Never dieted before, what should I expect?

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Full4Life
Full4Life Posts: 172 Member
in Introduce Yourself
Hi. I'm a 35-year-old female with an active lifestyle. I want to lose roughly 10-12lbs. I've never been more than 20lbs overweight, but I've also never been perfectly fit, or even that body conscious for that matter.

I've always kinda done what I wanted and never bothered outside of that.

However, at 35, things are starting to lump up in really unattractive ways. I'm also newly divorced. I feel like it's now or never. No distractions, and at 35 I've been warned that what I don't deal with will stay there forever.

What I want to know is what do I expect. The calorie thingy said I should eat only 1200 calories a day. HOLY SMOKES! That's so little... I mean I think.

I've never calorie counted. Is it hard? Will I have cravings? What does a 1200 calorie day feel like? Will I be unsatisfied? What do I DO about it? Will I ALWAYS have to eat like that? Is it as bad as it sounds?

I mean, 1200 calories sounds like there is no room for error. What should I do if I slip up? Will I have to maintain this forever?

Sorry, I have too many questions. I guess I'm a little nervous. Honestly. What did it feel like for you when you realized you had to change completely how you were managing your life?

Replies

  • 13inchestogo
    13inchestogo Posts: 296 Member
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    Aw try not to be nervous, learning new things about your body and how to fuel it most effectively to trim the fat and boost your energy is fun and exciting!! Sure it comes with hard days and times when you want to quit... but really you don't want to quit, nobody wants to feel out of shape! Just believe in yourself! You've come to the right place for support :smile:

    As for the 1200 calorie thing, I don't reccommend it, I'm not a doctor of course if you wanna try it there's nothing medically speaking saying you can't! if you do it for a short period of time your metabolism shouldn't get too upset with you. What i find people find success with most long term, is eating clean unprocessed foods in smaller portions, doesnt have to be 1200 calories could even be 2000 or more, and working out weight training and running. Just keep moving! While of course introducing lots of whole healthy foods and water!

    I would try to view this as a lifestyle change and not a diet, diets are temporary and usually end resulting in gaining weight back or trying to lose too fast. Of course we've all been there and done that, (well except for you lol) what I find helps me be most successful is changing my mindset. Doing only what brings me closer to my long term goal, doesn't mean you can't have all the things you love just learn moderation, and EXERCISE!!! Sweat sweat sweat push yourself harder than you have in your life and be mindful of the foods your using as fuel and give your body some time to adjust itself and you'll be feeling great!!

    Also because you seem to be feeling a bit lost I would go to the bookstore and there are lots of great books that can help you further your fit smarts, personal trainers are great too! Remember abs are made in the kitchen! But that doesnt mean forget the gym lol. I make mistakes too and I eat too much sometimes, but your never a failure if you get back up and keep on trying! So good luck to you! Hope this wasnt too ranty ... :smile:
  • 13inchestogo
    13inchestogo Posts: 296 Member
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    OOOhhhh, I love Oxygen magazines and would highly advise you to look at one sometime. They are great reads, inspirational strong womens fitness magazine.
  • KiaCristal
    KiaCristal Posts: 36
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    Hi! I'm right there with you. Never dieted or really even exercised but after having a baby last year and turning 40 later this year I just wasn't happy with my body anymore. I'm not overweight and only want to lose 10 pounds but my metabolism has changed so much. No one told me how much a baby could change your body :) I even lost all the baby weight plus 20 pounds doing nothing to try. Now though I'm stuck at that same weight and want to feel better about myself. My sister has been using MFP and lost 10 pounds so I thought I'd give it a try.

    I've been using it for 10 days now. I'm still getting the hang of it and my husband is totally annoyed with my calorie counting but hey I'm trying to make a difference. I have given up my 3 cans a day soda habit, my nightly cider drinks and am exercising. My goal is to work out and burn at least 300 calories a day. Now I've heard differing opinions that you eat back what you burn or you keep it at 1200 no matter what you burn. So far I've been not eating all the calories it says that I can but close to it.

    I'm hoping that it will work. I've lost and gained the same pound the last week so I'm not off to the greatest start but hoping that my body will get over the shock of not drinking and exercising and start losing. I am surprised at how I went from hating exercising to doing it every day for as long as I can. I even sneak it in while my daughter is eating her lunch.

    Good luck with your goal!!
  • RuthSweetTooth
    RuthSweetTooth Posts: 461 Member
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    No sense starving yourself. Try 1500 calories, I'm losing weight on 1500 calories and my metabolism is much slower than yours.
  • Full4Life
    Full4Life Posts: 172 Member
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    Yeah, well, I guess I've never been much more than 10 or 15lbs overweight (one time I got up to 20lbs over, but that was right after my divorce... Yikes) because I have NEVER really eaten sugar regularly or processed food. In fact, they give me SERIOUS migraines, so I am biologically forbidden from such foods. Lucky me ;-)
    In the meantime, I guess I just eat too much. You know, have a busy day, so don't eat lunch (or occasionally breakfast AND lunch) and then eat too much. Like I said, never really been an issue before, so I don't even know HOW to calorie count - especially since I cook most of my own food.
    It's good to know that the suggested 1200 calories is too low. It SOUNDED too low and just, ... Wrong, like starvation wrong.
    I guess... SHOULD I calorie count? It seems, given that I Already am pretty active and eat only whole foods, the only thing remaining is limiting calories.
    How do I do that if it's not listed on a box?
    And... To be honest, how do I use this forum?
  • scottydewwannalosewt
    scottydewwannalosewt Posts: 52 Member
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    Try to get in at least one hour of exercise every day and push yourself for that one hour. For weight loss you need to work out for an hour. Working out for 30 minutes will improve your cardiovascular system but the weight loss comes after the first 30 minute workout. If you can get access to a machine that has zones stay in the fat burning zone as long as you can.

    Scott
  • scottydewwannalosewt
    scottydewwannalosewt Posts: 52 Member
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    Try to guestimate as best as you can on the items that you eat. If you don't find an exact match find something relatively close.

    You can always surf the internet for information and add items too. After you've been using the program for awhile it'll get easy to manage what you eat. The hard part at first is just getting used to using the program on a regular basis and inputting what you eat. Pay attention to the number of servings that are in an item on the label, and that will help you keep track of the number of servings.

    Hope that helps.

    Good luck in your weight loss.

    Scott
  • Avistew
    Avistew Posts: 32 Member
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    Hi!

    To lose weight, you need a calorie deficit. That means take in less calories than your consume.
    One pound of human fat is 3500 calories. That means that in order to lose one pound a week, you need to eat 500 less calories daily than your body consumes. If you want to lose 2 pounds a week (the maximum recommended), then you need to eat 1000 less calories than your body consumes.

    Once you have lost the weight, your body will consume a bit less. But not 500-1000 calories less than it used to! At that point, it will be fine to go to take in the same amount of calories as your body burns, so that you maintain the weight.

    Which means that no, you don't need to eat 1200 calories forever. You also don't need to eat 1200 calories if you burn more by exercising.

    What matters in the end is the calorie deficit. Aim for between 500 and 1000. To know how much your body needs, calculate your BMR (in the tools section) and multiply by your level of activity (1.2 if you're sedentary). That's the number of calories you start off with. Add any calories burned through working out to that number, then eat 500-1000 calories less than the number you get.

    As for cravings, it will depend on the person. You can fill up on healthy food and not feel hungry at all.

    If you slip once, it's not a big deal. As I said, 1lb = 3500 calories. Did you slip by 3500 calories? If not, you're not going to gain a pound. You can just work it off or eat less next time.

    Always eat a minimum of 1200 calories. That's not necessarily net calories, so that means that if your goal is 1200 and you ate 1300 calories one day and didn't get to work out, you're not doomed to never make up for it. The next day (or any other day you want) you can eat 1200 and work out for 100 calories worth (or eat more and work out more).

    I hope I wasn't confusing. Good luck with your weight loss.
  • 76birdy76
    76birdy76 Posts: 44 Member
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    hi
    1200 cal doesn't seem like enough. I suggest doing about 1500. I'm 36 and weight 236 lbs and i'm aloud to have 1820 cal. it is hard at the begining .but if you eat clean and exercise you will be fine . i find that processed foods have alot more cal in them and stay away from the drive threw. lol...anyways as time goes on you will kind foods that you like . Also you will find that you will have craving esecialy around your period and you will also notice it on the scale (with your weight going up) don't worry that goies away when your done. also if you know your going out or it is a birthday make sure you take that into concideration. and it you want some thing have a little of it . not a lot just enough to make the craving go away because if you don't its like an itch you can't scratch it gets worse and worse.. lol.. anyways good luck on your new jurney and if you need a helper send me a friend request.
  • Full4Life
    Full4Life Posts: 172 Member
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    Hi Scott... I guess I'm not sure what "the program" is. I just found this as a forum. Is it under the "Tools" tab? Can you explain a little more?

    As far as exercise goes, I really don't want to join a gym. I have a dog and a busy job that has me running around a lot.

    My normal deal is about 2-2.5hrs. of walking per day - sometimes more on the weekend.

    I was thinking of replacing my normal morning 1-hour walk with 45-minutes of jogging. I have done this before and know that I am capable of doing this.

    I've also recently discovered I am prone to lower-back injuries, so I think I need to start some kind of yoga. Again... all of this is making me nervous 'cause I have never been a "fitness person" and I'm worried I won't have time to get my work done. I have a part-time job, but I also have a freelance career I am trying to grow into my main profession. There literally aren't enough hours in a day to get things done. I hadn't wanted to take more than my usual 2hrs devoted to fitness.
  • Dress4Dolly
    Dress4Dolly Posts: 30
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    As others have said, it's never a diet, it's a lifestyle. You will feel better for it, for many years to come. .
    This MFP website is soooo very useful. And the community is just marvelous:)


    http://www.bmi-calculator.net/bmr-calculator/harris-benedict-equation/calorie-intake-to-lose-weight.php
    The above link has the following information.....

    BMR Formula
    Calorie Intake to Lose Weight
    Recommended Daily Allowance
    Underweight Treatment
    Overweight Treatment

    BMI Calculator
    BMR Calculator
    Body Fat Calculator
    Waist to Hip Ratio Calculator

    Websites, Books, Nutritional Classes are wonderful tools to help you understand what to do, and how to do it in a healthy manner. And the MFP website will give you all the tools you need to stay on track.
  • Full4Life
    Full4Life Posts: 172 Member
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    Ok! I've trolled around this site now! I think I understand how this works!

    It's not as bad as I thought.

    The 1200 calories a day thing, was only if I were sitting still and staring at a wall. I added in how much I normally walk in a day and it came out to almost 1700 calories a day.

    I also was able to add roughly what I cooked and ate today and it was really easy! It had all the calorie counting measures right there.

    My guess is, after you've been doing this for awhile, you get to understand what a normal meal is for whatever body weight you want and you no longer need to count everything you eat. Am I right?

    I guess I CAN do this, then!
  • Jenloma
    Jenloma Posts: 77 Member
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    This site is fantastic and will help you! I am also on a 1200 calorie diet, but when I burn off calories, I can eat a bit more throughout the day cause I'm basically re-fueling myself.

    What to expect: You are going to feel hungry because you are not use to small portions possibly. When this happens, I snack on raisins, almonds, cheese sticks, yogurt with fruit, and veggies with hummus. I tend to eat 6x in the day because I have low blood sugar issues and I feel the hunger more.

    What else to expect: When you workout, try a 30 minute workout at first.

    Make sure you measure and watch out for salad dressing. And make sure you do have a freebie meal sometimes to trick your body and it doesn't plateau as well. My day is Monday and I haven't had a cheat meal in 2 months.

    Have a workout routine for 3 weeks and switch it up on the 4th week so you don't plateau. I sometimes tend to just do more on the 4th week and do more toning and weights etc.
    If you have any questions, just note me. :)
  • blwalton70
    blwalton70 Posts: 71 Member
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    It will be hard at first. It is AMAZING what the average american consumes daily with out knowing how many calories they are actually consuming! Your body might no like it at first and I think that the best way to start this out is to start SLOW. Maybe you go over your calories on some days, but at least you are keeping track. Eventually you will start to notice certain things about food and you will feel different about them. That drive through burger won't be worth it anymore, unless you have worked out for it! I also think it is super important to keep an active lifestyle. This will make you feel better and give you a little more leway on your calories, not to eat that ice cream, but to maybe have a bigger portion of something! I reccomend becoming friends with people on here who have open food diaries so you can see what they are eating and doing! It's very motivational! Good luck! Feel free to friend me if you want!
  • mamagooskie
    mamagooskie Posts: 2,964 Member
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    1200 is TOO little. the less you have to lose the less your deficit should be. I'd think you could eat 1500-1600 a day and get in a little bit of exercize each day and your are good to go. You may have some cravings, but don't deprive yourself just have smaller portions on the foods that are maybe not so good for you.

    It may take a week or two to adjust but after that you will see it get easier.

    I eat 1800-2200 a day so no you don't have to have such a low allottment of calories "FOREVER"

    good luck!

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