I need all your help!

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blissrelease
blissrelease Posts: 45
in Health and Weight Loss
First question: is it realistic to set myself the goal of losing 20kg by January 1st? If not, what would a good goal be? I am trying not to rush it, but I started all this a while ago and haven't seen results yet, in nearly 2 months! This has cut down the amount of time until my goal :(

Second question: If I am working out at least 30-45 minutes a day, eating 1200 calories and drinking plenty of water, how am I still gaining or maintaining? I started at 86, went down to 84, up to 89 and am now at 87.


It's been two months, and I'm not giving up but I'm definitely disheartened! I need some help!
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Replies

  • sknopps
    sknopps Posts: 166
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    bump up your calories.
  • isyslove
    isyslove Posts: 64 Member
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    Have you lost inches?
    Fat is turning into muscle?
  • blissrelease
    blissrelease Posts: 45
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    bump up your calories.
    Have you lost inches?
    Fat is turning into muscle?

    I've used a few different websites to calculate how many calories I should be having, and they all said around 1200 :\

    I haven't lost inches, no :(
  • jessicahelene
    jessicahelene Posts: 77 Member
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    Ugh... after the controversy and arguments I hate to bring it up.. but are you eating enough? I assume you are not eating your exercise calories?

    Everyone's different, but personally I see a stall in weight loss when I am consistently eating a net (calories eaten - calories burned) of less than 1000 calories per day.

    Oh and 20kg by January 1st is a little quick. I think a more reasonable goal would be around 14-15 kg. Just my opinion... slower is better.

    Best of luck!
  • blissrelease
    blissrelease Posts: 45
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    Ugh... after the controversy and arguments I hate to bring it up.. but are you eating enough? I assume you are not eating your exercise calories?

    Everyone's different, but personally I see a stall in weight loss when I am consistently eating a net (calories eaten - calories burned) of less than 1000 calories per day.

    Oh and 20kg by January 1st is a little quick. I think a more reasonable goal would be around 14-15 kg. Just my opinion... slower is better.

    Best of luck!

    Usually I eat until I am just over my calorie intake, and then burn off until I'm left with 1200. And thanks for the advice :)
  • sknopps
    sknopps Posts: 166
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    1,200 is the bare minimum of what you should NET. if you aren't eating your exercise calories back, try it for a couple weeks and see if that helps.



    edit: try switching up your exercise routine.
  • blissrelease
    blissrelease Posts: 45
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    1,200 is the bare minimum of what you should NET. if you aren't eating your exercise calories back, try it for a couple weeks and see if that helps.

    Thank you :)
  • onevision
    onevision Posts: 36
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    Hi there,

    Wow congrats on your commitment, I'm sure you'll get to where you want to be with this much enthusiasm!

    Re your stalled weight, what are you eating for your 1200 a day? Not all calories are created equal? Also if you are doing a lot of exercise then maybe you are putting on muscle. It's worth measuring arm / thigh / waist as weight alone isn't the best measure of success.

    best of luck!
  • blissrelease
    blissrelease Posts: 45
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    Hi there,

    Wow congrats on your commitment, I'm sure you'll get to where you want to be with this much enthusiasm!

    Re your stalled weight, what are you eating for your 1200 a day? Not all calories are created equal? Also if you are doing a lot of exercise then maybe you are putting on muscle. It's worth measuring arm / thigh / waist as weight alone isn't the best measure of success.

    best of luck!

    Thank you! I try to eat something filling but good for breakfast, like porridge with fruit, and I'm trying to restrict my less-healthy foods to either one snack or lunch. Snacks are fruit, nuts, protein bars or shakes, and dinner is fish, chicken or lamb with veggies.
  • Deb2012
    Deb2012 Posts: 124
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    From what I can gather you're younger and taller than me but a VERY similar weight. Everyone is different but I found I wasn't losing much (if anything) on 1200, so now I eat at least 1500 regardless of whether I exercise or not... maybe give that a go? Can't hurt :happy:
  • PrincessGlitterTush
    PrincessGlitterTush Posts: 388
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    Hi there,

    I've also been at trying to lose weight for a while now. I too am struggling with it. And I feel guilty if I eat too much. But sleep is also very very important. You need to get 7-8ish hours a night. I underestimated a lot of aspects of losing weight and that's why I haven't been successful. I've also had to keep myself motivated, because I can be very good and then binge eat. I'm a very visual person, and I've started looking through 'fitspo' blogs. This has been the ultimate motivation for me. You need to figure of what keeps you motivated too. And mix up the exercise routine, maybe try a bit more cardio. A good way to burn fat is to do interval training instead of just cardio at a steady pace. Just see what you enjoy. But stay motivated and don't give up. If other people are capable of doing this, so are you and I.
    Sam
  • mel63254
    mel63254 Posts: 1
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    I found when I ate a salad for dinner, and walked on the tread mill for 30-60 every night i went from 250 to 205 in about 6 months... then i started eating a "heavy" dinner and only hitting the tread for 30 about twice a month i started to gain. I'd say stick to a light dinner, and work out more. (i.e. if your only workin out for 30 min work out for 60 min. or change your work out. if you were walkin at a steady pace for x amount of time, try a preset on the tread mill.) Dont give up! and good luck to ya.
  • blissrelease
    blissrelease Posts: 45
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    From what I can gather you're younger and taller than me but a VERY similar weight. Everyone is different but I found I wasn't losing much (if anything) on 1200, so now I eat at least 1500 regardless of whether I exercise or not... maybe give that a go? Can't hurt :happy:

    So you don't eat your exercise calories? There's a lot of discussion going on about it at the moment haha
  • PhatAv8r
    PhatAv8r Posts: 153 Member
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    calorie count is way low. Also, cut back on carbs, plus up your proteins, all fruit snacks before your dinner meal, and try not to eat after 8pm. with your exercise level, you are on HOLD in starvation mode at 1200 calories. You should be between 1500-1650 every day. I would suggest that you try to plan your meals a day ahead and 'roller-coaster' your calorie intake. In other words, go hard core one day and limit yourself to 1000, then go to 1600 on the spot, then to 1300, and then to 1700. All of these are less than what you need for BMR/RMR, but also keep your body guessing. Incidentally, if you can keep that flucuation to 200 calories, and keep your exercise calories consistent, you should see movement of 2-3 pounds per week.
  • ShellyMacchi
    ShellyMacchi Posts: 975 Member
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    i plateaued after losing for a couple of months.. and only thing that broke the plateau (and continues to keep the weight dropping off regularly) was starting (and continuing) to eat back almost all of my exercise calories *S*

    Also, if i drink less than 12 cups of water a day my weight loss slows down considerably. i need that extra water to keep the loss happening.

    note: because of high blood pressure i also keep my sodium intake below 1500mg per day, but when i do go above that i KNOW my weight loss for that week will slow down or even go up as i retain water easily.
  • blissrelease
    blissrelease Posts: 45
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    Hi there,

    I've also been at trying to lose weight for a while now. I too am struggling with it. And I feel guilty if I eat too much. But sleep is also very very important. You need to get 7-8ish hours a night. I underestimated a lot of aspects of losing weight and that's why I haven't been successful. I've also had to keep myself motivated, because I can be very good and then binge eat. I'm a very visual person, and I've started looking through 'fitspo' blogs. This has been the ultimate motivation for me. You need to figure of what keeps you motivated too. And mix up the exercise routine, maybe try a bit more cardio. A good way to burn fat is to do interval training instead of just cardio at a steady pace. Just see what you enjoy. But stay motivated and don't give up. If other people are capable of doing this, so are you and I.
    Sam

    I feel the same :( I'm considering bumping my calories up 100 or so, but I don't like the feeling I get from eating a lot :( Even when I binge, it's in the calorie limit, it's just unhealthy food.
    Yes! Fitspo blogs get me off the couch on my bad days. Thank you so much :)
  • blissrelease
    blissrelease Posts: 45
    Options
    I found when I ate a salad for dinner, and walked on the tread mill for 30-60 every night i went from 250 to 205 in about 6 months... then i started eating a "heavy" dinner and only hitting the tread for 30 about twice a month i started to gain. I'd say stick to a light dinner, and work out more. (i.e. if your only workin out for 30 min work out for 60 min. or change your work out. if you were walkin at a steady pace for x amount of time, try a preset on the tread mill.) Dont give up! and good luck to ya.

    Thank you heaps!
  • blissrelease
    blissrelease Posts: 45
    Options
    calorie count is way low. Also, cut back on carbs, plus up your proteins, all fruit snacks before your dinner meal, and try not to eat after 8pm. with your exercise level, you are on HOLD in starvation mode at 1200 calories. You should be between 1500-1650 every day. I would suggest that you try to plan your meals a day ahead and 'roller-coaster' your calorie intake. In other words, go hard core one day and limit yourself to 1000, then go to 1600 on the spot, then to 1300, and then to 1700. All of these are less than what you need for BMR/RMR, but also keep your body guessing. Incidentally, if you can keep that flucuation to 200 calories, and keep your exercise calories consistent, you should see movement of 2-3 pounds per week.

    Awesome, thank you! I'll definitely give it a go.
  • blissrelease
    blissrelease Posts: 45
    Options
    i plateaued after losing for a couple of months.. and only thing that broke the plateau (and continues to keep the weight dropping off regularly) was starting (and continuing) to eat back almost all of my exercise calories *S*

    Also, if i drink less than 12 cups of water a day my weight loss slows down considerably. i need that extra water to keep the loss happening.

    note: because of high blood pressure i also keep my sodium intake below 1500mg per day, but when i do go above that i KNOW my weight loss for that week will slow down or even go up as i retain water easily.

    Thank you! I do have a few problems with drinking enough water, but I'm drinking at least 8 a day. I might try and bump it more though.
  • PhatAv8r
    PhatAv8r Posts: 153 Member
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    Okay, read a few more answers, I have to ask, what are you calling a 30-45 minute workout? not being facetious, but I have been in gyms with people who get on a machine, push and pull, then wander 5 minutes, then a second set, wander, set 3, wander etc.

    If you are working out, no more than 30 seconds of rest between sets. If you are walking, are you checking your pulse and pace?

    If you can get access, one workout a week should be on a track. You should know exactly how fast you need to walk one lap in order to hit your target HR. And then from there, you can set goals for either walking faster, or a running program.

    If you bike, do the same thing. Find a fixed route, use it as a measuring stick, normally a six mile loop is best. The goal is to start working to finish in less time than before, but not to exceed your target HR zone.

    MIO makes a nifty little heart rate monitor (with a pedometer also) that isn't expensive. two fingers and it gives you your HR reading, and has a function to monitor your zone for you. it even takes your age, weight, etc and will set your goals based on them.

    My whole point here is that to effectively exercise, you have to raise your heart rate into the TARGET ZONE (which is normally between 60-80% of your max heart rate). You can get those targets online. But, once you are in the ZONE, you need to keep it there for that 30 minutes a day. You can split it into 2 - 15 minute workouts, but 30 per day is what will keep your body burning calories.

    Also, need to reiterate that you should eat all your SIMPLE carbs BEFORE dinner. Meaning you should avoid breads, pasta, etc at dinner and go for grains, proteins (fish, chicken, lean beef or pork), and complex carbs like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts, spinach, squash, etc.

    If you workout two times a day, and you exercise more than 20 minutes at night, you can have a small glass of chocolate milk (or small protein shake with a chromium supplement) immediately following to help build muscle. Just don't make it a 16oz'er

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