calorie limits that work, what's best 4 me?

winterskykim

Hi, new here and I need to lose like 100 pounds. I have gone gluten free and lost 50 5 yrs ago, put it back on, once I added junk back in, then next time I limited sugar and processed food , started working and lost 50 again, stopped working ate junk again and put 40 back on.. uugghh. so my question is I am a stay at home mom.. 50 yrs young, weight of 243 I'm 5 ft 7 and 1/2, and want to be at 145-150. I have been doing leslie sansones walk away the pounds video workout.. like 20 min a day 5-6 days a week, cut out added sugar, most if not all processed, trying to eat healthier, I'm kinda sedentary but hope to work towards active soon. I know what the MFP put me at for calories but wanted to know if there are some with similar stats when they began, what worked for them? I started off on 1200 cal a day and didn't eat my exercise calories.. I lost 10 and then stuck. over a week. nothing.. so I upped my calories to 1430 .. except I just messed up yesterday.. ate WAY over and need to adjust today? please help.. I need a little guidance in this area.. I would love to lose 1.5 to 2 pounds a week, if I can.. thanks. Kim

Stage14

One week does not equal "stuck". If you panic and change your calories everytime you don't Lose weight in one week, you're going to drive yourself nuts and never get anywhere. Weight loss isn't linear. I regularly go a week or even two with no weight loss, then on the next week, I'm suddenly down 3-5lbs. Eat at whatever MFP tells you to for at least a month, then evaluate your weight loss for that month and adjust from there. Remember, you didn't put on the weight in just a few months, and you won't lose it that fast either. It's all about patience and consistency. If you have a bad day and go way over, let it go and start back fresh the next day. Hope that helps!

alpine1994

Hey!

Well, you can see the trend. You tried cutting out certain foods (gluten and sugar/processed food) twice, lost a bunch of weight, then put it back on once you resumed normal life. This happens to so many people (and myself for years) and this is where you have to change your frame of mind. In order for sustainable weight loss, you have to live a lifestyle that you can sustain forever. Cutting out certain types of food makes this almost impossble. Moderation really is the key.

I would suggest setting up your goals in MFP to lose 1lb per week. I know it seems like it's going to take forever, but so what if it does? Taking it slow and steady will help you break old habits, create new ones, and help you have a great relationship with food. This I can absolutely promise you. Eat to your calorie goal (and eat back exercise calories! MFP calculates the deficit on your activity level only, not your workouts) by eating foods you enjoy, and keep an eye on your macros (protein, fat, carbs). I've found that protein-rich and unsaturated fat-rich foods keep me feeling more satisfied, but I do NOT shy away from carbs! I need them to power me through my busy days!

One more thing: don't beat yourself up when you go over on your cals by 5 or 1000 or anywhere in between. We all have those days because we are human. Just make sure most days are good and you'll be golden.

You can do this!

ajanderson84

I'm 5ft 7in and started at 273 lbs, lost down to 205 due to medical stuff, gained back to 262 and now I'm currently at 238. My goals are near yours, 150lbs is about where I expect to be, but maybe I'll be able to keep pushing by then to get all the way down to 135.

Anyways, my doctor had recommended no less than 1800 calories a day for me to start with, and made me promise to push for 30 mins to an hour of activity 3 times a week. He also suggested throwing weights in there one day. I started out doing this, and was successful. As I became comfortable with the routine, I dropped calories down to 1500 a day, and I now try to hit an hour of activity 5 days a week.

Like you, I have fluctuations and weeks where I even gained instead of lost. It happens. Just keep trying and you'll push through it. One week isn't bad. Week 1 I lost 3 lbs in the first 4 days, and then in week 2 I gained 7lbs. After that it's been a steady loss. Often, if it's a huge change for you to eat healthy and get moving, your body will respond at first, and then freeze up for a short period trying to recover. Keep doing what you're doing and you'll get the lasting results you're looking for.

Lives2Travel

My current stats are almost exactly like yours. I eat right at what MFP suggests each and every day. Some weeks I lose little to nothing. Some weeks I drop 3 lbs. I've had to learn to stick with it even when I've done everything right and gotten no reward.

If possible you may want to increase the duration/intensity of your workouts. That has helped me get over a few frustrating patches. Oh and for the record, I haven't cut out anything entirely. Just stayed within my calorie limit even if some of those calories were a Reese's Peanut Butter cup..... Or 2.

winterskykim

thanks so much for all your helpful responses! I too love reeses.. I think for now I will stick to the pound and half loss that MFP has set me at 1430 calories. I will try to eat my exercise cal too.. I will push thru those weeks I may not lose or even gain.. steady will win the race.. I find I have issues with gluten so I will try to avoid that as much as I can.. but like suggested I have to be comfortable so I don't feel like I can't live with it.. I agree with that.. I will bump up my exercise as I get a bit stronger, especially if I want to eat more on a given day.. I love this site for the valuable life experiences we all can share with others who are there or have been there. Thanks so much!! Kim