can anyone answer a few questions?

beastmode_kitty

Yes those 17lbs are probably mostly water weight, but go with how your clothes feel. Take measurements!

Burt_Huttz

White_n_Nerdy wrote: »

I ate 1200 calories for a very, very long time a couple years ago. My weight fell to 125 (which was my goal at the time) and I thought that I looked pretty good. However, I got really, really sick. I was tired, I had constant headaches, I lost motivation. 1200 will get you where you want to go pretty quickly, but it's not going to get you there in a healthy manner.

1600 is a good goal, as Burt pointed out. Whatever you do, just listen to your body. If you don't feel right, then make a change. You don't want to drop down to your goal weight, and then rebound above where you started. Trust me.

This is very good advice. All the online calculators and rules of thumb and general principles in the world will not be perfect for you. Half of the part of the whole weight loss thing is documenting and learning how your body works in a way that enables you to become a better steward of it in the future. Optimally, you will pick up lifestyle habits in your weight loss that will empower you to gradually separate from the restrictions and measurements and develop an intuitive sense of how to appropriately nourish your body - not too much and not too little.

juliet3455

Rather than re-posting my message from another MFP Thread go to this link and check the two posts I made on page 1. The links in the second post are probably the most important.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/31484407#Comment_31484407

To prevent "Scale Watching" I only way myself on Payday Mornings - so every second Wednesday.

BAM She Nailed it.

k8325 wrote: »

Make yourself try a habit change for 3 weeks...and I would do one or two healthy habits at a time instead of changing everything all at once.
Keep in mind that weight loss involves a simple plan, but is NOT easy. Slow and steady wins the race, and even if you only lose 1 lb a week, by next year you will have lost 52 lbs and that is waaaaaay better than nothing.

jennifer_417

1. Yes, it will slow down. As you weigh less, your calorie deficit is less, as you need fewer and fewer calories to maintain.
2. 17 lbs in a month is a tremendous loss! But don't expect to be able to keep losing at that pace. 1200 is a very low amount of calories, so consider adjusting up some if you start to have difficulties eating that little.
3. Barring a health condition (such as Diabetes or PCOS), restricting calories is the ONLY way to lose weight. It is not necessary to restrict any type of food, only the amount. Now, it is helpful to keep your protein intake high, because it will help you feel fuller, but not strictly necessary.

kenmiller75

You asked about eating carbs and it wasn't really addressed so I'll chip in from what I've learned. Not all carbs are evil. Carbs are necessary and give your body energy. They have a bad rap because of the processed and sugary crap most packaged foods are loaded with. Stay away from processed and sugary foods such as pop, white bread, most cereals, potatoes, doughnuts, pasta, chips, etc. These foods are high glycemic and spike your blood sugar, and that can get stored as fat.

Instead try to eat mostly vegetables, whole grain breads & pasta, rolled oats, brown rice, quinoa, and sweet potatoes as your carb sources. These foods are low glycemic and slow digesting carbs, and will not cause an insulin spike. Eat some of those foods along with proteins and healthy fats sources at each meal and you'll be fine. You can find all kinds of info if you Google glycemic index. Good Luck!