PVP: 20 pounds, 10 weeks [Sept. 15 - Nov. 24]

[gijoe4500]

Two days in, and I'm already down half a pound by simple cutting out sodas and sweet tea.   I did slip up yesterday and have some sweet tea with lunch, otherwise I might be down even more!  It doesn't seem like much, but those liquid calories add up quick.

[Bekah]

Ok how in the effing hell did I gain 6 lbs in one week??? Seriously?? I mean I overdid it on Saturday but the rest of the week was NOT gain age eating! Do you think it's shock from the class yesterday? It's the first real exercise I have done in months

[Bekah]

Thanks for all the tips on protein powder! I estimate I should be getting, at a minimum, 90 - 100 grams of protein and am only getting about half to two-thirds that. By a lot of calculations I should be getting 120 or even more. Throwing some protein powder in a smoothie seems like it would be a good way to go.

I went to the neighborhood superstore and looked at labels and was dismayed to find a lot of artificial sweeteners and stuff in them. I'm going to look for more natural ingredients. Probably be priced sky high, though. I may go more to meat and legumes. I'm not doing paleo, just whole foods as much as possible.

This is why I quit using protein powders, most all natural ones are vegan and really high carb or contain whey, which I really should never consume (and those whey all natural ones are few and far between and you usually have to buy online or if you have a great natural food store/whole foods you can find one)

Pea protein is my favorite but high carb, and if you live in a town with a Publix supermarket, they have a good Greenwise protein powder that is whey based that my hubs liked. they are pretty pricey to boot!

I have found, for me, the recommended protein intake is faaaaar too much for me. At 200 lb I was eating about 100g of protein Max per day but that was only possible if I ate more meat than I wanted to consume. Protein needs vary widely based on what your firness levels are and how you are used to eating and what you are trying to accomplish diet/fitness wise. You will naturally want more protein if you eat lower carb/sugar than if you eat higher carb, and you just have to find what works. I lose the most weight eating average 30g protein per meal and eating 7-9 fruit/veg servings (aim for 5-7 being veg) and about 100g of carbs a day.

My husband on the other hand, eats no fruit, 30g carbs per day and probably 150-200g of protein and doesn't limit fat at all, and loses the best that way and we are a similar weight.

TL;DR: trial and error with macros to find what works, one size doesn't fit all and look at whole foods for protein powders but they are expensive.

[goodbye_farewell]

Two days in, and I'm already down half a pound by simple cutting out sodas and sweet tea.   I did slip up yesterday and have some sweet tea with lunch, otherwise I might be down even more!  It doesn't seem like much, but those liquid calories add up quick.

 

Keep in mind it is very difficult to discern any real information from such sparse data.

[Raze]

you could also look into casein which is much slower in digesting than whey, but fills you up longer which is why its best when taken at night.

[goodbye_farewell]

Ok how in the effing hell did I gain 6 lbs in one week??? Seriously?? I mean I overdid it on Saturday but the rest of the week was NOT gain age eating! Do you think it's shock from the class yesterday? It's the first real exercise I have done in months

Don't panic. Weight fluctuates a lot. Especially in women who retain water (especially certain times of the month). Just stay consistent, and treat the scale as a data collection device, and not put too much weight (no pun intended) on that single data point.

[Bekah]

Don't panic. Weight fluctuates a lot. Especially in women who retain water (especially certain times of the month). Just stay consistent, and treat the scale as a data collection device, and not put too much weight (no pun intended) on that single data point.

Yeah, me and the scale play this game just rarely to the tune of 6 lbs! Lol

[gijoe4500]

Keep in mind it is very difficult to discern any real information from such sparse data.

Oh I know. Nothing else in my diet of daily activities changed though. I literally ate exactly the same thing. So its a good sign.

[Dradis]

I find its ok to be a little annoyed at gaining scale weight as long as you remember not to forget (???) the times where the reverse happens. Hopefully that makes sense. You gotta remember the good days too

This is why i record my progress every day on myfitnesspal (along with body fat, muscle etc) and then look at the graphs that show a week minimum. I more often look at the 30 day graphs though.

[Whiskey_Shivers]

I'm in!  Why not extend my current challenge and go for a few more pounds.

[Bekah]

I find its ok to be a little annoyed at gaining scale weight as long as you remember not to forget (???) the times where the reverse happens. Hopefully that makes sense. You gotta remember the good days too

This is why i record my progress every day on myfitnesspal (along with body fat, muscle etc) and then look at the graphs that show a week minimum. I more often look at the 30 day graphs though.

This is a good idea, I think I am at a point where daily weighing won't make a negative impact on me emotionally.

And graphs <3

[Dradis]

This is a good idea, I think I am at a point where daily weighing won't make a negative impact on me emotionally.

And graphs <3

 

Great! So much of this weight loss and fitness malarkey is in your head. Its taken me a LONG time to get to the point where i think my head kinda gets it. The absolute key, for me at least, is to not give up if the scale misbehaves and similarly not to reward myself just for doing a workout

 

Also, i'm by no means lean (maybe 21-22% bf down from 40%, male) but the leaner i've gotten the less the scale can be trusted. Back in my bigger days i could have an off day and still drop a bit or maintain. Now if i have a bad day i tend to go up, but it normally drops off pretty quickly (3 days max)

[Rookie]

Feeling pretty good. I have done 2 workouts this week and I have noticed my appetite has lessened which is a bit strange for me but we will see. I think I have another workout tonight, then horseback riding tomorrow then either workout friday or sunday. How is everyones week going?

[Bekah]

Great! So much of this weight loss and fitness malarkey is in your head. Its taken me a LONG time to get to the point where i think my head kinda gets it. The absolute key, for me at least, is to not give up if the scale misbehaves and similarly not to reward myself just for doing a workout

 

Also, i'm by no means lean (maybe 21-22% bf down from 40%, male) but the leaner i've gotten the less the scale can be trusted. Back in my bigger days i could have an off day and still drop a bit or maintain. Now if i have a bad day i tend to go up, but it normally drops off pretty quickly (3 days max)

I did this today Got two cupcakes after a taco salad, chips and salsa and chicken soup for lunch

However, one flavor was possibly the best cupcake I have ever eaten in my life.

[Buff Brogan]

Thanks for all the tips on protein powder! I estimate I should be getting, at a minimum, 90 - 100 grams of protein and am only getting about half to two-thirds that. By a lot of calculations I should be getting 120 or even more. Throwing some protein powder in a smoothie seems like it would be a good way to go.

 

I went to the neighborhood superstore and looked at labels and was dismayed to find a lot of artificial sweeteners and stuff in them. I'm going to look for more natural ingredients. Probably be priced sky high, though.   I may go more to meat and legumes. I'm not doing paleo, just whole foods as much as possible.

 

 

This is why I quit using protein powders, most all natural ones are vegan and really high carb or contain whey, which I really should never consume (and those whey all natural ones are few and far between and you usually have to buy online or if you have a great natural food store/whole foods you can find one)

Pea protein is my favorite but high carb, and if you live in a town with a Publix supermarket, they have a good Greenwise protein powder that is whey based that my hubs liked. they are pretty pricey to boot!

I have found, for me, the recommended protein intake is faaaaar too much for me. At 200 lb I was eating about 100g of protein Max per day but that was only possible if I ate more meat than I wanted to consume. Protein needs vary widely based on what your firness levels are and how you are used to eating and what you are trying to accomplish diet/fitness wise. You will naturally want more protein if you eat lower carb/sugar than if you eat higher carb, and you just have to find what works. I lose the most weight eating average 30g protein per meal and eating 7-9 fruit/veg servings (aim for 5-7 being veg) and about 100g of carbs a day.

My husband on the other hand, eats no fruit, 30g carbs per day and probably 150-200g of protein and doesn't limit fat at all, and loses the best that way and we are a similar weight.

TL;DR: trial and error with macros to find what works, one size doesn't fit all and look at whole foods for protein powders but they are expensive.

ever thought about this stuff? http://hitsupplements.com/product/core-athlete/

it's not terrible and here's a blurb about CORE ATHLETE is formulated without additives or fillers, is from grass-fed and rBST free cows and is instantized for greater absorption and bio-availability. Including a quality whey protein blend before and after training will enable your muscles to repair and rebuild more quickly which will help you see improved physical performance and increased lean body mass.*

[lolavictrola]

I will have to lose a few lbs before I can even weigh in. Sigh. My scale's max is 350, and I was at 356 at the doctor's 2 weeks ago.

It's very unsatisfying to step on the scale and be in limbo.

[Musuku]

For the nutrition part of the fat loss I want to put off the tracking as long as possible because of a) stress and   really hard when you live with your parents and they really don't want you to weigh your food. Instead I want to tackle some bad habits (hence the challenge title):
- alcohol: instead of the weekly bottle of wine I will consume no alcohol for the entire challenge. I make an exception for champagne/sparkling wine because this would imply celebration (2 birthdays coming up + I might get a job)
- sugary snacking: no more mindless grazing on processed sugar filled junk, no more store bought cookies or candy
- drink more water: drink at least 2L a day
- protein: NEED MOAR

Every week I will start tackling another one while continuing beating down the previous ones. Feel free to tell me about other habits I can add to this list!

 

Note: I am not taking measurements this week as it is one of those weeks where the inside of my panties look like a Tarantino murder scene.

[Bekah]

ever thought about this stuff? http://hitsupplements.com/product/core-athlete/

it's not terrible and here's a blurb about CORE ATHLETE is formulated without additives or fillers, is from grass-fed and rBST free cows and is instantized for greater absorption and bio-availability. Including a quality whey protein blend before and after training will enable your muscles to repair and rebuild more quickly which will help you see improved physical performance and increased lean body mass.*

I have a dairy allergy, so whey/casein etc. powders are out (the more concentrated the dairy the worse the allergy) for me, but it sounds like a GREAT product otherwise  

[Bekah]

I will have to lose a few lbs before I can even weigh in. Sigh. My scale's max is 350, and I was at 356 at the doctor's 2 weeks ago.

It's very unsatisfying to step on the scale and be in limbo.

 

*hugs* yeah that does sound like it sucks! 

[INSAIYAN]

Midweek Report

 

Only tracking Calories and protein, my goals are:

 

Calories: 1750kcal

Protein: 180g

 

I used the IIFYM Calculator and entered my stats. I didn't have a BF% ready at the time, but by comparison to pictures of other people, I know that I'm between 25% and 30%, so I just played with the numbers there. I found that whether I put 25 or 30 changed the results only a little bit. I used the 30% results because they gave me a larger deficit and a selected reckless fat loss. I bumped up the protein a little bit to help with maintaining strength.

 

I went a little over on calories on Monday, quite a bit under on Tuesday, and low on protein for both. Today, I'm doing much better and my protein powder arrived, so I'm on track to meet both goals. I'll post numbers at the end of the week.

[Buff Brogan]

I have a dairy allergy, so whey/casein etc. powders are out (the more concentrated the dairy the worse the allergy) for me, but it sounds like a GREAT product otherwise

Ah, one of my friends had a similar allergy. Totally don't blame you there

[dasein]

Calories 2109

Fat 90

Carbs 172

Protein 83

Damn. My Achilles heel is social events. Went out tonight with friends. Mrs Dasein and I even shared a burger. It was still a killer and two Guinneses and a glass of wine later I am five hundred cals over my daily. Puts me 150 over for the week. No huge deal.

[Musuku]

Midweek Report

 

Only tracking Calories and protein, my goals are:

 

Calories: 1750kcal

Protein: 180g

 

I used the IIFYM Calculator and entered my stats. I didn't have a BF% ready at the time, but by comparison to pictures of other people, I know that I'm between 25% and 30%, so I just played with the numbers there. I found that whether I put 25 or 30 changed the results only a little bit. I used the 30% results because they gave me a larger deficit and a selected reckless fat loss. I bumped up the protein a little bit to help with maintaining strength.

 

I went a little over on calories on Monday, quite a bit under on Tuesday, and low on protein for both. Today, I'm doing much better and my protein powder arrived, so I'm on track to meet both goals. I'll post numbers at the end of the week.

Only tracking calories and protein might be a good idea when I start tracking too at the end of the challenge.

[Dradis]

Feeling pretty good. I have done 2 workouts this week and I have noticed my appetite has lessened which is a bit strange for me but we will see. I think I have another workout tonight, then horseback riding tomorrow then either workout friday or sunday. How is everyones week going?

 

Bit "meh" over here. I've done 2 strength sessions at the gym and done a couple of 2 mile walks (just from train station to home after work) but i've had a cold so everything has been a bit naff. Luckily i'm coming off the back of a diet break so i've managed to drop a bit of weight already

Really need to tighten up my food for 2 weeks starting sunday before i'm off on holiday.

[goodbye_farewell]

Week is going well so far. I was over on calories by ~500 the first two days, but finally reigned it in and got my calories under my goal yesterday. I'm also down ~4 lbs since Monday. Gotta love random weight fluctuations.

 

I'm going to a food truck festival in Nashville on Saturday. That will be a tracking nightmare...