Help with diet and exercise?

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chereamie
chereamie Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone!

I have a few questions about diet and exercise :)

So about 5 months ago I lost 20 lbs just reducing calorie intake. I've kept 10 of them off. Now I'm looking to actually tone up and slim down (before I just slimmed down). I am 19, about 5'5" and 150 lbs. I have very little time to exercise. I work 12 hour days (during the summer) and I am also a full time student (during school time I work much less than this but I still don't have much time). I keep my grades up and run my own business along with helping run a totally different business that is quickly flourishing leaving me with little to no time leftover at the end of the day.

I purchased the 10 minute trainer dvd set with Tony Horton (or whatever his name is, haha). I read you only burn about 100 calories per video. I am pretty strong, I took dance from the age of 3 to 15 and being that I have no older brothers I also did lots of outside work to include heavy lifting, but these dvds are pretty intense and I don't have much stamina. So at the time, I am only doing 2 workouts. This morning I woke up early and did the abs and yoga flex workouts. After the workout and breakfast I averaged an intake of 204 calories.

So... with all of this information... what should my calorie goals be? I am currently trying to stay within 1200 a day. I'm not obese at all, just starting to get a small layer of fat over my rock hard muscles ;) and I want to knock it down before it gets too hard.

Anyone have any advice?
Also, I could use motivation advice too if anyone has any...
Or any advice at all!

Thanks! :))

Replies

  • chereamie
    chereamie Posts: 7
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    Bump, please?
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    With only needing/wanting to lose 20 Lbs, 1200 NET calories is probably too aggressive. With that little to lose, shoot for 0.5 - 1 Lb per week loss tops. When you get to within 10 Lbs you should be going very slow....1/2 Lb per week. This will help you preserve your lean body mass. Obese individuals can sustain much larger calorie deficits than those with relatively little body fat; when you have relatively little body fat, your body burns muscle for fuel with big calorie deficits because you just don't have the fat stores.

    Also understand that MFP is a NEAT method (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) calculator. What this means is that when you input your daily activity level, you do not include exercise...exercise becomes extra activity that needs to be fueled. So even if you were doing 1200 calories, you'd be NET 1200 but your gross would be more with exercise.

    As far as your exercise goes, it really doesn't matter for weight loss. Your calorie deficit is built into your calorie goal; you eat back most of your exercise calories anyway, so no need to burn off a **** ton of calories with exercise unless you just want to eat more.

    In that RE, use your diet for weight control; exercise for fitness.
  • chereamie
    chereamie Posts: 7
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    That is a lot of information I didn't know, thank you! So what would be better for my calorie goal? 1400? Or maybe more? I definitely don't want to lose muscle mass...

    If I am maintaining my weight with what I regularly eat and no exercise should I still increase my calorie intake while adding exercise? Can I still burn the extra fat that way?

    I'm thinking I'd like to be about 135-140 range.

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