Newbie with questions

Kathryn41057

Good morning all... My name is Kat, and I have been a member of MFP for a little while. Have never really posted anything, but have been lurking. I am 55, but closer to 56... 5'10 and 200 lbs. When I got on the scales yesterday and saw the readout, I just hung my head, saying to myself..... How am I ever going to do this? Up one week, down another. I am totally amazed at some of the stories out there on weight loss successes. It's really incredible to see what people can do when they put their mind to it.
I know that exercise plays a big factor in weight loss. I currently walk 5 or 6 days a week, (3-4 km) as I am currently unemployed. As far a going to the gym, well that's out of the question for the time being. I did have a trainer come to my
home a while back, and he set up a routine for my husband and I. I worked at that for awhile, but lost interest. My husband
hasn't been doing them either. Hell, he won't even walk with me. I am slowly working my way back into using the weights, but the interest is not really there. According to MFP, I should have 1560 calories a day.. That sure sounds like a lot. And with walking everyday that gives me a few more calories. I am scared sh****ss that by eating this much my scales are going to go up again. I guess I am asking for help and advice. I know that the weight didn't go on over night, and it won't come off over night. :ohwell:

angloaz

Greetings Kathryn,

I understand your concern and i can assure you that as long as you continue to eat 1560 calories a day and exercise, you will not gain weight. As you already know, you are burning calories when you exercise and when you lose some calories you can eat the amount of calories that you've burned.

You shouldn't focus on the scale so much though. While it's good to keep track of your weight, it's also a mood killer and what scale shows you isn't always the fact. You might have gained weight in a day for different reasons, such as;

1. Water retention
2. Food or Liquid you might have consumed
3. Increase in muscle mass (which is a good thing)

There may be other reasons...

Once people discover that they gained weight, they get discouraged by this and start eating unhealthy and go back to their old negative habits.

My advice for you will be to lose fat in a healthy way, do not exceed the amount of 1560 calories, if you have burned some calories through exercise, you shouldn't hesitate to eat healthy foods to make up for it.

As long as you don't overeat and exceed your target, you should be fine!

I am not a professional but I have been reading a lot about these things lately and they make sense in any way you look at it. I hope I helped, at least just a little bit.

I wish you all the best and I hope you will achieve what you aim for.

Angloaz.

DeeCathy

Kathryn, it's tough to go it alone with weight loss. My husband doesn't NOT support me, but for various reasons it's just difficult for me to maintain a healthy eating lifestyle for both of us. Heck, we both love to eat. And right now, he's not concerned with his weight and I am not going to be a total nagging wife. That never motivates anyone!

By the way, I'm 5' 8" and my current goal is to get DOWN to 200 pounds, haha! Don't hang your head dear....I don't know what your goal is, but with perseverance, you can reach it. I just wish the weight came off as easy as it came on! If you don't mind, I'll add you as a friend. I'm a newbie here too.

257_Lag

at 56... 5'10 and 200 lbs 1560 plus eating exercise calories is definitely not too much. It sounds just about right to me. I support a number of friends about that size eating about that number. You could probably even go up a little bit if you want to but I would not go down from that if I were you.

Good Luck!

Kathryn41057

Thanks everyone for all the input. I really appreciate it... Learn as I go.

cxdyer

Thanks everyone for all the input. I really appreciate it... Learn as I go.

Your weight x (Times) 12 = ___. minus 500 calories to drop 1 lb a week, minus 1000 calories to drop 2 pounds a week.