So I'm fat. And want to be slim!!

vcj4710

hello, I'm new. Somehow over the past decade I have gone from being slim to weighing 205lb. I'm only 5ft 7 so this has tipped me just into the obese category. I'm nearing 40 and I fear if I don't get this sorted now I'm destined to be fat forever.

So, I have bought some new scales (body fat 45%), and following 1200 (my mfp rec) I have managed to lose 5lbs in 2 weeks. I was pretty inactive during that period.

I have now bought a Fitbit alta, and did my 10,000 steps yesterday. They tracked into MFP which told me I had another 400 ish calories to eat. I didn't. But should I be eating any of them. They were just walking around - not running or raising a sweat!!

I'm fine on 1200 calories (I'm quite a controlling person) but don't want to have too big a deficit in case that halts the weight loss. I am hoping to lose 2lb a week as I have a lot to lose (50+lb). Advice welcome !!

Clawsal

Hi.

1200 kcal seems low to me. For comparison I am 5'5 and 152 pounds and eating 1500kcal a day for weight loss.

I also have a fitbit and it seems to overestimate the calories burned so I definitely wouldn't eat all the calories it recommends. But still 1200 kcal is low and you have quite a bit to lose. Do you think you can sustain 1200kcal for a long while? And are you sure you are getting all the nutrients you need?

vcj4710

Well that's what I was wondering. But is it just a matter of being more active and eating back say half of the exercise cals (which at 10000 steps gives me around 1400) or
Do I have to adjust my timeline and look to only lose 1lb a week.

I am weighing daily and I don't seem to have lost anything for the past 4 days (so not sure when the 2lb is going to miraculously drop off!!).

Clawsal

It's up to you.

I think for now it would be safe for you to lose 2 pounds a week if you have the time and will to be active. But if you aren't very active, I think losing 1 pound a week would be more sustainable than eating only 1200 kcal a day.

People here often suggest eating half your exercise calories.

As for the weight loss... unfortunately it isn't linear. I lost 10 pounds in around 5 weeks and for the last 3 weeks I have lost nothing. Very frustrating... but our bodies can hold on to water for a variety of reasons.

PinkPixiexox

It's your body, your choice.
I was told to eat 1200 calories - yet when I exercised, my 'allowance' went up to 1500ish. I would eat the 1500 and still lose a good amount of weight. It's generally better to fuel your body than to deprive it. If you are content on 1200 and you are definitely getting all the nutrients and vitamins you need, by all means continue. But it can be quite an aggressive goal. I *did* attempt the 1200 plan for a few weeks and I felt very weak.

CattOfTheGarage

Firstly, it's common to lose a lot in the first few weeks. A lot of that is water (when you eat less, you also retain less water) so don't expect to keep losing at that rate.

Secondly, 2lb a week is an aggressive goal, the fastest rate mfp allows. It means you are eating 1000cal less than your body needs every day (you have a 1000cal deficit). You do not want your deficit to be any bigger than that or you are likely to crash and burn - it is also bad for your health. If you exercise and do not eat the calories back, you are making your deficit bigger. You need to eat a proportion of those calories back.

Thirdly, as others have said, weight loss is not linear. Your body weight can fluctuate by as much as 6lb in a day due to water (or even more!). By comparison, if you stick to your goals, you will burn about 5oz of fat a day. It's easy for fat loss to be masked by water, so don't expect your loss to be steady, and don't be surprised if you gain weight some days. It's just water. If you can get a handle on this right at the start you'll save yourself so much heartache.

And congratulations on your loss! I wish you all the best on your journey.

karahm78

You will probably be able to lose quickly in the beginning but rate of loss will slow as you approach your goal.

I find my Fitbit to be very accurate, bern wearing it for almost 3 years. I only eat back half of the extra calories it gives me (like most on MFP), and lose as expected.

Elise4270

If 1200 is working go with it. As others said, that'll change as you lose weight and become more and more active. 2 pounds a week is great for female? Over 40. I'm lucky to lose that in 2 months (but I don't have much to lose).

If you feel you need to adjust the calories I'd suggest only changing it by 100 calories or less a day. 100/ day is a pound a month.


As far as eatting them back. Really up to you. If I'm hungry, I'll eat them. Better planned eatting than that "omg I'm suddenly starving" and devour something stupid. Maybe settle on eating a percentage of them back if needed.

Good luck! Sounds like your doing well.

vcj4710

Thank you all. I think I'm going to try by eating just half back and see where that takes me!! Does it matter though that they are just steps (ie not running or body pump or even tennis!!) just walking around at a normal rate!

PinkPixiexox

vcj4710 wrote: »

Thank you all. I think I'm going to try by eating just half back and see where that takes me!! Does it matter though that they are just steps (ie not running or body pump or even tennis!!) just walking around at a normal rate!

It doesn't matter how you are 'earning' your calories, just that you are earning them

Elise4270

vcj4710 wrote: »

Thank you all. I think I'm going to try by eating just half back and see where that takes me!! Does it matter though that they are just steps (ie not running or body pump or even tennis!!) just walking around at a normal rate!

It doesn't matter how those calories are spent. The rate is different with intensity. Spent is spent- like money still gone

Be careful not to fall into the trap of "deserving" a food treat. Reward yourself with clothes, exercise gear or such.

kgirlhart

vcj4710 wrote: »

Thank you all. I think I'm going to try by eating just half back and see where that takes me!! Does it matter though that they are just steps (ie not running or body pump or even tennis!!) just walking around at a normal rate!

If you look at your fitbit calorie burn for the day you will see that some steps count more than others. I walk daily and during my intentional "exercise" walk I burn more calories than I do just walking at the grocery store, etc. So I wouldn't worry about that. I try to eat back all of my allowance as I have found my fitbit to be quite accurate. I do think that starting with 50% and eating back half is a good idea. I'm a little shorter and a little older than you and started out about 10 pounds less. But our stats and goals are quite similar. I lost my weight with my goal set at 1300-1350 (I started increasing the goal and decreasing the deficit as I neared maintenance) and eating back most of my exercise calories so I generally ate close to 1500 per day to lose.

vcj4710

Oh you guys are so helpful. I'm going to reward myself with a new slim bum!! And then I'm going shopping!!

I think part of my problem is that I have a curvy figure, my waist is proportionally small and so I look smaller than I actually am as I carry weight on my thighs and boobs. With the right clothes I haven't looked my weight until this last 14lb which has just made it obvious (as my middle is fat now too!!).

I'm desperate for this to succeed though and have just got back from a 7000 step walk so I'm going to smash 10k today!!

kshama2001

vcj4710 wrote: »

Well that's what I was wondering. But is it just a matter of being more active and eating back say half of the exercise cals (which at 10000 steps gives me around 1400) or
Do I have to adjust my timeline and look to only lose 1lb a week.

I am weighing daily and I don't seem to have lost anything for the past 4 days (so not sure when the 2lb is going to miraculously drop off!!).

1200 calories is for women who are very short and inactive. I see you are 5'7" - what's your goal weight?

Weight often drops in whooshes http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/

And women often retain water at ovulation and premenstrually, which can mask fat loss.

Also, people usually retain water when they start a new exercise program.

I don't eat back 100% of the calories the MFP database says I've earned but I do eat back all of them from my fitbit, which is a lot less generous.

lorrpb

With only 50 lbs to lose, I'd recommend setting to 1 lb per week and targeting at least 1500 calories. I'm 5'7" and I've lost at 1700 per day with a sedentary job. It's a slow process, no question about it, but we need to stick with this the rest of our lives.

RavenLibra

A slower weight loss goal will allow you to adapt and adopt a more suitable diet... (begin thinking of diet as what you put into your body as opposed to a weight loss tool) pay attention to your macros as much as your calories and you will find that you won't crave some of the "poor" choices most people make at the grocery store. exercise should be a "focused" effort, not something that you just kind of do once in a while. Which means you should schedule time in your day to exercise it is just as important emotionally as it is physically. You should also fuel your work outs... find a snack, a bar, a supplement, something... that your body can "use" to fuel your body while you are engaged in your exercise activity... you have a weight scale... do you have a food scale? weighing your food is FAR more important than weighing yourself...

do plenty of reading, here in the boards to educate yourself. YOU don't need to invent your own wheel... just be cautious about the "bro Science"

VintageFeline

I'd go with the 1lb per week goal too. Being that you are relatively tall 1200 calories is going to be too little really and you'll likely start feeling less energetic at some point. it also gives you nowhere to go as you lose weight and your calorie needs also reduce alongside.

Eat at least some of your earned calories and you can assess their accuracy over a period to see if your losses are where they should be and adjust from there to eat more or less of them.

And if you're going to weigh daily, I'd highly recommend using a weight trending app like Happy Scale or site like Trendweight. It will allow you to see what times of the month you might retain water, if you're a staller then a whoosher (this is me). 4 days with no scale change is totally normal. 4 weeks can be normal for some people!