Peter, England UK -- EXPECTATIONS?

peterwebb91
peterwebb91 Posts: 1
in Introduce Yourself
hey all,

i'm 2 weeks into a diet/ exercise regime, & thought i would join mfp for support + advice. i'm a 23-year-old male from england.

my original stats: 215lbs, 6ft, 36waist, 44chest.

my goal: 170lbs, 6ft, 32w, 44c.

i'm running 5x per week (5-10km, depending) and have cut out all alcohol, processed foods, calorific drinks (i.e. anything that isn't water or herbal tea), caffeine, starchy fillers (e.g. white rice, white pasta), and [yes...] cigarettes. i'm eating about 1900 calories per day during running days and cutting this to about 1600 per day on rest days.

does this sound about right?

does anyone have specific advice on where the calories should come from?

any views of cutting this calorie consumption down to about 1200 calories/day?

all advice and support would be much appreciated!

peter.

Replies

  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    I'm 5'1" with a normal BMI, and I eat more than 1,200 calories. You're 6 foot. Do not do it!

    Trust the system. You want to lose 45 lbs., so set your goal to lose 1.5 lbs. per week (or even 1 lb.). Eat back your exercise calories. If after two weeks you're not losing, then only eat back 75% of your exercise calories. If you're still not losing after another week or two, eat back half your exercise calories.

    Try to learn patience. If you drop a bunch of weight really quickly, you're likely to gain it back. (Plus a few more pounds for good measure.) Learn to measure your food accurately, to find accurate entries in the database, and to be honest with yourself while you're logging. As you get in the habit of logging everything accurately & honestly, try planning your day ahead of time. It may be really helpful for you. It may not, but you won't know until you try.

    Everyone is different, so it will take trial & error to find what works for you. It took me a couple of months before everything "clicked" and I started losing. But if I could lose weight (and keep it off), then you can, too.
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    Your enthusiasm is admirable.

    Watch out for expectations -- your post makes it sound like you're making a bunch of pretty drastic changes all at the same time (new exercise, calorie restriction, different types of food, no booze, no smoking, no caffeine, etc.) That's an awful lot of change and for some people that much change all at once just won't be sustainable. If it is for you, great - that's awesome. But I wouldn't beat yourself up if you decided you wanted to eat some of your "old" foods (in appropriate portions), or wanted to have a cup of caffeinated coffee, or wanted to lift a pint with a friend. This will be a marathon not a sprint, so just be aware that you can reach your goals without forcing all these changes at once if that becomes too difficult.

    Lest you think I am pooh-poohing your approach -- I think many of the changes you're making are awesome and I wish you the very best in succeeding. I just don't want you to think that you have to make all of them at once; nor do I want you to think that if you backslide or change your mind on one change you might as well chuck the whole thing.
  • stt43
    stt43 Posts: 487
    Is your body used to running that much? If not you are going to spend a lot of time injured.
    You don't need to cut out any types of food/drink to lose weight, unless you have been told to for medical reasons.
    I would say your calorie intake is too low.
    Calories can come from where ever you like.
    Cutting your calories down to 1200 would be a bad idea.
  • 12vikki34
    12vikki34 Posts: 5
    Well done for giving up the *kitten*. I have given up too and found that being on the diet has actually helped as far as cravings for the wicked weed is concerned. I find that I am more obsessed with what my food intake should be and dreaming about ice cream, cakes and kebabs and not even thinking about ciggies. Hope everything is still going well
  • varner42
    varner42 Posts: 4
    How did you do it? I am only 4 days in, but 25 lbs to lose. I am exercising about 30-45 mins per day, but I have gained a pound and lost nothing :(. What am I doing wrong?
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Wow - it sounds like you've cut out an awful lot all at once! Any reason why you've cut so much out of your diet? I'd worry that you are at a higher risk of burning out and giving up. I'm really not trying to discourage you, but sometimes when people make such drastic changes to their lifestyle, they find that it lasts a few weeks and then it gets really boring, and really hard, and they give up and feel a big failure when if they'd taken things a little slower from the beginning, they'd have had a better chance of making lasting changes.

    Honestly, I think 1200 calories would be far too low for you, even if you're sedentary, and you are nowhere near sedentary if you're running that much. Again, you risk setting yourself up for failure. Try to make small changes that you know you can live with forever. You don't have to give up certain foods, unless you have a medical condition that warrants it, or an intolerance, or specific triggers for binge eating etc. Don't give up starchy foods just because it seems like what a dieter should do.

    I also agree that if you are new to running, that might also be overkill. Running is definitely something that should be built up gradually.

    Use MFP to set a reasonable calorie deficit (not too low!) Eat the foods you like. Track them accurately. Do exercise you like. Eat back at least a good portion of your exercise calories. Be patient, and you'll see good progress. This process takes a long time.

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