Need Advice Please!

FoodTruckJoni
FoodTruckJoni Posts: 4
in Introduce Yourself
Hi! I am needing some nutritional advice. I am wanting to lose weight and get healthy and have been working very hard at this for the past 6 weeks. I have lost 17 pounds so far. But I'm really not sure how many calories I should be eating daily in order to continue losing: weight without throwing my body into starvation mode. I'm currently eating 1300 calories a day and burning about 2200 calories total (according to my activity tracker). I work out for 30-45 min a day, 7 days a week, and walk about a mile on my lunch break. I don't feel like I am seeing the results that I should or want to be seeing. When setting up myfitnesspal account it told me to eat 1800 calories a day, that seems like way too much! I am confused and need help...any suggestions?

Thank you! :flowerforyou:

Replies

  • jbella99
    jbella99 Posts: 596 Member
    Well you need to figure out how many calories you need to maintain (bmr) and then subtract 500 to 1000 calories.

    try this
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    It will give you a pretty good idea. You will need to re-calculate after every 5 to 10 pounds to keep losing.
  • FoodTruckJoni
    FoodTruckJoni Posts: 4
    Thank you very much! :happy:
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    Well you need to figure out how many calories you need to maintain (bmr) and then subtract 500 to 1000 calories.

    try this
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    It will give you a pretty good idea. You will need to re-calculate after every 5 to 10 pounds to keep losing.

    Mmmm .....no

    BMR = calories if you stayed in bed all day. It's not a good idea to eat less than this unless you are extremely overweight.

    TDEE = maintenance (perhaps a typo?) .....anyway subtract from TDEE

    But for OP - 1,000 will be too much. With roughly 35 pounds to lose you should be looking at a deficit of 500 calories at most (1 pound a week). The reason for a smaller deficit.....if you want to lose FAT, as opposed to fat+muscle, then you need a moderate weight loss goal.
  • DEPick
    DEPick Posts: 70 Member
    you've lost 17 lbs in six weeks doing what you are doing. just sayin
  • AngelaMcAuleyGlenn
    AngelaMcAuleyGlenn Posts: 9 Member
    If you have already lost 17 pounds in 6 weeks you are doing amazing. A healthy weight loss is between 1-2 per week, so you are way ahead of that. I would be afraid of loosing too quickly and hitting a plateau. Don't burn yourself out. If you are happy with how you feel at your current level, then keep it up. Don't be surprised though, when you slow down.

    Also, you didn't mention your height or weight. The more weight you have to loose, the faster it seems to come off in the beginning.
  • FoodTruckJoni
    FoodTruckJoni Posts: 4
    I lost 4-5 pounds the first couple weeks and then had a week of no weight loss at all. And now back to 2-3 pounds. I am still a bit confused on how many calories I should be eating. I am very new to this and want to make sure I getting results and in a healthy way.
  • Feed_the_Bears
    Feed_the_Bears Posts: 275 Member
    If you want that weight loss to sustainable, then do not cut more than 20% of your total daily energy expenditure. If burning 2200, eat about 1600. If you've been consistently eating around 1300 you may have to slowly build up to that 1600 so as not to be shocked. You may find your progress slows down, but you're less likely to be one of the 80% of people who gain all of their weight back and then some because of cutting too much.
  • FoodTruckJoni
    FoodTruckJoni Posts: 4
    Thanks everyone! I appreciate all of the feedback!
  • GBrady43068
    GBrady43068 Posts: 1,256 Member
    If you want that weight loss to sustainable, then do not cut more than 20% of your total daily energy expenditure. If burning 2200, eat about 1600. If you've been consistently eating around 1300 you may have to slowly build up to that 1600 so as not to be shocked. You may find your progress slows down, but you're less likely to be one of the 80% of people who gain all of their weight back and then some because of cutting too much.
    This^
  • Roughgalaxy
    Roughgalaxy Posts: 219 Member
    I think you are doing ok. 17 pounds is 6 weeks is a nice steady decline. Like GBrady said though you probably want to be around 1600 calories. That's where I was when I was trying to burn fat.
  • meshiabrown917
    meshiabrown917 Posts: 1
    I have went from 140 to 200 in 2 years. My goal is to lose 35 pounds to start. Im having a hard time. Can anyone give me ideas or tips to help me that have been successful? I know drink only green tea and lots of water. I cut out most everything white, eat whole wheat. I need some breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas that are healthy. I could really use some support to help me be successful. I want to have more energy and be happy again. Need a support group and motivational stories or ideas to jump start my life change.
  • WisCowboy
    WisCowboy Posts: 8
    @ FTJ: I know how you feel. I told myself that I had had enough of my "fat lifestyle" and decided to change near the end of the 1st week of January this year. I began simple enough with lifting weights and diet changes. I was amazed to see I was losing nearly 5 pounds a week. I continued to add more things like going to a gym three times a week with a spinning bike and water calisthenics. I was doing very well with losing about 3-5 pounds a week still.

    Once I got to 260, I had 2 weeks of no weight lose or maybe 1 pound. I changed a few more things like using the walking track for 40-60min, taking Piyo, and then started to keep track of my food diary here. I started to lose 2-3 pounds a week and now for the past three weeks, I have only lost 1-2 pounds a week.

    It feels like right now I am stalling since I am only seeing that 1 pound a week vs. the 5 a week at the beginning. However, the fat I have now I am working of is yellow fat. There is white fat, yellow fat, and brown fat. The colors are not about decay of the fat as to how dense it is and how much energy is stored inside. The older the fat though, the more it tends to store up energy. White fat has a lot of water where as brown fat has very little. Back in prehistoric times, it was the yellow and brown fat that helped us to survive the cold winters with little food to eat.

    So, it is easy to lose the weight at first since you burn up white fat that has little energy stored and is mostly water. It is the continuation of losing fat that at the same burn rate; you're losing less water and more dense energy. However, I am still on my goal since I am losing 1-2 pounds a week. Do not get to dishearten that it doesn't seem like you are not losing the same weight as in the beginning. You are doing the right exercise but change a few things around so your body doesn't build up memory and your workouts become less effective. Even for my piyo and water aerobics, the routine changes so they are always effective.

    Good luck to you on your journey to your health goals.
  • AngelaMcAuleyGlenn
    AngelaMcAuleyGlenn Posts: 9 Member
    I have went from 140 to 200 in 2 years. My goal is to lose 35 pounds to start. Im having a hard time. Can anyone give me ideas or tips to help me that have been successful? I know drink only green tea and lots of water. I cut out most everything white, eat whole wheat. I need some breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas that are healthy. I could really use some support to help me be successful. I want to have more energy and be happy again. Need a support group and motivational stories or ideas to jump start my life change.

    My food journal is open. Send me a request and look away! I always think it helps to see what other people eat. Plus, knowing that someone is looking at my journal holds me accountable.

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