best thing i've ever done to loose weight, I need to share it!

I got the app the other week but then I got a chest infection (literally every time I want to lose weight I get ill as soon as I start to try!) that I can't seem to shift so I'm gonna start after Easter now (My fella's visiting at Easter so I'll end up eating out loads and drinking). I've heard loads of good stuff about it! I'm on there as misslauralei - I shall add you guys coz I will need a kick up the bum occasionally I'm sure!

I didn't realise I already had a profile! Mines kayerleigh =]

Im Nixivixx on there 🙂

I've signed up, my cocktail of meds has made me pile on weight and I'm so unhappy with it. My care worker recommended that I keep a food diary so I figure I'll start using it properly from tomorrow, if I remember. I need to keep a real close eye on what I eat, something's not right, I'm gaining pounds each day (literally) and it's making me so upset.

I'm rustsprocket on it, will follow everyone on here. 🙂

I lost nearly 4 stone with help from MFP 😀 I don't use it anymore though since I'm done losing.

I'm on there 😀 I lost some weight before joining, lost 8lbs since joining, and a stone and 2 lbs since 😀
me http://www.myfitnesspal.com/willbthin1

I've just started using this again too, after I had Eli I got up to 87kgs :S I'm now 76 Woo! But need to get smaller as I'm quite short... I used to be size ten(au) now size sixteen >.< facepalm!
It's telling me I'm not eating enough though, do you guys get this?? I'm not starving myself just not eating as much crap as I was lol

Its always moaning at me.......I had 800 and so cals yeterday and it said that, I just cant force myself to eat more
I know they say the body goes into starvation mode if you have less than 1200 cals, but Im still losing so I will ignore it telling me off :p

That's what I was thinking too, it's working for me, I've been averaging 700-900 a day, and it tells me off lol.. I have one cheat meal a week too haha..

Natalie :3

I don't know much science behind it, but it messes up your body not eating enough.
If you go too low, you'll slow your metabolism way down. You body will compensate by going into starvation mode where it will not give up the calories easily so potentially, your body will hold onto fat.
That's what starvation mode is I believe.

Correct me if I'm wrong anyone.

If you eat less than 1200-1500 cals a day (depending on your height etc) you're likely to lose more muscle than fat. Your body will store the fat and the weight coming off will be muscle, so you could end up what some people call "skinny fat", where you could weigh 9 stone but you won't look it. You'll lose weight but you won't lose many inches from your body.

I found it SO hard to eat over 800 cals a day but I found out that eating peanuts and peanut butter is really good for upping your cal intake without eating another meal when you're not hungry. Peanut butter and sliced apples was my favourite snack 😀

Peanut butter and sliced apples was my favourite snack 😀

I'm wanting to try it with apples! 😀 I'm going to try it tomorrow 😀

I had to stop using this because it was too much of a trigger point, I just kept cutting the calories lower and lower.

I now use Weightwatchers instead, since it works in pretty much the same way, constantly tracking your food. You use points rather than calories, which I find less triggering somehow - and there's a minimum number of points you're allowed to use in a day, which stops me from going into starvation mode. Also you can eat as many fruits and veggies as you want and it doesn't count for any points, which is brilliant if you're in a situation like mine (on massively appetite enhancing meds so constantly really hungry, so being able to snack on vegetables keeps me going through the day) I'd really recommend it. 🙂

This is an excellent calculator for determining you BMR (basal metabolic rate - the rate that just your body systems use to stay alive and functioning) as well as your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).  You can add in your activity and it quickly tells you what your intake should be based on your age, gender, current weight and height.

http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

In order to safely lose weight without going into starvation mode, you should calculate your TDEE based on your goal as well as your current weight.  If the difference is greater than 1000 calories, then you should go with your current weight and then reduce your daily intake by 500 calories.  As you lose weight, then you can recalculate and move your caloric intake down slowly.  You should NEVER eat below your BMR.  Ever.

If you put your body into starvation mode, your endocrine system starts to send out disruptors signaling all of your body systems that there is a famine.  Your body starts producing massive levels of cortisol which is converted into energy your body needs to survive.  Cortisol also is a fat-storing signal.  Most of what you eat when you're in starvation mode gets converted and stored as fat - even with strict restriction of caloric intake.  Eventually, your metabolism slows so that you aren't burning more calories than you're taking in becase the body perceives any deficit of 1000 calories or more lower than your TDEE to be extreme famine, and if your metabolism didn't slow, you might starve).

Once your metabolism slows, your endocrine system and your hormones become disrupted which will in turn start manifesting as other symptoms (hair loss, loss of menstrual cycle in women, brittle nails, dry/rash prone skin).

I use MFP to track my intake as well, and I love it.  Just be sure your weight loss goals are safe and sustainable for your body to remain healthy.

♥

ETA: The health calc TDEE numbers do not always jive with MFP's weight loss goal calculator.  If this is concerning, you can manually adjust your daily calorie goal.  I've done it.  I can help with instructions if anyone needs them (iPad App).  The health calc give more reasonable numbers, IMHO... and I promise you won't blimp out eating that much.  Your body doesn't want to starve.

For more info on this subject, you can check Matt Stone's Diet Recovery 2 on Amazon for Kindle here.

Just joined - hope it helps! I'm http://www.myfitnesspal.com/lesleyoung6   😉