Too unrealistic?

hazeleyez26

My goal is to lose 1.5 lbs each week.. Is that too unrealistic? Or too unhealthy? My calorie goal has been 1330 and it's been very difficult... I'm always still hungry! I end up eating some, if not all of my exercise calories back. I've been walking 30-45 min 5 to 6 days a week... Hoping to slowly work my way up to more exercise.

Need2Exerc1se

If you are always hungry, then your plan may be too agressive. How much do you have to lose?

brianpperkins

That really depends on how much you have to lose.

sscarmack

I wouldn't go below 1,500 a day while hitting your macros.

Step up the cardio game.

When you dive to fast into something, you are more than likely to burn yourself out and thats while 75% (guess) off people who start diets and trying to get in shape, quit within the first month.

Whatever your normal calorie intake is....Lets say 2,250. For the first few days drop it down to 2,000.....

Day 1..............2,250 (5,000 steps + 10 minutes of activity)
Day 2-3..........2,000 (7,500 steps + 15 minutes of activity)
Day 4-5..........1,850 (9,500 steps + 20 minutes of activity)
Day 6-7..........1,750 (12,000 steps + 30 minutes of activity)
Week 8-10......1,500 (15,000 steps + 60 minutes of activity)


Of course these are just rough numbers, but you get the idea.

hazeleyez26

I want to lose about 55 lbs.

radiosilents

It's NOT a race! The slower you lose it, the more likely you are to keep it off. We need more information about you to know whether you're eating too little or not – height, weight, age. If you are hungry all the time, then yes, you are probably not eating enough. Tell us more!

Need2Exerc1se

1.5 a week doesn't sound unrealistic for you. But, if you are always hungry it's going to make it very hard to stick to your plan long enough to lose that much. If it were me, I'd either switch to 1 lb a week so I wouldn't be so hungry, or look at my diet and see if could add more protein and fiber to help keep me full longer.

hazeleyez26

How would I know what my normal calorie intake should be?

I'm 36, 5'4, and currently 176.4 lbs.

sscarmack

hazeleyez26 wrote: »

How would I know what my normal calorie intake should be?

I'm 36, 5'4, and currently 176.4 lbs.

I used this calculator on bb.com...It was pretty accurate for me.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/what-does-2500-calories-look-like.html

Your maintenance intake is around 1,600 (lightly active), when I switch it to moderate it jumps up to 1,900.

Be sure to check it out, it helps a lot to get a rough idea. Of course its just a calculator, so take it with a grain of salt.

alfiedn

Myfittnesspal is designed for you to eat your exercise calories back. Some say the calorie burns are too high, so that's where you may have to be a bit careful.

hazeleyez26

I tried the calculator just now.. It said 1297 for calories..

sscarmack

hazeleyez26 wrote: »

I tried the calculator just now.. It said 1297 for calories..

For fat loss, correct. I did maintenance to see what you should be having daily.

Which is most likely correct. But like I said above, don't dive straight into eating 1,297 today. You'll burn yourself out.

Start at 2,000 today and tomorrow, then slowly starts taking them out, 100-200 calories at a time.

WHILE, still hitting your macros. You don't want to eat 1,500 calories and 50% be fat and only 10% protein. So be careful of the foods you're eating.

Also look into IF (Intermittent Fasting), this seems to help a lot of people who are trying to drop weight.

Again, don't dive into it too fast, start with a larger window and slowly start closing it.

This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Redbeard333

I wouldn't say it's unrealistic. Mine has been set for 1.5/week for months and months. I tried 2/week and was starving at the end of the day so I discontinued it. Try it for a couple weeks, see how you feel, and adjust

ald783

I would focus less on a specific time frame for how quickly you want to lose it and focus more on doing something you feel comfortable with and that is sustainable for you. The weight comes off when it comes off, and I have never had success keeping weight off when I lost it pretty quickly. Make smaller changes that you can live with.

999tigger

hazeleyez26 wrote: »

How would I know what my normal calorie intake should be?

I'm 36, 5'4, and currently 176.4 lbs.

I just looked and you came at about 1850 for maintenance so 1350 for 1lb a week.
Walking depends how far you walk. It will be roughly 100cal per mile walked.

Whatever level you set yourself has to be sustainable so that you dont quit and arent miserable. I'd got for 1lb a week plus you get to eat your exercise calories. If you dont see lossm then only eat a portion of the exercise back say 50%.

hazeleyez26

Thanks sscarmack! That makes sense now and it's a lot of great info!

Redbeard333, I've been trying it for almost a month now but struggling.. Looks like I will have to up my calories.

ald783, I was thinking 1.5 lbs a week was moving slowly since I wanted to lose at least 2 lbs a week lol... I guess I was wrong. I just don't want to move too slow... But it is a lifestyle change so maybe it's better to move slowly.

Need2Exerc1se, that's a great idea to eat more protein and fiber... I haven't paid much attention to that.

hazeleyez26

Thanks 999tiger!

ald783

Hazel, it's not that 1.5 pounds per week is necessarily unrealistic (although at best I tend to lose closer to a pound a week on average) but I would try not to get too caught up in the speed at which you lose. As long as the scale is going in a generally downward direction, you're on the right track!

hazeleyez26

Thanks ald!

alltheweigh170

sscarmack wrote: »

hazeleyez26 wrote: »

I tried the calculator just now.. It said 1297 for calories..

For fat loss, correct. I did maintenance to see what you should be having daily.

Which is most likely correct. But like I said above, don't dive straight into eating 1,297 today. You'll burn yourself out.

Start at 2,000 today and tomorrow, then slowly starts taking them out, 100-200 calories at a time.

WHILE, still hitting your macros. You don't want to eat 1,500 calories and 50% be fat and only 10% protein. So be careful of the foods you're eating.

Also look into IF (Intermittent Fasting), this seems to help a lot of people who are trying to drop weight.

Again, don't dive into it too fast, start with a larger window and slowly start closing it.

This is a marathon, not a sprint.

Good advice! Thanks!

skinnymalinkyscot

Dare I be cheeky and ask for some maths help too? My stats are age 56 (in a month), weight 219lbs, height 5ft .4"

MFP set me at a 1.5lb a week loss for 1200 calories a day , but I ve been dieting since August 1st and have lost 15lb so far, but to be honest id rather just lose a 1lb a week and have a few more calories daily, any ideas how many calories ladies & gents, thank you in advance.