Can someone help the newbie? :)

I'm in the same boat as you. I'm 21, 5 foot 4, and weigh 222 pounds. And I am definitely serious about losing weight and changing my appearence

I am new too! Well I signed up two years ago and that was the extent of my visit here.

I have been on this journey a long time and I am finally seeing some results but lately I have hit a bit of a lull again.

We are all shorties! I am 5'1 - I started "losing" at 240. My highest weight ever. I am now at 182. I have been averaging around 800 calories lately and I think that is why my progress has stalled. I am trying to beef up my calories to at least 1100 and hoping to jumpstart "winning" again! You have to eat (right) to lose... I think we are trained to think less is best but that's not the case all the time.

Make smart choices - you got this!

1000-1200 is wayy too low. I'm gonna break down everything you need to know about calories for you

There are 2 magic numbers. Your BMR and your TDEE. I plugged in your info into a calculator and heres what i came up with for you.

Your BMR is the number of calories your body needs to function. Your weight/height/age is used to determine this. Your BMR is 1864. You need to eat AT LEAST this many calories to be healthy and keep your body from slowing down your metabolism (I've been there).

Your TDEE is the number of calories you burn throughout the day doing normal things (ex. sitting, digesting, sleeping etc.) Again it is based on height/weight/age. Yours is 2237. This means that in order to MAINTAIN your weight, you should eat this many calories a day because that is what you burn.

Now to find the number of calories to consume daily for optimal weightloss we cut 15%-20% from our TDEE. Make sure this number is higher than your BMR and lower than your TDEE. So for you I'd suggest 15% to start.

To figure all this out I used this calculator http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Now you can leave your activity level as desk job/little or no activity and just log all your exercise on MFP. If you put anything more than little or no activity, you might be double dipping into your calories if you log your exercise as well.

So this leaves you with a daily calorie goal of 1902! Yay! This might seem like a big number, but its actually a 335 calorie deficit. Which is perfect.

Also make sure your NET calories on here are at least your BMR

So basically if you eat less than your BMR (1864) you risk slowing down your metabolism, being tired all the time, and many other side effects that really arent worth it. I was eating around 200 under my BMR and I've been plateaued for 3 weeks and counting. I had to increase my calories to try to fix this and I'm hoping i didn't mess it up too bad! We'll find out.

Weightloss is not something we can speed up if we want to be healthy . It took time to put on weight and it takes time to get it off. So be healthy, eat right and you will get closer to your goal everyday!

I hope this helped. Feel free to add me :flowerforyou:

EDIT: I've noticed some people saying that she's doing the right thing by eating 1000 calories. Just wanted to say. NOOOOOO. please don't listen to people saying this. It is very unhealthy and will only lead to gaining the weight back very quickly after. There is no perfect number that applies to everyone. That's why we use calculators to figure out bmr and tdee. It's science. "Listening to what your body tells you" makes no sense. Your body doesn't want to lose weight, or look sexy. Your body wants to survive, so it wants you to eat as much as possible to cling onto fat. You have to find the balance. Feel free to send me a messgae if you have more questions. Just please don't listen to people saying "I'm new too and i'm only eating 1000 calories and it feels right!" NO. Trust me.

I'm new too - just joined last week! I've had my share of weight losses and gains, from "healthy" to "obese" (I really don't like the BMI - it's not friendly to short folks like me - 5'4"). I can tell you from personal experience is that the only way to maintain a healthy weight loss is by doing it safely. Definitely stick to the 1000-1200 calorie range. And as superbeacon said, listen to your body - if you're really hungry eat a little more.
You may learn that you need to intake more calories daily but offset it with more exercise. Just don't beat yourself up if you go over some days! Tomorrow is another day.
I'd be happy to be a buddy - I'd love to have some added encouragement myself!

10.5 pounds since 1/1

~1lb per week is totally a success!

I'd say that upping calories is still a good idea. 1310 is likely below your BMR. Good luck!

The problem with eating too little is that you risk your body going into "starvation mode" and hoarding its fat. This makes losing weight harder. There's a great calculator for figuring out the right number of calories for you and your goals at http://nutrition.about.com/od/changeyourdiet/a/calguide.htm

Thanks for the link - this formula is very helpful!

I also am 29, 5 ft 3 and 215 looking for some people to work weight loss with me it makes it much nicer when people are about the same boat as you

Please feel free to add me as well. I am not new to this yo-yo dieting journey but I am still struggling. I am happy to provide any support I can!

Hi welcome! I'm also kinda new. I think the calorie intake is good for you! and I'm glad you are determined!!! keep it up! I'm super happy I joined. I really like it. It has taught me to be more aware of the foods I eat

When I started out, I was eating 1400-1600 calories a day and losing weight and I was close to your size and weight. I wouldn't recommend anything lower than 1200 calories without medical supervision, but if you are just starting out, I'd recommend a little more until you get used to eating less. Good luck!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/857137-for-the-newbies-here-is-what-losing-80-pounds-is-like

Pay attention to the people telling you to eat more.

I did the 1200-ish thing when I started on the site a little over a year ago, and I ate back my exercise calories for the most part. I lost quite a bit in the first couple of months. Then the weight got a lot harder to take off. I started gaining and losing the same few pounds, and when the gain was 5 pounds up, I decided to give it a break and I left the site for a while. I continued to eat healthy with some splurges here or there, but I stopped tracking calories and I only ate enough to satisfy my hunger, not to fill up to the point of feeling really full. Without the site, I managed to maintain that weight for a few months (I was pretty lucky there). But I came back this year looking to lose more to reach my goal for real this time, and I realized the 1200 thing is just not sustainable.

I'm 5'3" and currently weigh 148 lbs so I'm eating between 1,500-1,600 to get a small deficit. I know losing is going to take longer this time, but while the numbers aren't moving that much yet, I'm already seeing some improvements in my waist and hip measurements so I know the eating more thing is making a difference. It's all about patience and commitment!

Good luck!

EDIT: By the way...my tracker shows I've lost 22 pounds. Only 11 of those were from being on MFP. The other 11 were from before MFP -- the first 11 took about a year to take off and was mostly only done by cutting down on portion sizes at meals and only eating enough to feel satisfied without feeling full. At 1200 calories, you're pretty much starving yourself, but clearly that's not necessary for losing weight. Just saying.