I need some advice

olynick
olynick Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok so im a 40 year old man and right now after losing 27 lbs in about 55 days here on MFP im starting to get used to what im doing but i feel im still a little off on what i could be doing better.I started at 276 lbs and now im 249 but i want to get to about 200 and then after that goal if im still not where i want to be i will try to lose 10 or 20 more lbs.So my calories are set at 1520 but i usually dont do that much,im usually around 1200 to 1400.Im sedetary since im on the computer most of the day but i do some house cleaning and i have been doing zumba 5 days a week for 45 minutes burning 667 calories a day.Usually i eat an omlette in the morning with some cheese and salsa for about 285 calories and then i eat lean cuisine meals for about 200 calories and then a snack after my workout of a v8 v fusion light drink for 50 calories for an 8 oz glass.....im usually up to around 600 calories after lunch and then i have a bigger dinner to make up the rest of the calories give or take.I drink 4 16 oz bottles of water a day.This is pretty much a normal rutine for me.I am losing lbs but it seems like i will lose 3 or 4 really close together and then ill plateu for about 2 weeks.I know im only supposed to lose about 2 lbs a week for a total of 8 lbs a month and im cool with that,i want to do this healthy.Is there any way i can be a little more persistent with my weight loss?I am also just now starting to try to start doing some push ups and sit ups but im not real good at it yet....i get about 3 sets of 5 for each making it about 15 sit ups and 15 push ups total.Would Pilates work better?Im already doing 45 minutes of zumba and if i do 20 or 30 minutes of Pilates its taking a big chunk out of my day.Can anyone tell me if im doing what i should be or should i do something else that will work better.......Thank you.

Replies

  • melsinct
    melsinct Posts: 3,512 Member
    Weight loss is not linear and will never be consistent. You are doing fine and losing some, then not losing some, then losing some more is completely normal. We say we set MFP so we "lose 1 pound per week" but the human body is not a machine. It will never achieve that kind of consistency.
  • olynick
    olynick Posts: 31 Member
    Also im a little confused on something.....if my calorie limit is 1520 but i burn 667 calories for working out that puts it up to 2187......now i guess that would mean i get to eat more calories.........but......what if i dont want to eat those 667 calories back up and i just chalk it up to calories burned and only stay with eating 1200 to 1400 calories............wouldnt i lose more lbs that way.....or am i supposed to eat those calories back up for a total of 2187 calories eaten?it just seems like i wasted my time excersising.Or am i doing it right by not eating those calories back that i burned.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Also im a little confused on something.....if my calorie limit is 1520 but i burn 667 calories for working out that puts it up to 2187......now i guess that would mean i get to eat more calories.........but......what if i dont want to eat those 667 calories back up and i just chalk it up to calories burned and only stay with eating 1200 to 1400 calories............wouldnt i lose more lbs that way.....or am i supposed to eat those calories back up for a total of 2187 calories eaten?it just seems like i wasted my time excersising.Or am i doing it right by not eating those calories back that i burned.

    There will be folks on here who say eat all, some that say don't, some that eat some

    Unless you are at a stall right now, keep doing what you are doing. Personally for a man of your description, I would eat more than 1200, even 1520.. that may be why you have a plateau for two weeks and then start losing again.
  • dixiewhiskey
    dixiewhiskey Posts: 3,333 Member
    Check out: www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    You can also PM the person who wrote that thread and ask about anything you may not understand.
  • Chgosportsgal
    Chgosportsgal Posts: 38
    Here's the way I look at it. When MFP adds my calories from working out, I use it as a guide. I'm doing muscle shredding workouts like Turbo Fire and Les Mills Combat, so I need protein back in my system to start repairing the muscles. So I make sure I eat half of those calories back but in lean protein and I'll add some kind of whole grain. Hope that helps.
  • olynick
    olynick Posts: 31 Member
    ok that all helps,here i thought that i was going to stay one step ahead of MFP and go the extra mile and stay under the calorie goals to make it that much better for myself lol.I guess it depends on what you eat also huh?like if i have 200 calories left to get up to my goal,eating a cany bar isnt the right choice lol.I have been using 2 apples and natural peanut butter for a snack at night time tho........is this good or not?
  • olynick
    olynick Posts: 31 Member
    also i tend to have smaller meals for breakfast and lunch and save calories for dinner........is that ok
  • olynick
    olynick Posts: 31 Member
    Lol and one more thing i forgot to ask.........how often should i change up my work out because i have been doing zumba cardio party for two months now,do i really need to change it?
  • olynick
    olynick Posts: 31 Member
    thank you i will look that up
  • olynick
    olynick Posts: 31 Member
    So i guess ill up my calorie intake a little bit more then
  • olynick
    olynick Posts: 31 Member
    maybe i can keep all 3 meals around 500 cal with a light snack after dinner...that should put me a little over 1500
  • ron2e
    ron2e Posts: 606
    I find I tend to lose very little for a period or even on occasion go up a little, then lose a lot in like three days, and have discovered it seems to be down to water retention, either through not drinking enough (I do a lot of business travel and don't always get quite the opportunity to drink as much water as usual) or because I've had a couple of high sodium days. A few days at home drinking my normal amount and the weight just drops off. I've been weighing myself every day when I'm home to study this effect and it is quite pronounced. However, as long as the trend is downwards and you're losing what you expect on a monthly basis, there's not a lot wrong.
  • olynick
    olynick Posts: 31 Member
    ya i have actually loss more than what the guide says.I set it up to lose 2 lbs a week which would be 8 lbs a month.....ive been doing MFP for 55 days and have lost 27 lbs so i think im a little over my projected weight loss,so i am happy about that.I guess i should pay a little more attention to the sodium too because thats the one im usually over a lot on somedays.Thank you

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