Just looking for advice and opinions!

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healthygal95
healthygal95 Posts: 23 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone! I'm a nineteen year old woman looking to lose 50 lbs. I'm 5'3 and my current weight is 171. I work four or five days a week, depending on the week, and anywhere between five to eight hours a day. I work at an indoor amusement park running rides, on my feet, walking all shift. When I am home, I walk my dogs about 30 minutes a day, cook for about an hour, but besides that, I mostly just relax around the house. I'm not sure if I should pick sedentary or lightly active. At sedentary it suggest eating 1400 for weight loss. I was also wondering if a good compromise would be setting it to lightly active, but on days when I am off work just eating closer to 1400 rather than whatever it suggests for me. Thank everyone in advance for any opinions!

Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    I'd use Lightly Active at the minimum. You're young and have an active job - you should be fine with higher calories. After a couple months if it isn't working then adjust accordingly.
  • healthygal95
    healthygal95 Posts: 23 Member
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    Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
    I'd use Lightly Active at the minimum. You're young and have an active job - you should be fine with higher calories. After a couple months if it isn't working then adjust accordingly.

    Thank you for the reply! You think lightly active would be acceptable for the days when I am off work as well?
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited February 2015
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    Lightly active - though be careful not to overestimate your calories burned from exercise. Your work would not count as exercise as that's what makes you lightly active.

    I'd assume you don't spend your off days lounging on the couch all day. If you are fairly sedentary those days look for ways to add in some activity. Perhaps find an active hobby.
  • healthygal95
    healthygal95 Posts: 23 Member
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    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    Lightly active - though be careful not to overestimate your calories burned from exercise. Your work would not count as exercise as that's what makes you lightly active.

    I'd assume you don't spend your off days lounging on the couch all day. If you are fairly sedentary those days look for ways to add in some activity. Perhaps find an active hobby.

    Any suggestions for a nice active hobby to take up? Mostly when I'm home on my off days involve caring for my five animals (three cats, two dogs) and 30 minute walks for the dogs (it will be an hour when they recover from there surgeries.) Besides that I am mostly watching tv or studying for college, which is why I think I'm closer to sedentary on those days. Thank you for your advice as well!
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    I have learned about multi-tasking! I work full time. I work at a 2nd job ~10 hours a week. I'm a full time grad student. And I have a family. I try to combine things. Reading on the treadmill. Running in place (on the floor or a mini trampoline) while watching TV. Sign up for a 5k and start a couch to 5k program-training generally takes 30-40 minutes, 3-4 times a week.
  • healthygal95
    healthygal95 Posts: 23 Member
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    Nice! Sounds like you have a lot going on! So you think I should also add in exercise on my off days? I've heard weight loss is mostly diet, and exercise is for body composition, but I have no personal experience. I've been lurking and reading these forums religiously, and I'm still unclear on how much exercise is needed.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Yes, calorie deficit/food is the basis of weight loss. And activity/exercise/whatever you want to call it is good for heart/lung health and has many other health benefits. I honestly think that having goals of being healthier, more active, more fit make a person successful at weight loss. In my opinion when we only focus on weight loss, and not the bigger picture, there will come a point where we 'fall off the wagon'. It was true for me - and I think most of us have had an on-again/off-again relationship with weight loss.

    Activity does factor in to how much you can eat though. I'll use myself as an example - note I am at maintenance now. I'm 40 years old, 5' 5.5", and about 125ish pounds. I have a desk job, and if I didn't make any extra effort I'd only burn 1500-1600 calories per day. In my opinion that's not a 'normal' intake range for maintenance. So my options are a) eat more and gain weight b) move more so I can eat a range of 1800-2000 which seems more 'normal' in my opinion or c) eat forever at a reduced range of 1500-1600 per day. I choose a.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    Lightly active, for sure. If you want to eat a bit less on less active days, that's not a terrible idea, however.

    You don't need to exercise, but I think you will make it easier for yourself if you get in the habit now and find something you like. I also find it much easier to eat healthy (and lower calorie) when I'm exercising, since I just naturally tend to focus more on how it's going to make you feel.

    Also, at 5'3 (my height too), maintenance can be stupidly low if you aren't active, and it's going to make it easier to keep losing as you get close to goal.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
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    My active hobby is dancing (swing dancing, specifically).

    You're young, so going for a higher calorie amount is a good idea. The main thing right now is to learn how to log accurately. That means you need a food scale and to make sure you get everything into the log. If you get that right, you can always lower your cals later if needed (one good thing about starting higher is you have more room for adjustments). I bet you'll find you can lose steadily on more calories than you think, though!
  • RebelDiamond
    RebelDiamond Posts: 188 Member
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    I'd say you're lightly active. I have a sedentary job, I sit at a desk for most of the day.
    Try not to stress so much, this whole process is a game of trial and error. See how you go and if its not working bump it up a notch (ie incorporating different exercises).
  • healthygal95
    healthygal95 Posts: 23 Member
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    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    Yes, calorie deficit/food is the basis of weight loss. And activity/exercise/whatever you want to call it is good for heart/lung health and has many other health benefits. I honestly think that having goals of being healthier, more active, more fit make a person successful at weight loss. In my opinion when we only focus on weight loss, and not the bigger picture, there will come a point where we 'fall off the wagon'. It was true for me - and I think most of us have had an on-again/off-again relationship with weight loss.

    Activity does factor in to how much you can eat though. I'll use myself as an example - note I am at maintenance now. I'm 40 years old, 5' 5.5", and about 125ish pounds. I have a desk job, and if I didn't make any extra effort I'd only burn 1500-1600 calories per day. In my opinion that's not a 'normal' intake range for maintenance. So my options are a) eat more and gain weight b) move more so I can eat a range of 1800-2000 which seems more 'normal' in my opinion or c) eat forever at a reduced range of 1500-1600 per day. I choose a.


    Can't blame you at all for choosing a! When I adjust to lightly active it give me 1630 calories, which seems infinitely more doable. I've gone through times when I decided to lose weight, but would do so eating at 900-1200 calories for a few weeks (Less is more, right? *sarcasm*) and would always give in, binge eat, and feel terrible. I'm amazed at how much food I can eat at 1600, since I always thought short girls had to eat 1200 to lose weight. I'll definitely add in some more activity.
  • healthygal95
    healthygal95 Posts: 23 Member
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    girlviernes wrote: »
    My active hobby is dancing (swing dancing, specifically).

    You're young, so going for a higher calorie amount is a good idea. The main thing right now is to learn how to log accurately. That means you need a food scale and to make sure you get everything into the log. If you get that right, you can always lower your cals later if needed (one good thing about starting higher is you have more room for adjustments). I bet you'll find you can lose steadily on more calories than you think, though!

    I've been toying with the idea of losing weight by getting really motivated for a few days and then quitting because I felt horribly hungry or wanted a stupid amount of food, so I do already have a digital food scale. I always thought I had to eat 1200 to lose weight, so I'm glad that I'm finding out that isn't the case. Thank you for your advice!
  • healthygal95
    healthygal95 Posts: 23 Member
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Lightly active, for sure. If you want to eat a bit less on less active days, that's not a terrible idea, however.

    You don't need to exercise, but I think you will make it easier for yourself if you get in the habit now and find something you like. I also find it much easier to eat healthy (and lower calorie) when I'm exercising, since I just naturally tend to focus more on how it's going to make you feel.

    Also, at 5'3 (my height too), maintenance can be stupidly low if you aren't active, and it's going to make it easier to keep losing as you get close to goal.


    Thank you for your advice! I see that you are really close to your goal weight, may I ask about how many calories you eat a day? I know that calorie counts are individual, but I am curious. I know I love yoga, but I'm not sure if that counts as enough activity. I'm thinking about taking up running, because I love being outdoors and it seems a good fit. Besides, with living in PCB Florida, there are 5ks everywhere to sign up for!
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Seems like you're hitting on some good points - that goals need to be reasonable for long term success. :)

    For Yoga - yes, it counts. BUT I'm not sure that it would burn a significant amount of calories. Personally I probably would not log it, but just go with the knowledge doing Yoga would be more beneficial than not doing it.

    Warning: running is addictive. I completed my first 1/2 marathon this past Sunday and today signed up for a 5k next month and am looking for another 1/2 for end of summer. I anticipate doing at least 2 5k's this spring, and a 10k on the 4th of July.

    I started 'this' time 12-25-13 at 178.5 and met my goal (being under 130) on 10-11-14. For about the first 6-7 months I ate 1400-1600, then for a couple months 1600-1800. Now maintaining approximately 1800-2000. I'm healthier now than ever before - was never an active teen/younger adult and it eventually caught up to me. Took about 11 years of on-again, off-again efforts.
  • healthygal95
    healthygal95 Posts: 23 Member
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    I figure I have a pretty big goal, so I'm giving myself a full year to the day to reach it. After I get to my goal weight, I might decided to tweak it depending on how my body looks. I want to be fit, healthy, and yes, trim. I'm also going to set fitness goals along the way, like being able to do men pushups, or run my first five k. I think they say Yoga burns about 80 calories in 30 minutes for someone my size, so I definitely won't log it. I'm thinking that exercising on my off days will count for the calories I would have burned at work and even everything out, so I probably won't log all it.

    Staci, how many days do you run? How was it to get started in it? What else, if anything do you do on your off days from running?

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Beginning of November I started looking for a race. Found something very local - with a 5k and 1/2 marathon option - that was 4 months out. Had been doing some running but not very consistent, and could walk 4.0mph+ easily. So thought training for a 5k over 4 months was not a challenge. So I did the insane thing: signed up a for the 1/2!

    Found a 12 week training program that had me running 5 days a week. Tue/Wed/Thur/Fri/Sun with Sunday being a long day. Started out doing 3-4 miles each of those days and gradually increasing the Sunday long run. Also I started with a combo of running/walking. I'd run 60 seconds, walk 90 and repeat til I'd hit 3 miles. Within a few weeks I'd made improvements to where I was running in longer intervals.

    Did a 5k with the family in early December. This was my first time running outside - and my first actual 'race'. I ran most of it, and discovered my outdoor run pace was faster than the treadmill. Oh - it was raining that morning. My kids are still not happy with me - I signed the whole family up. (Hubby was on board, the kids didn't have a choice LOL.)

    Since then I've done mostly my Sunday runs outdoors - and also once I was running more than walking, I shifted to Tue/Thur/Sun. And walking/other activity other days. I didn't feel that I had the energy to run on back to back days, and I've always heard a new runner should not run back to back days.

    The 1/2 was this past Sunday, I'd estimate that I ran 85% of the first 10 miles and walked 85% of the last 3.1. Finished 2 hours, 32 minutes, 27.71 seconds. I was stiff/sore for the next 2 days - kind of like how you get sore when you do strength training for the first time in a while. Stiffness is gone today. Taking it somewhat easy this week - did a 20 minute run/walk combo last night though and some kettle bell work.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    Ps-If I can run, anyone can. Assuming they get enjoyment from it of course. I broke my legs in a car accident 12 years ago. I was already overweight at that point, and really felt limited physically. Eventually figured out my limitations were based in my level of physical fitness, not my injuries.
  • healthygal95
    healthygal95 Posts: 23 Member
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    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    Ps-If I can run, anyone can. Assuming they get enjoyment from it of course. I broke my legs in a car accident 12 years ago. I was already overweight at that point, and really felt limited physically. Eventually figured out my limitations were based in my level of physical fitness, not my injuries.


    Thanks so much for that long post! That's exactly the sort of thing I was looking for!

    And ^ that is serious inspiration. I love walking outside (I live right by the beach, so I get pretty scenery) so I figure running is probably the most natural thing to try first. My only concern is that I sprained my ankle badly twice over this past year. I did physical therapy, and the doctor told me that it would never properly heal, but that it would end up bearable. I'm now to the point that I can walk, jump, and run short period without pain, so I plan to work into. I want to do a 5k soon, but I also don't want to mess up my ankle.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    One regret about my 1/2: the route was running past car lots, office buildings, climate controlled warehouses and such. Not scenic. The one I'm looking at for August is along the Chattahoochee River and should be very nice.

    Start with finding a local running store - and get fitted for shoes. They'll assess your arch, and then have you run for a minute or two on a treadmill to analyze your stride. This way they can recommend shoes that are right for your feet. Their purpose should be more about encouraging the sport than getting the next sale. They also may have (free) weekly group runs, and classes for teaching running form and such. Local running store = great resource!

    Other than that - listen to your body, and don't worry about speed. My husband gives me a hard time (more like good natured teasing) saying that what I do isn't fast enough to run. Then again, I have a medal for finishing a half marathon and he doesn't!

    Try active.com to look for events that are convenient to you. That should give you info about when, where and other details. Such as race time limits. For example the 1/2 that I entered had a 3 hour time limit - since they had to coordinate for local road closures and such. I knew before I got started that I could easily walk 4.0 mph so had no worries about being able to finish.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited February 2015
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    healthygal95 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    Lightly active, for sure. If you want to eat a bit less on less active days, that's not a terrible idea, however.

    You don't need to exercise, but I think you will make it easier for yourself if you get in the habit now and find something you like. I also find it much easier to eat healthy (and lower calorie) when I'm exercising, since I just naturally tend to focus more on how it's going to make you feel.

    Also, at 5'3 (my height too), maintenance can be stupidly low if you aren't active, and it's going to make it easier to keep losing as you get close to goal.


    Thank you for your advice! I see that you are really close to your goal weight, may I ask about how many calories you eat a day? I know that calorie counts are individual, but I am curious. I know I love yoga, but I'm not sure if that counts as enough activity. I'm thinking about taking up running, because I love being outdoors and it seems a good fit. Besides, with living in PCB Florida, there are 5ks everywhere to sign up for!

    I'm taking a semi break now to try and figure out where maintenance is, but I've been eating around 1600-1650 for a while. I lose between a half lb to lb on that when I stick to it, although it's gotten lots harder since I'm almost to goal. I do the TDEE method, which means you figure your maintenance and then deduct 10-20%.

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