Please help..overwhelmed

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whitty34
whitty34 Posts: 5 Member
in Getting Started
hey everyone first of all thank you for taking a look at my post. I am wanting to make a lifestyle change to lose some much-needed weight however I am feeling so overwhelmed I can't comprehend on where to get started. I currently weigh 205 and my goal is to drop to at least 150. My fitness pal says I should eat 1200 cal a day but someone mentioned to me that maybe I should be eating 1900 c per day. I'm nervous I'll make a mistake. Is there anyone that would be willing to take me under their wing for the first week or so while I get started?

Thank you

Whitney
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Replies

  • caoweme
    caoweme Posts: 1 Member
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    Try checking out http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamesk2.htm and calculate it there. I have also found "Thinner leaner stronger" a helpful resource book. Good luck :) You can do it!!
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    It can be very overwhelming to start tracking calories. What I would suggest is start by logging what you normally eat. That way, you can get used to how the database works. Read the stickies regarding logging that are located here:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10300319/most-helpful-posts-general-diet-and-weight-loss-help-must-reads#latest

    I'd do that for maybe a week or two, or whatever you think you need. Then start eating at a deficit. You could probably start with a 2 pound a week goal (which I'm assuming you entered), but you might find it easier to go for 1 lb/wk. And even if your start with 2, it would probably be best go to 1 when you lose 10-20 pounds. Read all the stickies, they'll help you to create a sustainable goal.
  • elansc
    elansc Posts: 24 Member
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    I agree completely with veganbaum -- I lost 80 pounds -- mostly due to logging my food and learning a bit more about portion control. So many people ask how I did it because they want to lose weight and I always suggest that they log for a week or two to get into the habit, and figure out what they are eating now -- then gradually decrease calories until they are losing, on average, about pound/week. I was overweight for about 20 years and tried so many "diets" and I could not believe how "easy" it was once I started logging everything that I eat. I have been maintaining my weight for about 18 months -- still log every day but mostly because it is a habit.
  • ElizabethOakes2
    ElizabethOakes2 Posts: 1,038 Member
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    I found once I started logging, it was a lot easier for me to see where my wasted calories were coming from and cut them out. Did I really need a half a cup of peanut butter in my oatmeal, etc. I treated it almost like a video game (still do, actually). What happens to my numbers if eat a an apple for an afternoon snack instead of a cookie? What happens if I eat half a cup of rice and an extra serving of salmon for dinner?

    You can do this! :)
  • amandamata712
    amandamata712 Posts: 5 Member
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    I have found that fitness pal has been so helpful. It makes you aware of how much food you are eating and just how many calories it contains. It's important to stay positive even on a day where you may have cheated and feel bad about it. 1200 calories may be hard at first but maybe start by aiming for 1500 and working your way down would be helpful. The first week to the first 2 weeks will be the biggest struggle but, you can do it! Maybe try 3 meals a day and 2 to 3 snacks a day. Try doing them 2 to 3 hours apart depending on how hungry you are. If you plan on doing any exercising, at least try 30 mins of cardio 3 times a week to start. I hope this helps.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    With 50 lbs to lose I would go for a weight loss goal of 1-1.5lbs per week. Presumably 1200 cals is to lose 2lbs per week?
  • JayDam1
    JayDam1 Posts: 37 Member
    edited February 2016
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    A basic start:
    • Chose a calorie number and start eating it. (1200, 1900, or anywhere in between sounds like a good start since you will be customizing it anyway as you see what happens.)
    • Weigh yourself every morning.
    • Average your weight over four days (because averages will help offset the natural heavier and lighter days).
    • Compare your averages to see what is happening with your weight.
    • Adjust your calories accordingly - lower them if you aren't losing enough, raise them if you are losing too fast.
    • Shoot to lose 3-4 lbs a week, up to 5 lbs.

    You weight loss will only work as well as you do to ensure you maintain caloric consistency. If you vary greatly on calories each day then you cannot accurately adjust your dietary goals.
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    edited February 2016
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    JayDam1 wrote: »
    A basic start:
    • Chose a calorie number and start eating it. (1200, 1900, or anywhere in between sounds like a good start since you will be customizing it anyway as you see what happens.)
    • Weigh yourself every morning.
    • Average your weight over four days (because averages will help offset the natural heavier and lighter days).
    • Compare your averages to see what is happening with your weight.
    • Adjust your calories accordingly - lower them if you aren't losing enough, raise them if you are losing too fast.
    • Shoot to lose 3-4 lbs a week, up to 5 lbs.

    You weight loss will only work as well as you do to ensure you maintain caloric consistency. If you vary greatly on calories each day then you cannot accurately adjust your dietary goals.
    • 1) good advice
    • 2) unnecessary but if you wish to weigh daily and don't pin your mood for the day on what the scale says, go for it. I personally weigh daily but it doesn't work well for a lot of people; many find once a week to be sufficient.
    • averaging your weight is a good idea, and an app or site like Happy Scale or TrendWeight will do it for you
    • 3) Spot on
    • 4) Also spot on
    • 5) darn, you were doing so well... DON'T shoot to lose 3-5 lbs a week, that's well past the upper limit of what is advisable and safe - to lose that much per week you will be losing a lot more than fat, you'll be losing muscle mass. Which will end you up as a smaller version of your fat self (commonly referred to as "skinny fat" where you're still soft and undefined, you just weigh less)
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    If I were you I would keep it simple. No hard rules. Just eat reasonable portions for a few days while logging as accurately as you can. Make sure you aren't too hungry or feeling like you are restricting too much. See what your calories end up at and judge your comfort level. It's not set in stone. Just pick a number based on your experience during these days and it will be a good comfortable number for you to follow as long as it's higher than 1200 and lower than 1800 or 1900.

    My personal sweet spot is around 1450-1600, a level where I can comfortably eat but still lose weight. Keep in mind, the higher the calories the lower the loss, but it's your comfort level that matters. Even if you end up only losing 0.5 a pound a week you would still be at a much better place than attempting something too low and stressful with quicker loss then quit prematurely out of frustration and deprivation.
  • scfarrant
    scfarrant Posts: 30 Member
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    I think we are likely quite similar in terms of weight and weight loss goals. I am on 1200 calories but remember this is NET calories not total! In total, I eat about 1400-1500 calories, but I exercise off 300ish calories so that is offset back to 1200. I eat good full meals and am careful to get all my nutrition, although I sometimes crave high calorie food! I really think it is achievable, but as others have said, you may want to gradually calorie reduce rather than suddenly. I have lost 15 lbs in 8 weeks, so yes, almost 2lbs a week - confirmation that this absolutely does work! Good luck.
  • PollyEH
    PollyEH Posts: 21 Member
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    I agree with what others have said about 1200 cals. I think that's way too low. I've been on mfp for a while and I find the odd 1200 day a struggle, so if you're new to dieting, I think it will be too much of a shock.
  • weholditdown
    weholditdown Posts: 23 Member
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    What did you put in to lose a week? If you put in 2lbs a week loss, that might explain why you're getting 1200 for a daily allowance. I think 1lb a week would probably be more realistic for you.

    Use the BMR app on here to calculate your BMR. Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body would need if you literally did nothing and you should never eat below that. In fact, chances are you should probably be eating more, especially if you're working out.

  • Radiant8888
    Radiant8888 Posts: 27 Member
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    1-1.5lbs a week is a realistic weight loss and a lovely one - it is about the same as I am shooting for and I have a 1,480 daily calorie target. Just think of this year as a health reboot. There is no hurry. I love some of the advice you have had (except the 'lose 5lbs a week' - whaaaattttt??????). It is all about experimentation and finding out what works for you - which will not be the same as what might work for another person. Just start tracking and see where you 'spend' your calories and be honest about how that serves you. Also how does the food affect you? Are you drowsy half an hour after eating pasta? Then it might be time to ditch the pasta. Just tailor this for yourself - and start with really simple things.
  • vivmom2014
    vivmom2014 Posts: 1,647 Member
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    There's lots of great advice above. I'd say one of the most important things to remember is that there's no rush. You want to instill eating habits that stick. So make sure they're not drastic! A loss rate of 1 lb./week is reasonable, and if you can add a bit of movement each day, you can eat more calories.

    You don't need arbitrary diet rules. Don't worry about meal times, meal frequency or even meal composition - just eat in a calorie deficit, and eat a wide variety of foods that you enjoy.
  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
    edited February 2016
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    I love my weight tracking apps. I use trendweight and I like that it averages out 20 days of weight data. I noticed my weight fluctuates a lot within a week. I just upped my cals last week and still losing at a rapid clip. Waiting for 2-3 weeks of data to readjust my calorie intake. I only want to lose 1lb a week.

    What worked for me were easy wins. I wanted to build my confidence and maintain motivation. So I have stick to making easy goals I can accomplish. Nothing too drastic. Its been working well and I feel empowered.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,834 Member
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    I think with that much to lose, 1200 would be too low to start and would be really difficult to maintain over a period of time - which may lead to 'binges', late-night snacking and too many cheat days.

    try this website to really get an idea on how many calories you should be having a day:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
  • Commander_Keen
    Commander_Keen Posts: 1,181 Member
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    whitty34 wrote: »
    hey everyone first of all thank you for taking a look at my post. I am wanting to make a lifestyle change to lose some much-needed weight however I am feeling so overwhelmed I can't comprehend on where to get started. I currently weigh 205 and my goal is to drop to at least 150. My fitness pal says I should eat 1200 cal a day but someone mentioned to me that maybe I should be eating 1900 c per day. I'm nervous I'll make a mistake. Is there anyone that would be willing to take me under their wing for the first week or so while I get started?

    Thank you

    Whitney

    Sooooo making a mistake is a part of life and it helps you find a solution because what ever doesn't work, whats left is the option that works.

    Why don't you make small changes,... 1st figure out what your maintenance calories is, then just eat little bit less.
    Start walking for 30min. If your not loosing then exercise bit more and eat a bit less.
  • cbeck01
    cbeck01 Posts: 5 Member
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    Whitney - first of all congratulations on your goal to become more healthy!

    In July I was in almost EXACTLY the same spot as you. I weighed 212 pounds and finally decided to take control of my life. At that point I set a goal for myself of 170 which seemed truly a pie in the sky goal. This morning I weighed 170.2. .2 away from my initial goal and I now have a goal for another 20# which would put me at your goal of 150. I accomplished all of this almost without feeling deprived by following a ketogenic lifestyle. This involves eliminating things like grains, flour and sugar. No diet pop either. The focus is on eating moderate protein, getting your carbs from low carb veggies and plenty of health fats (avocado, butter, coconut oil, olive oil etc). You will gradually train your body to burn fat for fuel instead of sugar!

    The first few days were rough I will admit as my body "detoxed" from all the carbs I had been eating, but after the first week I was almost NEVER hungry between meals, which was always what derailed me during my MANY previous weight loss attempts...I was STARVING!! In addition, the insomnia I was battling went away which was a HUGE bonus! I just turned 56 years old and I can honestly say I feel better than I have in years! You will lose weight without having to count calories. I have a calorie "goal" that shows up in MFP because of my goal weight, but I just don't pay attention to it.

    I would encourage you to read this link for more information.

    http://www.ketogenic-diet-resource.com/ketogenic-diet-plan.html

    I have coached several family members who have changed their lifestyle also and they are thrilled with how they feel and the weight they have lost. I would be happy to answer questions for you.
  • Wysewoman53
    Wysewoman53 Posts: 582 Member
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    When I first started on this journey, I had people telling me that 1600-1800 calories should be my goal because I was in the obese range. I was getting well-meaning advice from so many different people, I, too, was overwhelmed! So, I checked with my doctor and he recommended a good start for me as far as calories go (1200-1400 at first...now I am at 1000-1200 a day). He, like so many others on here, also suggested I start by just logging in a regular day of what I ate for about two weeks and then start cutting unnecessary calories from there. One thing he told me to remember: I am in control of what I eat or choose not to eat. Think of willpower as a positive thing. In other words, I use my willpower to accomplish my goals...not as a deterrent. For instance, I can eat whatever I want. However, if I want to become healthier and happier with how my body looks, then I use my willpower to reach my goals. I am in control at all times...not some numbers on a scale or in a food diary. One thing I will say, once I started being brutally honest with myself and putting into 'writing' what I was actually, in real life, eating and looking at those calories every day, it was a lot easier for me to cut a lot of stuff out of my diet. I don't miss that 'stuff' one bit. Once I added some movement into the mix, I noticed I wasn't as hungry as I used to be and I don't get tired as easily either. Good Luck on your journey to a healthier you!!
  • elaineamj
    elaineamj Posts: 347 Member
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    Another thing - its OK to take a while to find your optimal balance. I remind myself that at worst, I am slowing down my weightloss by a week or two. After so many years of gaining weight, what's a few weeks? Its ok not to be on a schedule.

    6 weeks in and I am still trying to figure out the right number of calories for me. But that's mostly because I don't want to lose too fast and I want to eat as much as I am entitled to. Someone here said that his winning was the ability to eat as much as possible while still losing weight. I like that.

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