Am I doing the right things to lose weight?

morales2343
morales2343 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I started a routine September 28th after about three years or more of absolutely no exercise. I'm 5'2 and now 198 lbs. I exercise 5-6 times a week now and it consists of 35-40 minutes on the elliptical, the use of resistance bands, sit ups, push ups, and squats. As far as my diet goes...fast food and any type of eating out has completely been taken out of my life. I stopped drinking the little bit of soda I would drink and have significantly cut back on sweets. All my meals are cooked at home and I never go beyond 1500 calories. Most days I never go beyond 1200 calories actually. I just want to know if what I'm doing is a good thing. Since I began working out I've dropped from 206 to 198...is that a good movement in that time frame? I'm kind of new to all this fitness and dieting thing. I easily stayed in shape when I was in sports for school but it's a different story now. Is there any thing I can change? I appreciate any advice and feedback.

Replies

  • bakemma
    bakemma Posts: 161 Member
    If it works and you aren't hungry or feeling sick then that's great. But it is safe to say, that most people on this site will tell you, You should never net below 1200 calories a day. Good Luck!
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
    Here's a good article with general information:

    http://body-improvements.com/resources/eat/
  • PinkCoconut
    PinkCoconut Posts: 655 Member
    I would agree that you should probably stick to trying to stay at 1500 calories. 1200 or lower isn't that great for your body especially if you're working out 5 to 6 days per week!

    Feel free to friend me if you have questions!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Your plan doesn't sound bad to me. You are losing at a good rate. You don't have to eat the same number of calories every day, but if you average them out you should be >= 1200. If not, then try to stay near 1500 more often.

    Also, I personally think it's good to limit unhealthy foods as you are. Some on MFP disagree (rather forcibly) but there is nothing with learning good eating habits as you lose weight. BUT, don't get stressed out if you break that limit occasionally. It's probably going to happen, but just put it behind you and get back on plan.

    Best of luck to you.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Low cal works great at first and then you stall, because your body needs more fuel.

    I've almost never gone under 1500 calories and even then I wasn't exercising much. You got to eat if you want enough energy to workout and stay healthy.

    You're also supposed to eat your exercise calories back with MFP.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    I started a routine September 28th after about three years or more of absolutely no exercise. I'm 5'2 and now 198 lbs. I exercise 5-6 times a week now and it consists of 35-40 minutes on the elliptical, the use of resistance bands, sit ups, push ups, and squats. As far as my diet goes...fast food and any type of eating out has completely been taken out of my life. I stopped drinking the little bit of soda I would drink and have significantly cut back on sweets. All my meals are cooked at home and I never go beyond 1500 calories. Most days I never go beyond 1200 calories actually. I just want to know if what I'm doing is a good thing. Since I began working out I've dropped from 206 to 198...is that a good movement in that time frame? I'm kind of new to all this fitness and dieting thing. I easily stayed in shape when I was in sports for school but it's a different story now. Is there any thing I can change? I appreciate any advice and feedback.

    All that matters is calories in vs. calories out. You can do anything you want within that equation. I personally hate exercise and I hate cooking, so I eat fast food all the time. Guess what? I am still losing weight. It's all about the math. Just keep the math on your side.
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    Your body does not see every calorie as equal. It needs adequate nutrition so it is important to eat a healthy diet. Fast Food should seldom be eaten if you want to be healthy.
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
    Your body does not see every calorie as equal. It needs adequate nutrition so it is important to eat a healthy diet. Fast Food should seldom be eaten if you want to be healthy.

    Could you present some evidence that this the case? If I eat a raw vegetable salad from a fast food restaurant does will my body see the calories differently and refuse to lose fat? Will it help if I ask them to make it slowly?
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    Your body does not see every calorie as equal. It needs adequate nutrition so it is important to eat a healthy diet. Fast Food should seldom be eaten if you want to be healthy.

    Just drink Vitamin Water Zero. Presto! Nutrition. :drinker:
  • rosemary98
    rosemary98 Posts: 632
    I started a routine September 28th after about three years or more of absolutely no exercise. I'm 5'2 and now 198 lbs. I exercise 5-6 times a week now and it consists of 35-40 minutes on the elliptical, the use of resistance bands, sit ups, push ups, and squats. As far as my diet goes...fast food and any type of eating out has completely been taken out of my life. I stopped drinking the little bit of soda I would drink and have significantly cut back on sweets. All my meals are cooked at home and I never go beyond 1500 calories. Most days I never go beyond 1200 calories actually. I just want to know if what I'm doing is a good thing. Since I began working out I've dropped from 206 to 198...is that a good movement in that time frame? I'm kind of new to all this fitness and dieting thing. I easily stayed in shape when I was in sports for school but it's a different story now. Is there any thing I can change? I appreciate any advice and feedback.

    All that matters is calories in vs. calories out. You can do anything you want within that equation. I personally hate exercise and I hate cooking, so I eat fast food all the time. Guess what? I am still losing weight. It's all about the math. Just keep the math on your side.

    I agree with this. however, you may get more for your buck (so to speak) if you eat more veggies, fruits and lean meats. fast food can hit your target goal intake pretty fast. and yes, healthwise, fastfood routinely probably isn't the healthiest. but i do agree with the calorie is a calorie concept,.
  • _EndGame_
    _EndGame_ Posts: 770 Member
    Given your height, you could probably get away with 1200 calories. I wouldn't suggest it over a long period of time though. Once you've lost a bit more weight, perhaps drop your weight loss to 1lb per week, enabling you to eat more and maintain a healthy weight loss.
  • sharryl617
    sharryl617 Posts: 1 Member
    You're doing very well. I'm not NO expert. But I'm doing the same as you. I started September 9 tipped the scales @ 200 pounds.
    I started eliminating fast food walking an going to Golds Gym. And I maintain a 1200 calorie intake daily. Today is Oct. 31
    Halloween. I weighed in @ 187 . So we're doing something right.. I still have my cheat moments. I like beyers vanilla bean ice cream.
    1/2 cup is 140 calories. That my treat . As soon as we get the food down pat this weight is gonna drop off even more.I think we're
    On our way to being slim & trim. Good luck and let's keep other posted on our r progress. Take care.
  • Siansonea
    Siansonea Posts: 917 Member
    I started a routine September 28th after about three years or more of absolutely no exercise. I'm 5'2 and now 198 lbs. I exercise 5-6 times a week now and it consists of 35-40 minutes on the elliptical, the use of resistance bands, sit ups, push ups, and squats. As far as my diet goes...fast food and any type of eating out has completely been taken out of my life. I stopped drinking the little bit of soda I would drink and have significantly cut back on sweets. All my meals are cooked at home and I never go beyond 1500 calories. Most days I never go beyond 1200 calories actually. I just want to know if what I'm doing is a good thing. Since I began working out I've dropped from 206 to 198...is that a good movement in that time frame? I'm kind of new to all this fitness and dieting thing. I easily stayed in shape when I was in sports for school but it's a different story now. Is there any thing I can change? I appreciate any advice and feedback.

    All that matters is calories in vs. calories out. You can do anything you want within that equation. I personally hate exercise and I hate cooking, so I eat fast food all the time. Guess what? I am still losing weight. It's all about the math. Just keep the math on your side.

    I agree with this. however, you may get more for your buck (so to speak) if you eat more veggies, fruits and lean meats. fast food can hit your target goal intake pretty fast. and yes, healthwise, fastfood routinely probably isn't the healthiest. but i do agree with the calorie is a calorie concept,.

    For me it's about maximizing my willpower. I don't have tons of willpower, so I have to save it for the one thing that really matters—maintaining a calorie deficit. I don't have the willpower to exercise, so exercise isn't an option. I don't have the willpower to cook meals or "eat healthy", so I have to keep fast food in the equation, and I don't have the willpower to do a bunch of extraneous research and evaluation and all that claptrap. I need my weight loss approach to be as simple as possible, and to require as little willpower as possible. Therefore, for me, it's all about calories in vs. calories out. I've concentrated on getting that one thing right. And I've lost 13 of the 17 pounds I wanted to lose. So it does work, regardless of what the gym rats say. :drinker:

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