Trainer told me from fit test that I should be at 1400 calor

SkyeBows
SkyeBows Posts: 80
edited September 20 in Food and Nutrition
So I had a fit test done at LifeTime fitness and it told me that my body needs roughly 1400 calories to live. Which is sorta what I have been doing anyways, but I have only lost one pound a week for two weeks. I am not doing as well as I should but I am not doing very bad either. I used to eat out at least two meals a day plus drink 3 to 4 cokes a day. Now I stay within 1200 to 1800 calories and I ONLY drink water 80 to 100 oz to be exact. I havent touched anything besides water for liquid in over two weeks. I workout strength 30 to 45 minutes 4 to 5 days a week, 30 to 45 minutes on a cardio machine 4 to 5 days a week. And two to three hour long walking trips while carrying my 20 pound infant. So I am doing my best to fit in as much exercising as I can but food is the hard part for me. I'm not sure if I have been doing good enough. But I make sure to only eat when I am hungry and sometimes I really burning of the stomach feel hungry so I eat I am worried about having my body go into starvation mode, I want to lose these 50 pounds and KEEP them off. Plus I am trying not to really "diet" I am just trying to have a healthier choice of foods so that when I do lose the weight I dont start binge eating. And now with the new info from the trainer I am undecided on if I should go to 1400 cals or if I should stay at the 1200 cals? Also I have only lost two pounds and I am pretty sure its because I am either a going over my cals or getting very close I dont usually have many remaining but again I am hungry. Can someone help me determine if the calories or what I am eating is my problem for not drastically losing weight. I have always heard you lose the most in the beginning and then you slow down if I slow down I probably wont lose anything. Thanks for listening.

Replies

  • RedneckWmn
    RedneckWmn Posts: 3,202 Member
    It sounds like you are burning a lot of calories so eating more may be what your body needs! It also takes some time for everything to start working. I generally lose 1.5 a week when it says at 1200 I should lost almost 2. Also usually 1 week a month I will lose 3-4 pounds in one week. I get what you are saying about not "dieting" and just making better decisions. Just give it time and it will start happening. If you just started with all the exercise your muscles are probably also retaining water. They are freaking out trying to keep themselves from being damaged. Just give it time. If they told you to be at 1400 calories I would stick with that for a couple of weeks and see how that works out. Be patient. It will happen!
  • EmilysMommy
    EmilysMommy Posts: 78 Member
    I don't know anything about the calories, sorry! But I will tell you what everyone else has told me, don't get discouraged about not losing weight you are gaining muscle right now with the working out, I have been on MFP for over a month and I have only lost 3 pounds so far, but it's ok I feel so much better about myself already! Our day to lose our weight will come and then it will just melt off. By the way I have a 20 pound infant too, well she is 16 months old, I know the feeling.
  • byHISstrength
    byHISstrength Posts: 984 Member
    I know for me, when I set up my MFP account it gave only a couple of options as to my activity level, and it seem to only focus on types of jobs. Well, I sit at a computer all day, so I was sedantary. And from the goals I choose for myself it calculated a calorie goal. But I workout much more than my weekly goal, so what I am trying to suggest is that depending on how active you are should really determine how many calories you consume. Not sure if this will make sense to anyone else, but it makes sense to me. My daily calorie goal is 1290, and I workout 5-6 days a week, so I try to not eat over 1400 to 1600 calories (mostly 1400) on those days.

    Hope that helps.
  • mzmoonlight
    mzmoonlight Posts: 160
    Hi. Your rate of loss may be slow because you are not eating enough rather than you are eating too much. 1200 is the absolute minimum you should eat (without exercise) so when you lose weight and hit a plateau if you had been eating 1200 then you'll have no where to go. So my advice is to eat 1400 as a minimum but with all that exercise you are doing I think you can probably afford to raise it to 1600 daily. When you do exercise its important to fuel your body otherwise it wont cope but can be a hard balance to make when you are trying to lose weight. What I do is play around with the amount of calories and see if I lose or gain. Those BMR tests that tell you how much you need to eat to live can only be a guide so dont take it too literally. Also, if you are hungry a lot I would listen to your body and eat more. You dont have to eat masses but a little something because it could be your body telling you you need to eat.. Weight loss should never feel like a chore, a hassle or deprivation because if it does you wont be able to keep it up long term. Find healthy foods you like and eat them lots then you'll come to really enjoy the journey.
  • princess_in_power
    princess_in_power Posts: 234 Member
    as already mentioned it sounds like you prob need to up your calorie intake :)

    Are you logging your exercise hours? those "extra" exercise calories need to be eaten back to :) that way your body sheds the excess :)

    You'll find lots of support and voices on here, that the hardest part is to eat MROE in order to weigh less, it just seems to go against our psych! But it works! :)

    Hang in there!! Also don't forget to do your measurements! (neck, hips, waist, thighs, etc) That's where you'll see a big change too! (At least for me) When I first started I went from 158.6 to 161, BUT all my measurements went down :) It works :D
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,294 Member
    I know for me, when I set up my MFP account it gave only a couple of options as to my activity level, and it seem to only focus on types of jobs. Well, I sit at a computer all day, so I was sedantary. And from the goals I choose for myself it calculated a calorie goal. But I workout much more than my weekly goal, so what I am trying to suggest is that depending on how active you are should really determine how many calories you consume. Not sure if this will make sense to anyone else, but it makes sense to me. My daily calorie goal is 1290, and I workout 5-6 days a week, so I try to not eat over 1400 to 1600 calories (mostly 1400) on those days.

    Hope that helps.

    MFP does not take into account exercise as part of activity level as you get calories added on when you enter the exercise on the day you do it. Your exercise goals have noting to do with your calorie allotment, only exercise that you actually do affects it.
  • Iannaggi
    Iannaggi Posts: 1
    yOU ARE DOING GREAT, BUT IT SOUNDS TO ME LIKE YOU ARE REALLY STORING FAT DUE TO YOUR LAKE OF EATING. yOU NEED TO REALLY TRY AND FIT IN 5-6 SMALL MEALS A DAY....SMALL MEALS, CONTINUING TO EAT THROUGHOUT YOUR DAY KEEPS YOUR METABOLISM GOING AND HELPS YOU TO BURN THE FAT THAT RIGHT NOW YOU ARE STORING, BECAUSE YOUR BODY IS SAYING.....HEY....YOU'RE USING ALL OUR FUEL, AND NOT REFILLING! yOU COULD NEVER RUN YOUR CAR THAT WAY, SO YOU SHOULD NEVER EXPECT YOUR BODY TO WORK THAT WAY. aNOTHER TRICK i HAVE FOUND WORKS AWESOME FOR ME.....EAT A PROTEIN WITH EVERY CARB. START YOUR DAY WITH A BIG GLASS OF WATER, SOME ALMONDS AND A LIGHT STRING CHEESE....THEN SNACK ON A PIECE OF FRUIT, CUT IT UP - MAKE IT LAST, CONTINUE TO EAT SMALL, WELL CHOSEN FOODS. EAT GREENS!!!!!! IF YOU HAVE TO HAVE A PIECE A BREAD OR YOUR GONNA DIE, EAT EZEKIAL BRED OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT....AND BY ALL MEANS....HAVE IT WITH A SALAD WITH A LITTLE EVOO, VINEGAR AND SEASALT!! jUST MY OWN OPINION, I'M A MOM OF 3 WHO'S JUST BEEN DOING A LOT OF READING AND LIFESTYLE CHANGING TO GET OFF THE EXTRA FAT I'VE ACCUMULATED OVER THE YEARS! GOOD LUCK AND SORRY ABOUT THE CAPS!!
  • balance9
    balance9 Posts: 160
    ...but I have only lost one pound a week for two weeks. I am not doing as well as I should
    Absolutely perfect. There is a big difference between losing 'weight' and losing 'fat'. Your body simply cannot metabolize more than 1-2 pounds of fat a week, and based on how you have described the changes in your diet, you are doing a fantastic job. If you have 50 pounds to lose, you will be there in less than one year...

    Put 25 little squares on a piece of paper, and a star in one each time you lose 2 pounds. Striving for one box at a time will keep you on track and motivated, and you will see the progress.
    Plus I am trying not to really "diet" I am just trying to have a healthier choice of foods so that when I do lose the weight I dont start binge eating.

    and you will never put it back on , the way you are doing it. Lifestyle changes --- you 'get' it.

    And now with the new info from the trainer I am undecided on if I should go to 1400 cals or if I should stay at the 1200 cals? Can someone help me determine if the calories or what I am eating is my problem for not drastically losing weight. I have always heard you lose the most in the beginning and then you slow down if I slow down I probably wont lose anything. Thanks for listening.
    People that lose large amounts of weight in the first couple of weeks tend to eat more processed food. If they switch to less processed food, the body adjusts by releasing water that it previously held on to in order to 'dilute' the sodium (simple explanation for a complicated electrolyte balance equation...but you get the picture). Don't worry about that. You have made some outstanding changes in your diet, and they will show up ...a pound or two at a time...but you will never see those pounds again! 1200 or 1400? Stick closer to 1400 most days, based on your current weight and goals.
  • KateDonnelly
    KateDonnelly Posts: 53
    Aim to stay within the calorie range MFP gave you and the 1200 one. It's good for your body to fluctuate a little so it will not get used to performing at one intake level. If you are hungry often, try eating a light snack between meals (about two hours after one and two before the next). I only eat from these food options for snacks since I have a habit on eating BiiiiiiiiiiiG snacks! I choose one from each categorie for each snack and they usually end up being under two hundred calorie snacks.
    Proteins Healthy carbs
    almonds fruit
    beef jerky veggies/carrot stix
    sunflower seeds no fat/no sugar pudding (for PMS especially)
    peanut butter whole grain or whole wheat bread/ thinly sliced if possible
    hummus low sodium cupo'soups
    cheese fruit smoothies with whey powder
    yogurt/cottage cheese
  • KateDonnelly
    KateDonnelly Posts: 53
    oops it squished it all together but you get the idea! Keep up the good work.
  • SkyeBows
    SkyeBows Posts: 80
    thank you everyone for your advice.. it does seem I am on the right track and again thank you for the confirmation it feels great!!
  • knightwriter2
    knightwriter2 Posts: 33
    I don't know if you are doing this, but try to go with what MFP suggest. You have your basic calorie limit according to your goals. Then once you put in all of your exercise, you can eat those calories also. Be consistent with logging in all your food and all your exercise. I believe this is the key. I have done this since Jan. 1 and have lost 30 pounds without "dieting". You have to eat enough with all that exercising you're doing. 1200 calories is not enough when you're exercising that much. Be true to your food and exercise diaries if you haven't been and see if that works.
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