I wanna cry, I been going 2 weeks and nothing!!!

daw0518

2 weeks? Try 2 months....

Seriously. This is what I came here to say, but you said it for me!

kegan5

Reading through this thread I noted the calorie calculator and hope the OP doesn't mind me asking a question in here?

I calculated what my calorie intake should be but can't quite figure out which number I should be paying attention to?


Your Daily Calorie Requirements Your Projected Weight Loss*
Basic Metabolic Rate: 1395 0.9lbs per week
Daily Calories to maintain weight: 2162 3.5lbs per month
Daily calories in step 6 (I said Lose fat 20%): 1730 45lbs per year

Can anyone tell me which number I should look at in terms of my recommended calorie intake ?

EvgeniZyntx

Trog has been here, all that needs to be said is said.

Kegan, for your question see this:


http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

deksgrl

Reading through this thread I noted the calorie calculator and hope the OP doesn't mind me asking a question in here?

I calculated what my calorie intake should be but can't quite figure out which number I should be paying attention to?


Your Daily Calorie Requirements Your Projected Weight Loss*
Basic Metabolic Rate: 1395 0.9lbs per week
Daily Calories to maintain weight: 2162 3.5lbs per month
Daily calories in step 6 (I said Lose fat 20%): 1730 45lbs per year

Can anyone tell me which number I should look at in terms of my recommended calorie intake ?

You eat 1730 to lose weight. It should result in almost a pound per week loss.

beachgod

Listen up young'un. There isn't anything wrong with wanting to be a bit more toned. Realise though, that being more toned will involve you gaining more muscle. Muscle weighs more than the equivalent volume of fat and will mean that you will gain weight, not lose it. Your body will look and feel better toned, than not toned.
Now (and this is important)...... you have to feed muscle to build it. Cutting your current intake will waste your muscles away and you will look LESS toned. You must eat more and work with weights. If you follow the advice given to you by wwwaaayyyy more experienced people than me on this forum, you can do this safely.
If you think you can cut your cals even further and this will make you toned, you are very much mistaken. You dont look like a stupid girl to me, so I know that this will make sense to you. If you lose more weight, you will look like a sick person. Your whole body will suffer, your hair and skin will deteriorate and you will damage your organs. Gain muscle properly by feeding them and working them, not starving them

Hi OP. I totally agree with the Epic Bearded Man and the posts about Staci @ nerdfitness and I specifically want to address the part I bolded above because this really nails a good point. Losing weight does not necessarily equal getting toned.

I had a gut, moobs, bingo wings and a goal weight. I got to the goal weight with no exercise other than jogging 1-3 times a week and guess what? I still have a gut, moobs and bingo wings...just smaller. So guess what my goal weight is now? I don't have one! I can gain or lose (although I probably don't need to lose); I just want the weight I'm at to look good. So, I'm going to start hitting the gym.

Put the scales away, give lifting a fair shot, eat enough food and see what happens. I bet you'll like it. Build up, not tear down!

Tangosgrandad

Listen up young'un. There isn't anything wrong with wanting to be a bit more toned. Realise though, that being more toned will involve you gaining more muscle. Muscle weighs more than the equivalent volume of fat and will mean that you will gain weight, not lose it. Your body will look and feel better toned, than not toned.

Nope. A pound is a pound, no matter what it's made of. A pound of feathers takes up much more volume than a pound of iron, but both still weigh a pound. Lean body mass takes up less space per pound than fat does. This is why people sometimes lose inches before they lose pounds.

OP, you may gain a bit of weight temporarily, since strength training works your muscles hard and they retain fluid to help them repair themselves. This will go away over time. More reps with lighter weights (vs. fewer reps with heavier weights) will help you tone. Don't worry about the scale so much.

You're both talking about density. The sentence you have bolded though is completely correct. Equal volumes of fat and muscle would weigh different amounts. Essentially, one cubic centimeter of muscle weighs more than one cubic centimeter of fat.

However, everyone should just embrace the word density, and then this wouldn't be an issue...

Thank you, good explanation and was exactly the point I was trying to make. I really hadn't said that a pound of fat was lighter than a pound of muscle, but don't waste my time arguing.

kegan5

Trog has been here, all that needs to be said is said.

Kegan, for your question see this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

Appreciate that thank you -

You eat 1730 to lose weight. It should result in almost a pound per week loss.

Wow, that's probably where I was going wrong... I like quite a few on here followed the 1200 calorie rule and sometimes even struggled to meet the 1200 - I try to measure each meal as much as possible but do have to guess-timate sometimes and get around 900-1200 calories per day (let's assume I get a minimum of 1200 with my guesses) I really struggle to up my in take as a vegetarian.

I'm going to have to re-think my eating habits

p.s. does this extra 500 calories I need to intake mean I can eat this giant chocolate bar that's been staring at me for the past 2 months ?

deksgrl

Trog has been here, all that needs to be said is said.

Kegan, for your question see this:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819925-the-basics-don-t-complicate-it

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

Appreciate that thank you -

You eat 1730 to lose weight. It should result in almost a pound per week loss.

Wow, that's probably where I was going wrong... I like quite a few on here followed the 1200 calorie rule and sometimes even struggled to meet the 1200 - I try to measure each meal as much as possible but do have to guess-timate sometimes and get around 900-1200 calories per day (let's assume I get a minimum of 1200 with my guesses) I really struggle to up my in take as a vegetarian.

I'm going to have to re-think my eating habits

p.s. does this extra 500 calories I need to intake mean I can eat this giant chocolate bar that's been staring at me for the past 2 months ?

You can eat those 500 calories however you want. I wouldn't do it with chocolate every day though. A good rule of thumb is to get 80% of your calories from nutritious foods and 20% from "junk".

Look for calorie dense foods to up those calories. Peanut butter, seeds & nuts, olive oil, avocado. Full fat dairy instead of low fat.

RGv2

lots of sit ups

easjer

I think it's really, really important to get that number out of your head. You will not be able to be toned at 125 lbs. You won't. You will be building muscle and adding it to your frame and that will mean an increase in weight for you - but it's a good thing in your case!

I'm going to share my friend's story (but not pics). She went down to 120 lbs in college - her lowest weight ever, from 130 - and had zero tone. She was very thin, low body fat, and felt flabby. She was always tired, not eating enough (so hungry) and still unhappy with her body. A friend of hers talked her into trying Crossfit and she started that. Now she is the most toned, gorgeous person I know. Her size is about the same as when she was 120, but she looks so fit and healthy - and she weighs just under 160 - that gain is all compact muscle. There does not appear to be an ounce of fat on her (though she has a healthy percentage). In order to have the body she wanted - toned, fit, strong - she had to let go of the scale and accept that what her brain told her she should weigh was not what she needed to weigh to look like she wants to look.

I think that is going to be particularly hard for you as a recovering anorexic. If you don't have any support, you need to consider finding some.

snappingosprey

OP, you may gain a bit of weight temporarily, since strength training works your muscles hard and they retain fluid to help them repair themselves. This will go away over time. More reps with lighter weights (vs. fewer reps with heavier weights) will help you tone. Don't worry about the scale so much.

Just a FYI, the "high reps/low weight for toning" is not completely accurate

You want to lift BOTH low reps/heavy weights and high reps/low weights as they work different muscle fibers (Type 1 and Type 2). It's important to do both methods for toning.

And remember, tone = low body fat (not high reps)