No more diet hopping for me.

rouhnaz

Hi.

Holy cow I just typed a lot and it disappeared.
Long story short: I decided to quit diet testing and diet hopping (really an excuse to break a diet and "try a different approach").

I'm sticking with my old fashioned daily calorie deficit. Consistency is key, right?

I'm 5'4".
33 year old female.
170lbs and aiming for 137-145lbs.
Daily calorie deficit goal: 1200 calories (well 1200-1400, numbers that MFP generated for me).
Little activity (I mean a little walking here and there and occasionally gym but that's it).

srk369

Did you set a 2lb a week goal? You may find that too aggressive since you have < 50lbs to lose. If you find yourself over tired or really hungry think about a 1lb a week loss and make sure you eat back 50-75% of your exercise calories! I am 5' 2" 154lbs and average 1700ish (follow tdee so calories are gross not net) and have been losing 1lb/week. I say eat as much as you can to lose because at 1200 you have nowhere to go as your weight drops. Build good habits for maintenance. Best of luck to you!

Eta: clarify calories

lthames0810

Yes, consistency is key, but it's also good to evaluate your plan to be sure it is sustainable for you long term. Many people, it seems, find that range of 1200 to 1400 calories very difficult to stick to and they quickly become miserable and then some of them quit.

Don't do that. If you find it dreadful, there are several things you can do about it. Remember that you can eat a little more if you exercise. You can reduce your weight loss per week goal to get a larger calorie target.

You can change up the foods you eat to find a mix that is satisfying to you. For example, I think chicken breast is ok, but I far prefer chicken thighs, so that's what I have. Same goes for milk. I prefer whole milk, that's what I have. I adjust for the extra calories elsewhere because I find it's worth it.

rouhnaz

Ah yes, sound advice from you both. If I find it to be too difficult, I will have to address it for sure. The calories I get from MFP at 2lbs loss per week are 1200. When I set it for just 1lb loss/week it claims I need about 1370 calories. If I say 0.5lb loss, I get about 1500 allowed. Thus the range I mentioned in the original post.

Naturally, if I am miserable, I will address it and see what I must adjust. One thing that has helped, though, has been psuedo-intermittent fasting. I am not strict about doing IF, but I find that I can usually hold off on food till later in the day. At the point that I am ready to eat, 1200 calories makes for a decent meal or two.

Sheisinlove109

Exercise, water, consistency, sleep, calorie deficit...IMO, that will do just what your looking for. The cleanses, diets, and the other things never worked for me long term. Always came back to those five things.

Take a daily selfie...look back at the first day and current day often...you'll see

rouhnaz

Oh selfies are a great idea. I was doing that for a minute, then stopped. Probably should pick that habit back up!