Sunbunny09
09-12-2005, 02:40 PM
I think I'm on the right track but I'm not sure.
I have been eating around 1200-1500 cals a day. I'm using FitDay.com and according to that I burn around basal (just everyday movement) 2500 cals. In addition to burning my basal cals, I've also been working out and burning an extra 200 cals a day. I've been eating healthy- lots of whole grains, water, fresh fruit and veggies, salads, protein and trying to cut back on fat. I take Sundays off by not doing any extra exercise and while I still watch what I eat, I don't count calories.
Will I be able to lose around a lb a week? If not, what am I doing wrong?
I have been eating around 1200-1500 cals a day. I'm using FitDay.com and according to that I burn around basal (just everyday movement) 2500 cals. In addition to burning my basal cals, I've also been working out and burning an extra 200 cals a day. I've been eating healthy- lots of whole grains, water, fresh fruit and veggies, salads, protein and trying to cut back on fat. I take Sundays off by not doing any extra exercise and while I still watch what I eat, I don't count calories.
Will I be able to lose around a lb a week? If not, what am I doing wrong?
Sponsor
Lenin
09-13-2005, 09:56 AM
SunnyBunny,
Take those basal metabolism numbers from Fitday with a TEEENY grain of salt. They are not reliable and err always on the high side...by a LOT!
If they were believable you'd lose more than 2 pounds a week.
If you are not counting calories, you CANNOT give a good estimate of how many you are eating. I know, I've tried...it's too easy to lie and FORGET! If you want to use a caloric basis to lose weight, over the long haul you MUST count what you are eating.
Take those basal metabolism numbers from Fitday with a TEEENY grain of salt. They are not reliable and err always on the high side...by a LOT!
If they were believable you'd lose more than 2 pounds a week.
If you are not counting calories, you CANNOT give a good estimate of how many you are eating. I know, I've tried...it's too easy to lie and FORGET! If you want to use a caloric basis to lose weight, over the long haul you MUST count what you are eating.
jcorn59483
09-17-2005, 12:44 PM
Here's my advice, for what it is worth:
I am just now starting to lose weight (16 pounds between mid August and now, about 30 days) but I could NOT lose weight for 20 years before that :eek: Seeing a good doc and endrocrinologist definitely helped clear up other factors that were affecting my metabolism.
Everyone's body is different and I would strongly suggest that you get a complete physical if you didn't have one recently. Know your cholesterol, have a basic heart test, know if you have high or low thyroid, etc. Depending on your age, low thyroid can be very common. Low thyroid can affect weight loss, if you aren't on the right med or you aren't being monitored correctly.
Keep in mind that metabolisms vary WIDELY and that they tend to go down with age. Some people can eat a lot and not gain weight. Others (like me) have to limit calories and exercise a lot before losing weight. I am also on a weight loss drug which has helped a lot. I'm not as hungry but I still have to make the right choices. I could still gain weight if I ate the wrong foods and didn't exercise. It has not been exactly easy but it is working.
I do think that drinking a cup or two of green tea helps my metaolism so I do this daily. I found that too much caffeine makes it harder to lose weight so I don't drink diet drinks with caffeine and I stay away from coffee. The green tea seems to be okay, not too high in caffeine. But too much caffeine makes me hungry. Other people say it makes them LESS hungry, so just listen to your body.
MORE INFO: A pound is approximately 3500 calories. To lose a pound a week, you basically have to find a way to cut 3500 calories a week, either by restricting calories or by a combination of eating less and exercising more. Ideally, you should exercise at a rate that is within your "target heart" rate for at least 20 minutes a day...I tend to think 30 -60 minutes is even better...several times a week. The more you exercise, the more calories you'll burn and the more you may lose, over time, IF you don't eat more.
Keep in mind that it takes WLLPOWER to lose weight. You probably will feel hungry but there are some tricks to make that a bit easier. Drink lots of water, stay well hydrated and have a regular exercise program. Try not to eat "on the run" but actually sit down, eat SLOWLY and pay attention to having a nice, relaxed meal, even if it is in front of the tv. Eat regularly, breakfast, lunch, dinner and perhaps a couple of snacks in between to keep your body at PEAK metabolism and to keep from going too long without food.
NEVER go to the grocery store when you are hungry.
Try not to have a SET amount that you HAVE to lose each week. I have gone two weeks in a row without losing a pound and then had a big loss the next week of maybe 3-4 pounds so that it averages out to at least a pound a week...or more.
Hope this helps.
I am just now starting to lose weight (16 pounds between mid August and now, about 30 days) but I could NOT lose weight for 20 years before that :eek: Seeing a good doc and endrocrinologist definitely helped clear up other factors that were affecting my metabolism.
Everyone's body is different and I would strongly suggest that you get a complete physical if you didn't have one recently. Know your cholesterol, have a basic heart test, know if you have high or low thyroid, etc. Depending on your age, low thyroid can be very common. Low thyroid can affect weight loss, if you aren't on the right med or you aren't being monitored correctly.
Keep in mind that metabolisms vary WIDELY and that they tend to go down with age. Some people can eat a lot and not gain weight. Others (like me) have to limit calories and exercise a lot before losing weight. I am also on a weight loss drug which has helped a lot. I'm not as hungry but I still have to make the right choices. I could still gain weight if I ate the wrong foods and didn't exercise. It has not been exactly easy but it is working.
I do think that drinking a cup or two of green tea helps my metaolism so I do this daily. I found that too much caffeine makes it harder to lose weight so I don't drink diet drinks with caffeine and I stay away from coffee. The green tea seems to be okay, not too high in caffeine. But too much caffeine makes me hungry. Other people say it makes them LESS hungry, so just listen to your body.
MORE INFO: A pound is approximately 3500 calories. To lose a pound a week, you basically have to find a way to cut 3500 calories a week, either by restricting calories or by a combination of eating less and exercising more. Ideally, you should exercise at a rate that is within your "target heart" rate for at least 20 minutes a day...I tend to think 30 -60 minutes is even better...several times a week. The more you exercise, the more calories you'll burn and the more you may lose, over time, IF you don't eat more.
Keep in mind that it takes WLLPOWER to lose weight. You probably will feel hungry but there are some tricks to make that a bit easier. Drink lots of water, stay well hydrated and have a regular exercise program. Try not to eat "on the run" but actually sit down, eat SLOWLY and pay attention to having a nice, relaxed meal, even if it is in front of the tv. Eat regularly, breakfast, lunch, dinner and perhaps a couple of snacks in between to keep your body at PEAK metabolism and to keep from going too long without food.
NEVER go to the grocery store when you are hungry.
Try not to have a SET amount that you HAVE to lose each week. I have gone two weeks in a row without losing a pound and then had a big loss the next week of maybe 3-4 pounds so that it averages out to at least a pound a week...or more.
Hope this helps.
Lenin
09-17-2005, 01:43 PM
Bunny,
Once you dermine the EXACT amount of EATEN calories that will precisely hold your weight steady, you can lose a pound a week by dropping that caloric intake by 500 per day.
Once you dermine the EXACT amount of EATEN calories that will precisely hold your weight steady, you can lose a pound a week by dropping that caloric intake by 500 per day.
Sunbunny09
09-17-2005, 03:04 PM
Lenin,
I have been using FitDay to determine how many calories I've been burning, but I've since heard that is pretty unreliable. I can say that I went from eating out for nearly 2 meals a day and consuming probably 2500-3000 cals a day to only 1200-1500, drinkings tons of water, working out for at least 20 mins a day and eating lots of fruits and veggies. I weighed myself after two weeks and it seemed to be the exact same. Then I weighed myself the next day because I was so frusterated and I weighed three lbs less. I plan to stick with my diet and exercise and weigh myself only once a week. I don't mind cutting cals at all but I need to know the right figures so I know how much to cut. How can I figure out how many cals it takes to maintain my weight? Do you know what is average for someone that works out for about 20min a day and then has a mostly sitting job? Then, you said from there, if I cut that by 500 a day I can lose a lb a week? I am seriously considering going to a nutritionist/personal trainer or doctor to tell them I am concerned about my weight, find out if I have any food alergies and to just do a full physical. Would they be able to tell me how many cals it takes to maintain my weight? The problem is, I don't have insurance right now because I am between jobs. I am more serious than I've ever been about getting in shape and have been feeling so much better in the last two weeks I've made this change. I think there are some emotional, much deeper issues with food for me and since I've never had success, I'm afraid their might be something stumping my progress- like food allergy I don't know about etc. Any further input you have would be great.
I have been using FitDay to determine how many calories I've been burning, but I've since heard that is pretty unreliable. I can say that I went from eating out for nearly 2 meals a day and consuming probably 2500-3000 cals a day to only 1200-1500, drinkings tons of water, working out for at least 20 mins a day and eating lots of fruits and veggies. I weighed myself after two weeks and it seemed to be the exact same. Then I weighed myself the next day because I was so frusterated and I weighed three lbs less. I plan to stick with my diet and exercise and weigh myself only once a week. I don't mind cutting cals at all but I need to know the right figures so I know how much to cut. How can I figure out how many cals it takes to maintain my weight? Do you know what is average for someone that works out for about 20min a day and then has a mostly sitting job? Then, you said from there, if I cut that by 500 a day I can lose a lb a week? I am seriously considering going to a nutritionist/personal trainer or doctor to tell them I am concerned about my weight, find out if I have any food alergies and to just do a full physical. Would they be able to tell me how many cals it takes to maintain my weight? The problem is, I don't have insurance right now because I am between jobs. I am more serious than I've ever been about getting in shape and have been feeling so much better in the last two weeks I've made this change. I think there are some emotional, much deeper issues with food for me and since I've never had success, I'm afraid their might be something stumping my progress- like food allergy I don't know about etc. Any further input you have would be great.
Lenin
09-18-2005, 10:45 AM
Bunny,
Tell me your age weight and height, you've already said sedentary job and 20 minutes exercise a day and I am assuming you're female..
I can then tell you the APPROXIMATE calories for maintenance (usually fairly close) and then subracting 500 is easy.
BUT there is no substitute for finding your own MEASURED maintenance calories and that is done by keeping ACCURATE track of calories over months and finding out what amount of calories causes no gain or loss...that is then YOUR MAINTENCE number and it is a valuable thing to know.
Counting calories is a chore but the dividends are good and it gets easier after you have most of your common food down pat. (Oh, a food scale is invaluable.)
Tell me your age weight and height, you've already said sedentary job and 20 minutes exercise a day and I am assuming you're female..
I can then tell you the APPROXIMATE calories for maintenance (usually fairly close) and then subracting 500 is easy.
BUT there is no substitute for finding your own MEASURED maintenance calories and that is done by keeping ACCURATE track of calories over months and finding out what amount of calories causes no gain or loss...that is then YOUR MAINTENCE number and it is a valuable thing to know.
Counting calories is a chore but the dividends are good and it gets easier after you have most of your common food down pat. (Oh, a food scale is invaluable.)
Sunbunny09
09-18-2005, 08:30 PM
Lenin,
I'm 23, 145ish, and 5'1". I have been counting my cals for the last two weeks religiously through Fitday. Is it possible that my body went into shock because it was recieving so many fewer cals (1000-1500) and that is why I didn't lose anything? And yes, I exercise 20 min a day and am increasing that each week by five minutes. I use an eliptical machine and I sweat pretty hard and go at it pretty intensely while I'm on it. That is basically the only exercise I get for now (I am between jobs so a lot of my movement is cleaning, general movement and my daily cardio). I don't want to use diet pills and am sticking with my plan of tons of water, increasing cardio every week, eating lots of fruits, veggies and protein and not consuming more than 1200 cals a day. I would like to add in some weight training, but as I said before, am not sure how to do that without bulking up. I am not a patient person by nature. Determined, but not patient. So if I know I am going about weight loss the right way, getting support and will see results, I can stick with it. If I am unknowingly eating too many cals, not working out enough, staying the same weight or bulking up etc etc. I will not be motivated to keep going. Thanks for your help. :)
I'm 23, 145ish, and 5'1". I have been counting my cals for the last two weeks religiously through Fitday. Is it possible that my body went into shock because it was recieving so many fewer cals (1000-1500) and that is why I didn't lose anything? And yes, I exercise 20 min a day and am increasing that each week by five minutes. I use an eliptical machine and I sweat pretty hard and go at it pretty intensely while I'm on it. That is basically the only exercise I get for now (I am between jobs so a lot of my movement is cleaning, general movement and my daily cardio). I don't want to use diet pills and am sticking with my plan of tons of water, increasing cardio every week, eating lots of fruits, veggies and protein and not consuming more than 1200 cals a day. I would like to add in some weight training, but as I said before, am not sure how to do that without bulking up. I am not a patient person by nature. Determined, but not patient. So if I know I am going about weight loss the right way, getting support and will see results, I can stick with it. If I am unknowingly eating too many cals, not working out enough, staying the same weight or bulking up etc etc. I will not be motivated to keep going. Thanks for your help. :)
abca
09-19-2005, 01:36 AM
why not try a juice fast, very healthy, fastest way to lose weight and flushes all the toxins from your body
abca
09-19-2005, 01:41 AM
and where are all your calories coming from? maybe their all coming from carbs and you body hates carbs and makes you gain weight? try a metabolic test that will tell you what you are doing wrong/right. I don't like the idea of anyone being on that low of calories, cant be good for you. Especially if you are getting no fat that can lead to a heck of a lot of problems. Get off all the diet sodas and other drinks you have that you think are healthy and switch to water nothing else water!. Also switch everything to organic, maybe you are gaining weight or not losing weight as fast because of the growth hormone and chemicals put into our food. Try switching to an organic lifestlye it will make a big difference
Lenin
09-19-2005, 11:28 AM
Bunny,
I think about 1800 calories should MAINTAIN that 141#. So for weight loss, going UNDER that number at your exercise level will lose weight for you. Since 3500 calories is a pound, at a 100 calorie deficit, a pound will take 35 days.:(
So for a pound a week, think in terms of 1300 calories /day. BE PATIENT because people often lose weight in fits and starts with LONG plateaus and sudden large drops...then another LONG plateau.
As your weight approaches 130, maybe down another 100 calories will continue the loss.
Don;t EVER allow your day;s count to go below 1000...have something before bedtime to keep that from happening.
I find Fitday is too easy to mess up caloriewise, quantities are VERY hard to decipher...it always made me NUTS. I recommend a pad and pencil and a good digital food scale...or postal scale. Quantities are EVERYTHING in dieting.
The USDA has a good site for calories of EVERYTHING:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
An alternative is a thorough calorie BOOK...you can use it your entire life since the info never goes out of date.
Be completely honest with yourself and thorough in your tabulation of EVERYTHING and you will have success. Write down the food IMMEDIATELY upon eating it.
Don't worry about carbs, protein, fat... JUST TOTAL CALORIES.
But there will be plateaus...be sure of it. You MUST wait them out or you are doomed to failure. Impatience is the enemy of a good diet plan.
Good luck.
I think about 1800 calories should MAINTAIN that 141#. So for weight loss, going UNDER that number at your exercise level will lose weight for you. Since 3500 calories is a pound, at a 100 calorie deficit, a pound will take 35 days.:(
So for a pound a week, think in terms of 1300 calories /day. BE PATIENT because people often lose weight in fits and starts with LONG plateaus and sudden large drops...then another LONG plateau.
As your weight approaches 130, maybe down another 100 calories will continue the loss.
Don;t EVER allow your day;s count to go below 1000...have something before bedtime to keep that from happening.
I find Fitday is too easy to mess up caloriewise, quantities are VERY hard to decipher...it always made me NUTS. I recommend a pad and pencil and a good digital food scale...or postal scale. Quantities are EVERYTHING in dieting.
The USDA has a good site for calories of EVERYTHING:
http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/search/
An alternative is a thorough calorie BOOK...you can use it your entire life since the info never goes out of date.
Be completely honest with yourself and thorough in your tabulation of EVERYTHING and you will have success. Write down the food IMMEDIATELY upon eating it.
Don't worry about carbs, protein, fat... JUST TOTAL CALORIES.
But there will be plateaus...be sure of it. You MUST wait them out or you are doomed to failure. Impatience is the enemy of a good diet plan.
Good luck.
jcorn59483
09-19-2005, 12:13 PM
One suggestion - get a decent pedometer - they really aren't too costly.
I keep one on me all day and they can even be worn under a suit jacket and with work clothes.
This way, you'll get an idea of how many steps you are walking a day. Get an average for the week, including your exercise sessions.
Now aim to increase that by 5000 to 1000 steps a day. That may sound like a lot but you'd be amazed how you can add the extra steps. Park way out in the parking lot at a mall and walk briskly into the center. Walk up and down your street a few times. Go up and down the stairs in your home 10 times...whatever it takes.
It is best if you can add the steps to your exercise time, by adding on an extra 5 minutes of exercise time to each session you do and increasing that week by week.
But HOWEVER you do it, moving MORE will help. I've read a lot of articles in various magazines about aiming for 5000 to 10000 extra steps a day.
Just changing your daily routine can add those steps.
I keep one on me all day and they can even be worn under a suit jacket and with work clothes.
This way, you'll get an idea of how many steps you are walking a day. Get an average for the week, including your exercise sessions.
Now aim to increase that by 5000 to 1000 steps a day. That may sound like a lot but you'd be amazed how you can add the extra steps. Park way out in the parking lot at a mall and walk briskly into the center. Walk up and down your street a few times. Go up and down the stairs in your home 10 times...whatever it takes.
It is best if you can add the steps to your exercise time, by adding on an extra 5 minutes of exercise time to each session you do and increasing that week by week.
But HOWEVER you do it, moving MORE will help. I've read a lot of articles in various magazines about aiming for 5000 to 10000 extra steps a day.
Just changing your daily routine can add those steps.
Sunbunny09
09-19-2005, 11:27 PM
Thanks all for the great advice! I am sticking with it and I will keep you posted!