calorie intake and workouts

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pit404
pit404 Posts: 24
in Health and Weight Loss
i joined a gym for 3 months a month ago, worked out 4 times a week for 1.5 hours and ate as well as i could. i didnt lose any weight, but only had toned arms at the end of 3 months. So i guess i was doing something wrong to have not lost any weight on my stomach & legs. Im joining another gym on monday, i have 5 weeks until i go away, so would really like to lose atleast 6 pounds. is Id like some advice on what types of food to eat and what 'clean eating' is all about and the types of workouts i should be doing. As i only have 5 weeks, i realise that il have to go to the gym atleast 5 times a week. i have cut down my carbs, apart from the daily banana, brown rice and porridge. i have a large glass of carrot juice for breakfast and for lunch i tend to have porridge, fruits, salads etc.

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  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    well, losing weight is 90% diet. eat good foods, and the right about of calories for your body. restricting calories too much can have adverse effects.

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html

    use this to calculate your tdee and bmr. never eat below your bmr. your tdee is the max you should eat. take your calories on lightly active and subtract 20%. thats what you should eat on a consistant basis.
  • pit404
    pit404 Posts: 24
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    thanks, i put my details in..it said i burn 1800 cals a day. so how do i work out how much to eat a day? and excerise. Also, i keep reading this 'eat back your cals' which i dont understand. i thought we worked out to lose the cals

    i just put in my bmr- which is 1,500 cals. is this what i should be eating a day? ive been on 1,200 for a month and didnt lose anything

    actually, im a little confused my ltdee is 1,800 and my bmr was 1,500.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    no. please google what you bmr, or basal metabolic rate, is. basically it is the bare minimum of food you need in a day if you were laying in bed all day.

    your tdee is your total daily energy expenditure. it's how many calories you burn in a typical day. is your 1800 calories at sedentary?

    when you plug in your numbers into MFP it gives you a calorie deficit. when you exercise, you make a BIGGER calorie deficit. too big of a calorie deficit is not good.

    remember, all these numbers are estimates. no one really knows exactly how much you burn in a day, or how much you need to eat.
  • marcvandenberg
    marcvandenberg Posts: 190 Member
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    So eat 1500
  • Warchortle
    Warchortle Posts: 2,197 Member
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    Couldn't lose anymore weight eating 1670 calories a day... I was eating 1870, but I transitioned from retail job to sitting, so... I adjusted my TDEE.. Stalled eating 1670... bumped calories up to 1900-2100 and started losing weight again. It depends on how hard you're working out. If you zone out for 90 minutes vs. training with intensity you can allot yourself more calories with the later.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    btw, making a big jump in calories will make you gain weight. don't immediatly add 400 calories to your daily diet. you'll bloat/gain a little. add about 100 daily calories every week.

    part of it is finding that sweet spot of calories that helps you lose weight, and feel full all day.

    and if you aren't already, get some protein powder. don't have to go crazy, just the target or trader joes brand is fine. i do a vanilla powder with OJ and frozen fruit and some yogurt, or i do a chocolate 'breakfast' shake with almond milk, dry oatmeal, a banana, and two tablespoons of peanut butter.
  • pit404
    pit404 Posts: 24
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    sounds good! my brother has whey protien, gold brand so i think il have one before my dinner, maybe add a banana and skimmed milk to it. i think 1,200 was too low for me to, so will up it to 1,500. il probs do 30 mins of cardio and 30 mins of weights, i,e squats, leg machines and arm workouts. so an hour in total 5 times a week from monday as thats when my membership starts. so if I'm supposed to eat 1,500 a day- and i burn say, 400 calls, do i eat back those 4oo calls?? as i could do that with fruits and two yogurts

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