Joy In The Journey

[Sunshine44]

Hey guys
I am SO BLESSED by the Lord to have found EM2WL!!! Like, seriously, this is an answer to my prayers!
To give you a little background about me, I am 18 years old (19 in May!), 5'3-4", and 130 lbs. Last summer, I was at my ideal weight of 125, but I splurged ... and gained about 5 lbs. SO, I cut my calories and lost the weight. BUT, I gained it all back again about 2 months later plus a little more. I decided to go drastic and cut my calories to 1,200ish and started losing again but it was hard and, of course, I had the binge cycles. My mom and I did weight watchers for a bit and I was eating around 1,500 but after seeing no quick results, I went back to 1,000-1,200 (sometimes 800). I was about 128 lbs for a while and I think I could have lost more weight had it not been for the binges. About 2 months ago, I decided to up my cardio as well and I was pretty determined but IT WAS MISERABLE!!!! And then... I went on a Honduras Missions Trip for spring break(Mar. 4th-11th) and was just like, "I'm not going to worry about my calories much, I'm just gonna focus on Jesus whom I LOVE" But I was silently counting in my head still just cuz I'm used to it lol. I estimated about 1,500-1,600 per day. After the trip, I felt like I had actually lost some weight which confused me. I did some research and found EM2WL and read, read, read. I love what I found I decided to stick with the higher calories. It was kinda hard for me to increase slowly though because my body was like FOOOOOOOOOOOD even when I wasn't hungry I ate.
*before: 1,200 calories
week 1: 1,500-1,600 calories (Honduras Missions Trip)
week 2: 1,300-1,800 calories (over the weekend I was at 2,000 for 3 days)
week 3: 1,600-1,800
week 4 (this week!): 1,800-1,900 so far

So yeah, not really going slow which scares me A TON because I don't want to gain weight especially since I have weddings to go to in the summer. I love eating though guys.
Anyway, I'm not sure what my TDEE or BMR is because I don't know what my exercise level is.
Usually, I exercise about 5 days per week for 30 minutes. I mostly do cardio like running and swimming and cycling, but I have also been starting a LITTLE weight lifting.
I'm trying to stay off the scale right now because I know if I see that number, it might cloud my week. I'm just going to trust (although I do feel like my face is puffier and my thighs are sticking together more lol).

So, that's my journey so far It's been a joyful journey cuz I get to eat again! My stomach feels so good guys. I would love any inputs that you all have and any reassurance that you can give... I can't thank you enough!!

[Tereza Toledo]

Welcome, Sunshine!

It's a great thing that you found EM2WL so early in your journey. This way will know about all this before going through years or even decades of yo-yo dieting. You haven't put your body through years of dieting yet and that means that your metabolism is still ok and you won't have to do a huge reset. I am happy to hear that you are already increasing your calories and that you are letting go of the scale, that puts you many steps ahead

On your activity level you are probably above moderate, depending on how active you are when you are not working out. But that is a starting point. I can see that you enjoy cardio, and that is ok, but the fact that you are starting to lift is huge! At your age you will see amazing results much faster than us older peeps. That's what will give your the toned look that I am sure you have in your goals. Since you don't have a lot of weight/fat to lose, focusing on lifting and building muscle (you will not get too bulky, trust me) is the way to go. That's what will give your metabolism a big boost, burn more calories, allow you to eat more, be your leanest and strongest self for life.

Here is a link to an article on cardio and weights for fat loss http://eatmore2weighless.com/faq-im-tryi...do-cardio/

[Sunshine44]

(03-28-2017 08:31 PM)Tereza Toledo Wrote:  Welcome, Sunshine!

It's a great thing that you found EM2WL so early in your journey. This way will know about all this before going through years or even decades of yo-yo dieting. You haven't put your body through years of dieting yet and that means that your metabolism is still ok and you won't have to do a huge reset. I am happy to hear that you are already increasing your calories and that you are letting go of the scale, that puts you many steps ahead

On your activity level you are probably above moderate, depending on how active you are when you are not working out. But that is a starting point. I can see that you enjoy cardio, and that is ok, but the fact that you are starting to lift is huge! At your age you will see amazing results much faster than us older peeps. That's what will give your the toned look that I am sure you have in your goals. Since you don't have a lot of weight/fat to lose, focusing on lifting and building muscle (you will not get too bulky, trust me) is the way to go. That's what will give your metabolism a big boost, burn more calories, allow you to eat more, be your leanest and strongest self for life.

Here is a link to an article on cardio and weights for fat loss http://eatmore2weighless.com/faq-im-tryi...do-cardio/

Thanks for that! I am a freshman in collage and (unfortunately) study most of the day, so would that still be considered moderate? My older brother actually got me into some lifting! HE EATS 4,000 calories a day!!! like whaaat?! My sister eats 3,000 a day. I'm hoping I can have the same in the future, but I also have more of a stout body shape lol so I'm not sure.
Today I feel just a bit guilty cuz I ate 2,500 calories.... I think this is because I woke up so early (5:00 a.m.)... Hoping I won't gain weight too fast...

[Tereza Toledo]

Yay for your brother, I like him already! Go lift and don't be afraid of getting too bulky. I've been lifting for 5 years and still waiting to get that way,

Yes, with working out 5 days a week puts you in moderate. Depending on the intensity and length of your workouts, you should bump to the next levels eventually. I am a 2500 cals + a day kind of gal, so I know how it feels, the more the merrier!

[Jules]

Awesome Sunshine, your enthusiasm is contagious I'm only just starting the road to a better metabolism too. It's great that you have such motivational people in your life, I'm sure your brother can give you a lot of tips!
We are the same height and similiar weight and I think we have a similiar appetite I've been lifting for a while and can say it is BEAST for self confidence and feeling on top of the world.

[sheilawrites]

Quote:Thanks for that! I am a freshman in collage and (unfortunately) study most of the day, so would that still be considered moderate? My older brother actually got me into some lifting! HE EATS 4,000 calories a day!!! like whaaat?! My sister eats 3,000 a day. I'm hoping I can have the same in the future, but I also have more of a stout body shape lol so I'm not sure.
Today I feel just a bit guilty cuz I ate 2,500 calories.... I think this is because I woke up so early (5:00 a.m.)... Hoping I won't gain weight too fast...

I'm a writer, so I understand the hours-a-day at a computer or reading. Here's a suggestion (aside from the lifting)... I set a timer to go off every 45-50 minutes when I'm working. At the signal, I get get up and go for a fast walk or a bike ride for 10-15 minutes. Rinse, repeat. I suggest going "naked" - no electronics for those 10-15 minutes - to let yourself fully relax and let your subconscious process what you've been working on while you move your body. I thought at first that leaving what I was doing would be disruptive, but as long as I use that time as "quiet" moving time, I find the opposite - I'm ready for more, and often solve problems I didn't know my mind was working on. :-)

[Sunshine44]

(03-29-2017 02:41 AM)Jules Wrote:  Awesome Sunshine, your enthusiasm is contagious I'm only just starting the road to a better metabolism too. It's great that you have such motivational people in your life, I'm sure your brother can give you a lot of tips!
We are the same height and similiar weight and I think we have a similiar appetite I've been lifting for a while and can say it is BEAST for self confidence and feeling on top of the world.

Hi Jules!
I was just reading your journal yesterday! I can't wait to see your progress How long are you going to stay at 2,000 calories? Are you going to do a reset? Also, do you have any specific workouts you do with lifting? I'm thinking I might stick at 1,800 for a couple of weeks and see how that does... but so far I LOVE lifting

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(03-29-2017 10:15 AM)sheilawrites Wrote:  

Quote:Thanks for that! I am a freshman in collage and (unfortunately) study most of the day, so would that still be considered moderate? My older brother actually got me into some lifting! HE EATS 4,000 calories a day!!! like whaaat?! My sister eats 3,000 a day. I'm hoping I can have the same in the future, but I also have more of a stout body shape lol so I'm not sure.
Today I feel just a bit guilty cuz I ate 2,500 calories.... I think this is because I woke up so early (5:00 a.m.)... Hoping I won't gain weight too fast...

I'm a writer, so I understand the hours-a-day at a computer or reading. Here's a suggestion (aside from the lifting)... I set a timer to go off every 45-50 minutes when I'm working. At the signal, I get get up and go for a fast walk or a bike ride for 10-15 minutes. Rinse, repeat. I suggest going "naked" - no electronics for those 10-15 minutes - to let yourself fully relax and let your subconscious process what you've been working on while you move your body. I thought at first that leaving what I was doing would be disruptive, but as long as I use that time as "quiet" moving time, I find the opposite - I'm ready for more, and often solve problems I didn't know my mind was working on. :-)

This is a great idea!! Thanks

[Sunshine44]

(03-28-2017 10:11 PM)Tereza Toledo Wrote:  Yay for your brother, I like him already! Go lift and don't be afraid of getting too bulky. I've been lifting for 5 years and still waiting to get that way,

Yes, with working out 5 days a week puts you in moderate. Depending on the intensity and length of your workouts, you should bump to the next levels eventually. I am a 2500 cals + a day kind of gal, so I know how it feels, the more the merrier!

So, I'm wondering how fast I should be increasing my calories. I know lots of people say that slowest is best, but I tend to always go higher and higher quickly! Like today, my goal was 1,800, but now I feel like I might have to raise that to 2,000. I'm not THAT hungry but my stomach has that "I could eat forever" feel. I'm scared cuz I don't want to gain weight or start this thing out the wrong way...Whatcha think?

[Tereza Toledo]

Our Metabolism Reset Guide suggests increasing 100 cals per day, per week (from 1800 to 1900 for a week. Then 1900 to 2000 and so on) to avoid side effects like feeling stuffed, weight gain, etecetera. Many take the rip the band-aid approach, increasing all at once. That's up to you. http://eatmore2weighless.com/the-metabol...set-guide/

Also there are things that you may expect during a reset: http://eatmore2weighless.com/upping-cals...to-expect/

[Jules]

(03-29-2017 02:38 PM)Sunshine44 Wrote:  Hi Jules!
I was just reading your journal yesterday! I can't wait to see your progress How long are you going to stay at 2,000 calories? Are you going to do a reset? Also, do you have any specific workouts you do with lifting? I'm thinking I might stick at 1,800 for a couple of weeks and see how that does... but so far I LOVE lifting

I hope it works out for both of us! I'm sticking to 2000 kcals this week, and if I don't see any weight gain, then *gulp* go up to 2100 kcals. I'm considering this current situation my reset (and I'll be sticking to my TDEE for a long while considering my restrictive background)

If you're not stepping on the scale (good for you!) then maybe consider taking pictures + measurements to track? and by how your clothes fit, etc.

Awesome that you're enjoying lifting I'm no pro on lifting, but some things may help:
when I began lifting I did this routine minus curls and calf raises:
https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showthrea...=169172473
I do something similiar now + body weight stuff like pullups, handstands, wimpy pistol squats, leg raises, etc. Start slow. give yourself time to recover.
Just make sure to track your progress, and increase something every workout (one rep more, one more set, more weight, etc.). This is progressive overload and will be key to getting stronger and inducing growth.

It's awesome that your brother can help you. Additionally, I HIGHLY recommend looking up how-to videos on youtube and reading articles on the internet. There's so much information out there on proper form and cues that can help so much. Make sure you're performing the moves correctly before hurting yourself.