works best for you. Obviously whatever you are doing works. You have developed a great habit with your exercise. Maybe mix it up. Add something you find fun like yoga, zumba, skip rope or walk a different route/drive to a new park/pathway system. Congrats on reaching your goal & continued success in the maintenance phase. Great job!
09 May 23 by member: meonadiet
|
Thank you so much Meonadiet. I think the take-away I am getting from comments is to mix up my exercises - try new things and keep my diet the way it is. Really great to get feedback from the FS community.
10 May 23 by member: Karsiob
|
24 May 23 by member: Karsiob
|
|
|
|
|
Submit a Comment
You must sign in to submit a comment
|
|
|
Other Related Links
Members
|
Karsiob's weight history
|