Hi guys I'm aiming for 1500 cal a day

sjch1234
sjch1234 Posts: 6 Member
edited November 13 in Introduce Yourself
I need a health goal and it needs to be something I can really consistently do. I'm overweight, and at 50 I want to have the health and prospects of a 35-year-old not a 65-year-old. I saw my doctor a few months ago who did lots of tests. He looked at my gut and commented on it which I find embarrassing but revealing because when I look at myself I convince myself even though I am 14 stone that I am in good shape. I would love to be 12 stone. Of course it's vanity, I would look so much better, but also its energy and its long-term health I do want to be picking up illnesses and dying young.

I figure that I need to eat less. It's that simple. I exercise quite enough, I don't smoke I don't even drink coffee very often, I generally have alcohol under control with exceptions, so it's down to the food. And diets don't work for me. So I must commit for the whole of 2017 to a set level of eating. If I can do this I will gradually lose weight and get healthier. I've chosen a calorie number of 1500 which I had managed to achieve last week until a big lunch ruined it, and I've chosen to add the number 35 to that to represent the age I want to feel. So my goal is 1535 daily. If I have a bad day I generally scrap posting the calories.

Please feel free to comment and let's do this together

Replies

  • kellyshell215
    kellyshell215 Posts: 98 Member
    Hey! First of all I wanted to say that its goof that you are trying to lose some weight and being healthy as a lifestyle. But In order for that you need to be motivated too and I see you are :) Many people claim that calorie counting helps them to lose weight I agree, but you also need to check the macros too. Eating less is not a solution since you want to maintain this as a lifestyle, but the kind of foods you choose will make a huge difference, making healthy choices and avoiding junk and processed foods. Also I don't know how many calories you used to consume before or your eating habits but I think that, starting with 1500 calories and since you exercise quite enough can be little dangerous for your metabolism (this could lead you into more cravings because you'll be restricting yourself and your body isn't still used for that amount and it give you signs so you consume more food, thats why you'll end up eating more and probably it will led you to gain some weight) and as you lose weight you'll have to eat less you should probably higher your calories.

    Being active will help a lot in this process, and since you want it as a lifestyle try to do physical activities you enjoy, dont push yourself into something you hate because people say its good because its burns calories because you'll end up losing motivation to workout. If you enjoy yoga, pilates, calisthenics, weightlifting, power walks, swimming, or any other activities that raise your heart feel free to do them, 3-5x a week, make sure you give yourself rest days for your body to recover to.
    But before trying any of these make sure you consult and talk about this with your doctor! And tbh I think you can do this! Good luck! :)
  • sjch1234
    sjch1234 Posts: 6 Member
    Great advice thanks Kelly. Sorry I just saw it. Ive decided to add exercise calories - much more realistic and why not have a reward for taking exercise?!
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  • kellyshell215
    kellyshell215 Posts: 98 Member
    :o Its been already a month, sorry for late reply.

    I think its great that you decide to add physical activity, not only because it speeds for weight loss, but also as you said before you wanted to be a healthy 50 year old and have a health and prospects of a 35 year old and not a 50.

    As I said before choose the exercise you like. I say this because It doesn't make any sense to do something you don't like, into the point of counting until its finished or to reward yourself with food after spending your time doing it.
    For example ate already 1500 calories during the day and you plan on having a 300cal defict, and you will be eatiing 500 calories at dinner, you went running for 30minutes and ended up burning (300 calories), but then you decide to eat a cheese burger or cake (500 calories) as a reward.
    At the end off the day, you end up 2300 calories instead of 1800cal as you aimed for plus you ended up in a 500 cal surplus (because your net calories was supposed to be 1500 calories.

    For me, I think the workout should be your reward, not only because its good for your health (bones, heart, flexibility, etc). And If I feel rewarding myself, it has be something thats not food (ex: new training clothes, heavier dumbbells), but if its food than it must be something like trying healthy recipes (vegan ice icreams).
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