Need help calculating... and some ideas.

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sonjavon
sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have lost 15 lbs in the past 8 weeks and I am very, very proud of what I've accomplished! I am medically unable to "work out". I set a goal a few weeks back to lose a total of 30 lbs by April 15th. That means that I would need to lose a total of 15 lbs more in the next 6 weeks. I currently eat 1480 (ish) calories a day and my goals are set to lose 2 lbs a week. To meet my April 15 deadline I'd need to lose 2.5 lbs a week. I currently weigh 285. In order to meet my goal, how many calories should I be aiming for each day?

I'd appreciate any advice, thoughts, etc. that you might be able to offer.

Replies

  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    Since exceeding 2 lbs per week is potentially unsafe for someone who isn't exercising, you should discuss it with your doctor first.

    Personally i would adjust the deadline to a more realistic date, like a month later. What's the rush? Fat loss is a slow process. :+1:
  • jessicaallen1996
    jessicaallen1996 Posts: 50 Member
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    Why are you unable to workout? If it's something to do with an injury you could always swim( low impact), walk around the block a few times , stretching, dancing, and so many other ways to move and burn calories
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    jessicaallen1996 wrote: »
    Why are you unable to workout? If it's something to do with an injury you could always swim( low impact), walk around the block a few times , stretching, dancing, and so many other ways to move and burn calories

    I have fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Raising my heart rate for any period of time causes me to get dangerously light headed and triggers severe fatigue which takes me days to recover from. It took years for a diagnosis... I kept telling my doctor, "Every time I start to get on track and begin exercising, I get sick and end up in bed for a week..." and it was true, I always felt like I had the flu. I am now on medications and working on finding a pace that works for me. Housework, some days is more than I can handle... but I try to take advantage of my "good days"... I've been known to do squats while folding laundry, leg lifts while cooking dinner, etc... I just have to be very careful at this time. I'm really hoping that as I lose weight - my symptoms will get better.

  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    edited March 2016
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    If you are currently losing 2 lb/week and want to lose 2.5 lb (which is likely okay at 285), you'd increase the deficit by 250 calories per day (either from exercise or cutting calories more, and the exercise could just be walking).

    If you don't add exercise (I understand that may be an issue), you'd go down from 1480 to 1230.

    That said, I DON'T recommend it. You have a long way to go to lose it all, so want to focus on making this a fun process and a sustainable one, and don't want to burn out to make a short term goal that will amount to a difference of 3 lbs (and could be wiped out by fluctuations anyway, since who knows).

    When I started I also had a long road ahead of me (I was 220, wanted to be 120), and making sure it was something that didn't feel like a hardship, but that I could eat like a normal person in a way satisfying to me (so it didn't seem like I was dieting) was important for me. I had various markers by which I hoped to be down 20 or 30 lbs along the way, but if I missed one by a few lbs no biggie, still felt like a victory, as it was progress.

    Some weeks I lost more than 2 lbs, some less, but that wasn't important.

    I ate 1250 net, but I'm pretty short and the net is important -- I was exercising and ate back exercise calories. I typically ate much more than 1250 total.
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    Cherimoose wrote: »
    Since exceeding 2 lbs per week is potentially unsafe for someone who isn't exercising, you should discuss it with your doctor first.

    Personally i would adjust the deadline to a more realistic date, like a month later. What's the rush? Fat loss is a slow process. :+1:

    I assumed that because I am so much overweight that losing more than 2 lbs a week would not be unsafe. Honestly, my doctor doesn't seem to know much about weightloss, nutrition, etc... when I talked to her about weightloss she gave me a handout with the food pyramid on it that looked like something that my son colored in 3rd grade.

    The April 15th goal is really just because I will be seeing some people that I haven't seen in a long time. I know that with the accomplishment of 30 lbs lost, I will feel more confident. I honestly don't feel that it's unattainable? I guess in my mind 30 lbs is the number where I feel others will "see" a difference. I'm in this for the long haul and I know it's a marathon not a sprint... I had just set a goal that I felt was attainable and would LOVE to reach a weightloss goal for the first time in... forever! LOL
  • wallace264
    wallace264 Posts: 3 Member
    edited March 2016
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    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    If you are currently losing 2 lb/week and want to lose 2.5 lb (which is likely okay at 285), you'd increase the deficit by 250 calories per day (either from exercise or cutting calories more, and the exercise could just be walking).

    If you don't add exercise (I understand that may be an issue), you'd go down from 1480 to 1230.

    That said, I DON'T recommend it. You have a long way to go to lose it all, so want to focus on making this a fun process and a sustainable one, and don't want to burn out to make a short term goal that will amount to a difference of 3 lbs (and could be wiped out by fluctuations anyway, since who knows).

    When I started I also had a long road ahead of me (I was 220, wanted to be 120), and making sure it was something that didn't feel like a hardship, but that I could eat like a normal person in a way satisfying to me (so it didn't seem like I was dieting) was important for me. I had various markers by which I hoped to be down 20 or 30 lbs along the way, but if I missed one by a few lbs no biggie, still felt like a victory, as it was progress.

    Some weeks I lost more than 2 lbs, some less, but that wasn't important.

    I ate 1250 net, but I'm pretty short and the net is important -- I was exercising and ate back exercise calories. I typically ate much more than 1250 total.

    Hi, so is it ok to eat back the exercised calories? My daily intake is set to 1400 calories a day and I workout 400 calories a day, so i normally feel like I am not doing the things right because I am some days eating about 1600-1700 calories/day.
  • Cherimoose
    Cherimoose Posts: 5,209 Member
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    sonjavon wrote: »
    I assumed that because I am so much overweight that losing more than 2 lbs a week would not be unsafe. Honestly, my doctor doesn't seem to know much about weightloss, nutrition, etc... when I talked to her about weightloss she gave me a handout with the food pyramid on it that looked like something that my son colored in 3rd grade.

    Rapid weight loss is normal the first month of losing weight, because the body sheds water weight. After that, having too great of a calorie deficit increases the risk of gallstones, which can become very serious. Being very overweight increases the risk, and so does having high cholesterol. If your doctor is clueless or doesn't have time to discuss nutrition, you can get a meal plan from a Registered Dietitian.
    Personally i would just wear dark clothes with vertical stripes to appear leaner. :)
    sonjavon wrote: »
    The April 15th goal is really just because I will be seeing some people that I haven't seen in a long time. I know that with the accomplishment of 30 lbs lost, I will feel more confident.

    Confidence can be switched on at any time through conscious choice. :+1:
  • katej37
    katej37 Posts: 56 Member
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    A friend of mine is very large and has recently lost a fair amount of weight, its not as noticable as if a smaller person had lost the same amount though but I could see that she had lost some and I hadn't seen her since she started her diet. If you haven't seen them for a long time then I would expect them to notice a 20lb-25lb loss easily especially if you get something new to wear that flatters your newer shape. If you are losing eating what you are then continue - it gets much harder the closer to long-term goal you get. :smile:
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    Options
    wallace264 wrote: »
    lemurcat12 wrote: »
    If you are currently losing 2 lb/week and want to lose 2.5 lb (which is likely okay at 285), you'd increase the deficit by 250 calories per day (either from exercise or cutting calories more, and the exercise could just be walking).

    If you don't add exercise (I understand that may be an issue), you'd go down from 1480 to 1230.

    That said, I DON'T recommend it. You have a long way to go to lose it all, so want to focus on making this a fun process and a sustainable one, and don't want to burn out to make a short term goal that will amount to a difference of 3 lbs (and could be wiped out by fluctuations anyway, since who knows).

    When I started I also had a long road ahead of me (I was 220, wanted to be 120), and making sure it was something that didn't feel like a hardship, but that I could eat like a normal person in a way satisfying to me (so it didn't seem like I was dieting) was important for me. I had various markers by which I hoped to be down 20 or 30 lbs along the way, but if I missed one by a few lbs no biggie, still felt like a victory, as it was progress.

    Some weeks I lost more than 2 lbs, some less, but that wasn't important.

    I ate 1250 net, but I'm pretty short and the net is important -- I was exercising and ate back exercise calories. I typically ate much more than 1250 total.

    Hi, so is it ok to eat back the exercised calories? My daily intake is set to 1400 calories a day and I workout 400 calories a day, so i normally feel like I am not doing the things right because I am some days eating about 1600-1700 calories/day.

    Yeah, that's how MFP works. A lot of people start by eating back half or a two-thirds and then adjust based on losses since it's hard to get an accurate number for exercise calories. That's what I did, although for some things like running, I ate back most of them.

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