New here! Questions about weight loss

marissamacko

I am 5'3 and started at 195 pounds..I am now going between 184-188. I am HOPING to lose 20-30 pounds, and I would like to lose it in 3 months but how unhealthy is that? If i drink 8-10 cups of water a day how much does that really help with weight loss? I've been trying to eat healthy lately, (healthier than I have before at least). I was always going out to eat and just eating junk, now I have actually started counting my calories and what not so I would hope to see more of an improvement compared to how I used to eat.

Usually for meals I will do:
Breakfast - egg whites w/ 1 piece of toast
Lunch- Salad or Ham Sandwich w/ a little mustard on "healthier" bread or 1 cup of progresso light soup ( I know high sodium )
Snack- I have been trying to eat grilled chicken breasts for snacks..If not, Greek yogurt.
Dinner- Boneless chicken breasts w steamed carrots
Snack before bed- it depends, some 100 calorie pack or almonds.


My calorie intake is set at 1,200...But I usually have 100-200 calories left over.
As for working out, I don't really... Maybe occasional hour walks..Gym MAYBE once a week burning 300-400 calories on the elliptical or treadmill. I am waiting for T25 to come in the mail so I am hoping to get going with that...But do I need to follow the meal plan for the best results...or can I still follow mine and lose weight?

If anyone could throw in their input on how they went about things / if I should change things or any pointers that would be great, I need any motivation I can get!
Thank you

jdb3388

First you need to ask your self what you REALLY want. Do you want the scale to say 155? Or do you just want to feel better when you look in the mirror or wear certain clothes? Because you can cut 30 lbs the wrong way and be very displeased with what you see, or you can cut 15lbs and be a lot happier about it. You need to go to www.iifym.com and figure out what your TDEE is. Then do some math to figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day. A 500 calorie deficit is the slowest and most effective way to become "ripped to shreds." A 1000 calorie deficit is the limit for what is considered to be "healthy." It is the fastest, but not the best way. You'll drop the weight, and a good bit of fat, but you will also for-go some lean body mass during the process. It's really more for people with health concerns rather than vanity concerns, high blood pressure, diabetic, etc. I would recommend for you, since officially speaking, you are "obese" a 750 calorie deficit until you reach 165 then cut back to a 500 calorie deficit. This should get you to a happier place.

marissamacko

First you need to ask your self what you REALLY want. Do you want the scale to say 155? Or do you just want to feel better when you look in the mirror or wear certain clothes? Because you can cut 30 lbs the wrong way and be very displeased with what you see, or you can cut 15lbs and be a lot happier about it. You need to go to www.iifym.com and figure out what your TDEE is. Then do some math to figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day. A 500 calorie deficit is the slowest and most effective way to become "ripped to shreds." A 1000 calorie deficit is the limit for what is considered to be "healthy." It is the fastest, but not the best way. You'll drop the weight, and a good bit of fat, but you will also for-go some lean body mass during the process. It's really more for people with health concerns rather than vanity concerns, high blood pressure, diabetic, etc. I would recommend for you, since officially speaking, you are "obese" a 750 calorie deficit until you reach 165 then cut back to a 500 calorie deficit. This should get you to a happier place.

I want to be able to look in the mirror and feel happy I am sick of being "obese". So yes you're correct I could probably lose 15 and be happy, but I know I would want to continue to see better improvements so I can get healthier and not eat junk and be lazy like I have been!
As for the TDEE it depends...As of right now I am probably exercising once a week..
So It is telling me :
Your BMR is: 1580 CALORIES/DAY
Your TDEE is: 1896 CALORIES/DAY

But if I stick to T25 for working out 5 days a week it would be:
Your BMR is: 1580 CALORIES/DAY
Your TDEE is: 2311 CALORIES/DAY

So what, I subtract 1,000 from my TDEE and that is the amount I should eat for the day?
Thank you for this information also!

mschicagocubs

Definitely go off TDEE method if you are doing a routine workout like T25. I wouldn't subtract 1,000 from your TDEE, about 500 to make sure you are getting enough nutrients.

30 lbs in 3 months is not IMPOSSIBLE but it is extremely hard. If you want to lose weight and stick with it, I would say 5lbs a month is a reasonable goal.

Make this a lifestyle change, not a diet.

ndj1979

I would aim for one pound a week loss and get on a heavy lifting program with compound movements and some cardio on off days…

starting strength and new rules of lifting for woman are great resources..

This way, you will lose body fat, drop weight, and retain as much lean muscle as possible.

so calculate your TDEE and deduct 500 calories from that….

slow and steady wins the race….

nomeejerome

Read this and all of the links in it:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants?page=1#posts-16625920

jdb3388

First you need to ask your self what you REALLY want. Do you want the scale to say 155? Or do you just want to feel better when you look in the mirror or wear certain clothes? Because you can cut 30 lbs the wrong way and be very displeased with what you see, or you can cut 15lbs and be a lot happier about it. You need to go to www.iifym.com and figure out what your TDEE is. Then do some math to figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day. A 500 calorie deficit is the slowest and most effective way to become "ripped to shreds." A 1000 calorie deficit is the limit for what is considered to be "healthy." It is the fastest, but not the best way. You'll drop the weight, and a good bit of fat, but you will also for-go some lean body mass during the process. It's really more for people with health concerns rather than vanity concerns, high blood pressure, diabetic, etc. I would recommend for you, since officially speaking, you are "obese" a 750 calorie deficit until you reach 165 then cut back to a 500 calorie deficit. This should get you to a happier place.

I want to be able to look in the mirror and feel happy I am sick of being "obese". So yes you're correct I could probably lose 15 and be happy, but I know I would want to continue to see better improvements so I can get healthier and not eat junk and be lazy like I have been!
As for the TDEE it depends...As of right now I am probably exercising once a week..
So It is telling me :
Your BMR is: 1580 CALORIES/DAY
Your TDEE is: 1896 CALORIES/DAY

But if I stick to T25 for working out 5 days a week it would be:
Your BMR is: 1580 CALORIES/DAY
Your TDEE is: 2311 CALORIES/DAY

So what, I subtract 1,000 from my TDEE and that is the amount I should eat for the day?
Thank you for this information also!

I don't mean stop at 15 lbs of loss, I just mean that 15lbs is about whats reasonable for the 13 week time line you mentioned. Again, I wouldn't recommend 1000, Id say a 750 calorie deficit would suit you.

UmmSqueaky

My stats are very similar to yours - I'm 5'2 and started at 205. I've lost 27 lbs in 122 days, so roughly 4 months. I eat 1300 to 1400-ish calories a day, plus half my exercise calories. I'm at the gym 5 days a week, in addition to walking on my lunch hours during the work week, so I'm doing quite a bit in that department.

The curse of being short is that our bodies generally need less calories to maintain their weight, so there's only so much calorie cutting you can do before you start to get into dangerous, eating too little territory. When I (re) started on MFP last December, I followed the usual route and thought, oh I'd like to lose 2 lbs a week. MFP told me that if I ate 1200 calories, I'd still only lose 1.4 lbs a week. Instead, I chose the 1 lb a week option (yay more food), and have been pleasantly surprised that on average, I'm losing 1.5 lbs a week sticking to the calorie goal + exercise. I don't think it's physically possible for me to lose at a faster rate than that, without eating below 1200 calories (booo, hisss, don't want to do that).

So, long story short, don't cut yourself down to the bare minimum and set sky high goals. Take the middle road, and lose the weight in a healthy manner.

deksgrl

Aim for 1 pound per week, not 2. It will be more sustainable, and you will have the energy you need for T25.