Shereen Donede's Journal, 01 Jan 22

I hear you! I was surprised that overeating carbs and sugars over Christmas physically made me sick 🤢 

So here’s a question …. Do you guys eat your entire allowed daily caps? Where does weight loss happen? 

Hi Zeebee - when you set up your app (or using an online calculator) you would enter your goal (weight loss, weight gain etc), and the app would calculate your Recommended Daily Intake (RDI), this would be less than your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) if your goal is weight loss. TDEE is made up of a combination of your resting metabolic rate (which is mostly average based on your current height and weight, age and gender) plus any excess calories your expend per day (are you sedentary, low active, high active etc). So based on the above you should be eating at your RDI that the app (or an online calculator) provides. If you eat too little you risk lowering your resting metabolic rate as your body compensates for under eating by learning to burn fewer calories to keep you alive. All of the above is the "gold standard" under average assumed conditions. People might find if they are routine yo-yo dieters that their resting metabolic rate is already low so they struggle with weight loss. But in these cases building muscle mass through exercise should assist in rectifying this as muscle burns more energy than fat. So the short answer is yes, you should eat at your RDI provided you set up your goals correctly on the app. I do find that about once a month I go recalculate my RDI (on the app I think under the diet calendar and settings you can find this), because as a natural trend when you lose weight yourbosy already starts to require less energy to survive because their is less of you 

Sorry if there are any spelling mistakes -beyond a certain number of characters I can't see what I'm typing anymore and just hope for the best 🤣🥴 

Such wonderful insights …. Thank you so much! I am giving this a real shot this time around …. No idea what I’m doing but will try to maintain the recommended intakes daily …. Eek! Desperate to grab a grip!  

That’s great ! I have been doing the same for the last month… and will get back to it tomorrow :) happy new year Shereen! 

I hope the message helped - approaching weight loss in what I can best describe as "scientifically" has really helped me not flounder - it all just really starts to make so much sense in why I struggled in the past. The below is basic "Calories in vs Calories out" (CICO) methodology - burn more energy than you consume. That's where the weight loss happens. I did as part of my journey also do blood tests and find I have insulin resistance - which was an added factor in weight management, and as you progress you might find you also need to make adjustments or find what works best with your body and where you feel your best (hormone imbalances as a female, excessive stress as cortisol also is a factor, not sleeping enough - there are just so so many variables). Good luck on your journey - hope it's a major win for you! 

Hi Zeebee. Good question. According to the app I should be eating 2100 cal pd. So I set my daily allowance at 1700cal. I eat around 1500-1700 per day. I find this has been adequately sustainable for me, although the first year I restricted by a bit more than that. I exercise 3-4 times per week. But weight loss happens in the kitchen tbh. What you eat matters. Use this app to teach yourself. Don't hide your cheats from yourself by not tracking them. That teaches you nothing. Track the good foods and the "bad" foods. I guilt free eat steers at least once a month... Because I track it and know how to eat for the remainder of the day. I agree with waiste away. I also want to add that it's easy to think you need to lose the weight asap. But rather lose slow. 10kgs in a year is a more sustainable goal than 10kg in a couple weeks or months... Because it is more realistic that the weight won't get piled back on as soon as it's gone. All the best. Welcome to the app. We're a supportive bunch here that are all just trying to be the best versions of ourselves.  

What Shereen said about slow weight loss 💯💯💯!!! It also gives you the chance to make actual lifestyle changes and adapt your whole psychology around food as opposed to quick up and down weight loss weight gain yoyoing 

This looks delicious!!  

Thanks ladies…. Immensely appreciate the guidance