New to fitness pal; weight loss question

Nickeyrae23
Nickeyrae23 Posts: 2
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi, so I am new on here. I had a baby six months ago via csection, i had gained sixty lbs while prego and haven't lost any weight. So last month I started working out 5 days a weeks for about about an hr a day. 30 minutes cardio on the treadmill and thirty strength training. I had only lost five lbs doing this which was probably water weight... Missed two days of working out and gained it back. So anyway here's my question... If I workout 5 days a week... If I bump my workout up to where I am burning 500 calories a day five days a week and eating 1200 calories everyday... How much weight should I be losing? Thanks for any help. Numbers tend to drive my motivation. :)

Replies

  • emuravyeva
    emuravyeva Posts: 103 Member
    Despite what this site tells you, you need more than 1200 calories. I lost nothing at all eating 1200/day. Now I eat around 1700-1800 and the weight is coming off steadily. Don't starve yourself.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    No. Nonononononononono.


    That's waaaaaaay too much exercise for that little Calorie intake.

    Read this.
    Follow it.
    Succeed.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    you didn't gain 5lbs back by missing 2 days of working out. You don't even have to work out to lose weight you just need a calorie deficet.

    As for what you should be losing in your scenario it's hard to say because we don't know your maintenance numbers.

    Suggestion tho...

    Eat some food...be at a reasonable deficet...which means slower weight loss but it's healthier...ie 1lb a week.

    Lower the cardio and up the strength training and get in enough protien so the weight you are losing is mostly fat and not muscle.
  • auburngirl06
    auburngirl06 Posts: 153 Member
    Have you used the calculators on this website to determine an appropriate calorie target? A 500 deficit per day has you losing about a pound a week. I think that is a good goal. I can tell you that if you are working out for an hour a day 5 days a week, 1200 calories is not enough for you. Use the calculator and put in one pound loss per week. This will not include your exercise so you can eat more on days you work out to keep your 500 deficit per day.
  • cjazz72
    cjazz72 Posts: 80 Member
    Well it takes 3500 calories to burn 1 ib of fat. But remember too besides working out your body is always burning calories from just well living. A healthy weight lost is between 0.5 to 2 ibs a week. May I suggest using both the scale and measurements of your body. Reason being is that a scale is not as 100% accurate compare to measuring. Like you might have stayed the same weight but lost inches because inches determines fat lost. Not to mention muscle is denser than fat. For me I measure my waist and figure out body fat %. Just a suggestion =)
  • GracieGag
    GracieGag Posts: 24 Member
    Calorie intake also depends on you age and current size. If I ate 1700 to 1800 calories a day I would gain weight everyday.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    Calorie intake also depends on you age and current size. If I ate 1700 to 1800 calories a day I would gain weight everyday.

    not really age...it's more about activity level, bmr etc.

    I lose on 1700-1800 calories as well..and I am 41...
    My sister loses on 2000 calories a day and she is 43...
  • alferdjeffers
    alferdjeffers Posts: 1
    Losing weight is simpler than I thought. It's a simple input/output situation. The key is to estimate what your body (mostly based on your starting weight) naturally metabolizes just doing the basic work of being alive. Once you have this number you just look to reduce your net calories. If you do this, you will start losing weight. Exercise simply subtracts from your daily caloric intake and thus, assuming you eat the same amount, creates a bigger deficit on those days.

    Let's say you're 170 now. Your basal metabolic rate would be about 1,850 or so. So, at net 1200 calories per week you will be creating a 4,550 calorie deficit. I've read many times that a pound of body fat is about 3,500 calories. This oversimplifies things because your body doesn't solely use body fat stores during weight loss but I think it's a good rule of thumb. Anyway, that would put you at about 1.3 pounds per week. If you exercise but don't eat those calories back then you will be looking at over 2 pounds per week.

    It's really important to not expect the weight to come off super quickly. I've been at it 4 weeks and have lost 8-10 pounds. It's hard sometimes not to get frustrated at how much time it takes for the weight to come off. Also, I'd recommend not allowing yourself to eat back some of those calories on days you work out. If you engage in strenuous activity you need to have the energy to keep at it the next day. If I limited myself to 1200 calories I'd probably pass out after my workout. I hope that helps.
  • jennp1313
    jennp1313 Posts: 29
    I am certainly no expert, but if I understand you correctly, you're saying that your net caloric intake for each of the five days you workout would be 1200-500 = 700. That is WAY too low, and you will most likely go into starvation mode. You should probably be eating most of your exercise calories back, to put you at a 1200 net caloric intake. That is really the minimum that is healthy. As per your question of how much you should be losing, this is impossible to say. Every single person will respond differently, even if they consume and burn an identical number of calories. But, what I've found, is that the daily calorie limits on MFP are a bit padded, I assume because they are trying to set people up for success, even if a person doesn't properly account for every single calorie they consumed in their log. I'll use myself as an example: I am 5'4, 26 yrs old, female, and weigh 191. My calorie limit, in order to lose 1/2 pound per week, is 1740. However, on weeks where I adhere to that limit VERY strictly and VERY accurately, I end up losing 1 whole pound or more that week. On weeks where I go over my limit by 200-300 calories, I still end up losing a 1/2 pound. I don't know if this is true for everyone, or even most people, but this is my second time around on MFP, and both times this has been my personal experience. The main thing is to always stay feeling full. If your stomach is growling, you need to eat, regardless of if it will put you over your daily limit. I suspect you will still lose more weight doing that than if you allow your body to think its starving. If you find that you are always hungry, almost everyday, maybe try eating different types of food. All calories are not created equal, and certain foods will satiate you much, much longer than others. I hope this was helpful! Good luck to you and congrats on becoming a new mom!

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