Question???

redslog

Hi there, Just started today and wondered if anyone had success the first 2 weeks? What did you do right? Is 1200 calories the right amount? I need some inspiration as I'm at my heaviest and feeling down. I love to eat what can I say! I need to keep my 1200 calorie goal a number one priority and exercise at least 30 minutes a day. I weigh 175 female and 5'6, need to lose about 40 to reach my ultimate goal. If you have any success, please give me some pointers. Thanks so much!

jrline

walking 30 minutes a day and consuming 1200-1400 calories you should be in good shape.

Good Luck

MityMax96

Yeah I would say walking daily, and keeping cals ~1400 (possibly 1500).....should be good.

enterdanger

I'm going to reply before some of the more rabid forum posters do.

1200 calories is probably too low. I'm 5'4" and I need to lose about the same as you. I eat around 1400 plus I eat back my exercise calories. I've lost 35 lbs in 7 months and in a way that is sustainable.

Edited because I found the link.

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

This post really made things click for me, and probably a lot of other people. Feel free to send me a friend request if you like. I ascribe to the theory of benign negligence so I don't post a lot of comments, but I do log every day.

redslog

Thanks!!!

redslog

Awesome Job! Thanks for the info

nadra71

I restarted 9 days ago with green smoothies for breakfast and lunch, and reasonable snacks and dinner for the rest of the day. I have been quite successful because the smoothies have acted as a detox and flushed my system. I have lost 18lbs so far, and while that is not a rate of weight loss that I can or even want to sustain, it made me realize how much garbage I was eating.

Maybe it would be easier for you if you put in what you are going to eat ahead of time, instead of after you eat, until you get used to what is good for you. That gives you more accountability. If you fall off the wagon, so what, put it in to mfp and keep moving. If you are consistent, you will lose weight, and a slip here or there will not break you.

Good luck.

jfbisbee

best advice I can give is to stick with it. you will have setbacks (bad days), I think most people do. In the log run it all evens out.

AllTheNoms

I am 5'6" and started out around where you are so I can relate. I eat around 1200 but bump it up to 1400-1500 on days when I exercise (walk/jog) which is most days. I don't cry over the days when I want something tasty and go over. Sounds like we are on similar paths so please feel free to add me.

wkwebby

I have set my goal calories up to be 1200/day, but because I like to eat, I'm realistically eating 1300-1400/day, but still losing weight. When I see that I'm in the red for calories, it motivates me to eat better and healthier. However, this is due to the way I think and stay with the plan. If you feel guilty, then up the calories so that you don't feel all demotivated when you see red. I get motivated when I see the red. I am still losing 1lb/week, so it works for me.

In reality, my caloric goal should probably be around 1400-1500 anyway since I hit the gym 4-5 days/week, but have a desk job. So in my mind, I'm motivated to try and eat the 1200 but never do. It's my version of portion control.

Do what works for you in that sense. You should know what you need to be consuming on a daily basis at a minimum though and work from there.

hbgirl85

It actually took me several weeks to tweak and adjust my eating, exercise and tracking. I started at 1200 and realized it was too low because I was constantly hungry. I then upped my calories to 1400-1500 and did not feel deprived and continued to lose.

emdeesea

I'm also 5'6" and started out at about 172. I have my calories set at about 1,500 and have been losing steadily over the past year. Down 17 pounds as of today.

I usually do 2-3 days of weight training and two days of cardio.

JudyCanton

Hey, I just started my journey to lose weight about a month and a half ago after many complications and tried so many things. Different things work for different people and I was lucky enough to find one that worked for me. I lost 18 pounds in one month and 5 more pounds after without much exercise and it's been a life changer. I'm a little embarrased to post my before and after photos here but if anyone actually cares to hear what I've been doing then I'd be happy to help in any way. Just shoot me an email at judycanton@gmail.com and I'll show you my before and after photos, and tell you about how things are going for me with the stuff I've tried. I wish someone would have helped me out when I was struggling to find a solution so if I can help you then it would make my day.

ukaryote

read the stickies in the Getting Started area. another good one:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1399829-step-by-step-guide-to-losing-weight-with-myfitnesspal

higgins8283801

I walk for about an hour each day. I was on 1200, then bumped it up to 1300, then 1360 and have finally gotten to 1400. You're going to have to play with it. I don't really trust the BMR tdee website calculators so I just add a little more and wait. If I lose, I add a little more. I am satisfied with 1400. It's enough that I can even snack on cheesecake. Lol

StaciMarie1974

You are starting where I was 9 months ago. Note: that wasn't the first time I got started!

1200 is probably too low. Sure you can probably do it, but it will get old & fast.

What worked for me: food intake 1400-1600 per day for the first 5-7 months. Walking and other activity, to get at least 10k-12k steps per day. Weigh all solid food with a food scale. Track everything, even condiments, cooking oils, etc. Set goals for yourself, and be accountable. It can help to share those goals with other people. Can be little or big - such as drinking X cups water each day, having X number of steps a week or whatever.

Now I'm nearly at my goal. Working more on toning. But still aim for 12-13k steps per day. And eating 1600-1800 for just a slight deficit. No longer really focuses on the scale # but on how feel about my body and how its shaped.

laceynwilliams

I'm 5'0, 130 with 15-20 pounds to lose (down 7!), and eating 1200 calories did not work for me. I'd be good for a few days, and then binge and undo all my progress because I felt so deprived.

I calculated my TDEE with this calculator: http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/, and I eat 80% of my TDEE, which for me is ~1400 calories. (The trick here is to NOT EAT BACK YOUR EXERCISE CALORIES. The calculator takes your activity level into account, so you eat the same amount every day.) The extra 200 calories a day has made a huge difference in how sated I feel, and I haven't had any binge-y days since I started doing this 2 months ago. I average a loss of about 0.5-1 lbs./week, and I am happy with that.

I do have one cheat day each week, but even then, I eat below my TDEE.

missiontofitness

1,200 is too low; I've done the .5lb /week route since the beginning of my current streak on MFP, and have lost and kept off 20 lbs since March. My loses have been consistent as well. I would definitely up them, and re-assess your goals.

Also, I had success in the first two weeks. On the first day, actually. Making this change was a great first start!