New to dieting and NEED help!

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OMGItsErinPratt
OMGItsErinPratt Posts: 48 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! Thank you SO much for stopping and taking time to read my NEED for help.

I'm brand new to dieting and exercising and need a lot of help/pointers. I've tried reading a lot of the posts on the forum and it's all very confusing to me. So I need some help.

Here are my stats:

Age: 26
Height: 5'4
CW: 275
GW: 200 (for now)
BF: 44%

As of right now, I've completely changed my eating habits. I try to eat completely organic and healthy, no soda, nothing processed, except for the occasional fiber one bar. I haven't cheated, not even once even with 3 kids and an abundance of brownies lol. Plus, I'm getting married in 3 months!!! :)
I began my weight loss journey on Feb. 21, 2013. and as of Monday, I have lost 15lbs. (woot woot!) But I've also become obsessed with the scale and I know that's bad. I'm trying to learn to trust my body and look in the mirror more.

So here's my dilemma...

*As an obese woman, should I really be eating 1500 calories per day?

*As an obese woman, what exercises are going to benefit me the most? (right now, I've almost completed the 30 day shred)

*I feel as though if I eat a huge dinner, that fat stays with me more than if I eat a hearty breakfast/lunch. Is that factual?

*What kinds of foods help burn the most fat?


Thank you SO much in advance! I'm so lost with this whole dieting/exercising thing. I wish there was a step by step guide.



**I'd really like to hear from obese people who have lost a lot of weight and in how much time that was and what you did. I'm ready and willing to do just about anything!**

Replies

  • OMGItsErinPratt
    OMGItsErinPratt Posts: 48 Member
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    bump :)
  • Arkhos
    Arkhos Posts: 290 Member
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    15lbs in a couple of weeks is AMAZING!!!! Especially for a woman!!! you are already on your way, so why change what you are doing? I would start thinking about this as a life change and not a diet - this is for the long term, and you are already at a great start to the rest of your life. :wink:
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,775 Member
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    #1 most important thing to do - GET THE WORD "DIET" OUT OF YOUR VOCABULARY!!! Your goal is a change in sustainable LIFESTYLE.
  • mjn18
    mjn18 Posts: 74 Member
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    If you are concerned about not eating enough/eating too much try using a TDEE calculator. I would suggest searching "TDEE" and "BMR" on My Fitness Pal and looking at some of the tools recommended from there. My hunch is that you may be eating too little for sustainable loss right now, but calculating your numbers would help you decide that.
  • OMGItsErinPratt
    OMGItsErinPratt Posts: 48 Member
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    Thanks guys!!!

    I know "diet" is not a good word. I have been using "eating healthy" and "lifestyle change" a lot lately too. which is HUGE for me. I just feel that if I eat too much, I'm going to gain weight that I've lost back and that's the last thing I want.

    And don't get me wrong, I'm INSANELY happy about my 15lbs but this week so far, I've only lost 1. How is that possible? How can I go from losing a significant amount to 1?
  • Arkhos
    Arkhos Posts: 290 Member
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    Thanks guys!!!

    I know "diet" is not a good word. I have been using "eating healthy" and "lifestyle change" a lot lately too. which is HUGE for me. I just feel that if I eat too much, I'm going to gain weight that I've lost back and that's the last thing I want.

    And don't get me wrong, I'm INSANELY happy about my 15lbs but this week so far, I've only lost 1. How is that possible? How can I go from losing a significant amount to 1?

    Because you dropped a huge amount in a very short amount of time - the body reacted.Don't stress over it until 4 weeks go by with no change :happy:
  • OMGItsErinPratt
    OMGItsErinPratt Posts: 48 Member
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    Because you dropped a huge amount in a very short amount of time - the body reacted.Don't stress over it until 4 weeks go by with no change :happy:

    Gotcha! :) but is it really true that the more you eat, the more you lose? I can't even reach my caloric intake if I tried! And trust me, I'm trying! I'm just not hungry!
  • cmmdance
    cmmdance Posts: 45 Member
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    My motto is don't set yourself of for failure. Make small simple goals for yourself, like I want to lose 5 lbs in a month, exercise 4 days a week, eat sensible meals, cut out the sugar. When you accomplish those goals, then you move on to the next goal. Experts recommend1-2 lbs a week. Try to look at your overall lifestyle change. Any kind of weightloss is still a loss. Also remember, exercising to lose inches and making healthy choices are good goals too. Take one day at a time and keep making good choices and the weight will come off.
  • bethany41h
    bethany41h Posts: 218
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    1500 is low! I am at 291lbs and it has told me to have about 1650-ish and that's at two pounds a week. I am trying to more than that though. I would recommend eating your heartiest meal at lunch. It sounds like you are really doing wonderful! I started out with a lot of cardio to drop pounds but now I am weight training as well. I also started out by eating natural and organic.. which I think has been the best thing. Sounds like you have a great grasp on things! Keep up the great work!
  • PosterGuy1
    PosterGuy1 Posts: 163 Member
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    I began my journey on 1/1 and I weighed 420.2 pounds. I now weigh 369.6 pounds. I have not entered the execrcise phase yet, and I average 1,350 calories a day. Feel free to look at my diary.
  • OMGItsErinPratt
    OMGItsErinPratt Posts: 48 Member
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    1500 is low! I am at 291lbs and it has told me to have about 1650-ish and that's at two pounds a week. I am trying to more than that though. I would recommend eating your heartiest meal at lunch. It sounds like you are really doing wonderful! I started out with a lot of cardio to drop pounds but now I am weight training as well. I also started out by eating natural and organic.. which I think has been the best thing. Sounds like you have a great grasp on things! Keep up the great work!

    Thanks! :)
    My TDEE says I should be eating 1900 which is just crazy talk to me! All you hear all your life is to eat less by portion size and eat more frequent during the day, which I'm doing. But for some reason, I can't reach my 1500 mark! I'm like always stuck at 900 or less and trust me, I'm eating! It's crazy...I just feel the more I eat, the more weight I'll gain and I won't lose ANYTHING and I'm afraid of that.
  • glassxxballerina
    glassxxballerina Posts: 48
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    One mistake everyone (myself included) does is cut their calories way too low.

    I had been eating at my BMR (1550ish) for several months, kept gaining and losing the same five pounds. It was incredibly frustrating!

    I switched to eating a 20% deficit of my TDEE (1950) and have lost 4 pounds in the last three days. Granted, I exercise at least an hour a day, 5-6 days a week (weights, cycling, running) because I'm in training for triathlon season. With TDEE, you do not calculate your exercise calories because they are already included in your total.

    http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx

    EAT MORE TO LOSE MORE!
  • OMGItsErinPratt
    OMGItsErinPratt Posts: 48 Member
    Options
    One mistake everyone (myself included) does is cut their calories way too low.

    I had been eating at my BMR (1550ish) for several months, kept gaining and losing the same five pounds. It was incredibly frustrating!

    I switched to eating a 20% deficit of my TDEE (1950) and have lost 4 pounds in the last three days. Granted, I exercise at least an hour a day, 5-6 days a week (weights, cycling, running) because I'm in training for triathlon season. With TDEE, you do not calculate your exercise calories because they are already included in your total.

    http://thefitgirls.com/tdee-calculator.aspx

    EAT MORE TO LOSE MORE!

    I'm going to have to try this. I go by weekly circuits trying different "lifestyle" changes. I'm going to have to try the eat more to lose more method next week. I'm very interested in this because I've seen it everywhere. It's just going to be very very hard for me to even eat that much food. I'm in the mindset eat less, lose more.

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