new here, am I following this correct?

jenifer4

Hi everyone! I'm a newby and excited to join this website, it looks like a great place to come with questions and get advice.
I'll tell you a little bit about myself, I'm 26 and live in Nova Scotia Canada. 3 years ago, I lost 50lbs on WW .. I have been gaining approx 20lbs back each year then looseing again before our trip south every April. I'm so tired of going back and forth so I've decided that this is my final time loosing the weight, and I'm planning on keeping it off for good.

My question is am I following this program right, when I joined up last week I was 170lbs and 5'2 - I work a office job so sitting most of the day, but currently go to the gym 4 times a week and I'm working out for 60 min's each time. My goal is to lose 40lbs by April, so I have to loose at least 2lbs a week from now till then. According to the site, I am to eat 1100 calories per day so I have been following this all week, Monday I weighed in and lost 3lbs... But i know from my past that the first week I always loose more do to loosing water weight.
Am I eating to little or to many calories to loose 2lbs per week? The reason I ask is I inputted that I wanted to lose 2lbs a week but after it told me to eat 1100 calories a day, it said I should lose 1.2lbs per week?? Also, just to conifrm after I input my gym time it bumps my calories up again, do I have to eat those calories? some nights I dont get home from the gym till after 9pm and really dont feel like I can eat 300 calories before bed.

Thanks everyone!!

udallmom101

I have always been told to NEVER go under 1200 calories. Under 1200 could send your body into starvation mode. I guess you could work it and see what works best for you, but I have just always begun with 1200.

TateFTW

To lose 2 lbs/week you need a deficit of 1000 calories/day. If my calculations are correct based on your numbers, your maintanence number is 1700 calories. That means you'd need to eat only 700 calories/day to lose 2 lbs/week. This big a deficit will almost certainly result in your metabolism slowing down signifigantly. Your metabolism reacts when you change your intake, slowing down when you don't take in enough food. If you push too much then your metabolism will slow too much making fat loss very tough. Also, with a higher deficit your body is stressed, reacting by releasing cortisol. One of the affects of cortisol is that your body will hold on to fat stores with all its might.

Stick to the deficit you've been given. A lot of people get very motivated in the beginning and push hard, trying to eat as little as possible. After a couple weeks they are physically and psychologically exhausted and the metabolism has finished slowing, then everything grinds to a hault.

Kminor67

I'd go with 1200, and up your exercise. That way, you lose the weight and gain muscle mass which ups your metabolism.

jenifer4

So if I up my calories to 1200 a day and workout 60min's 5 times a week (cardio/weights) then I should loose the 2lbs a week... right?
thanks everyone

TateFTW

So if I up my calories to 1200 a day and workout 60min's 5 times a week (cardio/weights) then I should loose the 2lbs a week... right?
thanks everyone

Nope.

You might lose 2 lbs some weeks, and you might not lose any other weeks, but aiming for 2 lbs of weight lost per week is unhealthy and unrealistic at your starting weight. your setting yourself up for failure. If you eat 1200 calories/day and burn 400 calories, your still only ending up with 800 calories. I'm not saying you can't pull that off, but chances are it won't be sustainable and you'll feel like crap the whole time.

Eat your 1200 calories a day, add your exercise, then eat your exercise calories. Please trust me on this one. If you push your body to hard it will fight back. Just lose your 1-1.5 lbs/week and don't torture yourself.