Eating the Food

OK, so i suck at this - ETF.... I am too scared to do it in fear of weight gain as I am already uncomfortable at my current weight as it is and I tried for a few days of ETF but didn't do exercise and to hit my TDEE less 500 cals I found myself eating poor choices just to get there - that can't be right?! It wasn't even a matter of feeling or wanting say a cookie or whatever it was just hitting the calorie intake :-(
So, I spoke to my uncles partner and she gave me sort of a guide of portions for macros ie: protein, grains etc... For my current weight. When I converted it to cals, its only 1600, which is above my BMR but well below what *I should * be hitting. This thing is I like this because it doesn't omit any foods, I'm not constantly thinking about calories, not eating this or that and I'm not hungry - I am satisfied and not looking for food as I was previously doing MB12WBT.... Do I plod along and as I lift heavier weights, add in more cals as I need it (is for lean muscle gain) or suck it up and try to hit my caloric intake? I feel a little over whelmed at the moment.

Rhichichi, I was nervous at first too. And I binged and I gained weight. I was 98kg. I gained up to 104 in about 6 weeks, so gained about 6kg. And then it stalled and stopped. I have gotten back down to 101, by doing pretty much nothing new, except not eating junk food every day. I have never restricted, or dieted to extremes, I have never exercised to extremes either. I eat what I feel like. I do gravitate towards pretty healthy foods anyway, but I don't not eat chocolate or chips or ice cream if I feel like it. But I don't feel like it every day anymore. Because it no longer holds that taboo factor. I don't tell myself I shouldn't eat it, or that it's unhealthy, and not good for my body any more, so it doesn't call my name if it's in the house. I don't try to resist my cravings. I have recently been buying things like chocolate or chips, having a mouthful and not wanting it anymore. My hubby has been commenting about me saying not to junk foods he offers me, because usually I eat whatever he offers, but lately if I genuinely don't feel like it, I don't eat it just because it's there.

I do need to work on the exercise side of things. I am walking maybe 2-3 times a week, which isn't a very strenuous walk, I often have my kids with me, so it's not terribly challenging, but better than nothing. I think once I can get into the groove of walking/running 2-3 days a week, and lifting some weights 2-3 days a week, things will begin to change and I will start to shift the weight. But I am still working on the emotional stuff, the loving me stuff, and I am not going to force myself to start things I likely won't continue, because it just won't work that way.

You either need to say eff it, and make changes, go with the flow, suck up the consequences of restricting or dieting (or what ever the issues you have faced are) and as they say on the ETF page a lot, trust the process. It can take a long time to heal your body. Have you read anything in regards to ETF? If not, maybe you need more research, more 'proof' of how the process works.

Or you can keep going on the path you're on.

Try and hit just below your tdee - some people use the extra as freedom to eat whatever they want without guilt but you don't have to make bad choices if you don't want too. Add nutrient (and calorie dense) food. Eat stuff like avocados, nuts, seeds - healthy stuff full of nutrients and calories.

I'm starting this today. My TDEE is HUGE, probably because I weigh so much :redface: But the kicker for me was this weekend, when my sister bought some jeans for me and Mum. We're the same size, which is bad enough (size 26), but......the jeans didn't fit me. Mum's been wearing hers ever since. So I'm officially BIGGER than Mum. So, doing it.

I've already been more active on the treadmill, cos my sister has GD and refuses to go on the treadmill unless I do, lol. And I'm actually loving it. So all in all the calories aren't gonna be a big deal, because I naturally eat under the limit, and the treadmill is fun. Plus I'm getting heavily into the gardening lately, which is extra sweat/vit D.

How's everyone else going?

Haven't started yet, having trouble hitting 800 calories a day at the moment because I can't eat after 4pm (indigestion and gallbladder issues)

Come out baby.