So I'm fat. And want to be slim!!

Hi.

1200 kcal seems low to me. For comparison I am 5'5 and 152 pounds and eating 1500kcal a day for weight loss.

I also have a fitbit and it seems to overestimate the calories burned so I definitely wouldn't eat all the calories it recommends. But still 1200 kcal is low and you have quite a bit to lose. Do you think you can sustain 1200kcal for a long while? And are you sure you are getting all the nutrients you need?

It's up to you.

I think for now it would be safe for you to lose 2 pounds a week if you have the time and will to be active. But if you aren't very active, I think losing 1 pound a week would be more sustainable than eating only 1200 kcal a day.

People here often suggest eating half your exercise calories.

As for the weight loss... unfortunately it isn't linear. I lost 10 pounds in around 5 weeks and for the last 3 weeks I have lost nothing. Very frustrating... but our bodies can hold on to water for a variety of reasons.

Firstly, it's common to lose a lot in the first few weeks. A lot of that is water (when you eat less, you also retain less water) so don't expect to keep losing at that rate.

Secondly, 2lb a week is an aggressive goal, the fastest rate mfp allows. It means you are eating 1000cal less than your body needs every day (you have a 1000cal deficit). You do not want your deficit to be any bigger than that or you are likely to crash and burn - it is also bad for your health. If you exercise and do not eat the calories back, you are making your deficit bigger. You need to eat a proportion of those calories back.

Thirdly, as others have said, weight loss is not linear. Your body weight can fluctuate by as much as 6lb in a day due to water (or even more!). By comparison, if you stick to your goals, you will burn about 5oz of fat a day. It's easy for fat loss to be masked by water, so don't expect your loss to be steady, and don't be surprised if you gain weight some days. It's just water. If you can get a handle on this right at the start you'll save yourself so much heartache.

And congratulations on your loss! I wish you all the best on your journey.

If 1200 is working go with it. As others said, that'll change as you lose weight and become more and more active. 2 pounds a week is great for female? Over 40. I'm lucky to lose that in 2 months (but I don't have much to lose).

If you feel you need to adjust the calories I'd suggest only changing it by 100 calories or less a day. 100/ day is a pound a month.


As far as eatting them back. Really up to you. If I'm hungry, I'll eat them. Better planned eatting than that "omg I'm suddenly starving" and devour something stupid. Maybe settle on eating a percentage of them back if needed.

Good luck! Sounds like your doing well.

vcj4710 wrote: »

Thank you all. I think I'm going to try by eating just half back and see where that takes me!! Does it matter though that they are just steps (ie not running or body pump or even tennis!!) just walking around at a normal rate!

It doesn't matter how you are 'earning' your calories, just that you are earning them

vcj4710 wrote: »

Thank you all. I think I'm going to try by eating just half back and see where that takes me!! Does it matter though that they are just steps (ie not running or body pump or even tennis!!) just walking around at a normal rate!

If you look at your fitbit calorie burn for the day you will see that some steps count more than others. I walk daily and during my intentional "exercise" walk I burn more calories than I do just walking at the grocery store, etc. So I wouldn't worry about that. I try to eat back all of my allowance as I have found my fitbit to be quite accurate. I do think that starting with 50% and eating back half is a good idea. I'm a little shorter and a little older than you and started out about 10 pounds less. But our stats and goals are quite similar. I lost my weight with my goal set at 1300-1350 (I started increasing the goal and decreasing the deficit as I neared maintenance) and eating back most of my exercise calories so I generally ate close to 1500 per day to lose.

vcj4710 wrote: »

Well that's what I was wondering. But is it just a matter of being more active and eating back say half of the exercise cals (which at 10000 steps gives me around 1400) or
Do I have to adjust my timeline and look to only lose 1lb a week.

I am weighing daily and I don't seem to have lost anything for the past 4 days (so not sure when the 2lb is going to miraculously drop off!!).

1200 calories is for women who are very short and inactive. I see you are 5'7" - what's your goal weight?

Weight often drops in whooshes http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/fat-loss/of-whooshes-and-squishy-fat.html/

And women often retain water at ovulation and premenstrually, which can mask fat loss.

Also, people usually retain water when they start a new exercise program.

I don't eat back 100% of the calories the MFP database says I've earned but I do eat back all of them from my fitbit, which is a lot less generous.

A slower weight loss goal will allow you to adapt and adopt a more suitable diet... (begin thinking of diet as what you put into your body as opposed to a weight loss tool) pay attention to your macros as much as your calories and you will find that you won't crave some of the "poor" choices most people make at the grocery store. exercise should be a "focused" effort, not something that you just kind of do once in a while. Which means you should schedule time in your day to exercise it is just as important emotionally as it is physically. You should also fuel your work outs... find a snack, a bar, a supplement, something... that your body can "use" to fuel your body while you are engaged in your exercise activity... you have a weight scale... do you have a food scale? weighing your food is FAR more important than weighing yourself...

do plenty of reading, here in the boards to educate yourself. YOU don't need to invent your own wheel... just be cautious about the "bro Science"