Hi Guys!

Hope ya'll are having an awesome morning so far. The weather is starting to look up in these parts!!

I wanted to vent a little about something that's been really bothering me lately.

So I'll start off by saying that I read "healthy living" blogs on a pretty regular basis. Even before I decided to take control of my lifestyle I would read these blogs and marvel at their meals, exercise dedication and general air of well being.

Having said that, since I started calorie counting for myself I've started to realize that although many of these ladies claim to be healthy and fit they aren't eating enough and are over-exercising.

What used to be a huge source of motivation for me has really become a source of pain. Sometimes I wonder if their eating methods and exercise routines are what I should be aiming for or if sticking to my 1800 calorie and 4 day a week exercise schedule is better for me.

Sorry to vent but wanted to get that off my chest.

Do ya'll read any of these types of blogs? If so, what's your impression!?!

I hear you. I consider myself sedentary, but when I talked to my trainer about my multi-month plateau, he said eat more & do not add any exercise. He said I'm on the border of overtraining & I should watch for signs. He has a degree in exercise science & he's a competitive strongman, he's not some guy from the local big-box gym. He showed my food records to a dietician & she said eat more.

I refigured my daily calorie requirement based on 'moderately active' & the result shocked me: 2250. I'm taking my calories up to 1800-1900 & am dropping one day of working out. Hopefully, this will get the scale moving. I am much stronger & I look better - but I want to fit into smaller jeans too.

Stick to your guns. Don't fry your metabolism like I've done w/10 years of VLCD yo-yoing & cardio excess.

Oh, and in response to your actual question - I read Bodyrock, A Girl Walks into a Barbell, and Stumptuous. Those women all eat healthy, but they eat.

I don't read them but what I've learned is that there are a very large number of ways to go about losing weight. One person will tell you not to do X, another person will tell you to do X a lot. I've read articles that said, "Doing X exercise isn't helpful" and then gone to work with my personal trainer and done precisely that exercise.

Some people exercise an insane amount because they enjoy it. Some do it because they want to...for the time being...but will eventually give out. If you aren't the type to stick with that kind of intensity long term, I personally feel you shouldn't bother. I aim for 3 times a week, 30 minutes minimum. If I hit that I feel I haven't failed myself for the week and it's very manageable most of the time. If I go over that, I feel I've done a really good job. I could try to go all weight loss crazy and amp up my workouts but eh, give it a month, if even that, and I'll be sick of it.

As far as food is concerned, I aim for no more than 1400 a day and that generally fills me up.

I'm losing weight my way, I feel fine, I can maintain this, so that works for me.

I have a blog about weight loss (although it covers a lot of other things too!) but I definitely eat quite a bit (posted an example day here) and exercise about 3-4 days per week (1x lifting, the rest swimming) so I don't feel like I fall into that category. However, I know that I can get away with eating more than many others because 1. I have a large frame, 2. I'm pretty muscular, 3. I don't mind slow weight loss, and 4. my height.

Could it be that you've read blogs with shorter, small framed women? Also, it is true that if you've lost a significant chunk of weight that your maintenance calories are probably lower than for someone who was never obese.

I don't see your height listed anywhere but remember that that plays a pretty big role when it comes to your calorie needs. Also... do the women list exactly what their eating and their portions? It could be their eating larger portions then what they wrote or their workout schedule is an average (or idealized amount) and some weeks they don't workout that much.

I think it is going to be a lot like being here.

Some are newbies, some are not. Some are going at it healthy, some are not. Some have medical issues on the side, some do not. Some are young, some are older.

Whatever blogs are out there are just going to be a mixed bag.

A.

I think you just have to take what works for you and leave the rest. I think that's good advice with pretty much anything lol Lots of things are frustrating or annoying or don't make sense but if you can glean some good advice or a tip or another perspective that helps you, it's all good. Also, I take blogs (of any kind) with a grain of salt. Often, people are displaying the very best of who they are or what they're about and leaving out the not-so-impressive or "pretty" parts of themselves and their lives. That's okay, it's just something to keep in mind

Everyone is so individual. Do what works for you.