What exercise should I do?

If your BMR is 1450 and you are (actually) eating 1200 calories you should be losing at least 1lb/week (and is probably closer to 1.5lb/week) regardless of if you exercise or not.

My recommendation is that (assuming you really are small, that 1.5lb/week is your upper healthy limit) whatever you do for exercise you eat back those calories, therefore the exercise won't be for weight loss, but instead for fitness.

My advice (and you’re probably not going to like it), you lose fat based on what and how much you eat. If you’re not satiated by the foods you’re eating, consider switching your macros around some. Whether you go low carb/high fat or low fat/slow carb, find something that works better for you.

Any cardio you do is likely just going to make you hungrier. My advice is to keep up the slow cardio/walking to work and consider taking up some resistance exercise. Since you don’t want to invest in a gym membership, consider buying some free weights or doing some body weight exercises (air squats, push ups, pull ups, lunges, etc.). Building a little muscle will, over time, slightly increase your metabolism and will give you a better body composition after you’ve lost the fat.

Allan Misner
NASM Certified Personal Trainer (Corrective Exercise Specialist, Fitness Nutrition Specialist)
Host of the 40+ Fitness Podcast

scottyxxx wrote: »

nordlead2005 - I'm small in terms of height, not in terms of weight lol. I am just about 5ft 2 and weigh about 183lbs - putting me quite firmly into the obese BMI category.

My struggle is keeping to the 1200 calorie limit, that's why I wanted a little more breathing room to help me get through those hungry days.

So, your upper limit is 1.8lb/week (1% body weight per week), and even that shouldn't be sustained for more than a few weeks as you lose weight. you originally asked about increasing your deficit, and the answer is you don't need to. Exercising more generally makes you more hungry. So, if you can't stick to 1200 now, exercising more may mean you just eat all those exercise calories anyways.

Find a deficit you can stick to (or adjust your food choices to help you stick to your current deficit) and just do that.

As for exercise, do whatever. There is no proper answer for someone who doesn't enjoy activities for more than a few weeks. I don't bike, but I do walk, play Ultimate, Ski, Lift, and enjoy other outdoor activities. You got two cyclists coming in here suggesting cycling. Maybe next we'll get a crossfit person suggesting crossfit, or a climber suggesting rock climbing. All of them are valid answers for burning calories. Just try stuff until you find an activity you enjoy. Geocaching would be a valid suggestion, as you have to walk around and find stuff. I mean, if you were serious about winning the $1000 winterfest medalion hunt you'd probably walk 10 miles/day

Swap out the protein shake for something equivalent. If the doctor wants you to have something more like ensure, then combine it with a multivitamin. Chicken, shrimp, and lean beef are all good choices for lots of protein. If the doctor isn't so much concerned about the protein, then maybe even eat whatever with a multivitamin. Maybe go back and talk to the doctor so you can get your breakfast sorted out.

Took a quick peek at your diary, just curious, why are you tracking sat fat and not total fat? Also, if you care to share, how tall are you and how much do you weigh (or how much do you want to lose)?