Calories - I am stumped

SolidGoaled

So, it will yield good, steady, long term results if I cut from my current 2500 or so cals a day right down to 1300 cals per day starting TODAY? No gradual decrease, not doing it in phases, just 2500 down to 1300? I won't plateau in about a month and be stuck at 220 lbs forever?

Also - do any of you believe in that idea that you should have one day every once in awhile where you go over your calorie allowance and splurge so that your body never gets "immune" to the calorie reduction?

aviduser

I think you are setting yourself up for failure. Start with the recommended 1 pound per week. That will give you a higher daily calorie allowance. Stick to that. If you exercise (always a good idea), log your exercise (heart rate monitor is best for this). The calories burned in exercise get ADDED to your daily allowance. If you do more activity you get to eat more.

The real acceleration in weight loss comes when you have a good workout (say 500 calories or more) and don't eat back all of the extra calories. I lost 10 lbs in my first month on MFP this way. That is twice what the MFP allowance would get me because I strive to be under 6 out of 7 days. On one day I will sometimes go over because my trainer told me this would help keep my metabolism up (prevent the body from switching to starvation mode).

IMHO, losing weight is an effort that gathers momentum. It is hardest at first, but as you begin to see the scale change, then notice physical changes and loser clothes, your motivation increases. It gets easier as you go.

So work hard, be careful to keep track of what you eat and try the strategies that the other posters suggest (snacks, etc). But set your goal for 1 lb/week and try to do better every day. For me, just keeping track was the eye-opener. I never really thought about eating more when active and eating less when not. I just ate what I ate and hoped for the best. Plus, learning that you could eat 2 cookies or almost 3 apples for the same calories was a big one. I think that MFP teaches you to eat smarter.

The other thing is that as you lose weight, your BMR changes, and MFP will reduce your daily allowance. So keep that in mind too.

Good luck.

SolidGoaled

Thank you, whwhite. But, isn't it pretty impossible to lose ONLY ONE pound per week in the first couple/few weeks? I mean, all the years I've been struggling with weight, and tried different eating programs, in the beginning, the weight comes off fast then tapers. Is there any way to avoid that? Is it as simple as doing what you said and starting out much more slowly?

SolidGoaled

And I just want to thank everyone again for all this great info. I don't mean to sound so dense... I am just trying to learn, and I don't know where to start. I have a lot of years of struggling with weight under my belt to un-learn and build on. I bet y'all who have been here for awhile just love the noobs when they come along! LOL

aviduser

I would say it is more of a slow and steady wins the race mentality. Reasonably, "they" say that more than 1 lb a week is too fast. I have also tried lots of different plans. The idea of varying what you eat with your level of activity just never really clicked with me until now. But at its core, the principle is simple: 2500 calories = 1 lb. If you want to lose 1 lb in a week, you have to eat 2500 calories less over that week than your body needs to maintain its weigh (ie, Basal Metabolic Rate).

Also, the weight loss does not break down to exactly a pound a week. But I am losing more than 4-5 lbs in a month so far. I am also far exceeding my goal of 1850 calories of exercise per week. I am working out 4 days a week, two strength and two cardio, between 400 and 1100 calories per workout. So even though I get to eat lots of extra calories on a big workout day (up to an extra 1000 calories!) I typically do not eat all of that back. Remember, MFP has already calculated your allowance for losing a pound a week.

I suggested that you reduce your goal because you looked at the calorie allowance and said "Ugh! This will be impossible!" So set a goal that you feel is reasonable and achievable, set yourself up for success. Stay within the allowance every day. Add in some exercise and allow yourself a treat or a meal out when you have earned extra calories. Always keep track, because I think that is the lesson here--how much food should we be eating every day? What foods are really high in calories? Olive oil is something like 140 cal per tablespoon! And I always thought olive oil was healthy.

I have the same thing for breakfast every day-- a protein smoothie. Here is my super-secret recipe:

1.5 cups Silk Regular Soy Milk
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup frozen blueberries (the berries are eyeballed, and the ratio can change)
1/2 banana
1 TBSP natural peanut butter
2 scoops Nature's Life Soy Protein - Super-Green Pro-96

BLEND!

This breakfast has 641 calories, 68 grams of protein, no added sugar, low glycemic index/load. It is delicious, nutritious and most importantly, it keeps me satisfied all morning -- even till a late (2 PM) lunch. No sugar crashes.

If your calorie allowance is too low for a 640 calorie breakfast, reduce the portion size of the smoothie.

I still put sugar in my coffee :-)

Just get started. Work at it everyday. Commit.

You will get there. As far as plateaus, I am only at 13 lbs lost, so I can't really say. I would imagine that if you recalculate your BMR on MFP periodically (that will reduce your allowance of calories), you will not plateau. Remember, less calories in than your body requires to maintain constant weight results in weight loss. It is that simple.

Good luck.

annakatc

Outside of different stradegies for eating and exercising (which are very important to know), there is the mental space that occupies our ability or inability to lose weight. You have to really look at yourself and your past efforts at weight loss and see what has really worked. I'm talking about the things that don't necessarily have to do with food. Like losing weight with friends and family or having something in the horizon to focus your efforts toward or even overlooking past failures.

Some people need "cheat" days. I know I do. Giving yourself a day to take a break from this part-time job that is losing weight. In fact, I have a cousin and his wife that lost weight together (I think somewhere around 40 lbs) and they took the whole weekend off. But I know they worked hard over the week, did low carb (veggie types), lean proteins, mulitple meals, and exercised quited a bit.

One more thing about customization, don't necessarily look at someone else's food/exercise plan or menu and think you have to follow theirs just because they happened to be successful. (Including mine) Don't give up if one week some plan doesn't show results. Just make a couple of tweaks and give it another go.

When it comes to plateauing, I think that is the time to switch things up. We get into food and exercise ruts eating the same calories and doing the same old 30 mins of walking. At some point you have to ramp things up. But that is not something to be discouraged by at this point. Just get yourself started. Do it gradually.

It was certainly a baby step phasing for me to get started.

I started off decreasing my calories for a week without changing the types of food I was eating. Then I changed the foods I was eating for the next couple of weeks (more veggies and fish, less pasta and such). Then I added exercise at 30 mins a couple of times a week. I did that for a couple of weeks. Then increased the workout time to 60 mins. Now I am up to 90-minute workouts but I certainly didn't start there. If you try to do everything at once, you will get burned out. PLUS, I have my roommate and aunt losing weight and changing lifestyles at the same time. We hold each other accountable and it has become a competition between my roommate and me.

If you are a socialable person, get someone to be accountable with. If you are a writer, start a blog. This is all about you and what works for you and your life. Experimentation and customization is key!

(Sorry this post is everywhere. Can you tell I have a little mental diarrhea?)

liznotyet

Everyone is different. The most important diet tool knowing how many calories you are eating. So you are on the right track by coming here!

I was also prescribed a low number of calories that made me dizzy, when I only ate that much. I customized my profile (see (myHome...Goals) to raise both my allowed calories (from 1200 to 1600) and raised my fiber goal (should be at least half of your fat grams). I am losing more slowly than I would like (2 pounds in two weeks) but I am tracking my calories and my portion sizes are getting smaller. I am still hungry more often then I would like but I am not dizzy.

I agree with the other poster that splitting up the calories throughout the day really helps fight the hunger.

Good luck.

aviduser

But at its core, the principle is simple: 2500 calories = 1 lb. If you want to lose 1 lb in a week, you have to eat 2500 calories less over that week than your body needs to maintain its weigh (ie, Basal Metabolic Rate).

The principle is so simple that I screwed it up! It should be 3500 calories= 1 lb.