how to determine goal?

teagrannyfit

I have found in the past couple years the weight is creeping on so I have decided with the menopausal state I am in I need to be more purposeful about maintaining my weight.
Weight loss ideas have changed a lot over the past 20/25 years.
I am so surprised to find that cardio is now considered bad

When I plug my info into the calculator it says I should eat 1235 cal a day. That doesn't seem like enough. I put my activity in as sedentary partly because somedays my day changes....and there is no time for specific exercise and also thinking that if I eat for no exercise and actually do then thats a bonus.
But I keep hearing about how eating more is better for weight loss so this is partly why I am thinking 1200 is not enough.
Is 1.5lbs weight loss a week still acceptable?

TIA Sunny

rockmama72

Hi Sunny! Good for you for doing this. Yes, 1235 is pretty low and will be hard to stick to every day. Not impossible, but kind of not fun either. A couple hundred more calories will make a world of difference in how comfortable your life is. Try not to think of your goal as losing a certain number of pounds per week; your goal is to stick to your plan, get more exercise, and take whatever weight loss that comes of it as a major triumph. Think about it: If you weigh yourself on day 1, then lock up your scale and go for 30 days of eating better, exercising more, drinking more water... you're going to feel amazing. Will you be upset if you pull your scale out and you've lost 3 pounds? Nah, you'll still feel amazing.

Cardio is not bad; it's just that you don't want to ONLY do cardio. I go for a 3:2:1 ratio (cardio/strength/flexibility)--so for every 30 minutes of cardio in a week, I do 20 minutes of strength exercises and 10 minutes of stretching/yoga/pilates type stuff. Walking is still my all-time favorite, especially now that it's spring and the daffodils are starting to peek out of the ground. My walks are sometimes just a quick spin around the block. I made a little chart that I check off my 10-minute blocks. Check out fitnessblender.com too; they have tons of short videos that you don't need any equipment to complete, and you can fit one in whenever--a quick one before your shower, one while you're waiting for your dinner to simmer on the stove, etc.

Have fun! Health feels great.

999tigger

1-2lb a week is considered, but its what you can manage and sustain.
Dont make yourself miserable as you might give up or binge.
Cardio is not bad.
250 calories per day over a week will get you roughly 1/2lb of weight loss.

If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal
If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal
If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal

teagrannyfit

Thx rockmama, I like your 3/2/1 idea, doing it in blocks is great too. I am less concerned about the weight as I am about the inches.

999tigger, yes, less than 15lbs so how do I adjust my program so it raises my allowance for the day?

johnnylakis

Cardio is not bad.

I did 1,200 for a few months, it is fine. When you exercise, you should eat enough to cover those calories burned.

You can safely go as high was 2 lbs weight loss a week