Weight loss inquiry 180

SlimSimSlim
SlimSimSlim Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello, I am 5'6 1/2" and 185 pounds. I recently began my weight loss journey almost 3 weeks ago. So far I have began with a daily intake of 1200 calories. Eating a lot of fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole wheat bread...

However, I started at 190 and got down to 185 in the past 3 weeks(currently maintaining between 185-187). My goal is to actually lose weight and not maintain. Which is why i started the RI30 and a little bit of cardio sometimes.

The question I have is how would the weight loss work. I looked around and it said I would lose weight if my calories burned daily is more then the energy(food) I consume.

Let's say I consume 1200 calories daily and then I do RI30 which burns approx. 392 calories for me and add a bit of cardio for 30 minutes which, becomes appprox. 308 calories burned. So, that takes me too 1200 calories-700 calories= 500 calories. I can not do anymore exercise than I already am doing. So, how would i go about losing 2 pounds a week, I know that i need to burn 3500 calories a week to burn 1 pound, which means 7000 calories a week to burn 2 pounds (1000 calories daily). So, if i'm consuming 1200 calories a day with the added exercise of 700 calories how would it work? Would I include calories burned while sleeping(I sleep 9 hours a day) or etc...?. My goal is to get to 135 and I'm positive it's doable within 8 or 6 months. I know the pounds will start coming off slower as I get closer to my goal but, I think 2 pounds a week is achievable at my current weight and height. Please help enlighten me everyone, much appreciate it. =)

Replies

  • kgeyser
    kgeyser Posts: 22,505 Member
    You're not trying to burn 1200 calories, 1200 would be the net calories you need to eat for the day. So you would add the 700 calories you burned from exercise to your 1200, giving you a daily calorie intake goal of 1900. You would eat 1900 calories, because 1900 (consumed) -700(exercise)= 1200 (net). With only 50lbs to lose, 1.5 lbs per week is probably a more realistic rate of loss, and that's going to slow down as you lose. You're not going to keep the same rate of loss for your entire weightless journey.

    ETA: Where are you getting 1200 calories? I'm 1/2 inch taller than you, set at a 1 lb loss per week goal and even setting MFP to sedentary my calorie intake was at least 1400. 1200 seems low, especially for someone at your age.
  • SlimSimSlim
    SlimSimSlim Posts: 8 Member
    Oh wait, If I'm adding the 700 calories I burn to the 1200 Intake, does that mean i'm eating back the calories i burn? Yes sorry I'm really new to weight loss(first time i'm doing it), might be getting mixed up a bit haha...and yes upon signing up it asked my height(5'6 is what i put) and also asked my activity level and i said sedentary(maybe I need to change this?). as well, it asked my goal pounds to lose a week(I put 2lbs a week) that is how I got the 1200 calories...(maybe I should be eating more?) Well, anywhere between 1.5-2lbs a week works for me xD thanks for the reply btw. =)
  • davepearson86
    davepearson86 Posts: 158 Member
    1200 calories seems like a crazy deficit for 185 lb person, that's around 40% below TDEE?
  • SlimSimSlim
    SlimSimSlim Posts: 8 Member
    Well then how many calories in take would be ideal for my weight? :O

    Edit: I just readjusted my activity level and now it say's I should have an intake of 1620 calories daily...
  • davepearson86
    davepearson86 Posts: 158 Member
    Use a TDEE calculator like this one: http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/

    Even better if you know your body fat %
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
    What you're missing is that your body burns calories just being alive. When people say that you need to burn more than you eat they mean that you need to eat less than your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). This number includes your exercise, but it also includes everything from brushing your teeth to pumping blood through your veins. You can find plenty of calculators online to estimate your TDEE, but remember that it may take some trial and error to find your individual sweet spot.

    If you continue to use MFP as it was designed, you probably want to adjust your goal to no more than 1 pounds a week. 2 pounds is very aggresssive unless you're very obese. You also want to log your exercise and eat back a portion of those calories burned (understanding that MFP sometimes overestimates those calories).
  • SlimSimSlim
    SlimSimSlim Posts: 8 Member
    Okay thank you for the help everyone. I looked around the internet for body fat calculators and the IIFYM calculator as well. I've got a good idea of how many calories I should be eating and how much I should lose. thanks again =)

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