Nicole – The ‘Long Haul’ and the importance of “net calories”

Nicole – The ‘Long Haul’ and the importance of “net calories”

 

We are so excited to have a recurring feature on EM2WL, called “The Journey.”  We strive to stress the importance of staying consistent, trusting the process, and making EM2WL a lifestyle.  In featured “Journey’s” we get an inside look at how each person will make the process work for them, as well as demonstrating how this process looks from fresh angles.  Journey participants agree to keeping us updated periodically,  first sharing their story, then updating as their journey progresses… 

Today, Nicole is inviting the EM2WL family to follow her journey from the beginning.  

 

My Journey – The ‘Long Haul’:

net caloriesI’m a very active 38 year old mother that has been struggling to lose weight for over 20 YEARS.  After my first child, I had hit an all-time high of 197 lbs.  Through exercise and the Weight Watchers program I lost 60lbs over the course of 4 years (I had child number two in the middle).  However, as I got closer and closer to my goal weight, I found that I had to keep lowering my calories and increasing my exercise.  When I was at my goal weight of 135 lbs I found that I was doing 2 hours a day of high intensity cardio plus just kept myself constantly moving and my calorie intake was extremely low.  (I started to  not meet the minimal requirements for weight watchers anymore because I just couldn’t keep the weight from coming back on at that level).  Needless to say, it wasn’t long before I found myself exhausted, with constant injuries (I broke my very first bone), on high doses of depression medication and very strong prescription sleeping medication because I had severe insomnia.  These helped a bit but I had to keep going back to my dr. to up the medication because after a while, they just weren’t as effective.  As well, I continued to gain weight.  Over the course of 3 years I had gained back 30 lbs.  My doctor was stumped as to my weight gain since my tracking and records showed that I should be LOSING weight and she was positive the meds were more likely to see patients lose than gain on them, so she sent me to a nutritionist/personal trainer.  After 6 months with her, she also threw up her hands in despair and said she didn’t know how to help me – I was doing everything they asked…nothing worked.  The one common thing that neither did was to ask me what my NET calories were, what my BMR was.  They didn’t even think in those terms, and from what I know now – I was nowhere close to getting enough calories to satisfy my BMR requirements.

net caloriesFinally in a fit of frustration I cold-turkey’d off all the meds (which made my dr. raise her eyebrows at me) and told her to find another solution because this wasn’t working for me. I needed to lose weight and feel better, not just medicate and gain more!

1 month later I stumbled onto MFP in my personal search for a solution on the internet and discovered this whole new concept of net calories and eating enough. I found that I was averaging a NET calorie/day of approximately 600-800 because of the crazy exercise I was doing and the VLCD I was using. (around 1200) Often I wasn’t even Netting 0 or above…I had a negative Net.  By this time I had also started the p90X exercise program.

At first I slowly started to up my calories after figuring out my BMR (1490) and TDEE (2130-2370) to 1500 Net minimum. This was very scary for me. Thankfully I did not gained tons of weight (about 4 lbs) but within a few days my depression was gone, I was no longer exhausted all the time and I began sleeping like a baby! Those NSV’s in themselves proved to me that no matter what happened, I was doing something good for my body.
I was still scared that I had the numbers wrong, scared that it wouldn’t work, scared that I’d never lose, but for the first time I actually had hope too. This is the ONE thing I had not yet tried so I figured, what the heck…it’s worth a shot! I kept rereading the forum for a little bump in encouragement whenever I needed it. I still tended to underestimate calories burned just in case (since I ate those back to stay at my net calorie goal of 1500) and I felt so strange being able to eat a piece of apple pie and still have room to eat some chocolate too at the end of the day! I also found that I had a problem of saving a lot of calories to the end of the day so I would suddenly have to try to eat a huge amount  before bed because before, I used to be so hungry at bedtime, I HAD to save most of my calories for then and eat filling foods or I would never sleep! It’s a habit I’ve slowly been able to break (not completely yet though).

net caloriesI managed to get my calorie intake up to TDEE – 15%.  After 7 weeks at that level (plus still maintaining a crazy workout schedule from before) I found I was still a bit tired (not exhausted like before though), my weight was up 4lbs and I had gained over 6 inches!  I was mortified!  However, after speaking with Lucia, she informed me that I needed to reduce the exercise.  I had used the wrong activity level and was maintaining too high of a deficit still.  So, I listened to her advice and dropped the exercise but kept my calories the same.  Within a week I started to feel better.  I also started to reread through the forum and discovered that with my diet history, a full reset was likely what I needed to get the weight to stop dropping.  So, the next day, I upped my calories to maintenance, maintained my workouts and as of today found that some of the 6 inches I gained have disappeared and I’ve even seen a small reduction in a couple of places (thigh/neck) to lower than start!  I’m still bigger in the waist and upper body but I am assuming that is due mainly to water retention and the fact that I am now lifting without being in a caloric deficit.

I am excited for when I will see inches really start dropping or my weight to come down, but for now, I will continue on through my reset (I have gained 1.6 lbs since starting my reset) and give my body the time it requires to heal.  I feel better than I have in years (despite my small emotional pity parties over my waist increase that makes my jeans almost un-wearable – I was already maxing them out so they didn’t have much room left).

net caloriesThis road is mentally difficult and tiring.  Going against everything society tries to cram down our throats about weight loss, dealing with the looks of pity as people watch me gain weight and eat (usually more than they do), trying to reassure my husband that this IS the right thing to do, and all the time feeling unsure and scared myself, yet believing in it completely at the same time.  The research is out there, the testimonies are out there… I know my story will be one of success.  I just have to have patience and strength to do it right and see it through.  I may not see the quick results that some others have when they started the Eat More plan, but then I did a LOT of damage to my system…it’ll take time to repair that.  I’m already 10 weeks in with no loss, just gain and I’m just now starting to get hungry days (a good sign).  It’s the long haul for me, but I’m ok with that because I know the destination is worth the trip.

Starting Info (March, 2012):

Eating 1200 cals or less (NET < 1000 – often between 0[or negative value] and 800) Plus some binge days due to special events.

Desk Job: Workout 7 days/week (P90X-lifting/cardio + 1.5 hrs brisk walking daily) I also did anything else I could think of that simply kept me moving.

  • Weight: 162.6 lbs
  • Neck: 13 ¾ “
  • R Bicep: 11”
  • R Forearm: 10”
  • Over Bust: 37”
  • Bust: 41”
  • Under Bust: 36”
  • Waist: 36”
  • Hips: 40”
  • R Wrist: 6”
  • R Thigh: 24”
  • R Calf: 15 ½ “

 

Current Info (June 6, 2012)

Metabolism Reset: Eating 2584 cals (NET > 1500) 2 weeks into reset

Desk Job: Workout: 6 days/week (3x lifting + 6 days 1 hr brisk walks) I also still try to stay relatively active through my day, but much less intensity.

  • Weight: 166.2 lbs
  • Neck: 13 ½ “
  • R Bicep: 11 ½ ”
  • R Forearm: 10 ¼ ”
  • Over Bust: 38”
  • Bust: 42”
  • Under Bust: 36 ½ ”
  • Waist: 36 ½ ”
  • Hips: 41”
  • R Wrist: 6”
  • R Thigh: 23 ½ ”
  • R Calf: 15 ½ “

 

Remember, EM2WL is a lifestyle, not a quick fix.  Featured Journeyers will remind us that we are all a “work-in-progress.”  If you are interested in being featured in The Journey, please contact us for more info.  

Kashonna – “The scale is no longer my worry” – Eat More to Weigh Less

Kashonna – “The scale is no longer my worry” – Eat More to Weigh Less

*I must warn you first that this could be a long read, but a good read I must say* So today is finally here, my one year anniversary and boy the changes that have taken place are just so amazing. Every time I look back at my pictures from when I first started, I have to ask myself was that really me? Sometimes we don’t realize how we look until changes happen, and I’m so glad that I’m on this journey because I not only look better, but I feel better, my confidence is so much higher, I’m so energized, and overall just so much healthier. Exactly one year ago, I started watching youtube videos of others who have lost weight, and this one particular person mentioned Myfitnesspal, so I signed up and started tracking my calories. Shocker, Shocker, Shocker!!! When I tell you that I was so outdone when I seen how many calories, fat, carbs, and sodium was in the stuff that I use to eat, it was just ridiculous. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t actually stop eating what I eat, but I did cut back a lot on portion sizes and stayed away from too much fast food. I was 198 when I started and chose the 2 pounds per week option so of course MFP put me on the 1200 calories. I started searching for exercise videos and found a couple of ten minute videos and worked my way up to doing Billy Blanks Tae bo cardio. I lost weight at a great pace and was weighing myself everyday and the numbers continued to go down, down and down. Since I was heavy and very short, 5’2, this worked because I was considered obese for my height and age.

Okay, so eating the 1200 calories lasted for a good bit and I never hit a plateau, but I was aware of plateaus and was looking forward to one after reading that others hit one. In about 3 months, I lost about 33 pounds.

So, I continued on with the 1200 calories and Billy Blanks, protein was very low around the 40s or sometimes even lower, fats were also low, and just like most people starting out, I was afraid of the fats because I thought that it would make me fat, and I didn’t know any better about the protein because I didn’t do enough research and just relied on MFP. Also I was netting very low calories because I was only eating 1200 calories and at the time I didn’t have a HRM, but I knew that I was burning lots of calories because I was heavy and was very unfit. So another 3 months later, I had lost another 23 pounds and was weighing 142 in this picture. Whoa, what a difference from the 198.  I just looked slim and no muscle definition, some flab, just skinny.

Eat More to Weigh Less

“142 lbs..no muscle..some flab, just skinny”

Around August, I started doing Chalean Johnsons’ Turbo Jam, and I loved it. I think it was around this time, I started doing some research about muscle definition and leaning out your body, though still on the 1200 calories. I also, started paying attention to the types of foods I was eating. My food choices have changed time and time again, so most of everything I started out eating, I don’t eat anymore because I really don’t want to. So around October, I started Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. Just to throw this out here, I’m the type of person that loves a challenge and this was definitely a challenge, because I read others talking about how hard it was. Then, it was hard, but now it’s probably a piece of cake because I’m more fit now and have done more hardcore things. After I was done with her 30 Day Shred, I started Ripped in 30 and did 2 rounds of it. I started doing more research, and discovered Chalean Extreme because I wanted to start weight lifting to shape my body and lean out more and to also get more muscle definition. I also started eating more around November, but I was still not eating enough for the amount of calories I was burning, and although I upped my protein, it still wasn’t enough. So after more and more research and after staring Chalean Extreme on New Year’s Eve, I started netting 1200 instead of eating that amount.

Here, I was down about 70 pounds. So after more research, I learned that I really should be netting my BMR and starting eating around 1600-2000 calories depending on the workout and estimation of calories burned. We have to fuel our bodies, and I had to learn that food is not an enemy. Around February, I was weighing 126.4, with a better looking body than before I started lifting weights.

My goal weight that I had in mind was 125, and since I’m very close to that goal, my weight has fluctuated from 126-128 range and it doesn’t bother me because I’m basically at goal anyway. I now wear a size 7/8 in jeans and probably a 6 and a size 4 in dress pants. I can wear small tops and all of this is just amazing to me because I feel so much better. When I first started this journey, I didn’t have a lot of support but all I needed was my very own support and continuous prayer to God each and every day and it has brought me this far. I don’t see not having support as an excuse because if you want it bad enough, then you will and can do it. I haven’t eaten at a restaurant since last summer, and it’s not because I’m scared of the food, I just don’t want it. Some people feel like you can’t enjoy life unless you’re eating junk food and restaurant food, and that is simply not the case. I enjoy my life just fine without it and I love preparing my food everywhere I go. I can still hang with my family and friends and enjoy them without eating what they’re eating. I’ve attended a birthday party and took my own cooked food, I’ve even gone to a restaurant with them, and guess what, I took my own cooked food and ate with them (by the way one of the workers thought that was so unique and cool, and he even added that he liked that). I said that to say that life is not about FOOD.

Yes you need food to live, and like the saying goes you only get one life, so why not live it right, well you only get one body, so why not treat it right? I can look back at my pictures and laugh and smile because that’s not my body, my attitude, or my personality anymore. People will change once they get healthier and lose weight and you’re suppose to because you’re no longer that old you anymore. I’m not saying get all cocky, but you will have more confidence and your self esteem is greater and it should be. Some people get mad or jealous of others when they say that you feel and look so much better and boy you know everybody doesn’t root for you, I’d be willing to bet that some people are rooting for us to gain our weight back, but that sure won’t happen because I’ve learned how to eat right and eat foods that I can eat for the rest of my life. Had I starved myself throughout this entire process, I would probably gain it back, but that’s not the case. I enjoy what I eat and I love, love, love that I can eat all day and still not gain weight, but rather lose fat and have a lean body and a fast metabolism.

It doesn’t stop here. I’m doing the Lean for Life phase, and I’m going to start Turbo Fire soon. I hope you all enjoyed this story and I hope that it can inspire and motivate others as well. Oh, I almost forgot, I am now at a loss of 72 pounds and if I lose, I lose, if not that’s fine with me because the scale is no longer my worry, but the changes in the mirror are. I also find it amazing that I have the V-shape underneath the fat that I’m trying to diminish which is what most men and some girls have, and that wasn’t a goal, buy hey I’ll take it. There is still more work to be done to make it more defined and there is still more fat to be burned. I need to go get my body fat percentage calculated because I have no clue what it is.Eat More to Weigh Less

Have an EM2WL transformation to share?  We’d love to see it!  Be featured on our Transformations page by submitting your story to Success@EM2WL.com

Protein Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

Protein Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

Looking for a tasty way to increase your cals? Try a Protein Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie!

Protein Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

One of the first questions we usually get from someone who has decided to increase calorie intake after years of eating 1200 cals, is “how in the world can  I eat that much?! ” We even admit to having asked such a valid question ourselves, once upon a time (although you’ll be hard pressed to hear us say it now!).

A suggestion that you’ll often hear shouted in the forums in unison is “PEANUT BUTTER!!”

Yes, we love our healthy fats here at EM2WL and look to them as the go-to calorie “uppers” when first beginning.  This goes especially for the tried and true, PB.   If you’re not a PB fan, feel free to try out your fave nut butter in it’s place.  Here we took a basic smoothie recipe from Allrecipes, and spruced it up a bit with the addition of protein powder (in place of the instant breakfast mix), and further “chocolafied” it with the addition of a couple of teaspoons of Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa powder.  The result, is a super filling Protein Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie, perfect for getting in the good stuff on the go.

While no actual PB cups went into the blender…our lips are sealed as to whether an actual (*cough*Trader Joes Dark Chocolate*cough*) PB cup was eaten during the brainstorming of this concoction….

Peanut Butter Cup Smoothie

Serves 1
Prep time 5 minutes
Allergy Peanuts
Dietary Vegetarian
Meal type Beverage, Breakfast, Snack
Misc Serve Cold
Website allrecipes.com
A basic peanut butter and chocolate protein smoothie get sweetened w/banana, and an intense richness from added cocoa powder and vanilla extract. A yummy way to get in some good stuff on the go..

Ingredients

  • 1 cup milk (can use soy/almond/etc)
  • 2-4 tablespoons protein powder (1/2 to full scoop depending on brand)
  • 1 tablespoon all natural peanut butter
  • 1 Large Banana (frozen for best texture)

Optional

  • 2-3 teaspoons cocoa powder (used Hershey's Special dark)
  • 1 teaspoon Sucanat
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (inner baker won't let me leave it out)

Directions

Combine all ingredients in blender for 30 seconds or until well blended.

Note

All ingredients can be modified to suit most basic allergies: feel free experiment with almond milk/butter, or swap out the banana and Sucanat for ice and no calorie sweetener (i.e. Truvia, xylitol, etc ) for a version that will still hit the spot for diabetics/carb sensitive.

 

Nutrient info (calculated w/skim milk and 3/4 scoop BodyTech Whey protein powder):

Calories: 410 , Total Fat 9g, Sat. Fat 2g, Chol. 11 mg, Sodium 346mg, Potassium 972mg, Total Carb 52g, Fiber 7g, Sugar 32g, Protein 34g

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

These Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes are a Saturday morning tradition around here!  Whether they are part of a smorgasbord, or star of the show, we love them just the same.  They cook up light and fluffy, every time, with just enough “stick to your ribs” goodness from the fiber in the whole wheat.  Our family loves them drizzled with Trader Joe’s  Organic Maple Syrup, but top them however you like!

Whole Wheat Buttermilk Pancakes

Serves 9-12 pancakes
Prep time 20 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Total time 30 minutes
Allergy Egg, Milk, Wheat
Meal type Breakfast
Misc Child Friendly, Serve Hot
From book Recipes from the Old Mill
These pancakes, made w/whole wheat flour, turn out nice and fluffy, every time! They've been a Saturday morning tradition in our home for years, and sure to become a family favorite in yours. We love to drizzle them with Trader Joe's Organic Maple syrup, but top them however you like!

Ingredients

  • 2 Large eggs
  • 1 cup whole wheat flour
  • 1 cup unbleached all purpose flour ((can use all whole wheat if desired))
  • 1 3/4 cup buttermilk or plain yogurt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons oil

Directions

Mix all dry ingredients with a whisk.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs and buttermilk or yogurt well.
Add egg/buttermilk mixture to dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Add oil then mix again.
Let batter sit for 15 minutes or more while you preheat the griddle and set the table.
Ladle batter onto griddle sprayed w/cooking spray (unless griddle is non-stick) in 1/4 cup portions. After about 3 minutes, when surface of the cake is no longer shiny and small bubbles are beginning to form around edges, it is time to flip the cake. Cook on the other side until it's browned, or another minute or so.
Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven while you finish cooking the rest of the cakes. Do NOT stack.
Enjoy!

Note

  • Serve immediately, or keep warm in a 200 degree F oven while you finish cooking the rest of the cakes.  If placing in oven, do NOT stack pancakes, as it causes them to become dense.  The longer pancakes sit, as well, the less fluffy they will be.
  • Pancakes may be made with all whole wheat flour if desired, but it is recommended to try the recipe once as written, to know if texture is preferred one way or the other.
  • Other variations include: adding 1/2-3/4 cup blueberries to batter in the last mixing step,  OR 1/2 cup diced apples, 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, & 1/4 tsp cinnamon, for a wonderful Autumn-flavored version

 

Nutrition per pancake:

Calories: 126, Total Fat 4 g, Saturated 1 g, Cholesterol 37 mg, Sodium 267 mg, Total Carbs 18 g, Dietary Fiber 2 g, Sugars 3 g, Protein 5 g,Vitamin A 1%, Calcium 10%, Iron 6%

 

Mike’s journey to new heights! – Losing Weight with EM2WL!

 

losing weight

The week before I started EM2WL – I was 294.7lbs

My name is Mike; I am a 31 year old CIO for a Silicon Valley startup company near San Jose, CA.

Over the course of the last 12 years I have slowly let the weight creep on at about the rate of 10lbs of fat per year.  This weight gain is attributed to a “party” lifestyle.  I was successful very early on in my career, which led to a habit of drinking all the time, eating a lot with friends, and what I will call general shenanigans.

For the last couple of years I have struggled with losing weight.  I have tried everything from personal trainers, fad diets, VLCD diets, Paleo Diet, Atkins Diet ect.  Some worked, some didn’t.  I would always drop 10-20lbs very very quickly and think I was on the right track, but after a month or two it would completely stall and reverse direction.  When doing low-carb diets I would generally gain the weight back + more.

I was so frustrated with not losing weight; I had the thought that maybe something was wrong with me.  My family has a history of diabetes and high blood pressure.  I honestly though at that time that was my golden ticket to losing weight, that I was going to go into the doctor’s office and they would tell me “Aha! This is why you are not losing weight”.  I got checked for everything from high blood pressure, to thyroid issues, to low testosterone.   This was in December 2011.

I got the results back and almost s*#@ a brick.  I was pretty much healthy, aside from higher than normal blood pressure.  I was devastated to say the least and lost as to why I could not lose weight.

Fast forward to March 2012, I hit a high point for my weight of 310lbs.  I decided it was time to attempt to lose weight again.  I was told about MyFitnessPal as a good way to track calories, meet with members and generally get support for weight loss.  I signed up there and did pretty much what everyone else does.  I set my activity level to Sedentary and set my weight loss goal at 2lbs per week.  I think it put me at like 1400 calories a day to lose weight.

I started walking every day.  I quickly lost 15lbs over the first month.  I was pumped.  However at the end of the first month, I started gaining weight back.  My next step was to cut calories out, so I went down to 1200 calories a day.  Once I did this the weight start coming back faster.  I was literally about to go crazy.  I was also gaining size around my midsection (via measurements).  Not a good situation.

losing weight

At the end of week 5 – only a 6lb difference

I posted about this one day on the MFP boards in early April.  A very nice and very fit lady named Lucia responded to me about their group on MFP called Eat More 2 Lose Weight.  She linked me to some articles.  For the next 2 weeks I spend an absurd amount of time researching this, because my thought was “How the hell can I lose weight while eating more”

Anyways after a couple of weeks of researching I decided that it couldn’t hurt.  I decided I would commit to it for a long while, as I heard this takes some time, and is a slower but more effective process.  I was skeptical to say the least.

Week 1:  I researched my TDEE numbers and set my calorie goals for the first week.  My TDEE was 3984, and my TDEE cut target was 3156.  I was so scared.  I was literally upping my calories by 2000.  At the end of week one I weight myself.  I was 299.2lbs.  I had gained 6.5lbs in ONE week.  I thought, here is the proof this is a crock!

I posted this on MFP group, and everyone said it was normal and to give it time.  They told me to throw out the scale and start measuring.  I said “Ok, I’ll keep at it”

Week 2:  After week 2, I weighed myself again (I know I wasn’t supposed to).  I was 297.3lbs.  I was like, ok that good, I am seeing a drop.  My measurements were roughly the same.

Week 3:  After week 3, I weighted in again, and this time I was at 292.3lbs, a 5 lb. difference from week 2, and my lowest weight in a long while.  What I noticed here was I was starting to lose inches!  My neck, arms, belly, waits, chest ect were all shrinking.

Week 4/5:  The trend continued until week 5.  I hit 288.4lbs.  I was PUMPED!  Eating like crazy (healthy foods).  I had lost a total of 12” all over my body.  Crazy talk!

 Week 6/7:  My weight lost plateaued over these weeks, and even went up by .8lbs.  I went back to the group and found this to be normal as well.  This is where I learned that the scale can lie.  Even though my weight was slightly up for 2 weeks, I had lost another 3” overall.  My body is still changing.

losing weight

Reaching new heights after 7 weeks!

This is me at the top of a steep hike, something I haven’t been able to do before…same weight as Week 5 but slightly thinner”

This entire time I have been researching this whole subject and am fully sold on it, and now I spend free time on the forums trying to help people to realize they don’t have to starve to lose weight.  There is so much joy that can be had in losing weight, but only if you are in it for the long haul.

I will keep updating my info, posting information that I learn and helping to motivate anyone who wants to change themselves for the rest of their lives.
See you all on the forums!

 

Mike

 

 

 

Have an EM2WL transformation to share?  We’d love to see it!  Be featured on our Transformations page by submitting your story to Success@EM2WL.com

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