frustrated, confused and need help/advice

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birksybabe
birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I go to the gym most days and burn quite a few calories for example I burnt roughly 1200 calories today....the thing is I've been told by my instructor that I need to eat about 2500 calories a day to loose weight. I struggle to eat 1500 a day never mind 2500. I personally think it's far too much for someone wanting to shred weight. I eat healthily lots of chicken veg and fruit and I calorie count but I'm struggling to loose weight. Any body got and suggestions or advice for me
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  • ncboiler89
    ncboiler89 Posts: 2,408 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    I go to the gym most days and burn quite a few calories for example I burnt roughly 1200 calories today....the thing is I've been told by my instructor that I need to eat about 2500 calories a day to loose weight. I struggle to eat 1500 a day never mind 2500. I personally think it's far too much for someone wanting to shred weight. I eat healthily lots of chicken veg and fruit and I calorie count but I'm struggling to loose weight. Any body got and suggestions or advice for me

    If you are REALLY struggling to lose weight than you are eating more than you think and/or you are burning less than you think so look at those two things. 1200 calories seems like a lot to burn working out so maybe you are overestimating there. Make sure you are logging accurately yadda yadda yadda.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I suggest putting your numbers in to MFP to see what it recommends. Set your activity to sedentary even though you are not. This will give you your base calories to get in daily then you can eat more depending on what your exercise earns you.

    Fitness machines may overestimate your calorie burn.
  • leooftheyear
    leooftheyear Posts: 429 Member
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    how are you getting the 1200?
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    I go to the gym most days and burn quite a few calories for example I burnt roughly 1200 calories today....the thing is I've been told by my instructor that I need to eat about 2500 calories a day to loose weight. I struggle to eat 1500 a day never mind 2500. I personally think it's far too much for someone wanting to shred weight. I eat healthily lots of chicken veg and fruit and I calorie count but I'm struggling to loose weight. Any body got and suggestions or advice for me

    How you calculate your exercise calories?
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    What are you doing to burn 1200 in the gym? That would take me hours and hours of intense working out. If you're struggling to lose weight you're logging is likely off. Do you use a food scale, use accurate entries, use the recipe builder, etc?
  • DrWhoIsYerDad
    DrWhoIsYerDad Posts: 263 Member
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    "Calories burned" displays are usually to high, and so are the amounts listed on MFP
  • maillemaker
    maillemaker Posts: 1,253 Member
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    I go to the gym most days and burn quite a few calories for example I burnt roughly 1200 calories today....the thing is I've been told by my instructor that I need to eat about 2500 calories a day to loose weight. I struggle to eat 1500 a day never mind 2500.

    At 1500 calories a day intake you should be losing weight regardless of exercise.

    Also unless you are totally working out for hours a day it's unlikely you are actually burning 1200 calories at the gym. 30 minutes on the exercise bike at a moderate pace will only burn like 110 or so calories.

    My advice is to concentrate first on diet. Log your food on MFP, and make sure you are accurately measuring your food, preferably by weight.

    MFP will tell you what your daily calorie goal should be for your weight loss goal and your body parameters.

    The exercise calories are bonus that you get to eat back.



  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    I don't burn off 1200 every time I go to the gym but I do go for hours at a time I do metafit, spinning, swimming and other exercise. I do calorie counting by weight and I go for healthy food. I know that if I eat 1500 I should loose weight irrespective of what exercise I do but I've managed to loose about 6 lb in 3 months and it's frustrating the hell out of me because I work so hard
  • BZAH10
    BZAH10 Posts: 5,709 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    I don't burn off 1200 every time I go to the gym but I do go for hours at a time I do metafit, spinning, swimming and other exercise. I do calorie counting by weight and I go for healthy food. I know that if I eat 1500 I should loose weight irrespective of what exercise I do but I've managed to loose about 6 lb in 3 months and it's frustrating the hell out of me because I work so hard

    To lose weight there is no need to exercise that much. Accurately count your calories. You are eating more than you think.

    Why is it hard to eat 1500 all of the sudden? You'd have to have been eating more than that to gain weight. What was your normal day food-wise in the past?
  • leooftheyear
    leooftheyear Posts: 429 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    I don't burn off 1200 every time I go to the gym but I do go for hours at a time I do metafit, spinning, swimming and other exercise. I do calorie counting by weight and I go for healthy food. I know that if I eat 1500 I should loose weight irrespective of what exercise I do but I've managed to loose about 6 lb in 3 months and it's frustrating the hell out of me because I work so hard

    you're eating WAYYY to little if you burn that much! I'd calculate your TDEE and take a deficit from that, if you're consistent on a weekly basis with exercise. If not, then log exercise in MFP and eat a portion back.
  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    My normal daily intake was probably about 800 calories. I hardly ever ate. As I child
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    birksybabe wrote: »
    I don't burn off 1200 every time I go to the gym but I do go for hours at a time I do metafit, spinning, swimming and other exercise. I do calorie counting by weight and I go for healthy food. I know that if I eat 1500 I should loose weight irrespective of what exercise I do but I've managed to loose about 6 lb in 3 months and it's frustrating the hell out of me because I work so hard

    To lose weight there is no need to exercise that much. Accurately count your calories. You are eating more than you think.

    Why is it hard to eat 1500 all of the sudden? You'd have to have been eating more than that to gain weight. What was your normal day food-wise in the past?

  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    My normal daily intake was probably about 800 calories. I hardly ever ate. As I child
    BZAH10 wrote: »
    birksybabe wrote: »
    I don't burn off 1200 every time I go to the gym but I do go for hours at a time I do metafit, spinning, swimming and other exercise. I do calorie counting by weight and I go for healthy food. I know that if I eat 1500 I should loose weight irrespective of what exercise I do but I've managed to loose about 6 lb in 3 months and it's frustrating the hell out of me because I work so hard

    To lose weight there is no need to exercise that much. Accurately count your calories. You are eating more than you think.

    Why is it hard to eat 1500 all of the sudden? You'd have to have been eating more than that to gain weight. What was your normal day food-wise in the past?

    How about for the 34 pound increase. That what the post wanted to know. That intake?
  • mizzlarabee
    mizzlarabee Posts: 134 Member
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    Can I ask what your dieting history is? Just a general idea would be helpful.
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    1200 is a huge burn. It's not impossible, but it generally requires a very large amount of time, or a high level of fitness. How are you calculating this number?
  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    I'm definitely counting my calories correctly. The reason I struggle to eat 1500 is because I've always starved myself from being a teenager. Most days I'd have a sandwich and that would be it I never drank water just diet pepsi. So my stomach shrunk and when I ate I'd get belly pains. I've obviously upped my food intake after being told to do so over and over but still struggle most days to hit the 1500 mark
  • Mr_Knight
    Mr_Knight Posts: 9,532 Member
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    I also suggest opening your diary. An astronomically large number of people roll through MFP believing they are counting accurately, when they're not.

    Never hurts to have a few more sets of eyes looking over the numbers.
  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    My calorie burn is an estimate through machines. I go up to the gym for 3 or 4 hours most days. I do high intensity interval training like metafit ...hiit ....spinning.... boxersize ....rowing. my usual diet would be a banana for breakfast and water.....dinner would be something like chicken breast spinach and red peppers...then tea would be chicken stirfry (no sauce only seasoning like pepper or garlic) plus I would try and drink 2 litres of water a day
  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    How would I open it up to others? I'm new to this and have no friends on here. I would definitely appreciate the help
  • yopeeps025
    yopeeps025 Posts: 8,680 Member
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    birksybabe wrote: »
    My calorie burn is an estimate through machines. I go up to the gym for 3 or 4 hours most days. I do high intensity interval training like metafit ...hiit ....spinning.... boxersize ....rowing. my usual diet would be a banana for breakfast and water.....dinner would be something like chicken breast spinach and red peppers...then tea would be chicken stirfry (no sauce only seasoning like pepper or garlic) plus I would try and drink 2 litres of water a day

    That what you ate that shows what your ticker says for how much you want to lose?
  • birksybabe
    birksybabe Posts: 22 Member
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    I can definitely see a difference in my shape and my fitness has gone through the roof for a little fat asthmatic lol

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