TIPS PLEASE!!!: How to Properly Enter Caloric Deficit to Lose Weight
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LinserSE
Posts: 55 Member
First thread, here we go!(:
You know the typical story of "I just don't have time to go to the gym". Well, during the week I am living proof that this statement can sometimes be true. I work a 7-5 stressful job, get home at 6, then babysit until 10:30 at night, shower, and repeat. I've tried taking them to my gym, Anytime Fitness, but no ones allowed in without a membership past 8, but more importantly than that, they don't allow kids.
So what do I do? Try to work out on weekends, of course! But, more often than not, I'm stuck shopping and taking care of normal every-day things I'm not able to do during the week because of my schedule. I also do not have the opportunity to go to bed early enough during the week to be able to wake up and work out in the morning.
So, the big question: with a white-collar office job, not having a whole lot of activity, and averaging about 1 trip to the gym a week, how can I still lose weight?? I follow what I think is a pretty good diet ( reference open diary pleasec: ) and try to stay as low on calories as possible because I am aware of my situation... ANY and all advise is much appreciated
You know the typical story of "I just don't have time to go to the gym". Well, during the week I am living proof that this statement can sometimes be true. I work a 7-5 stressful job, get home at 6, then babysit until 10:30 at night, shower, and repeat. I've tried taking them to my gym, Anytime Fitness, but no ones allowed in without a membership past 8, but more importantly than that, they don't allow kids.
So what do I do? Try to work out on weekends, of course! But, more often than not, I'm stuck shopping and taking care of normal every-day things I'm not able to do during the week because of my schedule. I also do not have the opportunity to go to bed early enough during the week to be able to wake up and work out in the morning.
So, the big question: with a white-collar office job, not having a whole lot of activity, and averaging about 1 trip to the gym a week, how can I still lose weight?? I follow what I think is a pretty good diet ( reference open diary pleasec: ) and try to stay as low on calories as possible because I am aware of my situation... ANY and all advise is much appreciated
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Replies
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you don't need to exercise to lose weight. there are a ton of benefits to exercising, including cardiovascular health, strength, maintenance of lean body mass, but to just lose weight / fat you only need to be in a caloric deficit. you can accomplish that by only restricting calories in via your diet.12
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Eat at a calorie deficit, take the stairs, walk during your lunches, walk to the store, play games with the kids that involve activity. Take the kids for a walk. I've lost 35lbs eating at a calorie deficit and just walking. You don't have to go to a gym.12
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First thread, here we go!(:
You know the typical story of "I just don't have time to go to the gym". Well, during the week I am living proof that this statement can sometimes be true. I work a 7-5 stressful job, get home at 6, then babysit until 10:30 at night, shower, and repeat. I've tried taking them to my gym, Anytime Fitness, but no ones allowed in without a membership past 8, but more importantly than that, they don't allow kids.
So what do I do? Try to work out on weekends, of course! But, more often than not, I'm stuck shopping and taking care of normal every-day things I'm not able to do during the week because of my schedule. I also do not have the opportunity to go to bed early enough during the week to be able to wake up and work out in the morning.
So, the big question: with a white-collar office job, not having a whole lot of activity, and averaging about 1 trip to the gym a week, how can I still lose weight?? I follow what I think is a pretty good diet ( reference open diary pleasec: ) and try to stay as low on calories as possible because I am aware of my situation... ANY and all advise is much appreciated
You put in your stats into this calculator and then put "sedentary" as your activity level and select your desired rate of loss and MFP will give you a calorie target...your calorie target assumes no exercise...you don't need exercise to be in a calorie deficit. You burn calories 24/7...most of that "burn" is you merely existing on this planet, and then going about your day to day. Really, unless one is an athlete and/or training like one, exercise activity pales in comparison to existing and going about your day.13 -
Accurately and honestly log your food intake. Use a scale for A*L*L solid food. Measuring cups for oils, beverages.7
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jessiferrrb wrote: »you don't need to exercise to lose weight. there are a ton of benefits to exercising, including cardiovascular health, strength, maintenance of lean body mass, but to just lose weight / fat you only need to be in a caloric deficit. you can accomplish that by only restricting calories in via your diet.
For as low as my activity is, how low should my intake be to ensure I am in a caloric deficit??... I dont know how many calories I burn a day just by doing my daily routine... Do you/does anyone know what a good way to find out would be??0 -
You don't need to exercise in order to lose weight but as @jessiferrrb has said there are other benefits, it doesn't have to be intentional exercise you can just increase your activity level by walking.
Looking at your diary I just have one question - why are you eating so little? Your calorie allowance already includes a deficit.
Take a look at this thread here to understand how you calorie allowance is calculated and why what you're doing isn't wise. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10569458/why-eating-too-little-calories-is-a-bad-idea/p1jessiferrrb wrote: »you don't need to exercise to lose weight. there are a ton of benefits to exercising, including cardiovascular health, strength, maintenance of lean body mass, but to just lose weight / fat you only need to be in a caloric deficit. you can accomplish that by only restricting calories in via your diet.
For as low as my activity is, how low should my intake be to ensure I am in a caloric deficit??... I dont know how many calories I burn a day just by doing my daily routine... Do you/does anyone know what a good way to find out would be??
MFP does that for you. That's what happened when you filled in your details and it gave you an allowance.5 -
For as low as my activity is, how low should my intake be to ensure I am in a caloric deficit??... I dont know how many calories I burn a day just by doing my daily routine... Do you/does anyone know what a good way to find out would be??
you could try a fitbit or other activity tracker. otherwise just put your stats in to mfp and let it calculate for you - start with sedentary and go from there.
youtube has lots of excellent workout videos that you can do at home. my personal fave is fitness blender! often workout while my kids are in the house
i don't even have a gym membership.
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Food diary feedback...
I believe there are 200 calories in a standard cherry pop tart, you logged 1 pop tart at 100 calories.
Weigh your pasta and log the weight in grams. What you fit in 2/3 of the cup is easily more than what the weight of the serving is intended. Each time you put a solid food in a cup, you're likely to end up with a differnet quantity of food.
Weigh your bread slices. By your log 1 slice is supposed to be 26 grams. Is it? Probably not.
For meats, are you eating 3 oz raw weight or 3 oz dry weight? Or are you assuming your portion is 3 oz? Make sure the method you used for weighing matches the database entry. Moisture cooks out, so the cooked weight is less, but the calories don't drop for the water going away.
For homemade entries, did you make these and use the recipe builder? Or use an entry and assume it matched your food in nutritional detail and serving size? That sort of assumption leads to errors.
Rice - weigh in grams dry for best level of accuracy. Again, what you fit in the cup could easily be more than what you've logged.
Mission tortilla wraps: like bread, they often weigh more than the label indicates. Weigh them.
That's just a quick look at a couple of days.11 -
Go by the calorie allowance MFP gave you. I would set up a moderate goal of 1 lb/a week.
Weigh all your solids on a food scale and weigh all solids in grams. Measure all liquids. Stick to calorie allowance and you will be fine.1 -
Ps-you have many unlogged days.
What are your current stats? How much are you trying to lose? When did you start counting calories?
The short answer to 'how do I lose weight' is to accurately and honestly log your calories, every day, and have patience. At the rate of .5-1 pounds per week for most women (more if you weigh more), weight loss takes months rather than days/weeks.2 -
jessiferrrb wrote: »you don't need to exercise to lose weight. there are a ton of benefits to exercising, including cardiovascular health, strength, maintenance of lean body mass, but to just lose weight / fat you only need to be in a caloric deficit. you can accomplish that by only restricting calories in via your diet.
For as low as my activity is, how low should my intake be to ensure I am in a caloric deficit??... I dont know how many calories I burn a day just by doing my daily routine... Do you/does anyone know what a good way to find out would be??
Look at the descriptors..."white collar office job with very little activity" would be sedentary. The calculator will do the calculating...that's what it does based on population statistics. The calorie target is the calories you need to lose weight...the deficit is built in.4 -
jessiferrrb wrote: »you don't need to exercise to lose weight. there are a ton of benefits to exercising, including cardiovascular health, strength, maintenance of lean body mass, but to just lose weight / fat you only need to be in a caloric deficit. you can accomplish that by only restricting calories in via your diet.
For as low as my activity is, how low should my intake be to ensure I am in a caloric deficit??... I dont know how many calories I burn a day just by doing my daily routine... Do you/does anyone know what a good way to find out would be??
Enter your stats in MFP, set to sedentary, to lose 1 pound per week. What calorie goal do you arrive at? Edited: your profile indicates your height, weight and based on that there is nothing wrong with aiming for 2 pounds per week.0 -
jessiferrrb wrote: »you don't need to exercise to lose weight. there are a ton of benefits to exercising, including cardiovascular health, strength, maintenance of lean body mass, but to just lose weight / fat you only need to be in a caloric deficit. you can accomplish that by only restricting calories in via your diet.
For as low as my activity is, how low should my intake be to ensure I am in a caloric deficit??... I dont know how many calories I burn a day just by doing my daily routine... Do you/does anyone know what a good way to find out would be??
If you're accurately logging at eating at the calorie goal MFP calculated for you and you're losing weight as you should be then you're eating at a deficit.
Is there a reason you're not trusting MFP with calculating your goal?3 -
When I started my weight loss I didn't go to the gym. I pulled up some exercise on the net and stood in front of my computer. When I worked a white collar job and had a young child I faced your schedule. I would do some desk exercises at lunch and walk when I could. But somewhere along the way someone convinced me that I needed to enjoy the activity I was doing to really stick to it. I found dance exercise was fun. Fitness Marshal really is a great enjoyable guy that publishes all his videos on youtube for free. Even better the kids probably will enjoy doing some of it with you. Might wear them out so they go to bed easily.0
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cwolfman13 wrote: »First thread, here we go!(:
You know the typical story of "I just don't have time to go to the gym". Well, during the week I am living proof that this statement can sometimes be true. I work a 7-5 stressful job, get home at 6, then babysit until 10:30 at night, shower, and repeat. I've tried taking them to my gym, Anytime Fitness, but no ones allowed in without a membership past 8, but more importantly than that, they don't allow kids.
So what do I do? Try to work out on weekends, of course! But, more often than not, I'm stuck shopping and taking care of normal every-day things I'm not able to do during the week because of my schedule. I also do not have the opportunity to go to bed early enough during the week to be able to wake up and work out in the morning.
So, the big question: with a white-collar office job, not having a whole lot of activity, and averaging about 1 trip to the gym a week, how can I still lose weight?? I follow what I think is a pretty good diet ( reference open diary pleasec: ) and try to stay as low on calories as possible because I am aware of my situation... ANY and all advise is much appreciated
You put in your stats into this calculator and then put "sedentary" as your activity level and select your desired rate of loss and MFP will give you a calorie target...your calorie target assumes no exercise...you don't need exercise to be in a calorie deficit. You burn calories 24/7...most of that "burn" is you merely existing on this planet, and then going about your day to day. Really, unless one is an athlete and/or training like one, exercise activity pales in comparison to existing and going about your day.
My MBR was 2,110, so I guess I am doing fine on no more than 1,200 calories a day the, thank you so much for the advise(:0 -
First and foremost: for weight-loss, calories are king. Exercise will give you a greater deficit. It'll improve your fitness. Speaking as someone who deals with stress and low-level anxiety issues, it often improves your emotional well-being. BUT to lose weight, it still comes down to taking in fewer calories than you burn, and you can accomplish that even without exercise. Note that I'm not saying you shouldn't exercise. Just that if you can't, it is still very possible for you to lose weight.
I don't belong to a gym. I've bought some relatively inexpensive fitness equipment and work out from home. Primarily dumbbells and resistance tubes and bands, but also:
A cardio step
Ankle weights
A stability ball
A mat
A book on strength training. There are a lot of good ones on the market. I'm using Strength Training: Exercises for Women by Joan Pagano. She's got multiple exercises for each muscle/muscle group and she provides guidelines for progress. For example, something like a basic lunge might be: Level 1: 10 reps, 1-2 sets, no weights; Level 2: 12-15 reps, 1-2 sets, 3-5lb dumbbells; Level 3: 8-12 reps, 1-3 sets, 8-10lb dumbbells. She also provides cardio-and-dumbbell interval workouts and sample full-body strength training regimens for different fitness levels.
Also, I have a soccer ball and a bouncy ball, because they're used for some of the exercises.
Now, when you say you're trying to stay as low on calories as possible, what sort of deficit are you running? How much weight are you trying to lose total and per week?1 -
This little calculator will give you an idea of what you burn just by existing basically.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/tools/calories-burned1 -
You can also look up "bodyweight exercises" and do some of them to help maintain muscle while losing weight. You could even get a set of adjustable-weight dumbbells to work with at home.
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jessiferrrb wrote: »you don't need to exercise to lose weight. there are a ton of benefits to exercising, including cardiovascular health, strength, maintenance of lean body mass, but to just lose weight / fat you only need to be in a caloric deficit. you can accomplish that by only restricting calories in via your diet.
For as low as my activity is, how low should my intake be to ensure I am in a caloric deficit??... I dont know how many calories I burn a day just by doing my daily routine... Do you/does anyone know what a good way to find out would be??
Experiment. Sedentary is many office workers. But if you are young (you appear to be) or chasing after kids, etc. you might select lightly active. Then choose a weekly weight loss goal, and MFP will do the math.
You might try the calculator for both settings. Then choose the number you think you can stick to. If you find you are hungry, or run down.....eat more.
A better estimate for daily calories burned in an activity tracker (ie: FitBit). But plenty of people have lost weight before those were invented. EVERYTHING is estimates. Just start.....and tweak as you go.2 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »First thread, here we go!(:
You know the typical story of "I just don't have time to go to the gym". Well, during the week I am living proof that this statement can sometimes be true. I work a 7-5 stressful job, get home at 6, then babysit until 10:30 at night, shower, and repeat. I've tried taking them to my gym, Anytime Fitness, but no ones allowed in without a membership past 8, but more importantly than that, they don't allow kids.
So what do I do? Try to work out on weekends, of course! But, more often than not, I'm stuck shopping and taking care of normal every-day things I'm not able to do during the week because of my schedule. I also do not have the opportunity to go to bed early enough during the week to be able to wake up and work out in the morning.
So, the big question: with a white-collar office job, not having a whole lot of activity, and averaging about 1 trip to the gym a week, how can I still lose weight?? I follow what I think is a pretty good diet ( reference open diary pleasec: ) and try to stay as low on calories as possible because I am aware of my situation... ANY and all advise is much appreciated
You put in your stats into this calculator and then put "sedentary" as your activity level and select your desired rate of loss and MFP will give you a calorie target...your calorie target assumes no exercise...you don't need exercise to be in a calorie deficit. You burn calories 24/7...most of that "burn" is you merely existing on this planet, and then going about your day to day. Really, unless one is an athlete and/or training like one, exercise activity pales in comparison to existing and going about your day.
My MBR was 2,110, so I guess I am doing fine on no more than 1,200 calories a day the, thank you so much for the advise(:
Do you mean your BMR? if that is what you meant you need to be eating a lot more than 1200 calorie. BMR is what you need if you were basically bed ridden in order to keep your body functioning. If that's your BMR your NEAT at Sedentary is 2630 so in order to lose 1-2lb per week you're looking at a calorie allowance of 1630-2130.4
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