by EM2WL | Sep 18, 2013 | Testimonials, The Journey, Transformations
I stumbled upon EM2WL about a year ago when I began having issues with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar/non-diabetic) when I was trying to find the best way to avoid the low blood sugar episodes but hopefully still lose weight. When I first started reading all of the EM2WL info I was reluctant like most but I’ve been reading about health, nutrition, and fitness for years because I truly love learning about it so the principles with EM2WL all made perfect sense to me and the fact that I wouldn’t be starving was a bonus! I have literally tried everything since I became overweight at the age of 9, diet pills (as early as age 11), meal replacement shakes, Nutrisystem (age 12), Weight Watchers (about 15 times, age 15-36), every workout craze, even HCG injections (two separate times in 2011) combined with the crazy 500 calorie diet that goes with it. I’d even burn mega calories and log every food I ate creating 1,000+ calorie deficit each day and get pissed off a few weeks later when I lost nothing then go splurge and give up.
Yes… I had a horrible track record for that..not getting the results I wanted so I’d get mad say screw it and go to McD’s for a big mac, fries and DIET coke (of course..lol) followed by ice cream! Little did I realize I was destroying my body as well as my mental well being by the horrible drastic actions I was putting myself through. I may have still been beating myself up that way had I not started having issues with hypoglycemia, but because of it I HAD to change my ways. I can’t go without eating every 2-3 hours and I have to eat good carbs with protein and fats or my blood sugar levels drop a few hours after eating and I get to where I feel as if I’ll pass out. So now I eat the best I can to avoid it which means I’m eating MORE because I’m eating 6-7 times each day and I’m eating MORE because I’m eating better foods that are more nutrient dense and offer my body better fuel than that big mac and fries I used to eat. My body forced me to eat better, and now that I’m nicer to my body its finally being nicer to me! Since September 2012 I’ve lost 11 pounds most of which was done with 1800+ calories a day and very moderate exercise.
My TDEE is only 1,816 with the very light activity I do because unfortunately the hypoglycemia has given me some anxiety especially when it comes to working out. I am however working on that and am starting to get back into working out since I do LOVE lifting HEAVY! When that happens I will up my calories accordingly. Over the past few months I did an unintentional reset eating at 2000+ where I maintained my weight but in the last two weeks dropped a little more scale weight but I’ve been losing inches as well, (about 15″ total) feeling trimmer and fitting into clothes that were too tight. I guess my body finally realizes I’m done abusing it and its willing to let go of the stubborn fat.
My best NSV recently: a couple months ago the hubby and I went dress shopping for a big event and I tried on several dresses surprisingly I wasn’t critical of myself! No I actually thought “wow! I look good” in almost every single dress! The only ones I didn’t like it was because of the dress itself not my body. I used to try on 50 dresses and leave with 0..this time I tried on 7 and bought 2…I only need 1..lol! But my hubby said they looked so good he wanted me to get both (he actually wanted me to buy 3). The next day he even text me and said “I hope you know how stunning you looked in those dresses yesterday” talk about making my day!!!
EM2WL is really a life that I can and will live! It’s not some crazy, drastic, unhealthy quick fix that helps me lose a few only to gain 10! I’ve always loved food, couldn’t stand eating 1,200 calories a day and going to bed with my tummy growling and now I realize I don’t have to! Now I can eat foods that fuel my body and look “stunning” while eating!!!
Love, Love, Love EM2WL!!!!
Share your success, no matter how large or small. You never know who you may inspire to hang on just a bit longer. We love featuring results and journey stories in REAL time, not just before/afters. If you have a victory (scale or not) let us know and allow us to share with the fam, by submitting to success@EM2WL.com
by EM2WL | Sep 12, 2013 | Fat Loss / Cutting, Motivation, The Journey
Guest Post from Nicole
Recently I went on a girl’s overnight backpacking trip in the mountains. Well, my weekend did not go as planned…but it was a reminder of how much EM2WL has improved how I think about weight, fitness and my fitness goals.
I went hiking with two friends. My specific goal focused training this summer paid off in spades…
I was able to do the hike with ease. I was even running hills and jumping logs with my 35lb pack on all through it. I had a little DOMS in my calves the next morning but that’s about it. My other friends had a little more trouble. One of them hadn’t trained or exercised as much as she usually does and found that her quads, glutes, and hip flexors were pretty sore and she had to push through the hills (but she’s still in pretty good shape and was doing just fine). However, my skinny friend who doesn’t exercise regularly and thinks cutting out carbs is a good way to drop weight, started having trouble within the first km of easy hiking. 
Her toes cramped, she was winded, needed breaks on any little hill. When we got to a bigger hill, she could only go about 10-15 steps before doubling over on her pole to rest. By the time we got to 10km we were moving at a pace of 0.2km per half hour because she had to stop so often and couldn’t move fast (she was completely exhausted). And this was on a long, rather flat section.
Needless to say, we did not get to our destination. We stopped and camped for the night, got her back down the mountain. The next day, we settled her into a campsite and my other friend and I went on a 12+ km day hike along a rocky river bed/canyon. All together I hiked 32+ km up and down the mountains in 2 days with my fitter friend. I am the most overweight person of my 2 friends. I am about 25lbs OVER my goal weight since doing my reset, but I trained and ate for what I wanted to do, not to lose ‘x’ amount of lbs and it paid off…plus, the weight/fat is still dropping slowly (12lbs lost over the summer training).
Pick fitness goals, not a weight goal…If you chose a weight goal as your focus, you might not reach a fitness goal, but if you pick a fitness goal as your focus, the weight just kinda falls off too!!
Share your success, no matter how large or small. You never know who you may inspire to hang on just a bit longer. We love featuring results and journey stories in REAL time, not just before/afters. If you have a victory (scale or not) let us know and allow us to share with the fam, by submitting to success@EM2WL.com
by EM2WL | Jul 29, 2013 | Motivation, Testimonials, The Journey
Having followed her progress for over a year, we were completely overjoyed when Monique agreed to share her journey thus far with the Eat More 2 Weigh Less fam. She’s inspired us for this long, we know you’ll feel the same! ~Lucia & Kiki
25 pounds down
How long have you been on this journey?
Officially, I’ve been on this journey since January 2012. I’ve had so many fluctuations with my weight since I was a child. From being borderline anorexic in middle school to working out like a machine in high school without proper nutrition; this time around, I figured I would actually try to give my body what it needed and not what I THOUGHT it needed.
When did you first learn that you needed to eat more to reach your goals? What was your original response?
Color Run!
I first learned that I needed to eat more to reach my goals when I hit a plateau for about three months straight while exercising and eating as clean as I possibly could. I felt groggy, tired, irritable and most of all hungry, after counting calories. I thought to myself, “I’ve literally done everything right with a few cheat days here and there, but this scale won’t budge at all.”
How did others around you act about your decision to discard the usual low cal methods for weight loss?
The usual response was “wait… you’re not cutting out anything?” or “how can you eat sweets and still lose?” and the infamous “I’m cutting out carbs because they’re bad for you… you won’t lose anything if you start to eat more calories and carbs than your body actually needs.”
How did your body react to the initial increase in cals?
45 pounds down
Two words: Water weight. I felt bloated for about a week initially since my body wasn’t accustomed to the sudden increase in calories. On the plus side, I had SO much more energy to actually workout without feeling fatigued and exhausted all of the time. I finally didn’t need coffee to wake myself up in the morning from a bad nights’ sleep. Plus, I slept like a baby at night, which was great.
Can you describe your typical workout schedule?
Zombie Race
I work a desk job, so I try to be as active as possible each week. I also like to keep my body guessing depending on the season and what activity I’d like to get into. One day, I might hike and on another day I may try some hot yoga. It keeps the boredom at bay!
Typically, my week will look like this:
Monday – Body Combat class or upper body circuit training
Tuesday – Spinning class
Wednesday – Body Combat class or lower body circuit training
Thursday – Swimming or yoga
Friday – Rest day (unless I didn’t get some lifting in throughout the week, then I may do a full body heavy lifting session)
Saturday/Sunday – 2 to 3 mile jog/rest day… depends on activities for the weekend!
Has proper fuel affected you in ways other than weight loss? (Good or bad)
Honestly, I’ve been able to see tremendous changes in my body that have nothing to do with the scale. I’m sleeping better, looking leaner, and have so much energy to do just about anything. The greatest thing that came out of all of this is that I’ve learned how to live and have a healthy relationship with food. I’m a huge foodie and have no time to “diet” at such a young age. I get to enjoy my social life and teach others who want to know my “secrets” how to stop depriving themselves in order to feel better about their weight.
Any parting words of encouragement to those who are new to eating more, or struggling with the decision of whether or not to fuel properly?
I usually tell people to try it out for about a month and see if they have seen a difference in how much more they can lift, how much harder they can push themselves during an intense workout session, or just how much better they feel. It seems like a strange idea to eat more when you’re trying to lose weight, but you simply have to trust the process. Don’t let the scale have so much power over you. You shouldn’t have to judge your worth based on a number. Ever.
The best decisions that I’ve made throughout this journey were eating more (especially protein), purchasing a heart rate monitor and buying a food scale. If you don’t accurately know what’s going into your body, the results you want will not come. Most importantly, be patient and learn to live. Life’s too short not to have great meals with the people you cherish the most along the way!
50 pounds down! A work in progress, but getting there, and enjoying every minute of it!
Share your success, no matter how large or small. You never know who you may inspire to hang on just a bit longer. We love featuring results and journey stories in REAL time, not just before/afters. If you have a victory (scale or not) let us know and allow us to share with the fam, by submitting to success@EM2WL.com
by EM2WL | Jul 25, 2013 | Consistency, Fat Loss / Cutting, Motivation, Testimonials, The Journey, Transformations, Troubleshooting
Before the drama began – loving life
Well this has been a long time coming. I’ve been meaning to sit down and put all of what’s been happening with me for the last year, since my transformation story, on paper. So much has transpired I’m trying to decide exactly where I should begin.
Ok, I’ll start from July of last year, I went to Jamaica to celebrate my bff’s 40th and had an absolute blast! I was at the tail end of my metabolic reset, in which, I had only gained four pounds. I totally enjoyed all the fine delicacies and didn’t count a thing. I was on vacation, loving every minute of it and I vowed I would never ever ever diet on vacation again. I know I ate a surplus some days, the food was amazing and I was determined to try everything. I got back and had gained all of ZERO pounds. WHAT???? So back to Cathe STS Meso 3 and over the rest of the summer I was lifting heavy and eating at cut.
Nov. 2012 – Back to post baby weight & devastated
I noticed the end of September, my weight started creeping up slowly. Since I was lifting heavy and eating right, I tried not to become concerned. Well, my son transitioned to wearing a pump to manage his diabetes, and I didn’t have one full nights sleep for over three weeks. I had to get up every three hours to check his blood sugar. You talk about exhausted… 9pm, 12am, 3am, 6am every single night. By the top of November I had an extra 20lbs and I couldn’t believe how I’d gone from toned and svelte to thick and fatty. I just knew it had to be my thyroid, and though my numbers looked fine, I decided to switch from synthetic to a natural thyroid replacement pill. My numbers plummeted and though in cut mode the weight didn’t budge. I was back to my after baby weight and all the muscles I was so proud of, seemed to disappear into oblivion. You talk about devastated…
I felt everything people would write me about…frustrated, scared, anxious, and obsessed with that scale. I couldn’t understand how I went from nicely toned with just a wee bit of fat to shed, to a thick girl with layers of adipose tissue that seemed here stay! During the next few months the doctor and I worked on getting my thyroid level right. Though the temptation was there to slash calories drastically, I absolutely refused. I ate at a small deficit 10-15% and took off an extra 200 to account for the low thyroid. Lifting and cutting and still nothing moved much. Well the cutting business, wore on my nerves, so back to TDEE I went. I figured if I wasn’t losing or gaining at cut or TDEE then why not enjoy my food???
Fat starting to come off – noticing muscle gains (20lbs heavier)
So, I believe it was March or April, I’m still looking for answers since my thyroid numbers were now level. Goodness, though I’d shed a few pounds, I was stuck at 170lbishhhhhhh. During my hunt for some type of viable explanation, I found a Sweaty Betties vid, on adrenal fatigue. Things started to make sense. Severe stress, lack of sleep, growing older can all contribute to causing adrenal fatigue. Lord knows I was sleep deprived, and the start of the gain was when I was getting up all through the night….ahhhhh haaaaaaaa! Light bulb blew up…lol… I mean for weeks no sleep and I was absolutely stressed in general with family issues, plus the strain of my full time job and my 2nd job that I love, EM2WL. Well, I read and watched more vids and started the supplementation suggested, but, I was still having sleeping issues. I found that my free T3 was a bit too high so we backed down on the thyroid med a little bit.
Ok, so now I’m sleeping ok, thyroid numbers are good, I’m lifting heavy, I invested in the Body Media Fit (boy did I underestimate my numbers, but that’s for another blog, in time…lol), eating at small cut, starting to see some fat loss but still stuck in my big clothes. So, I decided to take some pictures and bam, I see some muscular maturity…more dense muscle than when I was at 154lbs. Yes still almost 20lbs heavier but I could see that all the gain wasn’t just lumpy fat, but that there was some nice growth that transpired unbeknownst to me. I got excited and then the brain starts saying over and over…”now it’s time to shed all the excess fat so you can start wearing some of your smaller stuff…aren’t you sick of wearing the same three jeans?” Oh my gosh, I then became obsessed about the numbers…YES!!! Exactly what I type a few times a day to others, NOT to do!
More mature muscle and v-taper development
After whining to the Kikster one day, I realized, I was causing myself unnecessary stress and I said that is it! No more scale…No more logging… and NEW CLOTHES BABY! Oh yes, the sausage queen went into retirement. I hit the outlets and bought nice fitting jeans. Matter of fact, I went all out and bought tops too, even though my top size didn’t change, hey, I went for the gusto. Feeling good again because a sausage I was not any longer…lol. My plan was to weigh in after a month, but now way over a month later, I have no desire to step on the scale. Listen, during my no scale or logging time..whew, I haven’t been stressed about a single number. And logging for over a year has taught me how to hit numbers,macros, blah blah. So no sweat there either.
lost 1/2 inch in waist…I’ll take it
What’s been happening since? All the jeans I bought are looser…tehehe. The ones I’m wearing today were a bit snug when I bought it. I could hear Kiki’s voice saying, ” Now the purpose of your shopping trip is to “desausage”…why are you going to buy those sausage makers?” LOL. I know I should have left them right there, but they were on too good of a sale. Oh so glad to report they fit smashingly today. Also, the break from all the tracking has allowed me to shift my focus to physical goals. I’ve always wanted to dead lift and squat my weight. My lift sessions have gone to another level. Not worrying about all the tracking keeps me nice and mellow. I also decided to stop dwelling and focusing on the negatives…I wish I looked like this, look at that lump, why can’t I see a striation here or there yet…blah, blah, and negative blah. Now, I congratulate myself on new feats tackled and I point out the positive changes I see in my friend, the mirror.
Ok, ok, ok, so I can’t tell you I’ve lost x,y, or z, BUT, I can tell you I’ve lost a half inch off my hips, waist, and thighs. I can say I surpassed my dead lift goal, met the squat goal, and I’m blowing past other personal records during my lift sessions. I can also see a nice progression which others have noticed too. I have also conquered the hardest part of the journey…the mental voyage. And lastly, I can say I’m enjoying the stress-free non-tracking lifestyle and appreciating every positive thought I now have about me:-)
by EM2WL | Jul 4, 2013 | Increasing calories, Interviews/Guest Posts, The Journey
A true athlete, MrsBigMack discovered during her weight loss journey that she needed to properly fuel in order to reach her goals. If you know her from MFP or her blog “im.seeking.balance” then you know that her decision is paying in full. Yay for us, she’s agreed to an interview to share her well-fueled experience with the EM2WL family.
Before” pic ~218 lbs
How long have you been on this journey?
I started putting on weight in my childhood but really began packing on significant weight in my teens and my early 20’s. In 2000 I began taking kickboxing classes and trained 4-5 hours a week but just had no idea what a healthy diet looked like. In 2001 I topped out at 218 lbs at 5’7″… I was 26 years old.
The only thing I knew about weight loss was Weight Watchers. My dad had been a Lifetime Member; my parents had first signed me up for it when I was 12. In 2002 I walked through the doors again; I lost exactly 52 pounds in 52 weeks to reach my goal weight of 158 lbs. I, too, am now a Lifetime Member.I maintained that loss until summer of 2005 when I got pregnant for the first time. During that pregnancy I had Gestational Diabetes that wasn’t caught until week 28; when all was said and done I’d put on 70 lbs. The extra 35 or so stayed with me until I decided to get serious again.
I knew I was ready to get rid of the weight for good in January 2012. My life had calmed down some after a crazy couple of years that included the birth of my 2nd son, the death of my husband, quitting my job of 12 years, remarrying and moving to a new town with my boys. So starting in January 2012 I lost 36 of those leftover pregnancy pounds. I was back to 158 lbs by maybe August some time. I actually don’t remember.
When did you first learn that you needed to eat more to reach your goals? What was your original response?
When I was on Weight Watchers in 2002/03, the program was called Winning Points and they gave you a 5 point range for each day and you could also earn extra points from exercise. Well at that point I was training in kickboxing, doing bikram yoga and starting to run regularly and I was hungry. I mean REALLY hungry.
Progress in 2012
I ate every point they allowed me. I learned to eat the low fat high fiber foods to get more for my points. I ate every activity point I could add. And then sometimes I felt so deprived that I went out and essentially binged or just quit tracking and ate a big cheat meal and felt mentally defeated. I noticed, however, that those times I ate more I’d have a better loss on the scale.
I trained for and ran my first half marathon in 2003 as I was approaching my goal weight. I remember the weekly losses being painfully slow… it was like -.2, -.4, 0, +.2, -.6, -.2, +.2… it went on for months. As my running mileage picked up, the losses were harder to come by. Eventually, I was about 4 lbs above my goal weight and super frustrated. My leader suggested I take a break and eat at “maintenance”, which meant adding 4 points per day (that was maybe 2-300 calories). Well lo and behold I did that and had two 3lb losses in a row, taking me to below my goal weight. Something clicked for me right then and there. Too bad it was after all the hardest of the work was done, but a valuable learning experience nonetheless.
When I decided to begin anew in 2012, I just knew from the start that I needed to eat enough to run well. A friend had challenged me to another half marathon and I figured it was a great time to really make the effort and take these pounds off once and for all. I started with Weight Watchers online, but by April of 2012 I switched to calorie counting on My Fitness Pal; I was still starving on Weight Watchers and hated that I felt like a failure every time I went over my points even though I knew I needed more food.
How did/do others around you act about your decision to discard the usual low cal methods for weight loss?
Nobody really knew what I was doing except for my husband. When I switched from Weight Watchers to My Fitness Pal I went for a DEXA scan to figure out where my goal weight should be – if 158 lbs was still reasonable for me. I originally chose it because, at 5’7″, it’s the highest weight I can have and still be in the healthy BMI category, not that I really put much stock in the BMI as an indicator of health.The guy who did my DEXA in Vancouver suggested a caloric intake level for me based on my lean body mass and activity level. At that point he suggested increasing calories to around 1800-2000 calories and 120g protein daily. He also told me I should absolutely not have a daily deficit of more than 400 calories. Honestly, having someone give me some solid information that would make me stronger and leaner and not just lighter was absolutely invaluable.
How did your body react initially to increasing calories?
Tough Mudder
I wasn’t losing particularly quickly on Weight Watchers: I lost 14 lbs from January to March. When I first started My Fitness Pal I set my lifestyle factor to “sedentary” and my weight loss target to lose 1/2 a pound weekly. That gave me a net target of 1660 calories. As I had always done with Weight Watchers, I ate back my exercise calories – since the program added them it just seemed like that’s how it was supposed to work.I dropped 8.5 lbs in the first 5 weeks. That’s when I first figured out that I was obviously burning more than at the sedentary level; turns out that as a stay-at-home-mom I’m actually burning at My Fitness Pal’s “Very Active” level before I even get in my workout… higher in fact.
Has proper fuel affected you in ways other than weight loss? (Good or bad)
Well I just don’t think I would have kept going with the level of restriction I’d been trying to meet.
Spartan Sprint
I first noticed it in June 2012. I was preparing to run a 10 mile race from the beach to the top of a mountain, 4300′ up. I figured that would be a decent test of my endurance in advance of the half marathon I was scheduled to run that August. I decided I would eat at my full maintenance calories for two weeks before the event. I had already lost 20 lbs and figured a two week hiatus from dieting couldn’t hurt. I wanted to see how well I could perform if I gave my body all the fuel it was trying to burn.
Well after about 4 or 5 days of eating 2500 calories daily I went for a 10 mile (16km) run and it was like magic. With the increased energy I just knew I could actually run the half marathon in 2 hours. I ran the first 10km of that training run at my half marathon race pace and the next 6km at my 10k race pace. It was amazing.From then on I decided I’d eat at maintenance for at least a full week before every race. It would be a waste of a race effort if I didn’t. I guess I started feeling like a real athlete instead of someone just exercising to lose weight… an amazing turning point in my motivation; now I eat to fuel my machine.
Can you describe your typical workout schedule?
Oct. ’12 – Before I started lifting
Yeah. Well, until October 2012 I just ran and did Insanity videos and a local boot camp class for cross training when I could squeeze it in. I run because I love it, though… not what I’d call a cardio junkie, but I didn’t really feel the need to lift any weights. I was already pretty big with about 120 lbs of lean body mass at 5’7″. I would run 3-4 days a week and cross-train 2 days a week and take 1 rest day. I was burning an average of about 3500 calories weekly according to my Garmin.
After my 2012 race season ended at the end of September I decided to start lifting weights. The heavy lifters in the My Fitness Pal community got to me and I figured I’d give it a shot. It was tricky though… I didn’t want to give up running and the endurance I’d built up, but I knew that endurance running was almost completely contrary to the purpose of lifting.After a little shopping around for a program I decided to do Stronglifts 5×5 and set my schedule, roughly, to RUN, LIFT, REST, RUN, LIFT, REST… so I was lifting less often than the Stronglifts program recommends (every other day) but was able to get that rest in after lifting. At this point all my runs were under an hour… most of them the 3-5 mile (5-8km) range. I also changed my calorie calculation method at this point from My Fitness Pal’s NET method to something more like the TDEE method – just the same number of calories each day. At this point I figured my TDEE was somewhere around 2500 calories so after some fiddling for a few weeks with 2000, 2100, 2200, 2300 I finally settled on 2300 daily and remained pretty consistent with that through March of this year.
I got really frustrated in the spring when I really saw no change in my weight or even my measurements really.
Lifting Comparison
Then I finally decided to take a photo in roughly the same pose and with the same shirt as the photo above. What I found was there were changes taking place that I couldn’t see.
My training schedule right now includes about 6 hours of combined cardio and strength training over 5 days of the week. I don’t believe in spending hours in the gym each day. In the words of Sweet Brown: “Ain’t nobody got time fo’ dat!”It looks something like this: Lifting 3 times a week (Stronglifts 5×5), running 3 times a week (long run, tempo run, interval/hill run), and 1-2 cross training sessions of maybe 30 minutes. I usually take a rest day every 4-5 days. The truth is, though, my schedule is all over the board. My husband works shift work and we have 5 kids between us, so I just get my workouts in when I can and I have to stay flexible. I work out in my home gym… and on the road and trails.
You run AND lift, have you found that this requires you to eat more/less of calories in general, or specific nutrients/macros?
I’ve never made a big deal about macros. I do have a protein target since that seemed to be the magic piece of the puzzle for me. I eat between 120 and 160g of protein daily since I weigh just under 160 lbs with about 120 lbs of lean mass; that’s where those numbers come from. Once I’ve hit that protein target in a day, I’m not too picky about where the rest of the calories come from. I let my appetite and my body dictate. The truth is that my dietary needs on a day I run 14 miles is completely different than on a day I do a 30 minute strength training session and I think I just naturally eat accordingly at this point.As long as I hit my protein target and my calorie goal I’m golden.
Ugly Lifting Face
Did finding your sweet spot take a bit more finagling than you originally thought or was it spot on from your first calculated estimate? If it took longer, was it worth it?
Well I guess that depends on whether or not I’m happy with my results. I didn’t really struggle to find that place where I could lose the fat to begin with… well, most of it. I’m still not super lean though. I figure my body fat % to be around 23% now… not bad for a woman pushing 40 I guess, but I still have a little pet dream to get under 20% and I’m finding it increasingly difficult. It’s like the leaner you get, the more you train, the smaller the window… the smaller the sweet spot. I think I may have found it now, though. I had intuitively figured my TDEE to be about 2500 calories daily; it was pretty consistent with the calculators out there even though it was hard to classify my workout schedule. But recently I did an experiment with a Body Media Fit (Link) and after 3 weeks it pegged my average TDEE at about 2850 calories daily so I had definitely underestimated it.
I didn’t actually believe it at first so I did an experiment for 3 weeks and ate pretty much all those calories – increasing calories to an average of 2650 daily for 3 full weeks and didn’t gain an ounce. I was shocked. It was a huge relief to know I could actually eat more food than I even really wanted to and not gain.
Because of that experiment, my new target is 2100 calories PLUS all my exercise calories; that should leave me with about a 200 calorie daily deficit. I’m hoping this will put me right in the sweet spot.
I’ll let you know how it goes. Seems like a lot, right?
Any parting words of encouragement to those who are new to eating more, struggling with the decision of whether or not to fuel properly, or ready to give up?
Current
There is so much misinformation out there. There are so many people trying to sell you something and keep you down so you’ll keep buying what they’re selling. Trust the science. Trust your body. Think long-term.Your body is amazing. Feed it. Treat it like a machine… it is the most intricate machine on the planet. Find your inner athlete.
This isn’t about weight loss; your weight doesn’t explain what’s going on inside. Your scale doesn’t know if you’re hydrated or dehydrated, carb-loaded or glycogen-depleted, pumped from a good strength workout or sick from a week-long stomach flu. The weight on the scale is no indicator of health and it doesn’t define you.
Keep pressing on. Giving up is not an option.
A few resources I’d like to share:
My MFP Profile: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/mrsbigmack
My Blog: http://imseekingbalance.com
My Instagram: http://instagram.com/mrsbigmack
by EM2WL | Jul 2, 2013 | Testimonials, The Journey
Journey update from this post. 
Well I’ve been eating more to weigh less for a year and three months now. It has been a wonderful, wonderful… Did I say wonderful, experience?! Eat More 2 Weigh Less has changed my life! I eat 2189+ cals a day… Yes I said a day. I exercise way less strength train, weight train and do a little cardio.
I had my doubts in the beginning but I stuck with it. I stayed dedicated and true to myself and ate more. Who doesn’t want to eat more and weigh less!?!
This is a hard journey as it is to have to worry about a diet, but EM2WL has made it a easier process. There is no diet to worry about (losing then gaining it all back plus some). When I first started this journey I didn’t know anything about losing weight so I asked my doctor for help. He handed me a 1200 calorie diet, that’s what I stuck to for about 7 months.
I didn’t like it – limiting my food, feeling dizzy cause I didn’t eat enough, and I had less energy than I do now. I was told to work out a lot, so I did — and yes I lost weight, but I still wasn’t happy. I didn’t want to feel the way I felt just to lose weight. Then Lucia and Kiki shined their light on me and changed my life forever. I can’t thank them enough! I am more than happy now and I look forward to continuing my journey!
Share your success, no matter how large or small. You never know who you may inspire to hang on just a bit longer. We love featuring results and journey stories in REAL time, not just before/afters. If you have a victory (scale or not) let us know and allow us to share with the fam, by submitting to success@EM2WL.com
I stumbled upon EM2WL about a year ago when I began having issues with hypoglycemia (low blood sugar/non-diabetic) when I was trying to find the best way to avoid the low blood sugar episodes but hopefully still lose weight. When I first started reading all of the EM2WL info I was reluctant like most but I’ve been reading about health, nutrition, and fitness for years because I truly love learning about it so the principles with EM2WL all made perfect sense to me and the fact that I wouldn’t be starving was a bonus! I have literally tried everything since I became overweight at the age of 9, diet pills (as early as age 11), meal replacement shakes, Nutrisystem (age 12), Weight Watchers (about 15 times, age 15-36), every workout craze, even HCG injections (two separate times in 2011) combined with the crazy 500 calorie diet that goes with it. I’d even burn mega calories and log every food I ate creating 1,000+ calorie deficit each day and get pissed off a few weeks later when I lost nothing then go splurge and give up.
Yes… I had a horrible track record for that..not getting the results I wanted so I’d get mad say screw it and go to McD’s for a big mac, fries and DIET coke (of course..lol) followed by ice cream! Little did I realize I was destroying my body as well as my mental well being by the horrible drastic actions I was putting myself through. I may have still been beating myself up that way had I not started having issues with hypoglycemia, but because of it I HAD to change my ways. I can’t go without eating every 2-3 hours and I have to eat good carbs with protein and fats or my blood sugar levels drop a few hours after eating and I get to where I feel as if I’ll pass out. So now I eat the best I can to avoid it which means I’m eating MORE because I’m eating 6-7 times each day and I’m eating MORE because I’m eating better foods that are more nutrient dense and offer my body better fuel than that big mac and fries I used to eat. My body forced me to eat better, and now that I’m nicer to my body its finally being nicer to me! Since September 2012 I’ve lost 11 pounds most of which was done with 1800+ calories a day and very moderate exercise.
My TDEE is only 1,816 with the very light activity I do because unfortunately the hypoglycemia has given me some anxiety especially when it comes to working out. I am however working on that and am starting to get back into working out since I do LOVE lifting HEAVY! When that happens I will up my calories accordingly. Over the past few months I did an unintentional reset eating at 2000+ where I maintained my weight but in the last two weeks dropped a little more scale weight but I’ve been losing inches as well, (about 15″ total) feeling trimmer and fitting into clothes that were too tight. I guess my body finally realizes I’m done abusing it and its willing to let go of the stubborn fat.
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