wow! just by watching my calories/fat and portions

I have lost about 2 lbs. I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but I'm 5'4" and around 130. I exercise anyways, but the calories/fat/portions were a little out of control. I put them in check and the weightloss really was simple and felt effortless, except for my workouts!

Duh, right :)

Tue. Dec 4, 3:47pm

CONGRATS! Did you cut your meals in 1/2 ? Eat more often ? TELL ME YOU SECRET!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007, 3:49 PM

Good work! I know exactly how you feel. I lost all my 'baby weight' and am losing more, by watching calories and portion sizes. I'm amazed how easily it's come off! It really does work! Keep it up!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007, 3:55 PM

OP here

One "trick" I used, was to use a smaller plate when I dished up meals, I would dish up a little bit and if I went back for seconds, that was fine, since I wasn't eating a whole bunch to start with.

I've been reading labels like crazy and taking in consideration the actual serving size. So instead of eating a box of triskets, I just ate the serving size and ate it slow and mindfully. As for fat, I have been trying to limit it to around 50 grams a day, not sure if this is the best, but for me it's working and helping me reach my goal.

So I guess it sounds like a lot of work, but really it isn't. When I read a label and really see how much I should eat, I know to stop there!

Woo!!!Hoo!!!

Tuesday, December 4, 2007, 4:15 PM

How long did it take for you to lose the pounds? A week or a month?

Tuesday, December 4, 2007, 4:40 PM

OP

I weighed myself last Wednesday and everyday since, I did that because I know that my weight fluctuates with water retention, but my weight stayed the same and dropped first 1 lb then .5 then .5.

I'll keep you posted when I lose the next 2 lbs :)

Tuesday, December 4, 2007, 6:12 PM

IIn my head it's always my go-to advice when people post here that they're not losing weight. It's sooooo easy to underestimate what we eat! My food scale really opened my eyes to portions and calories, and when I stick to my calorie limit I lose weight - guaranteed!

Keep us posted, OP! It's exciting isn't it?

Tuesday, December 4, 2007, 7:59 PM

OP- I noticed you said you are limiting fat to around 50 grams a day...
Does anyone know if there is such a thing as getting too FEW fat grams? I am around 20 to 30 (MAX!!) and some days don't even hit the 20. I've been losing weight but recently the scale's not budging.
By the way, I am working out religiously EVERY DAY except Sunday, my day of rest. I've increased time and intensity etc but it's not moving....
Also, I'm between 900 (I know I'm trying to get it up there) to 1300 calories a day.
Any suggestions?

Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 9:34 AM

Fat is essential to your body's function. Your metabolism will slow down if you dont have enough. With out Omega fatty acids your brain function will also suffer. 30-50 grams of fat a day is recommended to still lose weight.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 9:48 AM

How much do you weigh - 9:34?

Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 10:01 AM

9:34 here... I'm 5'2" and weigh 132
I'm just not sure how I am going to fit the fat in!! I am trying to eat so many veggies a day, fruits a day, concentrating on protein and fiber without going over the calorie range. Was doing Extreme Fat smash but realized I wasn't getting enough calories. I stepped that up and it worked for about two weeks now I'm stuck again!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 10:16 AM

Maybe eat nuts and olive oil to get fat in? Slice of cheese too.

I'm also 5'2 and around 133 but I'm eating almost 2,000 calories per day. I'm slowly losing the weight tho. You should increase your calories..probably why the scale isn't moving maybe. You're not eating enough to fuel your body, especially since you work out often.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 11:04 AM

another good fat is avacado and it is great on a salad with tomatoes.
Congratulations OP!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 6:10 PM

10:16 - I wouldn't sweat what's most likely a temporary stall. Losing weight, even when we're doing everything well, isn't always continuous on the scale. You may be surprised one of these mornings by a big drop. Are you doing any strength training? If not, shaking up your exercise and adding weights to your workouts might give you a big boost to the weight loss effort.

Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 6:23 PM

Yes, every other day I mix cardio with weight training and I mix up the cardio workouts between running/interval uphill power walking along with my Cardio Sculp DVD and Billy Blanks with resistance bands.
Hopefully you're right though, I've been here before where theres no loss then one day there's 3 lbs gone so hopefully that's whats going on!
Thanks all!

Wednesday, December 5, 2007, 7:46 PM

OP here!

Regarding the fat, I limit my fat grams to 50, but I don't strive to hit it :)

By doing this I don't feel limited and I can still eat foods that taste yummy and the fat helps in repairing muscles that are trained and like someone mentioned omega 3 fatty acids are essential to brain function.

Where I get my fat is from, 1% milk, a little bit of cheese, yogurt, and very minimal animal fat, and fish, those are just a few.

I'm weighing myself tomorrow to log so I'll let you all know how it goes!

Thursday, December 6, 2007, 9:49 AM

It's been a week - lost any more OP?

Thursday, December 13, 2007, 11:52 PM

OP Back!

As a matter of fact I have :)

I weighed myself yesterday and I was down another 2 lbs, but I weighed myself today and was up about 1 lb. So I figure I lost at least another 1 lb.

The biggest difference is how my clothes are fitting, my favorite sweats, I have a couple of pairs, are just hanging off of me. They are a little big to begin with, but now they are nearly impossible to wear. I know that sounds drastic as I have only lost about 3-4 lbs, but things are shrinking in all the right places :)

Thanks for asking and I'll try to remember to keep you all posted.

Oh, I will admit, today was a tough day; I ate a little more than I should have. I had a chocolate cupcake with a lot of frosting and didn't watch my portions at dinner. Oh well, that's what tomorrow is for :)

Friday, December 14, 2007, 8:52 PM

Good for you, OP! Keep it up.

Friday, December 14, 2007, 9:07 PM

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