help for a newbie with a specific first goal

inuit

I am 5.6ft 43 female and have only been on here a few days, was using another site for two weeks, so have been strictly logging everything for 2 weeks now to keep track on calories etc.

I currently weigh 225lbs – 4 weeks ago I weighed 239lbs – so have been doing well. The first week however I lost 7 lbs (came back from a business trip in Italy and ate way too much pasta, but drank even more alcohol, so was feeling quite ill and my body just did not want to eat or drink). Last two weeks been aiming around the 1200 mark, going up to 1400. Keep my fats down and mainly ate veg with some proteins, mainly chicken. The balance was OK according the to other website, but not perfect. Cut out bread and dairy almost completely.

For the last three weeks, I work out 5 days a week for about 30 mins normally swimming, rowing machine and walking the dog at a brisk pace. Weekends normally includes more dog walks and dancing around doing housework. This is not vigorous exercise, probably call it moderate.

However, I need some help. I have got stuck this week and put on a couple of lbs; however I have lost a considerable amount of inches, so that is good.

I know from reading on here I need to maybe up the calories and aim around the 1500 calories, but as I am eating a lot of veg, I am actually finding this hard to do. I eat very little meat. I only really like chicken and game and can eat some beef. Cannot eat fish as I have an allergy and do not like pork or lamb.

Whilst I am happy with how things are going, especially how I am looking and feeling, I need to up my weight loss. The reason I need to do this is that I have been offered a chance to ride in a few show jumping and cross country events in the early spring and I need to start riding a horse in early December and I need to shift another 14lbs by mid Dec. I know this might be a tough call and not the healthiest amount of weight to lose in that time, but I have a target weight to be able to start doing some light riding on the horse I have been offered to compete on. I can then drop back to 2lb a week loss from Jan onwards.

Just need to kick start it and get to 210lb to be able to start the training. I have to do this if I want to compete, it means the world to me to be made this offer (not ridden for 5 years due to putting on weight) and I do not want to let myself and the person whom has made the offer down and cannot expect the horse to carry all this weight.

Am I better to up my fat loss workouts, low intensity with some weights, more swimming or just more exercise? Calorie count presume I need to be somewhere around 1200 – 1500. Would more protein (chicken, nuts and seeds) be better than making those calories up with veggies?

Just a few hints and tips would be gratefully received to help me get close to this first goal, I know it is really above the recommended loss, but after 18th Dec, I can slow it down to 1 – 2lbs a week. I know my diary is not very comprehensive, but what I have logged for the last couple of days is fairly typical.

TavistockToad

personally i dont know why you would wan tto cut out all dairy and carbs? is this for medical reasons?

inuit

The reason i put weight on is because my addiction to cheese door step sandwiches. I am one of these people that if i do not have any i do not miss it, but if i do eat something i love, it is hard to stop at a normal portion, or I go back and have another nibble, which we all know is an easy way of blowing your allowance.

I could live on cheese, hence the reason i have cut it out and pretty much lived on it until i started to eat healthier. Still have some extra light triangle things for a bit of cheese fix, as for carbs, seem to be getting plenty without eating extras like bread etc. the trouble with bread is not the bread itself it is the stuff i need to put on it to eat it.

flhedinger

You have such a specific goal and such a short time to do it, I think that it would be appropriate to get a personal trainer and/or dietician for one month to help you kick start your weight loss and then develop the program that you will stay on (on your own) after that. Good luck, and I hope that your training goes well once you're able to start riding again!