IF i wanna loose over 100lbs

asteelman4

What should i put my calories at? Right now i am at 2,000 and it says i should loose 2.5lbs a week but that seems like a long time to loose over 100lbs.. Helppp (:

adamsurpren

Sweetie, we're friends so I can say this. It's *lose* not *loose*! :P

runfatmanrun

I used the MFP setting and it worked. As you lose weight it will adjust when you update your diet plan. It should take a while for healthier weight loss. That being said there is nothing wrong with trying to lose more quicker just need a little patience with the process. You didn't gain it in a year so it's ok if you don't lose it in a year. Good luck.

earthquick

I know it seems like a long time, and you are right it will take a long time. But remember, if you lose weight too fast, it will be easier for you to gain it back. Losing more than 2 lbs a week is not a good idea, although they make it seem normal in shows like "the biggest loser". You can always try to exercise more if you really would like to lose more weight? Maybe do jumping jacks throughout the day, eg. while watching tv. I had a friend who lost a ton of weight, I think almost a 100 lbs and she did it slowly... but she is able to keep her weight off and has not gain it back.

Cocochickdeleted

Two and a half pounds a week is a good, safe weight loss goal. Down the road, as you get lighter, you will likely lose in the one to two pound a week range. Yes, it does take time to lose the weight, but time will get behind you, and you will likely be more successful if you aren't too strict with your calories. It took me almost six months to lose 30 pounds, but in hindsight, the six months went really fast. Good luck!

asteelman4

Whats MFP ?

PAMD0614

YOU DONT WANT TO LOSE TOO QUICKLY. YOU WANT TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE STYLE OF EATING ALONG WITH EXERCISE TO MAKE MUSCLE. I KNOW WHAT YOU MEAN WHEN YOU SAY YOU WANT TO LOSE A LITTLE FASTER, BUT IT TOOK TIME TO PUT IT ON, IT WILL TAKE TIME TO TAKE IT OFF. YOU DONT WANT TO BE UNHEALTHY

runfatmanrun

Whats MFP ?

My Fitness Pal

sarahharmintx

You didn't gain it in a year so it's ok if you don't lose it in a year.

Id like to lose anywhere from 70-100lbs but yes, it is going to take time. MFP has me at 1320 calories per day and I lose about an average of 2lbs/week.

There are so many different factors (activity level, metabolism, etc) that make it hard to gauge the timeline.

Edit to add: Youre not on a diet. You want to make this your new life. Changes like that take time but will eventually become permanent habits. Out with the bad and in with the good.

asteelman4

Adam you hush!

adamsurpren

Amazing advice here. So true. Like my profile says, I tried to lose my weight quick (50+ lbs) and I did, and I got it back even faster. You have to adjust your body. Completely change it's way of working. Eventually that little bit of food you eat now that leaves you starved - will fill you up.

asteelman4

Thanks everyone! Your advice has made me realize that its going to be a long journey but very worth it in the end!(: Just sucks sometimes we cant take a magic pill to get skinny! lol

BellaBumbles

I can tell you this: these people are right. I have an INSANELY busy schedule that prevents me from having "meal times." I can barely get in 800 calories a day. Not a problem, right? Lose weight faster, right? Not right. Eating less slows you down. I was 266 last tuesday, I am 264.8 now. I'm actually trying to incorporate more protein and water and healthier things that will get my calories up and help kickstart my metabolism. Don't be in such a rush. The good stuff in life ALWAYS takes time, doesnt it? Babies hide for 9 months until you get to see them, like takes a while to become love, and this is no different. Im rambling. Anyway, Good luck!

Jugie12

You can lose more without being at risk. Just don't go do something dumb to lose 15lbs a week or anything, lol

I lost 4 lbs over the last week, no biggie. 2 lbs? No worries. If you incorporate lifting with your cardio and clean eating, you can lose 5-7 lbs in a week, especially when starting (and yes, it's safe). You can add a little weight here and there when lifting heavy but you'll lose inches consistently if you stick to it!

Go on!! Be your sexy self!

GauchoMark

not saying it is the "right way" but here is what worked for me. Btw, I have lost 98 lbs since I started so I know it works. Also, it is probably worth stating that I am a guy, large frame, 6'1" and had a decent amount of muscle under all my extra weight. My goal was to lose the fat without losing the muscle, which I have done. I still have about 10-15 lbs to go to hit my target of 190 lbs, which will give me a body fat of around 10%.

When I first started out, I realized that I gained the weight over a period of about 10 years. Obviously, I didn't want to take 10 years to lose it, but I also recognized that it was going to be a long process. I also wanted to make a life change - not just go on some fad diet and do the yo-yo thing.

305lbs to about 270 lbs:
I knew that I wanted to be around 200 lbs and a good rule of thumb for a sedentary person is about 2000 calories to maintain 200lbs. So, I just started eating 2000 cal/day and logging everything in (fitday at the time, but now MFP). I focused on reducing calorie intake and making better nutritional choices. I set my intake up so I got 40% of my calories from carbs and 25% from fat, leaving 35% from protein. I really didn't worry too much about exercising during this time because I just wanted to make one life change at a time. When I did exercise, I kept it pretty low intensity and sustainable - like walking. I felt like once I got used to the new diet, I could add more things in. I can't stress the importance of eating the right things and amounts enough. Get good at it early on!
During this time, the weight came off easily, anyways. I lost 32.6 lbs in 99 days, so 2.3 lb/week.

270lbs-240lbs:
I added in exercise. I started TRYING to go to the gym 4 days a week and focused on cardio, then afterwards I would lift weights. I wasn't trying to build muscle, just trying to keep what I had. I would try to do 4 sets of 15 reps each for each exercise. I like to work my chest and back on one day, and my arms and shoulders on another. I never work my legs because 1) I have always had very muscular legs (linebacker in HS) naturally and 2) I was getting enough legwork on the Cybex Arctrainer - my cardio machine of choice. Abs, I worked when I remembered. Cardio-wise, I switched from walking to the arctrainer and worked my way up from 30 minutes at level 1 to 45 minutes at level 5 on the weight loss program. Nutritionally, not much changed from before. Still eating about 2000 calories per day just added exercise. I did not eat back my calories from exercise.
During this time, the weightloss slowed, but I was still making progress, anyways. I lost 27.6 lbs in 146 days, so 1.3 lb/week.

240lbs-240lbs:
I hit my first BIG plateau. Up until now, I had hit a few plateaus that maybe lasted a week, but now, it was serious. After about 2 months of it, I got a little discouraged and started slacking off. I couldn't figure out what was happening, but it is hard to stay "good" when the results are not coming. I had already lost about 60 lbs and I was looking and feeling MUCH better, so the motivation was difficult. I slacked on logging food and exercise. Honestly, I just started half a$$ing it. Good news, though, is I didn't really GAIN weight.
During this time, I lost 0.4 lbs in 117 days, so 0.02 lb/week. =]

240-206lbs (current):
I finally decided it was time to get serious and finish this. I started looking back and it came to me. When I first started, I had PLENTY of energy reserves that my body could use. I could do a very crude calorie restriction and sporadic exercise and still lose weight BECAUSE I was so overweight. From 270-240, my body started getting more to the moderately overweight status and I started exercising harder. Looking back, I was probably netting 1000-1200 calories per day, which after 2-3 months sent me right into a plateau (starvation mode). I realized that the closer you get to your goal, the harder it becomes and the more diligent and sophisticated your routine needs to be. It makes sense - there is a reason that not everyone is a fitness model. So, I decided to switch to MFP, log my exercise and calories. I still use the same macro ratio of 40/35/25 and I quit TRYING to go to the gym and started GOING to the gym. I let MFP decide my calorie deficit based on my goals and wound up eating 1940 calories per day PLUS my exercise calories. This broke my plateau.
During this time, the weight loss is slow, but somewhat consistent on the large scale. I feel like I am really having to work for these last 10-15 lbs. I lost 30.8 lbs in 183 days (and counting), so 1.2 lb/week.



I know this is a long post, but the point is, it is going to take a while and you are going to make adjustments as you go. Start by making small, sustainable changes and keep upping the ante as you go to hit your goals. And, the less overweight you get, the harder it becomes, so just be ready. I am probably going to have to make another change to my regime soon, as I can see another plateau on the horizon. I will probably have to drop my goal to 0.5 lb/wk soon.

asteelman4

So you basically started picking it up at the gym? because i also loose about 15-20lbs then get into a funk where my body stops dropping weight and it really discourages me. I never know what causes it.. -_- You think i should stick with 2000 right now then when i get down to about 230 lower it?

GauchoMark

I didn't just start working out harder, but more regularly and also eating back my exercise calories so I am NETTING my calorie goal.

really, my point was baby steps. Realistically, you want to change your behavior for life, so you want to do it slowly and consistently. Realize that when you have a large amount of weight to lose, pretty much anything you do different is going to help, but the closer you get to your goals, the tougher it gets and the more you have to fight for it.

Anyways, I'm not really giving you advise on what you should do step by step, but more of a "this is what worked for me" kind of thing. My only advise is to change your behavior permanently so your hard work sticks for life.

asteelman4

Thanks ! (:

jzaz903

I know 2000 calories sounds high, and only losing 2.5 a week sounds like so little, but that's really the best way to do it! You didn't put on all the weight overnight, you won't lose it overnight. As you lose weight, your calorie goal will go down- mine started out at 1920 and is now at 1770, and my stats(other than weight) have not changed. It takes time, but it's worth it.

JoolieW68

I went by what MFP told me when I started using it (which was after i had lost roughly 80 pounds).

It took me 17 month to lose 100. Good luck to you,.....if I can do it, you can too!