WHYYYYY!

You don't need to slog it out in the gym. I despise those cardio classes!!! I recently bought a fitbit and around 20,000 steps a day gives me 800ish calories. Doing laps around my house or the block beats gym classes hands down for me!

When you say "cardio" do you mean just slogging away in the gym purely to burn calories?

It doesn't have to be that way!
Are there no sports you like? No activities that involve exertion? At 19 would suggest trying everything until you find someone you enjoy.

I'm lucky in that I've always enjoyed every type of exercise but my main "cardio" of choice is cycling. Burns a huge amount of calories but is also enjoyable and challenging. I'm more active and do more exercise now than when I was losing weight.

As quite a few people have also mentioned calorie balance isn't just food and exercise - the often neglected third element is activity. Consciously think of ways to add movement into your routine. Eliminate some of the time spent sitting down, always take the stairs, use the car less.....

One other thing you might consider is allocating your calorie allowance differently. One of the intermittent fasting protocols perhaps? Or simply skipping breakfast so that your other meals are bigger and more satisfying.

I have one very low calorie day a week which gives me a six days with a bigger allowance. Find what works for you.

I'm planning on doing the 5/2 diet for maintenance when I get to that point. After getting to my goal weight I'm sure I'll be able to handle two days of extreme calorie restriction per week! And eat what I want the rest of the time, with moderate portion sizes of course.
Or you could just try to find an exercise you enjoy. Cardio at the gym is pretty boring. What about hiking, or rock climbing, or swimming, or joining a netball/volleyball team, or just doing lots of outdoor work. My sister doesn't exercise but she must burn off 500 cal a day doing yard work as she eats like a horse!

I'm 5'6" and 145 and I have a maintenance of 2125 calories with 3x weight lifting and 3x30 min jogging.

Today I burned 1,062 calories just from plain ole walking. And you don't even have to leave the house

bioklutz wrote: »

I am 100 lbs., 5'0" and 40 years old. I work out about 5 hours/week. I am averaging about 1900 calories a day. I can easily fit a 200-300 calorie treat in every day. I can fit a 400-500 calorie treat in too - but it takes a little more planning because I want to hit my protein goal.

A short stature does not doom you to a low calorie life.

1900 is low calorie. It's all subjective

I run, because I enjoy it. BMR calculators say my BMR is 1259. I burn over 2,000 calories just by walking 10,000 steps a day. I take the stairs. I walk to work. I go for walks with my husband.

I'm 50, female, and 5'6" 135.

You don't have to go to a gym. Just MOVE.

gia07 wrote: »

Does this really work week after week after week.. Seems counter productive just to be able to eat more calories the other 5 days a week..

Fwiw, I did for a couple months, not because I wanted to shift calories so much as I had a horrid schedule that kind of eliminated meals for me, against my will. Once I made the switch, I was so much more relaxed and at peace with the horrid schedule days. I also now do IF18/6, just by accident because that's when I enjoy eating.

magerum wrote: »

bioklutz wrote: »

I am 100 lbs., 5'0" and 40 years old. I work out about 5 hours/week. I am averaging about 1900 calories a day. I can easily fit a 200-300 calorie treat in every day. I can fit a 400-500 calorie treat in too - but it takes a little more planning because I want to hit my protein goal.

A short stature does not doom you to a low calorie life.

1900 is low calorie. It's all subjective

You are right, what is considered high or low is subjective. What I did find interesting though is at 185 lbs. you eat 3500 calories. At that weight you are 1.85 times heavier than me. 1900 x 1.85 = 3515. And 1.94 x 1900 = 3686 (and you eat 4000 @ 194 lbs.). It seems like you gain a lot of calories with the extra 9 lbs

I don't exercise a lot. I do wear a pedometer, walk an hour a day (10,000 steps) and eat back those calories.

But the key is READING YOUR DIARY and getting rid of the calories you don't care about. I found that by drinking a small glass of milk instead of 16 oz and substituting a low carb tortilla for bread on my lunchtime sandwich, I stopped eating cheese every day. I dropped 500 calories a day. That's how I lost weight.

I eat Ben and Jerry ice cream every day, but eat 1/4 cup and not 1/2 cup serving of the full cup my kids eat. Or I get frozen yogurt and eat a little more.

I eat nuts by the singles-fives and not by the 1/4 cup.

Bottom line: pick the food you like and budget your calories for it. Eat smaller portions of high calorie foods. Drop high calorie foods you don't mind dropping so you can't foods you really love.

It's not hard. Read your diary.

gia07 wrote: »

Does MFP community really eat really low calories (500 or less) 1 or 2 days a week so you can eat more the rest of the days... (BTW, I actually do IF 18/6 and have been for years and this works great)..

Does this really work week after week after week.. Seems counter productive just to be able to eat more calories the other 5 days a week..

@gia07 Your post is a bit confusing!
What is the MFP community for instance? We are all individuals.

5:2 is a form of IF for weight loss (5 days at maintenance, 2 days at 500 for women or 600 for men). So a moderate weekly deficit.

Some continue after reaching goal with 5:2 to maintain (5 days fairly large surplus, 2 days low calorie) but I choose to do it as 6:1 (6 days slight surplus, one day low calorie.)

Don't understand your exercise question?

When you are maintaining your weight and if you do or do not exercise?

If you mean can you exercise on a fast day then yes you can (but you don't eat back exercise calories on a fast day).
I exercise a hell of a lot over the course of a week and also did do when I was losing weight, training at maintenance is far easier than training in a constant deficit.

And yes some people find an uneven daily pattern much easier for adherence compared to same every day calorie allowance.

Does this really work week after week after week..

Yes I've been doing 5:2 or 6:1 since August 2012.

Sabine_Stroehm wrote: »

I run, because I enjoy it. BMR calculators say my BMR is 1259. I burn over 2,000 calories just by walking 10,000 steps a day. I take the stairs. I walk to work. I go for walks with my husband.

I'm 50, female, and 5'6" 135.

You don't have to go to a gym. Just MOVE.

i envy your calorie burn! i am 42; 5'6" and 131 pounds. my fitbit tells me i tend to burn around 600 cals at 15k steps.

I find using the fitbit actually helps get me up and doing something, especially if you choose to do some challenges with friends. I find myself now taking the long way around the office after grabbing water from the breakroom or leaving the restroom. That's one way to keep my step counts up.

I also try to get to the gym once or twice a week for either elliptical or strength training. I don't beat myself up if I miss a week or two because I've recently taken up running. I'm recovering from my first 10 mile race from Saturday and doubt I will make it to the gym until next week, or much later this week.

The fitbit approach is working well for me. Might not be for everyone, but it's working for me.

christinev297 wrote: »

You don't need to slog it out in the gym. I despise those cardio classes!!! I recently bought a fitbit and around 20,000 steps a day gives me 800ish calories. Doing laps around my house or the block beats gym classes hands down for me!