lose 1, 1.5 or 2 lbs per week?

wannabeslim67

Hi ladies!! I just read all the comments, and I admit I am just as confused as before, but since many of you seem to have started out at similar weight as me, you may have some wisdom to share with me. I started my journey on Aug 19 this year. I'm 5'8", 237 lbs at start. Figuring I have a lot to lose, I input a 2lb/ week loss, and was given an allowance of 1200 cals/ day. I have been working out regularly (3-5x/week), combining weights and cardio. In the beginning I would often burn 6-800 cals in a single session on the treadmill, bike or elliptical. I'm assuming my calorie burn is high due to my weight. I try to eat back my workout calories, but find that I'm often below my calorie goal, often netting less than 1,000. So, I reduced the workout sessions, limiting my calorie burn to max 500/day. Despite being very motivated and determined, I've only lost 3lbs so far. I have lost about an inch everywhere, but I still find these results extremely modest when I compare to others. What am I doing wrong? Can anyone suggest what to eat to get a higher calorie intake and keep it healthy? And what are healthy high protein, low fat foods that have worked for you? Any feedback would be appreciated!

albertine58

Hi ladies!! I just read all the comments, and I admit I am just as confused as before, but since many of you seem to have started out at similar weight as me, you may have some wisdom to share with me. I started my journey on Aug 19 this year. I'm 5'8", 237 lbs at start. Figuring I have a lot to lose, I input a 2lb/ week loss, and was given an allowance of 1200 cals/ day. I have been working out regularly (3-5x/week), combining weights and cardio. In the beginning I would often burn 6-800 cals in a single session on the treadmill, bike or elliptical. I'm assuming my calorie burn is high due to my weight. I try to eat back my workout calories, but find that I'm often below my calorie goal, often netting less than 1,000. So, I reduced the workout sessions, limiting my calorie burn to max 500/day. Despite being very motivated and determined, I've only lost 3lbs so far. I have lost about an inch everywhere, but I still find these results extremely modest when I compare to others. What am I doing wrong? Can anyone suggest what to eat to get a higher calorie intake and keep it healthy? And what are healthy high protein, low fat foods that have worked for you? Any feedback would be appreciated!

If you just started a new weight training routine, you're building muscle as you burn fat so you'll see changes in inches, but perhaps not on the scale. Also, your body retains more water as it gets used to a new exercise routine- usually lasts a few weeks, but it depends how often you're really changing it up.

1) Are you using a food scale to weigh your portions? Don't trust measuring cups/spoons- use a scale. For everything. Milk in your coffee, an apple, everything- grams or ounces. If you actually weigh, 1200 cals a day is not very much. If I had to guess, you're probably eating more than you think. I've seen 2 tbsp of peanut butter in a leveled-off measuring spoon actually weigh as 4 tbsp's worth- that alone is 200 extra calories! I did not lose consistently until I weighed everything.

I'm 5' 4", 160 lb, 24 yrs old, and I've been losing 2 lbs a week consistently on1400 cals/day and only 2 days a week of real "exercise" (which I don't eat back). You're taller than me so I'm sure you can eat more than me and lose 2 lb a week- as long as you weigh EVERYTHING!

wannabeslim67

Thanks for your reply, Albertine! I hope you don't mind me "sharing" your post, Jamie, but I figure we're all in the same boat anyway... I have been measuring using both a kitchen scale and measuring cups, but also eyeballing it. However, when it comes to eyeballing, I am discovering that, if anything, I am overestimating portions, meaning that what I take to be 4 oz. may in actual fact be only 2.5. So, I think I am actually grossly undereating, and that may be one of my big problems. I think I may have been in "starvation mode" for some time now, meaning my metabolism has slowed to an absolute minimum, and any time I eat more calories (as many as I should be eating), I actually gain weight, but when I eat less, I don't lose. My body hangs on to everything for dear life, because it doesn't know when the next supply will come. So, I'm faced with having to take a chance at resetting my metabolism, which I'm struggling with, because this means that in order to start losing weight, I may actually have to eat more and GAIN weight first! This is all very counter-intuitive, and I'm a bit scared to proceed. Does anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!