Not really sure which direction to go??

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nicjane113
nicjane113 Posts: 48
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey guys, I would appreciate a little bit of advice

I don't need to lose much weight - I think I am around 135lbs (UK dress size 10/12) - looking to lose around 10lbs as any extra weight goes straight to my stomach!

A friend of mine went on a diet and lost 2 st. on it and it was basically have a 30g bowl of cereal for breakfast and lunch, have anything you want for dinner but don't eat anything after that and basically fill up on water during the day.

I started this diet on Monday so no real changes yet but myfitnesspal advised my calorie intake to be 1220 per day. Every day I have been doing it I have been around 200 calories short of the goal and that is without doing any excercise.

I am not sure whether carrying on as I am will help me lose the extra weight or if I should increase my calories to the full 1220.

Anyone had any experiences?

Replies

  • michelle29714
    michelle29714 Posts: 52
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    You are depriving your body of energy...eat the calories specified...anything less then 1200 on a diet is giving you the opposite effect and you will loss fast but put it back on right away after you go off the diet, trust me I know it happened to me. I lost over 65 lbs and gained it all back! Now I am doing it the right way and have not gained anything back since starting my diet June 1st. I also exercise daily, diet without exercise is accomplishing nothing really
  • HealthyChanges2010
    HealthyChanges2010 Posts: 5,831 Member
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    Hey guys, I would appreciate a little bit of advice

    I don't need to lose much weight - I think I am around 135lbs (UK dress size 10/12) - looking to lose around 10lbs as any extra weight goes straight to my stomach!

    A friend of mine went on a diet and lost 2 st. on it and it was basically have a 30g bowl of cereal for breakfast and lunch, have anything you want for dinner but don't eat anything after that and basically fill up on water during the day.

    I started this diet on Monday so no real changes yet but myfitnesspal advised my calorie intake to be 1220 per day. Every day I have been doing it I have been around 200 calories short of the goal and that is without doing any excercise.

    I am not sure whether carrying on as I am will help me lose the extra weight or if I should increase my calories to the full 1220.

    Anyone had any experiences?
    Going on a 'DIET' won't help you keep the weight off for good. It may drop the weight quickly but it won't stay off. Eating sensibly at minimum 1200 cals a day and excercising regularly is what will make you feel best and get your body running on good fuel!

    You did a good thing joining MFP, great place to track your workouts and your carbs, cals, sodium, proteins and more. It's important to make sure you get plenty of each nutrient in your body so it has good fuel to run on and get you places you need to be.

    Welcome and good luck!
  • Kate_UK
    Kate_UK Posts: 1,299 Member
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    Anything less than 1200 puts your body into starvation mode and you'll find it hard to shift the lbs and as Michelle 29714 said it'll go straight back on. Slow and steady is the key.
    Good luck!
    Kx
  • nicjane113
    nicjane113 Posts: 48
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    thanks everyone,

    I did worry about putting it all back on but the friend I mentioned has never put the weight back on after over a year but I guess everyone differs.

    Basically I'm eating 30g portion of bran flakes for breakfast, a weight watchers soup for lunch then my evening meal varies but I haven't changed it from what I was eating before, just modified my portions so I'm eating a bit more sensibly. I wouldn't particularly say it's a "diet" - just trying to think more about what i put in my mouth.

    I work full time so find it quite hard to fit in excercise - is once a week ok or should I be doing more? Also I'm 22 if that makes any differnece!

    Really appreciate all your advice.
  • sallyLunn
    sallyLunn Posts: 381
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    It is easier to loose weight when you are 22 but I'm betting the diet you are on will fall short on nutrition.

    I would suggest exercising at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes. You can even look up short workouts on the internet and do them at home, you don't need to go to the gym.

    From personal experience, I've found that I don't loose weight when I don't eat enough calories. I'll go into a plateau faster than you can say bacon.
  • AnnaPixie
    AnnaPixie Posts: 7,439 Member
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    I'm beginning to think there is somthing in the magical 1200 minimum since I've been on here. Definitely lost more weight since I upped my calories to 1200.

    But I think you should experiment for yourself. If you dont lose weight in the first week, then eat more. If you do, then don't. If you're not exercising then there is a fine balance between 1000 and 1200. Depends on your height and metabolism really.

    Suck it and see? Our bodies are so vastly different, what works for one, may not for another. If it worked for your friend, then obviously there is scope :wink:

    Good luck
  • flattsfan22
    flattsfan22 Posts: 86 Member
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    My best friend recently died of leukemia, the doctors beleive that her dieting habits lead to her diagnosis. She was one of those people that ate all the 100 cal packs of things and would restrict her food intake to below 1200 calories but would workout excessively. She began getting back pains and was later found to have leukemia in her spine. Treat your body right because though you don't think that anything like this can happen to you, I'm here to say it can. Try to eat as clean as you can, very few preservatives. Your body needs energy to lose weight. ~I'll step off my soap box now :) Good luck

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