Need help!

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tbarr200
tbarr200 Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been doing mfp for a few months. I want to lose about 20 more pounds. I was eating 1200 calories a day in hopes of losing 2lbs/week. Usually I didn't lose 2 lbs and sometimes gained. Somebody suggested I increase my calories to 1400/day to see if that helps. So I've been doing that for a couple days now. I do usually have a cheat meal every 2 weeks. I only work out twice a week. Could somebody please give me suggestions as to what I should be doing? Thanks

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  • swheart4981
    swheart4981 Posts: 16 Member
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    I am FAR from knowing what I am talking about, so I could totally be full o crap, but I would say increase your workout!
  • lemonsnowdrop
    lemonsnowdrop Posts: 1,298 Member
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    Two pounds a week is far too aggressive of a goal for only twenty pounds. Change your goal to a pound a week, which is far more doable, or else you'll get discouraged pretty quickly. Also, if you're gaining weight, there's a chance that you're either overestimating calories burned from exercise or underestimating calories eaten. Do you use a food scale to make sure you're logging everything accurately?
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
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    2 pounds a week is pretty unrealistic unless you are very overweight. If you have only 20 pounds left to lose then it will be hard to lose them that fast, especially by working out only 2 times a week. If you wanna do that then I would suggest to work out 6 days a week for at least 1 hour. And stick to 1200 total calories, plus eating back burned cals from exercise. It doesn't make sense to increase calories to speed up weight loss, it will just put you in less deficit therefore slowing weight loss. Also weight and measure everything as well as make sure you don't overestimate burned cals, the best is to use your heart rate.

    That all being said I would rather suggest you to find more realistic goal if you have only 20 pounds left to lose. Maybe half a pound a week or something. If you gonna lose that fast you will most likely feel tired and sick from being in so high deficit and exercising so much as well as overwhelmed by all this tracking. Personally, I don't think looking good is worth it if you feel like crap doing it. If you do it slow it will be easier and you won't even notice how fast time runs and you will be skinny. If you make it very hard for you even if you do it faster it will seem like longer struggle. Relativity principle works in here with weight loss too, not only with stoves and women. ^^
  • tbarr200
    tbarr200 Posts: 4 Member
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    I should add that I have already lost 60lbs in about 9 months. We weigh our food religiously. I do Zumba twice a week. Mfp says for an hour of Zumba I should lose 700 calories. I think that's too high so I mark it down as 413. I am a stay at home mom to 2 young girls so getting out twice a week is pretty much the best I can do
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    I should add that I have already lost 60lbs in about 9 months. We weigh our food religiously. I do Zumba twice a week. Mfp says for an hour of Zumba I should lose 700 calories. I think that's too high so I mark it down as 413. I am a stay at home mom to 2 young girls so getting out twice a week is pretty much the best I can do

    With 20lbs to lose your weekly weight loss goal should be 1/2lb a week for it to be sustainable.

    To lose weight your goal should be to eat as many calories as you can and still lose about 1/2lb a week. As for exercise you don't need that to lose weight...just a calorie deficet.

    If you want to be fit yes exercise is good, I don't leave my house to workout unless it's to go for a walk...at first I used exercise videos, moved to weight lifting and found fitnessblender.com for HIIT routines...
  • tbarr200
    tbarr200 Posts: 4 Member
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    It was suggested that I increase calories because I was possibly in starvation mode?
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    You're getting some really good advice above about how to set your goals.

    These are three really great threads that I think anyone new to the boards should read. They should help get you pointed in the right direction:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1235566-so-you-re-new-here
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

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