Is This A Healthy Weight Loss Plan?

lookitsandrea

Hey guys!

I want to lose 40 pounds by the end of my college semester. Generally, that's about 10 pounds a month. I know it's possible to do this if I put my mind to it.

For eating, I am planning on having 1200 calories a day. My mom recently hired a nutritionist so I am going slightly by her own plans (as much as I can, anyway). I'll be eating over 60g of protein a day, which I know helps when I'm exercising a lot. For breakfast everyday I plan on having 2 scrambled eggs, non-fat Greek yogurt, and a banana. For lunch, I am going to be eating this low-calorie (like 250) BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad (sounds so yummy!). Dinners will change, but I'll be eating protein 6 nights a week (fish at least once a week). I'm only eating gluten twice a week (I may have an allergy). I will, of course, eat snacks throughout the day to help fill up the total calorie count. I will keep it at a minimum of 1200 (so if I'm at 1999, I will eat something to get it to 1200).

Exercise is where I'm a little bit more concerned. I want to start my morning with 30 minutes of yoga. Later in the day, I plan on going for a swim for about an hour (although my schedule only allows 30 minutes for one day), Jillian's "Ripped in 30" 30 minute exercise video, dance for 30 minutes (so much fun!) and a 1 hour walk. The total burned calories will be about 1500 (so giving me a net of -300 calories). I will be giving myself Fridays off (except for the yoga to help wake me up). But on Fridays, I won't do any of the swimming, dance, video, walk, etc.

If I am still hungry at 1200 calories, I promise I will eat. Also, this is just to start. If I feel a lack of energy throughout the day, then I will increase my calorie count.

I would like to point out that I am 20 years old, a female, and 4'11". In this regard, I honestly don't think 1200 calories is too little for someone of my size. In addition, when I eat healthy, I actually become pretty full at 900 calories. Finally... I will make sure that with my 1200 calories I am receiving all of the proper nutrition I need.

Thanks for any advice!

abuja

AQdd some weight training to the routine; fatigued muscles burn calories for at least an extra day, so this is a good addition. talk with your college pys. ed. dept. about classes and availability of the school gym.

astrampe

So after exercise you will be on a net of -300 calories and "you will eat if you feel hungry?"
Good luck - you will be successfull in losing a lot of muscle mass, mess up your metabolism and probably be too weak to do much of the nice looking exercise plan...
If you want HEALTHY, eat at least half your exercise calories back so that you NET 1200..... Your choice...

Kryssaxo

The only thing that really concerns me is the amount of exercise you plan to do. It's great that you are motivated but with that much on your plate plus schooling, you might get discouraged and worn out and negative for your net calories. The only thing I can suggest is to listen to your body and make sure you're not pushing it too hard.

arenkel

My bit of advice-- don't eat below your BMR unless you are obese. Chances are, you'll already be at a deficit eating 1200 calories, so burning 1500 daily will give you a HUGE deficit. Your body needs a certain amount of calories just to survive, so PLEASE don't eat below that number. For example, my BMR (5'6", 20 years old) is 1350, and as such a 1200 calories would be way too low.

Try using this calculator: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CFcQFjAA&url=http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/&ei=6yMpUJOYLemk4AShx4HYDg&usg=AFQjCNEVwHMCrDbo3RKGPhQcymFn3L2Lew

MFP generally has okay recommendations, but some people find Scooby's easier to understand (in terms of how things are calculated)

Edited to clarify: your NET calories should not be under 1200, according to most doctors' recommendations. If you burn 1500, you'll need to eat AT LEAST 2300 calories to get a net of 1200. Please be careful, and remember to take it slow. You'll be more likely to keep the weight off if you lose it in a healthy manner.

lookitsandrea

It is of my understanding that you need to have a negative net calorie to lose weight. Makes sense right? You have to burn 3500 calories just to burn one pound.

If I have a positive net calorie, then I will be gaining weight.

If somebody could clarify this for me, that would be great.

But yes. I will definitely be listening to my body. If I'm too sore to do something, I won't do it. If I'm too tired... I won't do it. I'll adjust my exercise schedule as needed.

jheye

Like others I think you may need to eat more to keep up with your exercise plans. some sources recommend 1 gm protein per pound of LEAN Body Mass (not per pound total body weight) for people doing lots of exercise, and/or increasing your carb/ calorie intake to support intense exercise.
It is possible for a 6 ft tall man to lose 10 lbs a month for 4 months, but I think that is probably too fast a weight loss for a woman of your size. A more realistic plan would be 20 lbs in 4 months, or about 1 lb a week.

megsmom2

So after exercise you will be on a net of -300 calories and "you will eat if you feel hungry?"
Good luck - you will be successfull in losing a lot of muscle mass, mess up your metabolism and probably be too weak to do much of the nice looking exercise plan...
If you want HEALTHY, eat at least half your exercise calories back so that you NET 1200..... Your choice...

this. you're risking a lot to try to take of weight quickly....which is pretty much a road map for weight coming back quickly, and bringing friends with it. Please...fuel your body sensibly.
Why do people sign up for MFP...and then ignore it? <shrug> I guess you can use a tool like this however you want, and more power to you if it works. Mini rant over. Carry on.

lookitsandrea

Like others I think you may need to eat more to keep up with your exercise plans. some sources recommend 1 gm protein per pound of LEAN Body Mass (not per pound total body weight) for people doing lots of exercise, and/or increasing your carb/ calorie intake to support intense exercise.
It is possible for a 6 ft tall man to lose 10 lbs a month for 4 months, but I think that is probably too fast a weight loss for a woman of your size. A more realistic plan would be 20 lbs in 4 months, or about 1 lb a week.

I will excuse your rant. Rather than dismissing everybody who may appear to be rushing into their weight loss, you should explain where it's going wrong. For example, I had just posted a point of confusion that I would like to be cleared up, which is why I had selected the path I posted my first post. I am not ignoring your advice. I am questioning it.

mindydaile

It is of my understanding that you need to have a negative net calorie to lose weight. Makes sense right? You have to burn 3500 calories just to burn one pound.

If I have a positive net calorie, then I will be gaining weight.

Your body needs a certain number of calories just to function - fuel for your organs to work, etc. This is called your BMR and you can use any of a number online calculators to estimate this number.

Then on top of that you have all the calories you burn just doing normal daily activities - taking a shower, getting dressed, cooking your meals, etc.

Finally, you have the calories you burn doing exercise.

If you are taking in more calories than you burn off through all three of those things, then yes you will gain weight. If you are taking in less calories then that total, you will lose weight.

mhuch110

You are incorrect in your thought that you must have a negative net to lose weight. A negative net is dangerous. You want your "net calories" AFTER all of your exercise to be at 1200. So, if you are planning to burn 1500, you need to eat at least 2700 calories each day. I am also 4' 11" and function just fine on 1200. But I eat back my exercise calories to make sure I am always as close to 1200 as possible, and I don't worry when I go over a bit!

Good luck!

ETA: I also think 1500 cals burned is a little unreasonable. That's a lot of exercise and you do run some risks with that!

Polly758

The total burned calories will be about 1500 (so giving me a net of -300 calories). I will be giving myself Fridays off (except for the yoga to help wake me up).

It is of my understanding that you need to have a negative net calorie to lose weight. Makes sense right? You have to burn 3500 calories just to burn one pound.

If I have a positive net calorie, then I will be gaining weight.

Actually, this is your mistake. You absolutely should not have a NET of negative-- that's not what it means, that's not how it works. You need to have a NET calorie count of 1200. This means that if you are planning to burn 1500 calories in one day, you need to eat 1500 calories PLUS 1200 calories. A positive NET calorie count DOES NOT mean you will gain weight.

If you want to lose weight quickly, and you are certain you can keep your calorie intake that low, then I would recommend you not exercise at all. Otherwise, based on what you're saying, you will probably not eat enough to fuel all that excercise and you may find that you don't lose weight at all, depending on how your body reacts to being so hungry...

rusialeelee

So.... I've noticed everyone's a little defensive and on edge on myfitnesspal when it comes to people who net under 1200/day. I'm sure there are many health hazard reasons for this especially since so many people are against it.

So it answer your question to my best knowledge of why it's bad to net under 1200cal or in your case, have a negative net cal is because you will then lose too much per week. The healthy max amount if 2lb/week.

Yup and other than the the only thing I can think of is.. some one mentioned above that you need cal just for your body to function properly (heart beating, breathing, etc.). When you're in the negatives, you're not feeding your body any energy for that day. Yes, it'll start to slowly break down the fat you want gone but it'll try it's best to hold on to anything you eat and make it fat as soon as possible. So eventually in turn you will end up gaining. And it'll be VERYY difficult to maintain once your at your ideal weight. Because it's so starved the fat cells will expand once you stop exercising so much.

You'll get the same results at eating.. let's say 1500cal/day and exercising 300 off (only like 25 min of running) and netting 1200. You'll still be at a deficit and will lose weight for sure!


Hope it works