Whose trying to lose 20-30lbs? I need help.

dh2312

I'm a college student, 5'5 and trying to lose somewhere around 25-30lbs and was just wondering if anyone else is in the same boat. I feel like its harder when you don't have "that much" to lose, and lately i haven't been seeing results and its just so frustrating. I veered off the path of dieting this past week and tomorrow i'm turning over a new leaf and starting fresh, yet again. Could really use some encouragement, tips, etc. I am eating1200 calories a week, which I find tough sometimes, I don't know if I'm not eating the right foods that fill me up or what but I still find myself hungry a lot on 1200 calories. I also work out 4 days a week AT LEAST doing just cardio. I know i'm suppose to strength train too, but not sure what I should be doing. I own the 30day shred, and have seen some posts that it's really worked well for people...wondering if I should do it. Another question I have is the whole "protein shake" thing, when are you suppose to drink those, why are you suppose to drink those, etc. I just feel a bit confused, any help will help lol. Thanks guys for any help, all the success stories are so inspiring, and i hope to have my own success story soon!

Jenph20

staying motivated and on track is extremely hard. I feel like its almost impossible to do by yourself. Feel free to add me and ask for support at any time. If you think you need extra support, send me your FB link. I have a FB support group for ladies only if you'd like to join. we would love to hav eyou!

dh2312

thanks so much, i will FOR SURE add you

Lyra89

Add me!

I'm also 5'5 and a college student, but I have just 15lbs to lose...I've come a long way, lost 50lbs, we can help and motivate each other

Defo up your activity so you can eat more! Exercise = MORE CALORIES! Yummers And it also boosts your weightloss.

Protein shakes are great for if you're working out as they assist with muscle repair and regrowth and they also fill you up due to the protein content as it takes your body time to break down protein, and also anything with a lot of fibre (fruits, veg and whole grains)

X

BeckaT79

Try upping your calories and intensifying your workouts. I have found when my calorie intake is low I tend to binge more and give up easier. I upped mine to 1460 and feel satisfied during the day and I am still losing weight. I have about 30-35 lbs left to go. I am also taking measurements when you see yourself getting thinner and healthier it doesn't really matter what the scale says. Good luck you will get there just don't give up :-)

katiedid1226

I'm a wee bit older than you, but same height and trying to lose the same amount. I have been doing 1.5-2 hours PER DAY of cardio for six weeks and have seen little movement on the scale.

I feel great and I can tell I look much better. I've just started The New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women and am really enjoying the sore muscles I am getting from that.

I have also just upped my cals from 1200 to 1200+excercise cals so we shall see!

Add me as a friend if you'd like a COUGAR TO BE as a friend Just kidding - sort of!

shadyrondog

I hope you mean you are eating 1200 calories a day, and not a week. Your body naturally burns almost 2000 calories a day, just existing. You have to eat enough to sustain your body and not go into starvation mode. Stay away from fatty foods. You have to eat carbs to survive, so don't go Atkins diet. Remember, everything in moderation. As far as exercizing goes, try to burn as many calories in a workout, that you eat in a meal. Example, if you eat a burger and fries for lunch and it equals 800 calories, that is how much you need to burn in a workout. Breakfast should be simple, like oatmeal. Have a sensible dinner, and you should be good. Hope this helps.

therealkittymao

The Shred RULES, it's how I started and I have lost 30 (I am finding I want to lose about ten more, so I am still sticking with the program). That said, results are not overnight, especially when you are only losing a little. Make sure you take your measurements as well as follow the scale, because a couple of times I have found myself posting NO losses for AGES and then I measure myself and lost an inch off my waist and hips! I would NEVER have noticed if I hadn't been measuring, and then probably let myself get discouraged because the scale wasn't moving.

Also, if you do the shred, be sure to add a little cardio on top of it. Nothing super heavy... I walked to my evening job which added a 30 minute walk to my daily log of calories burned. The thing is that it is a GREAT workout and it's great for your metabolism, but I am betting that since you are smaller and also young, you will only burn about 200 calories per workout. So a little more cardio will be good for you.

Also eat about half of your calories back (or all if you want, but at least half). Otherwise it slows down weightloss. And I know you probably want to lose the weight quicker, but if you up your calories a bit you will probably find it easier to stick with this until you reach your goal. I mean, 1200 is not un-doable, I guess (personally, I would NEVER MAKE IT). But eating a little extra and letting yourself have a nice cheat once a week or so will help you to stay with it!

Best of luck to you!!!

keyboardwench

I've sent a request to add you.

I'm just an inch shorter than you, a second year university student, and I have another 25lbs to go. We all veer off the path, it's natural and it happens. No one is perfect and the weight loss journey is never a straight line. If you're getting frustrated with being unable to see your own progress I find that taking progress pictures of yourself weekly/monthly helps because you can see progress more when you compare photos. Also find the victories in the change in measurements rather than just the scale.

Strength training is very important and it's great because you don't want to lose muscle while losing fat. I did the 30DS back in November and found it to be very helpful - on top of eating about 1400 calories daily I lost 8lbs that month and 2.5 inches from just my waist! It also would be a nice place to start for strength training because it does include some strength moves and they give you plenty of time to learn them over the whole month.

I've never done any protein shakes or anything, I just enjoy a smoothie after a work out sometimes and use low-fat Greek yogurt, water, and some fruit I enjoy. The Greek yogurt is great as it has a high amount of protein. But I can't give much help otherwise in that department.

dh2312

Add me!

I'm also 5'5 and a college student, but I have just 15lbs to lose...I've come a long way, lost 50lbs, we can help and motivate each other

Defo up your activity so you can eat more! Exercise = MORE CALORIES! Yummers And it also boosts your weightloss.

Protein shakes are great for if you're working out as they assist with muscle repair and regrowth and they also fill you up due to the protein content as it takes your body time to break down protein, and also anything with a lot of fibre (fruits, veg and whole grains)

X

Yes i am definitely going to try and workout at much as possible. I'm realizing that even if I don't have access to a gym on weekends, I can still walk the dog, or go for a run, or ride the bike....just something. Should I drink the protein shake before a workout? does it replace my breakfast then? (i usually work out in the mornings)

dh2312

Try upping your calories and intensifying your workouts. I have found when my calorie intake is low I tend to binge more and give up easier. I upped mine to 1460 and feel satisfied during the day and I am still losing weight. I have about 30-35 lbs left to go. I am also taking measurements when you see yourself getting thinner and healthier it doesn't really matter what the scale says. Good luck you will get there just don't give up :-)

Yes that's one thing EVERYONE'S told me to do....take pictures and measurements, that way if the scale doesn't give you what you want, you may notice differences else where. Thanks for the great advice. I am afraid to up my calories but again I've seen that on several threads as well. How do I know how much I should increase by?

ReneeElizabeth26

Hi there!! I am in the same boat as you. I am wanting to lose about 25 pounds and it was so hard to start because I would get so discouraged and frustrated because I wouldnt see results right away. This time though I break it down to a day at a time and its only been 5 days but I feel SO much better. I have been glued to mfp and I am doing p90x. My mood has done a 180 and my mental state has improved. I just stay focused on the goal and enjoy the journey. This website is a HUGE help. I also am allotted 1200 cal a day...I dont eat a lot of meat so I drink a myoplex lite protein shake in the morning after p90x and I drink close to a gallon of water a day which will also help with hunger!! Add me if ya like! Im looing for more friends on here as well.
Take care! Renee'

dh2312

shadyrondogyes : yes i'm eating 1200 in a day as of right now, although I may up it just a little to get used to it. Thanks for all the great tips.

you are all such great support!

dh2312

I've sent a request to add you.

I'm just an inch shorter than you, a second year university student, and I have another 25lbs to go. We all veer off the path, it's natural and it happens. No one is perfect and the weight loss journey is never a straight line. If you're getting frustrated with being unable to see your own progress I find that taking progress pictures of yourself weekly/monthly helps because you can see progress more when you compare photos. Also find the victories in the change in measurements rather than just the scale.

Strength training is very important and it's great because you don't want to lose muscle while losing fat. I did the 30DS back in November and found it to be very helpful - on top of eating about 1400 calories daily I lost 8lbs that month and 2.5 inches from just my waist! It also would be a nice place to start for strength training because it does include some strength moves and they give you plenty of time to learn them over the whole month.

I've never done any protein shakes or anything, I just enjoy a smoothie after a work out sometimes and use low-fat Greek yogurt, water, and some fruit I enjoy. The Greek yogurt is great as it has a high amount of protein. But I can't give much help otherwise in that department.

Thank you for all the great tips! yes i'm going to pull that old dvd out and definitely start doing it here this week. I too think it will help me in determining some strength training moves. I've heard about the greek yogurt smoothies as well, and would love to give it a try. Makes it so difficult though when you're in college, don't buy your own groceries and are a lot of times influenced to eat what's on your plate. I've determined a system though to help me with that, and I think/hope it will work out. Thank you!

jplucheck

Try upping your calories and intensifying your workouts. I have found when my calorie intake is low I tend to binge more and give up easier. I upped mine to 1460 and feel satisfied during the day and I am still losing weight. I have about 30-35 lbs left to go. I am also taking measurements when you see yourself getting thinner and healthier it doesn't really matter what the scale says. Good luck you will get there just don't give up :-)

Yes that's one thing EVERYONE'S told me to do....take pictures and measurements, that way if the scale doesn't give you what you want, you may notice differences else where. Thanks for the great advice. I am afraid to up my calories but again I've seen that on several threads as well. How do I know how much I should increase by?

Stat with eating at least your BMR

gastankerdriver

I am doing the same thing you are. I wanted to lose 20 lbs. I have lost 15 pounds in less than 3 months. For me, the number one thing has been strength training. Strengthening muscles will increase your overall metabolism. The act of weight training also lifts your metabolism for about 4 hours. Through a combination of eating under my calorie regimen and steady weight training, I have come very close to reaching my goal. Protein shakes are a very important part of my diet. They are a good way of increasing my protein intake (for muscle building) without adding fat, cholesterol, etc. Don't worry, you won't look like Arnold if you start weight training. I have been weight training for years and I WISH I could get bulked up like Tha Ahnold! For weight training, I prefer the adjustable threaded dumbells. You can buy the bars for about $30 for 2. Then buy the weights on Craigslist (about 20-30 lbs for a starter) Youtube provides an endless supply of dumbell excercise videos in case you aren't sure what to do. Wow, I just wrote like an entire book. The best of luck to you and feel free to add me.

dh2312

Try upping your calories and intensifying your workouts. I have found when my calorie intake is low I tend to binge more and give up easier. I upped mine to 1460 and feel satisfied during the day and I am still losing weight. I have about 30-35 lbs left to go. I am also taking measurements when you see yourself getting thinner and healthier it doesn't really matter what the scale says. Good luck you will get there just don't give up :-)

Yes that's one thing EVERYONE'S told me to do....take pictures and measurements, that way if the scale doesn't give you what you want, you may notice differences else where. Thanks for the great advice. I am afraid to up my calories but again I've seen that on several threads as well. How do I know how much I should increase by?

Stat with eating at least your BMR

OMG REALLY? thats like 1400-1500 calories?! i would never think it would work out like that, i guess it just seems like so much but perhaps not.

dh2312

I am doing the same thing you are. I wanted to lose 20 lbs. I have lost 15 pounds in less than 3 months. For me, the number one thing has been strength training. Strengthening muscles will increase your overall metabolism. The act of weight training also lifts your metabolism for about 4 hours. Through a combination of eating under my calorie regimen and steady weight training, I have come very close to reaching my goal. Protein shakes are a very important part of my diet. They are a good way of increasing my protein intake (for muscle building) without adding fat, cholesterol, etc. Don't worry, you won't look like Arnold if you start weight training. I have been weight training for years and I WISH I could get bulked up like Tha Ahnold! For weight training, I prefer the adjustable threaded dumbells. You can buy the bars for about $30 for 2. Then buy the weights on Craigslist (about 20-30 lbs for a starter) Youtube provides an endless supply of dumbell excercise videos in case you aren't sure what to do. Wow, I just wrote like an entire book. The best of luck to you and feel free to add me.

Okay so when you say weight training/strengthening of the muscles...you mean like lifting weights, doing the machines at the gym, crunches, plank poses, etc.? This on top of cardio is what you are doing? Also do you drink the protein shakes before you're workout, and does it replace a meal?

defyallodds

i think eating 1200 cals a day is really hard. if you're willing to eat more each day (like say 1500), you'd lose weight slower, but it'd be easier to maintain in the long run, and probably prevent any potential bouts of overeating. i'm in the same boat of wanting to lose that amount of weight! add me as a friend if you like!

dh2312

i think eating 1200 cals a day is really hard. if you're willing to eat more each day (like say 1500), you'd lose weight slower, but it'd be easier to maintain in the long run, and probably prevent any potential bouts of overeating. i'm in the same boat of wanting to lose that amount of weight! add me as a friend if you like!

Thanks for the advice, good luck with your journey!

fatcellsuck

I'm trying too.