Need to lose 20, not that much but it sure feels like a lot!

aliciamarieUF
aliciamarieUF Posts: 226 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It has been super difficult. Normally I can make it down to 142-143 before my weight starts quickly climbing back up. Not sure what exercises I should be doing to lose and maintain the weight. I feel like my eating is under control. It's just getting under 140 that has been impossible! Suggestions?

Replies

  • Tryxxie2013
    Tryxxie2013 Posts: 1,489 Member
    Hi Alicia,

    I am the group leader for the MFP Sisters, a group of incredible women who support/motivate each other to the max. We're pretty new but we're quite a group already. Let me know if you would like to join, we would be happy to help!

    Tryxx :flowerforyou:
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    Fat loss isn't really about what exercises to do, it's about how much your eating.

    You don't have that far from your goal. How tall are you and what calorie target are you at now?

    ETA: How long have you been at that calorie target?
  • aliciamarieUF
    aliciamarieUF Posts: 226 Member
    Hi Iron,

    I'm 5'6" and have always been at about 1500 to 1600 calories a day and reduced it to 1200 calories about 2 weeks ago. I dropped a pound this past week, but constantly feel hungry.
  • aliciamarieUF
    aliciamarieUF Posts: 226 Member
    Hi Alicia,

    I am the group leader for the MFP Sisters, a group of incredible women who support/motivate each other to the max. We're pretty new but we're quite a group already. Let me know if you would like to join, we would be happy to help!

    Tryxx :flowerforyou:

    Sure! Give me the details. :) Thank you.
  • missjmariam
    missjmariam Posts: 47 Member
    I started at 144.4lbs second week of February, I have lost 9 lbs so far. Cardio has been my best friend. 60 minutes 6 days a week on the treadmill or elliptical. On the treadmill i do 4.5 mph as a very brisk walk and then i run at 6.5mph-7.5mph. I usually get in 30 minutes of fast walk and 30 minutes of a run. On the elliptical i do it on level 11,12,13,14 for 45 minutes usually.

    When I leave the gym the minimum I'll burn is 400 (on a lazy day) or up to 900 on a go hard type of day. The weight has been falling off. You can add me if you like, I still eat out few times a week, just no soda and drink mostly water except for my tim hortons coffee in the morning :)
  • missjmariam
    missjmariam Posts: 47 Member
    Also I eat back 75% to 100% of my exercise calories burn.


    Do not eat anything under ur BMR, ur bmr is around 1450. I know this because I am same height as you and started at roughly same weight!
  • dimple_gal
    dimple_gal Posts: 139 Member
    You are young! You should look into any and all exercise that you find fun, valuable and can stick with! Do you like to dance? Look at classes like Zumba, or others. Outdoorsy? Take up running, hiking, kayaking etc. - maybe something you and your husband can do together! I know you want to quickly lose 20 pounds, we all do! Don't look at the short term fix, if you start now, you can be healthy and in shape for the rest of your long life! The weight loss will come.
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    1500-1600 is actually a better goal for you. With so little to lose, you have to be very meticulous about serving size. If you are not weighing and measuring your food, and just eyeballing, then you could very easily be eating more than you think.

    What we are all trying to accomplish, at least IMO, is to be able to lose or maintain at the highest possible calories level.

    What is your workout schedule?
  • aliciamarieUF
    aliciamarieUF Posts: 226 Member
    Hey Iron, I've been weighing and measuring my food and tracking it very carefully these past two weeks since I bought a fitbit (finally). Normally I take up spinning for an hour twice a week (tues. and thurs.), Wednesday's I swim, Saturday I do yoga and half an our of aerobics, I do an hour of free weights on Sunday. I enjoy the classes because the hour seems to go by much quicker than if I were to get on a treadmill for an hour.

    I have been told I need to start up with circuit training but I can't afford a personal trainer and really don't know what to do without looking like an idiot.
  • aliciamarieUF
    aliciamarieUF Posts: 226 Member
    You are young! You should look into any and all exercise that you find fun, valuable and can stick with! Do you like to dance? Look at classes like Zumba, or others. Outdoorsy? Take up running, hiking, kayaking etc. - maybe something you and your husband can do together! I know you want to quickly lose 20 pounds, we all do! Don't look at the short term fix, if you start now, you can be healthy and in shape for the rest of your long life! The weight loss will come.

    That's what I have been doing, but it's still proven to be very difficult!
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    I agree that you could probably benefit from starting a strength training program. There are several that you can get without needing a trainer. New Rules of Lifting for Women and Starting Strength are a couple that are really good. Stonglifts 5x5 is an easy to follow routine with only 5 lifts to learn.

    I'd seriously consider gradually taking those calories back up to 1500-1600 and starting a strength training program.
  • aliciamarieUF
    aliciamarieUF Posts: 226 Member
    Thank you, I will look into your suggestions. :)
  • gerla_k
    gerla_k Posts: 495 Member
    I'm in the same boat as you, i only need to lose 20 lbs. Have you considered interval traning dvd that you can do at home - like Insanity, P90X. I currently do Focus T25- I'm on week 3- can see results already by the way my clothes fit me, however, my scale isn't moving yet. Worse I gained like 4 lbs- hopefully it's just water retention to repair muscles from crazy workouts.
  • Edensienna
    Edensienna Posts: 180 Member
    It has taken me over six months to lose 20lbs.. It has been a very slow process despite watching my calorie intake and working out three times per week, I'm also a busy mom. Keep going. The persistence is what helped me finally reach my goal :)
  • Anniebotnen
    Anniebotnen Posts: 332 Member
    Do you know your bodyfat level? It can be very difficult for women to get down below 22-23% bodyfat without cutting calories so much that you're hungry all the time, which can lead to binging and gaining the weight back. If you don't have a lot of fat to lose, you could be better off eating more and lifting heavy .
  • aliciamarieUF
    aliciamarieUF Posts: 226 Member
    It has taken me over six months to lose 20lbs.. It has been a very slow process despite watching my calorie intake and working out three times per week, I'm also a busy mom. Keep going. The persistence is what helped me finally reach my goal :)

    Thanks, I have no intention of giving up.
  • aliciamarieUF
    aliciamarieUF Posts: 226 Member
    Do you know your bodyfat level? It can be very difficult for women to get down below 22-23% bodyfat without cutting calories so much that you're hungry all the time, which can lead to binging and gaining the weight back. If you don't have a lot of fat to lose, you could be better off eating more and lifting heavy .

    I have no idea what my bodyfat level is. Thanks for your input.
  • Laquincy
    Laquincy Posts: 76 Member
    I can't speak for everyone due to the fact everyone bodies responds differently to different exercises(i.e. strength training, cardio, circuit etc...) and dieting. Personally I started at 298 played college football and exercise science major so I know a little about this.

    Again I'm only going to say what is working for me. I did Insanity for up until the last two weeks of the program then I stopped. Noticed that my muscle endurance was better but didn't really see tons of improvement physically far as muscle definition etc..i was just a smaller me. I was logging my calories and think I lost maybe 5-7lbs. Not bad, but I wasn't getting the look I wanted.

    So I went back to strength training/cardio strength training 3-4 days/wk ,and running 2 days/wk; and this along with a few tweaks to my diet has been most beneficial. I'm now 279.2 lol...So I'm down a additional 13lbs or so. Still have 9 to go.

    Ok type of training I do. When I lift weights I DON'T SIT DOWN it what I was taught as athlete and a rule I abide by when lifitng(this is just a personally not saying everyone should do this., it's basically 45 minutes of circuit training. I do total of 8-10 exercises depending on the day. For example So I'll do squats followed by DB bench followed by pulls-ups then 1-2 min rest. This allows my heart rate to stay elevated. Sets and reps vary each exercise. I make those 3 into a circuit. Then depending on whats left i.e difficulty of exercise i'll do my last exercises all together(which can be up to 5) or break them down into 3 again.
    My cardio consists of sprint or interval running. 15-30secs of high intensity running followed by a 1 min cool down. Maybe 10-15 sprint

    I like to do full body right now since my goal is weight loss. As far as dieting I got down to 284 from 298 and hit a wall. I have a big problem with cakes, cookies , pastries etc..I have completely cut those things out my diet... for right now lol.. and almost immediately dropped to 281. Then I hit yet another wall there so I dropped my calories by 100 now I'm at 2100 a day and I started drinking proteins powders on some days as breakfast instead of the usually, which for me is eggs or oatmea or cereal or omelets.

    Now I'm 279 as of right now. One thing I'd like to say, I personally do not eat back my calories I burn from working out. I'm allowed to eat 2100 and still lose so honestly there is no need to. I do have cravings some nights I just drink water or eat fruit.
    Fruit is basically my new way to eat sweets lol.

    I do also allow myself one cheat day out the week. Usually a weekend. Last Saturday I had like 6 slices of pizza and who knows how many wings lol. This just helps me with the cravings for bad things.

    So just find out what works for you and once you get to a sticking point switch up something in your diet or training regime. Your body is a amazing specimen and can adapt to almost anything. You have to constantly keep it guessing.
  • Laquincy
    Laquincy Posts: 76 Member
    Also, I eat about 5-6 times a day. Breakfast, snack 1, lunch, snack 2, and dinner, snack maybe.

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